Solar Power For Houses – Eliminate Your Electric Bill With a Solar Powered House

May 15, 2010 by SolarInfo
Filed under Home Improvement

George Dale asked:

There are solar applications for calculators, satellites, and garden lights. Nevertheless, what about solar power for houses? It is a growing field with some exciting new developments. Here we will look at some possibilities for solar power for houses.

Houses use a significant amount of energy that is dependent on fossil fuels. Most of our current energy is produced by coal. As of today, the cost of producing electricity in this manner is 2.10 per watt. In addition, the high cost of everything else is having a negative impact on electric production so prices could go even higher.

Using solar power for houses could alleviate the demand on current utility providers. Eventually maybe even replace fossil fuels as an energy source altogether. To use solar power requires some basic information.

Your home electric use is printed on your bill each month and measured in kilowatt-hours. This is important information for anyone considering solar power for his or her house. Armed with this information you can calculate the energy needs of a solar power system. For an average home, a one-kilo watt system will be sufficient. However if you have a higher than average use then obviously a larger system will be required, that is where your bill comes into play.

After determining how many kilowatts you need you can examine the cost of the various systems. The range on the internet today for a complete home system is anywhere from eight to thirty-two thousand dollars. The price variance is due in part to installation costs. If you are a handyman who can do your own then you will save a lot of money.

Making a home solar power system is actually quite simple and can be done relatively cheaply. Most people don't know this because companies are taking advantage of limited amount of information out there, and charging an arm and a leg for this new technology. At the end of this article is more information on how you can do this yourself.

Solar power for houses can be complex or simple. In most home applications, solar power is used in conjunction with the local utility. This is called on grid solar power system. This is the most popular right now because you can save on your electric bill while retaining the convenience of no lapses in power. Since solar panels only collect energy through the hours of peak sun, late night use is not conducive without battery storage. With on grid systems the need of purchasing huge amounts of storage is not necessary as you have local electric for cloudy days or at night.

Solar power can be used off grid as well but is generally left for remote areas with no access to public utilities. The off grid system will be a completely stand-alone system and may require some adjustments in use.

Your geographical location is also a factor to consider when using solar power. The further south you are located the more hours of peak sun hours you will get every day. This is not to say that northern states cannot use them, in fact newer solar cells are actually performing better in colder areas. Set up of your solar panels is very important especially in colder climates. Solar panels require three to four hours of peak sunlight per day. TO achieve this they must be set in direct sunlight at the precise correct angle. This angle will be relative to your geographical latitude.