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GreenWerks | 
Dec 17th, 2011 | 
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.
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That solar hot water system sounds like a marvelous idea. My household uses a lot of hot water for so many reasons and I imagine such solar system that would definitely cut my energy bill. A blog on it would be very much appreciated.