Home > February, 2012
How big is your house / household number ?
just curious, I am alone 3/2 1500 sq home pay about $80-$90/ mo. I cut off electric water heater except about 3 min before I use bath. I think mine is still high. I hardly use any wasted electricity. TV, Computer, Oven, phone / camera battery charger, clocks, thats about it..
$ 10 per month…. India…
Solar homes. Many people talk about them, although few in the U.S. do more than talk. They are said to reduce utility bills. Some say a solar home cuts utility bills drastically. Some are able to sell excess power back to the power grid. Savings are not automatic, however. Steps must be taken to make the solar home efficient; to conserve the electricity that is produced.
Ways to conserve solar photovoltaic power in the home must be found. The home owner must actively seek out ways to make those photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof as efficient as possible. Photovoltaic power is free, but it cannot be generated in unlimited quantities. It is important to take measures to use it to best advantage.
Of all the ways to conserve solar photovoltaic power in the home, the most important is probably replacement of power-gobbling electric appliances. Home lighting can also be changed to conserve solar photovoltaic power (PV power). Finally, power usage can be reduced by making every person in the solar home conscious of conservation methods.
12 Ways to Conserve Solar Photovoltaic Power in the Home
1. Shop for energy-efficient appliances and home electronics for your solar home. Most products in this category carry EnergyGuide labels. These labels give an estimate of the products’ energy consumption or energy efficiency, and show the ratings of similar appliance models. In the U.S., appliances and home electronics that meet strict Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) energy efficiency criteria carry Energy Star labels.
2. Replace an electric water heater in a solar home with an energy-efficient propane or natural gas heater. Connect the new water heater to a solar water heater system. The sun will preheat the water, and the new unit will have less work. Wrap the water heater with thermal wrap to retain heat.
3. Replace the solar home’s electric furnace with an energy-efficient propane or natural gas unit. Install a solar panel air heater to reduce the work load of the new furnace. If you are building a new solar home, consider passive ways to heat the floors and air, further reducing the workload.
4. If the solar home is in a hot, dry climate, use an evaporative cooling unit in place of an electric air conditioner.
5. Check weather stripping around all windows and doors. Seal cracks and openings. Stopping air leakage in and out can improve indoor climate control in every season.
6. Insulate the solar home well. Insulation will keep heat or cool air from escaping. It will also keep outdoor cold or heat from entering readily.
7. Use heavy, insulted drapes and window shades/blinds in the solar home to keep out hot or cold air, making cooling and heating units work more efficiently.
8. A serious solar home owner can save even further by using a solar oven for cooking whenever possible. Especially good in hot climates or summer months, a solar oven will cook food with solar energy, and avoid heating the home. Money is thus saved in two ways.
9. Control of computer usage is another of the many ways to conserve solar photovoltaic power in the home. Monitors should be turned off whenever the computer will not be in use for 20 minutes or more. The CPU and monitor both should be turned off when the unit will not be used for 2 hours or more. Power down or sleep modes should be set.
10. Replace light bulbs with Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs. If every U.S. home replaced just one light bulb with one of these bulbs, we would save more than $600 million in annual energy costs. To the solar home owner, such savings are vital.
11. Maximize your use of daylight, turning on lights only when necessary. Use windows to advantage, and install skylights where possible.
12. Landscape your property to block the heat of summer sunlight, permit winter sunlight. Deciduous trees near the solar home will shade windows in the summer, and let warming sunlight through in winter months.
Ways to conserve solar photovoltaic power in the home are not limited to these twelve, but if these alone are used, the increase in efficiency will be tremendous.
Anna Hart
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/solar-home-conserving-pv-power-172506.html
Installing a home solar power system in your residence is good for the environment. A typical 10 KW system over the 25 year lifetime eliminates more than 400 pounds of nitrogen oxide which produces smog, eliminates more than 1000 pounds of sulfur dioxide which creates acid rain and eliminates more than 200 tons of carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming. Above all government is giving tax incentives to install home solar power to consumers to reduce carbon footprint.
Requirement
Home solar power systems can be installed on almost all homes except for a very small home which have less than 120 square feet of roof. The largest of the system requires about 1000 square feet of roof. The system requires direct sunlight and it works almost everywhere. If there is not enough space on roof or if there is a problem of direct sunlight then it can even be installed on ground or some other elevated space. In most cities you require building permit to install home solar power system to your building. Your dealer and installer know how to obtain the necessary permits. You will also require permission from the utility company since this system works with your current utility.
Working of the System
Home solar power system is installed on the roof where the solar energy is transformed into direct current (DC) power. Then this DC power is converted into alternating current (AC) power for residential use. This generated AC power is then used around the house to run all the appliances like refrigerator, television, electric lamps, computers etc.
At night this home solar power system will not work. During night time you sill need to draw power from local utility. Most of the home solar power systems are interconnected with you utility. Your utility would provide power as usual at night and during day when your electricity demand exceeds that produced by your home solar power system. In case of cloudy days the home solar power system generates less power. Part of the power produced by your home solar power system during the day time is used to charge the batteries which provide power for your critical loads in the event of a power outage, day or night.
Home Heating
There is a misconception that home solar power can heat a home, which is not true. The system is used to convert the solar energy into electrical energy and this energy is then used to run your appliances, lights and other electrical devices. If you have electric heater in your home then you can use this system to heat the home which is rare. There are other technologies which convert solar energy into heat but this home solar power system is not used for home heating.
Home solar power systems don’t have any moving parts and solar modules are also tough. Components may last many years without problem.
Other Advantages
In addition to the direct savings through utility cost, homeowners have one more advantage and that is the property resale value. For every dollar saved annually in utilities the value of the house is increased anywhere from 10 to 20 dollars.
Junaid Mohammad