If you’ve grown tired of high electricity bills, you’re not alone; 70% of surveyed Americans also think their electric costs are too high. As a result, more and more people are looking for ways to conserve energy and money.
Luckily, many solar solutions exist to help combat the ever-growing need for and cost of electricity. So, if you want to save money by lowering your energy bills, going solar is one of your best options. In doing so, you can also be a part of the solution to combating global warming.
If you’re unsure where to start, don’t worry. This guide discusses some of the best ways to utilize the sun’s power in your home, so read on.
1. Illuminate Your Home With Natural Light
You may not be crunching numbers, but lighting accounts for about 15% of your electricity use. It may be even higher if you haven’t switched to LED lights yet and still use inefficient incandescent bulbs.
So, why not use solar power at home by using sunlight instead of artificial light?
For starters, you can open your blinds, curtains, drapes, or shutters during sunny days to let as much natural light in as possible. This is one of the most straightforward ways to reduce your reliance on electricity.
If you’re not keen on using sunlight due to its UV rays, consider installing solar films on your windows. These products filter out the sun’s UV rays but let natural light in. You can even choose how light you want them to be to avoid obscuring your view of the outdoors.
2. Light up Your Home Exterior
Another great way to harness the power of the sun is to use solar-powered outdoor lights. These solar energy devices use solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity. They have batteries that store this electricity that powers them up at night.
Even better, many solar lights automatically switch on at sundown and turn off at sunrise. Therefore, no one needs to be home to operate them.
Also, since the lights automatically turn on, they can make your home appear occupied. So, in a way, they can also add to your home’s overall security. An occupied-looking home may help deter criminals.
3. Heat Your Home
Space heating is the primary factor behind the typical U.S. household’s high energy use. For instance, of the average home’s total energy consumption in 2020, 42% was for home heating alone.
The good news is that, with solar power, you can heat your home but still save money.
You have two primary solar energy options for home heating: passive and active.
Passive solar heating takes advantage of the sun’s heat by allowing it to pass through a home’s south-facing windows. It then retains this heat in materials to keep your home toasty and warm during the colder seasons.
Active solar heating uses solar collectors to harvest the sun’s energy to heat liquid or air. The latter then transfers the heat to a space.
You can also use a system to store the heat for later use. Some examples are radiant heating systems, absorption heat pumps, and boilers with hot water radiators.
4. Enjoy Hot Water
Another way to harness the sun’s power is to use solar appliances to heat your water.
Like solar space-heating systems, solar water heaters can be active or passive. They also have solar collectors and storage tanks. With a storage tank, you can enjoy hot water anytime.
5. Cool Your Home
If you want to use solar to heat and cool your home, invest in a complete solar energy system.
A solar energy system consists of solar panels, an inverter, an electrical panel, and an electric meter. They work together to convert sunlight into electricity. You can then use this electricity to power your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
6. Power Your Entire Abode
A properly designed solar energy system can significantly reduce or eliminate your need for fossil fuel-based electricity. With this, you can use solar power to energize everything electric at home, from your lights to your HVAC system and electronic gadgets.
To ensure the proper design of your home solar energy system, your solar installation company must first conduct an on-site home assessment. This involves an energy audit to determine your home’s typical energy consumption. It also looks into factors contributing to high energy bills, such as air leaks that drive up heating and cooling bills.
Your installer will also assess your roof to see if it can accommodate solar panels.
From there, the installer can determine how many panels are enough for your home’s energy needs. With enough panels, you can power your entire home and perhaps even have enough to store for later use.
You may even be able to send excess power generated by your solar energy system to the grid through a net metering program. In doing so, your utility company will give you credits that can further offset your electricity bills. Such programs are available in 38 states and Washington D.C.
If your state offers net metering, your solar installer will help you apply for the program.
7. Keep Your Home Energized During Power Outages
Suppose you live someplace prone to power outages caused by bad weather, such as Lansing, MI.
In that case, you should ask about solar generators when consulting with affordable solar energy installers in Lansing. With one installed in your home, it can remain energized even when the power goes out.
Your solar panel installation company will connect the generator to your primary system. The solar panels can then send the excess energy they produce to the generator’s batteries. The batteries will store this energy for later use, such as when the power goes out.
Go Green and Save Money With These Solar Solutions
From using natural light to energizing your home using the sun’s energy, you have many solar solutions to choose from. They can all help you save money by reducing your reliance on fossil fuel-based electricity. For the same reason, you can become more eco-conscious by using a clean, renewable energy source.
So, as early as now, consider switching to solar power.
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