As the cost of energy rises from countries that heavily rely on fossil fuel, an alternative solution is absolutely important in order to meet high demand on power. Solar energy for the home is one of the best solutions in order to meet your daily home energy requirement without sacrificing your budget.
If you are deciding to get solar energy for your home, this is a perfect time for you to learn basic things about solar power.
Summer is the time of the year where we spend a huge amount of energy in order to power our appliances and charge our gadgets. As the planet becomes increasingly warm, we also tend to use more fossil fuel so that we feel comfortable. However, huge consumption of power means great electric bill. Installing a solar power system in your home is a perfect opportunity to lower your monthly electricity expenses.
How to Determine Your Solar Energy for the Home Needs
Once you have decided to install solar power system to provide your residential energy needs, the next step that you need to do is to determine your energy requirement. Ask yourself, how much energy do I need to run my whole house? The answer can be quite simple: look at your electricity bill. You will find your average power consumption there. You can use it as a reference so that when a solar energy provider asks you about it, you can readily give them your answer.
If you have just built your house and you want to provide it with solar energy, you can compute your energy need by multiplying the power consumption of certain appliances by the intended hours of use. For instance, you have a 30W TV and you will only use it for 2 hours. This will then result in 30W X 2 hours = 60WH. Repeat this for all of your appliances, and then add the results in order to compute your total energy consumption.
How Many Solar Panels Do You Need to Run a Whole House?
This is one of the questions asked by people who are deciding to rely on solar energy. There are different kinds of solar panels with different capacities available in the market today. The number of solar panels you need would be based on how much each panel’s maximum capacity is and how much you actually need.
There are also factors to consider such as how much you actually consume, how many hours of sunlight a day you can have in your area and how much is the energy loss. To calculate how many solar panels you need, check our article on calculating your solar panel needs.
To make an accurate decision, check your actual electric consumption. Your monthly electric bill will surely show how much electricity you use. Check your usage graph to learn of the average amount and your peak energy consumption. This way, when you turn completely to solar power for all your electric needs, you won’t feel that your power is short.
One more thing to put into consideration is whether you want grid-tie or off-grid. Grid-Tie is when you are using solar power while still being connected to your local power company. Off-Grid, on the other hand, is when you rely completely on solar power for your electricity needs.
The benefits of using the power of the sun are absolutely endless. All it takes is to harness the sun?s energy and use it properly. Not only solar power is free, but it can also help us reduce our carbon footprint. If you are interested in using Solar Energy for the Home, you can try it out first by using simple and basic solar powered devices. This way you?ll get a feel of how it works.
