A Guide to Residential Solar Energy

Residential solar energy is straightforward, and anyone can use it to supplement or replace services with their local utility company. All you need is a set of solar panels or modules that covert sunlight into electric current. You can then use the electricity generated to operate appliances and other devices in your home. Some solar panels convert sunlight into heat, which you can use instead of gas, oil or electricity. With the right information, you can be on your way to saving a lot of money on electricity, just by using the power of the sun.

Cost of Home Solar Energy

Radiation from the sun is free of charge. However, harnessing the sun as a useful energy source costs money. The upfront investment in residential solar power is substantial. However, the investment in solar water heating usually only requires a modest investment.

Residential Solar Power or Saving Energy at Home?

Residential solar power versus saving energy at home; optimize the investment in your home energy bills saving – reap the lowest hanging fruit first.

Solar Energy: Thinking Outside the Panel

The sun provides Earth with energy for hours and hours each day, energy we can then use to power our homes, pump our water, heat our water, even cook our food. The power of solar energy can be utilized in many ways.

Solar Electricity Systems: Understanding Basic Configuration

As more homeowners embrace alternative energy sources like solar electricity systems, they find themselves in the position of learning basic concepts and vocabulary even if they hire a contractor to select the components and perform the installation. A good place to begin a basic understanding of home solar power is simply to know the difference between the three major types of systems in use.

Solar Powered Lights: Realistic Expectations

If considered as an adjunct to conventional lighting, solar powered lights can be appealing, useful, and a conversation starter to boot.

Solar Hot Water Heaters
Return of Investment in the Fast Lane

The installation of a solar hot water heater will dramatically reduce your domestic energy bill. After a payback period of a few years, the solar domestic water heater will provide you hot water free of charge for many years to come.

4 Must Have Home Solar Power Systems

These are the minimum requirements you’ll need to get started if you want to generate electricity using solar energy.

3 Best Ways to Use Solar Power for Homes

If you want to fire your electric company, or at the very least reduce your utility use and payments, you should consider using solar energy in these 3 ways.

Solar Cells: What You Should Know

While we may not be ready for a solar revolution, where we all use free electricity from the sun, solar power use is on the rise. Homeowners are a big piece of that pie.

How Do I Offset Solar Panel Cost?

If you listened to Barack Obama speak during the recent presidential campaign, you likely heard about America’s green future. European pioneers like Germany have blazed the trail that most of the United States is set to embark on, and a large part of our new, green future is solar energy. According to recent research, however, [...]

Getting Started With Solar Panels

If you watched any of the recent campaign season, you saw two candidates that disagreed on most points, except for one: the need for renewable energy in the United Sates. Countries like Germany are light years ahead of where the United States is, but as technology improves and prices fall, the temptation to add renewable [...]

Residential Solar Energy Comes to The Vatican

To get a good idea of just how mainstream “greening” has become, one has to look no further than the world’s smallest sovereign state. Recently, The Vatican installed a massive series of residential solar energy panels that will cut the tiny state’s oil consumption considerably. This is likely the best evidence yet that the world [...]

A Starters Guide to Buying Solar Panels

When most of us think of solar panels, we think of stiff, square sheets of panels that we see installed on rooftops and in other locations. The truth is that solar panels come in a variety of shapes, sizes and formats to fit almost any location. If you are thinking about adding solar panels to [...]