Is Your Home Suitable for Solar Panels?

It doesn’t seem so long ago that the little solar panel on your school calculator was the most advanced piece of solar technology in most people’s lives. As a child it was a marvel that something electronic could work without batteries; powered entirely by the sun.

In the intervening years, solar technology has moved on a fair bit and now you can fit solar panels to your roof and practically power your entire home, saving a lot of money on electricity in the process. This was once a specialist field that only eccentric yet tech savvy hippies would seek out, but now even your local plumber should have this service in his repertoire.

But how do you know if your home is suitable? Here are some common questions answered:

Is it really sunny enough?

Obviously if you live somewhere where you get baking sunshine all day long, you are going to generate more electricity because that’s just how it works. However, modern photovoltaic (PV) solar panels don’t need direct sunlight; they will still generate electricity on a cloudy day.

Photovoltaic solar panels are made of layers of a semi-conducting material such as silicon that, when light shines through them, create an electric field which is then harvested and sent into your house. Even a small amount of light will create this electric field and send electricity to your home.

What if you’re not allowed to put solar panels up?

 If for example you live in a conservation area, or just one with particularly fussy neighbours, you may not be allowed to put solar panels on the roof. In this case most solar service providers will be able to offer you solar roof tiles instead. These tend not to be quite as effective at sucking energy from the sun as a solar panel, but they do blend in almost seamlessly with the look of your tiles. 

Is it true you can make money from your solar panels?

Yes indeed, basically your solar panels will generate electricity all the time (except at night) so when you aren’t using any electricity, it just builds up ready for you to use. What you can do though is get yourself hooked in to the national grid. They will pay you directly for every kilowatt (kW) you pump in.

So you know how you may have been annoyed at home energy prices have been rising…with your solar panels you may find yourself grinning when you find out the cost of energy has gone up, as you know this means you will be getting more for your own, home generated electricity.

Therefore, unless you live underground, there certainly is a way solar technology can benefit you and your home. Speak to local Edinburgh plumbers that offer solar installation services for more information on prices.

 

John Birch recently installed solar panels through his local Edinburgh plumbers. Luckily the money he saves on his electricity bills means that should he ever require an emergency plumber, he needn’t worry if there is a large call out fee.

 

Is Solar Heating Effective In The UK?

We’ve almost got used to it now. Every month we hear that inflation is up and the energy companies that supply the fuel for our boilers are increasing their charges to make up for it. It’s no wonder that a lot of people are now investigating alternative methods of heating their homes, and trying to move away from or at least reduce their reliance on gas, electricity and oil. One of the newer entries to the market is technology that uses solar energy to heat water, and it’s starting to look promising.

There are two basic designs for the system. The first relies on the circulation of water through the solar panels, and allows the water to be heated directly, so it obtains maximum efficiency. This type of system is most appropriate in warmer countries which don’t experience freezing temperatures, as obviously you lose any benefit if the water freezes and it can’t be moved to where it’s needed. The second type of system resolves this by pumping a freeze-resistant liquid around the panels, and then transferring the heat it collects to domestic water inside your normal, hopefully protected from the cold, pipes. It’s less efficient as some heat is lost during the transfer, but it’s more effective in colder climates. Whatever solar system you have, an insulated tank will be required to store the heated water, similar to the tank found in airing cupboards as part of traditional heating systems. That means that there is a reservoir of water ready for use at any time, and reduces the amount of heat energy that is wasted while it waiting to be used.

In the UK, a system which combines solar energy with a traditionally fuelled boiler is probably the most appropriate. We don’t get enough sun here, or get it reliably enough, to be able to heat the water just from solar energy at the times when we want to use it. The combination idea, however, makes a lot of sense and the reasons behind it are quite simple, too. For every bit of energy that the system is able to obtain from the sun and convert into warmer water, an equivalent amount of energy doesn’t have to be burned by your boiler. It has to work a lot less hard to bring the water to usable temperature, and your fuel bills could be drastically cut as a result.

While such systems are relatively new, and therefore expensive, there are a couple of things that can be relied upon and which must be taken into account before making a decision about them. The first is that as these boilers become more popular and move towards being standard installations, their cost will decrease. Secondly, the price of fuel for conventional boilers will only continue to increase, and we’ve seen some significant rises in the last couple of years. Therefore, it’s probably only a matter of time before it will make excellent financial sense to invest in a solar boiler system.

Creative Home Solar Energy Ideas

When people think of solar energy, the first thing that comes to most people’s mind are solar photovoltaic panels on a roof. Yet the fact is there are a wide range of other options and ideas for how you can obtain energy and save money by using the sun. Here are four of the best:

1. A Solar Hot Water System.

Did you know that 90% of homes in the nations of Cyprus and Israel use a solar system to heat water? Solar water heaters come in a variety of forms and on a sunny day they can provide all the energy you need to provide reliable hot water. Depending upon how many people you have using hot water in your house, the financial savings can be considerable.

