Solar Energy for the Home
To start with the basics, solar energy is very simply energy from the sun. By converting sunlight into energy by the use of photovoltaic cells or panels on the roof of your house, you can use this solar energy for the home in a number of different ways. Solar energy can be used to provide heating for your domestic water or to heat swimming pools. Solar energy can also provide energy for lighting and ventilation systems.
You may have seen the small solar lights for lighting up your garden for sale in your local garden center. You put the light into the ground and throughout the day it absorbs the light from the sun. Then at night you can turn on the lights to light up your garden path in order to prevent your visitors from tripping over the cat! Solar energy for the home, provided through photovoltaic panels on the roof of your house, works in the same way as the garden light. Throughout the day the panels absorb the energy from the sun. This energy is then used in the heating, lighting and ventilation systems in your home.
Of course, buying and installing the photovoltaic panels and setting up a solar energy system for the home does come at a price. However, after the initial outlay your energy bills will be reduced in the future. You will be taking a big step towards removing your reliance on the fast reducing sources of fossil fuels. There are sometimes grants available to assist with this kind of environmental building work and home improvement so it is worth checking around to see if you are eligible for this kind of assistance.
If you are considering solar energy for the home, you might like to complete an energy audit on your house first of all. Before you invest in solar energy for the home make sure that you are being as energy efficient as you can be. The smaller your energy consumption, the smaller the amount of solar panels you will need and this will therefore reduce the costs.
Even if you don’t want to have solar energy in your home, becoming energy efficient means that your energy bills will be reduced. A lot of energy is needlessly wasted in homes and workplaces each year by leaving items such as mobile phone chargers plugged in when they are not in use, and by leaving electrical items on standby. This wasted energy has a financial as well as an environmental impact.
Another small step that you can take is to replace your light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs when they run out and always turn lights off when you leave a room. Also, open your blinds and curtains and use natural daylight for lighting whenever possible, then in this small way you will already be using solar energy in the home!
