February
2010
Solar Home - Conserving Pv Power
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
How can I use solar power in my rent home?
We are renting a 1400 sqft home built in the 1950’s. I want to be as energy conscious as possible, but it seems impossible in this old house that was built long before anyone even thought about conserving energy. I know we can seal the windows, we’ve already replaced all light bulbs with CFL’s. We don’t have the money for large solar panels and even then we can install anything because we are just renting. Are there any portable solar panels that we can put in the backyard or something? Any advice on how to conserve energy would be great!
you could use solar panels but their all expensive. houses in the 50’s were not built that great so before you deal with the electricity I would deal with the insulation and window issue. A lot of houses from that period would use sawdust for insulation. work on sealing everything in the house and then go on to electricity
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There are a number of vendors that offer portable solar panels to charge devices like cell phones, ipods, and other portable electronics. Solio is one of several: http://www.solio.com/charger/
It may seem like small potatoes, but every little bit helps I suppose. Larger panels that will provide more power start at $300 and up. Is this beyond your price range?
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You might be able to get a few small panels…..enough to run a couple of lights….
Won’t save you any money though. Panel costs will offset the few pennies saved on electricity.
Live frugal. Save money. Buy your own house and then do your thing.
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Because you rent, your options are limited.
You can’t make any changes without the owners permission,
and anything you do to the house becomes his property.
Don’t do anything, even insulation, without his permission.
Any improvment you make should be re-imbused in some
way by agreement with him.
Any meaningful solar installation would take major renovation,
and be very expensive.
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Retired Construction Consultant
when ever you want to discuss solar energy you have state where you live. Even if you owned the house solar electric is 25 to 50,000 to make any house hold power. BUT solar hot water is cheap and plentiful. you can make an outside shower.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm
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Depending on where you live, and the Year-Round exposure of Sun rays to a "prime" location for your receptors; has *EVERYTHING* to do with your decision to try to "tap in" to the *FREE ENERGY* supplied by our *Mother Sun* to *All* of the planets rotating around *Her*! I think that I’m safe in saying that *only we on this planet Earth, so far as we know, are the only GOD-created creatures* who have a *dedicated and determined* interest in *LIVING A GOOD LIFE* to the *GLORY OF OUR GOD*!!
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A long, LONG life of *Living* & *Experiencing* — !(LIFE)! on this planet — EARTH!
Yeah, you’re limited to what you can do in a rented home. I guess I would continue with any additional energy conserving improvements that aren’t going to get you in trouble with your landlord, then you could experiment with solar power for your home.
You could start with a radio or a charger as has been suggested. There are a number of options available. Once you’ve gone through this exercise, you might be ready for the portable solar panels.
Remember that you have the option of buying or constructing your own. There are a number of resources available to help you out with this sort or thing, but one called Efficient Planet is probably the best one for you. It covers a lot about home energy conservation as well DIY solar power.
References :
http://www.efficientplanet.ca
It’s hard with an older rental. You can do some other energy conservation stuff in the house.
You can build a solar panel for less than $200 or if it would work in your area, you might want to consider a small wind generator. You can build one usually for less than $100.
There are lots of manuals available showing you how to do this, but they aren’t all written well. There are 3 evaluated at http://www.makerenewableenergy.weebly.com
This is something that sounds really hard to do, but can be done easily. Good luck with what ever you decide.
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