2. Using Sunlight to Maximum Advantage.

One of the most inexpensive ways to use the sun to heat your home without the use of solar panels is by the creative use of open space. That can be something as simple as using windows to let in warming sunlight during the most advantageous hours. The availability of sunlight can be enhanced by adding more windows on walls that currently do not have them or by putting sun lights in the roof. Sunlight can heat a room by several degrees, during which you can lower your thermostat accordingly.

3. Create a Solar Cooling System.

We usually think of solar energy in terms of heating our homes, but it can also be used to save on electric bills in the summer by cooling your house. Solar powered fans and pumps can be purchased, as can shades or shutters that keep the sun away from the house in the hottest part of the day. In other words, the same principles used to maximize the availability of heat producing sunlight in the winter can be reversed for cooling effects in the summer.

4. Create a Green Roof.

This doesn’t mean putting pots of flowers on your roof for aesthetic beauty, but of actually putting down soil and growing plants in it. The soil serves as excellent insulation to hold in heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. In Germany about ten percent of roofs are “green” in this manner, and these “eco-roofs” are becoming increasing popular all over the world as a beautiful and effective way to save on heat and air conditioning year round.

About the author: E. Fortie writes for the solar panels blog. It’s a free blog he uses to help people get the right information about PV panels to save energy at home.

Top Ways to Save Money with Solar Energy at Your Home

While investing in solar energy might come with some startup costs, it is highly beneficial if you can come up with an efficient system. You have to begin my making sure that your house is set up properly for solar energy, since the panels must be in a position that faces the sun for the majority of the day.

You must also have a backup plan in place, since most people will not have an efficient enough system to run their home exclusively on solar power. As long as you take the proper steps to ensure that your solar panel system is installed correctly, however, you should be able to save money in a variety of different ways around the house.

Heating

The best way to heat your home with solar power is by installing large, insulated windows on many of the south-facing walls in your home. These panels are very cost efficient, as once they are installed, the upkeep is minimal. You must also place these windows near a thermal mass, which will likely be a piece of concrete or a wall that can help absorb heat. Once you have your home set up properly, the heat from the sun will be attracted by these windows, which you can then filter through the rest of your home.

When done correctly, you can lower your heating costs by about 50% per month. One thing to remember is that your house must be designed in a way that allows this technique to work and is highly dependent on your local climate. Make sure that you speak with an architect that is familiar with this type of thing before starting the project. Setting your house up to be heated by solar power can lead to major renovations, although it will end up saving you money in the end if it is done correctly.

Cooling

Cooling your house with solar energy works in a similar way to heating it, as you must have your home altered to meet your needs. Rather than collecting the heat from the sun, however, these cooling methods involve eliminating this solar energy from your home. This can be done by putting overhangs or reflective coverings on your windows, walls and roof. These alterations will be temporary, however, so that you can use the sun to heat your house in the winter and can prevent it from heating your home in the summer.

Water Heaters

Nearly every home in the country has a water heater of some sort, although the type of heater that you use might vary. Solar water heaters allow you to use the energy of the sun to heat your water, which could save you a considerable amount of money. What you need to do is place the water heater in an un-shaded and south-facing portion of your home.

Most people go with the roof of their homes, since it is unlikely that certain portions of your roof will be shaded at any time of the day. Once you find the right location, you can install the water heater and let the sun do the work for you. The newer models of solar water heaters are made to blend in with the roof of your home, so no one will even know that it is there.

Currently, almost 2 million homes in the United States have these water heaters, so they are quickly becoming more common. It is also possible to receive a rebate or tax credit for purchasing one of these items, since each heater prevents about two tons of carbon dioxide from entering the environment each year. Since using electricity or natural gas to heat your water will become rare once you purchase one of these heaters, you will save hundreds of dollars per months, depending on the size of your family.

Electricity

If you equip the roof of your home with a number of solar panels, you can use the energy to run a number of appliances around your home. Currently, most people pay the electric company for their power, which is a cost that adds up considerably over the course of a year. If you are able to generate enough solar power to run these appliances without this outside help, it becomes a money saving venture for you.

As fossil fuel reserves decrease, we will see all types of alternative energy sources increase in price. This is because the cost of transportation and maintenance will increase for those providing the power and the inflation will trickle down to you. Once you have your solar panels installed, however, you will never have to pay for the energy that you consume.

If you purchase a device called a capacitor, you can even store the energy that you collect from the sun to use later. If you store enough energy, you should be able to run all of your appliances on solar power during cloudy and rainy periods, where there is not an abundance of solar energy available. This allows you to save money, even when you do not have the sun at your disposal.

Save Money with Solar Power

Getting started as soon as possible with solar power will ensure that the savings begin sooner as well. Because there is a startup cost, you will take a bit of a financial hit as you switch over to solar power, but you will make that money back and then some very quickly. Add up your heating, cooling, hot water and electric bills for this month and then decrease that by 75%. Many people save even more than that by using solar power in their homes and there is no reason why you cannot do the same.

H.M is writing for Alternative Energy Geek.com