How To Make Your Home Solar Powered
Jul 6th, 2009 by admin
If you are looking for a way to lower your energy bills each month, a solar power home kit might be the answer. If you want to reduce the amount of money you pay on your electric bills then recent advances in solar panel design has made this technology an effective method to do so. By utilizing a solar power system you can replace up to all of of your electricity by using the sun, and you don’t have to pay for power any more.
These solar kits come in a variety of sizes and styles and are easy to install. Most of the job can be done by the homeowner and an electrician only needs to hook up the cables to their home’s power supply. If you want to pass the inspection you will have to hire a electrician because of specific codes that have to be closely followed.
Before buying a solar power system you need to figure out the energy requirements of your house. You will be able to do this by taking a look at past energy bills. You need to try to settle on an average power usage for the year as well as a peak usage.
This will let you figure out the size of the setup that best works for you. Most new solar power installations will allow you to get a basic setup going with only a couple of panels and then have the option of adding more at a later date. This can be handy since you can spread the cost out over several years instead of having to finance it all the first year.
There are two major parts to every solar panel system and they are the solar panels themselves and the inverter. The solar panels are mounted on rails that sit a few inches above the surface of the roof. This will let the rain and other debris move underneath the panels, and also give proper ventilation. To ensure that they are secure as possible you should anchor the rails to the roof joists. Even though these newer systems are lighter than older systems, they still represent a good amount of weight and need to be supported adequately.
When the solar panels are mounted, you can then run the cables from the panels down to the area where the inverter will be installed. The inverter is responsible for converting the DC current that is produced by the solar panels into AC current your home can use. There are two types of inverters, exterior and interior.
If you are using the exterior type of inverter you will run the cables to the spot that the inverter will be located. If you plan on using an interior model you might have to hire an electrician since specific electric codes might apply. Once you have laid out and mounted the power cables they need to be connected to the electrical system of your home.
You might have to find an electrican to do it for you, and it would be helpful if they knew about installing solar power systems. Once this is complete, you are ready to enjoy years of lower electrical bills as your solar power home kit converts sunlight into savings.
For more information on solar powered homes please visit http://www.residentialrenewableenergy.com/solar-power-home.php