You live in a solar home. Really.
The sun has an effect on your home every day. Some people choose to fight that effect by installing air conditioning, but all that really means is that your home was designed to work against the sun, rather than with it.
When people hear the term “solar home”, they often think of a tree-hugger living in a remote area, perhaps with an old, black-painted water heater strapped to the roof and a collection of solar panels out in a field. You may be surprised to discover that small, simple changes could make your own home a solar home.
For instance, installing just one strategically-placed window can allow for heat generation on clear but cool days, or create a pass-through breeze from the other side of your house, and another open window. This creates instant, and free, air conditioning.
Change your landscaping to keep plants and trees on the north, west and east sides of your house. Leave the south side of your house clear for the sun. Insulate your walls, attic, and even under your house if you have a crawlspace. This will help maintain a moderate temperature in your home, reducing heating and cooling costs.
Install ceiling fans to create cooling airflow. Again, this will reduce both heating and cooling costs. Change out your incandescent light bulbs for fluorescent ones. They generate far less heat, require less electricity, and therefore cost you less.
Want more? Then move from passive solar techniques to more active ones. Installing a small photovoltaic (PV) system on or near your house can provide power for everything from a RV battery to your entire house. There are even garden fountains that run on solar, so you can have a beautiful garden area without running electrical wire out to that area.
You can purchase do-it-yourself solar hot water kits if you want to stretch your solar wings a little farther. Hot water is a primary energy drain for a typical home, so you’ll see immediate results after installing one of these kits. The basics include a solar collector, a pump and a heat exchange system, along with a water storage tank.
The cost of PV systems has dropped dramatically over the past couple of decades while the efficiencies of the systems has risen. That makes installing an active solar electric system a much better investment. Add to that the rebates, net metering, and tax credits that are available in many locations across the country, and you’ve got yourself a pretty good deal!
Small systems can be purchased and installed by a handy do-it-yourselfer who’s not afraid to read about the system, but a larger installation should probably be overseen by a qualified installer. And although there is some maintenance involved with a solar installation at your house, it’s very minimal, usually only requiring that you keep debris and snow off the PV panels.
Your household options for using the sun’s energy instead of fighting it are almost unlimited. Start small, and experience first-hand the benefits of solar power.
