How To Convert My Home To Solar Power

Make Final Connections To The Consumer Unit

After the panels are wired to the inverter, the final connections to the consumer unit will be made. A generation meter will also be connected, which measures how much electricity your panels actually produce. Smart meters and solar panels work together very well and can make meter reading far easier.

Utl Mppt Solar Charge Controller

UTL is a well-reputed solar product manufacturing company in India with UTL solar conversion kit being its most demanded product. The kit is designed with highly advanced technologies to increase energy production. It has in-built microprocessors that boost the efficiency of energy transfer by 30%.

UTL MPPT solar charge controllers come in a wide range that starts from the power rating 12V to 240V. All the variants possess unique features with a body specially designed to suit even the rugged weather conditions of India.

See other solar products by: UTL Solar

Price List Of UTL Solar Charge Controller

The price of UTL MPPT solar charge controllers depends on their power ratings. The price list of these affordable yet high-quality products from UTL is mentioned below.

Heating Your Home With Solar

Exterior heat pump unit installed on a metal base with sound dampening hardware

Do you have a roaring, monstrous sounding boiler firing your home today? Dread the idea of putting such a monster into your new home as well as a tank full of toxic, climate-damaging fuel? Well, good news! Your solar-powered home of the future needs no oil or gas at all!

This is all possible thanks to modern heat pumps. Modern cold-climate heat pumps work by using a refrigeration process similar to the way your homes refrigerator works. Warmth is extracted from the ambient outside air and transferred into your home. Since the heat pump is moving, not creating, heat, it is highly efficient. Powered by solar, a heat pump can heat your home for the equivalent of around $1/gallon for oil!

While its possible to keep drafty old homes warm with heat pumps, they are far more effective when used in a tight, well-insulated house, hence our recommendation that you build one!

If you build a good quality house, then you can heat primarily with heat pumps, and install a small backup system to supplement the heat pumps during periods of extreme cold weather.

Since heat pumps are powered by electricity, you can use solar power you bank in the summertime as your fuel source in the winter!

Watch our quick video on solar heating and cooling:

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Solar Power Usage Is Growing

The Solar Energy Industries Association monitors solar energy trends in the United States and reports usage has grown approximately 50 percent annually over the past decade. There is now enough solar capacity installed in the U.S. to power more than 12.3 million homes. This growth has benefited the economy and created thousands of jobs across the country. Additionally, generating solar energy in the U.S. allows for a decreased dependence on foreign oils and a positive environmental impact.

The Pros And Cons Of Solar Energy

When it comes to solar energy pros and cons, we’ve heard it all: it’s for hippies, it’s too expensive or it doesn’t work. Yet more solar energy systems are being installed on homes and businesses than ever. Here, we explain some key facts about the pros and cons of solar energy and answer the main question for homeowners, are solar panels worth it?

Solar panels are more efficient, affordable, and environmentally friendly than theyve ever beenand the 26% federal tax credit makes solar an even more attractive investment for homeowners through the end 2022. However, like any investment, going solar wont make sense for every homeowner depending on their geographic location, roof orientation, and current electricity usage. A free consultation is the quickest way to see if solar is right for you.

In most situations and areas in the US, solar panels are worth the cost of installation and maintenance, providing a good return on investment and benefits to the environment.

Solar Pros

Solar Cons

Note: Many of these solar cons are applicable to older or less advanced home solar technologies and are no longer an issue.

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Take Your Home Off Grid The Smart Way

Over the last few years there has been a strong shift in thinking, more and more households are becoming aware of their impact on the environment and are taking steps to reduce their footprint. Going green or going off grid are now trendy terms and can significantly increase you homes value and save you on your electrical bill.

In this instructable, when we talk about going off grid, we are talking about becoming completely electrically independent, you do not need to rely on any electrical utility provider to power your home. If you are looking at taking your water supply off grid as well, watch this space, we will hopefully cover this next month.

As with a number of things, there is a smart way to go off grid and and easy way to go off grid. We will briefly discuss the easy way however our focus will be on the smart way as this yields better savings in the long run and is the more environmentally friendly option.

If you find this Instructable helpful, please vote for it.

Cover Image: Solar Panels by Chris Kantos used under CC BY 2.0

Disadvantages Of Solar Panels

• Specific solar panel placement

High Initial Costs

Investing in solar panels can be expensive. You can expect around £5,000 to £10,000 in up-front costs. Although you can earn money back on your solar panels by exporting energy to the grid, the high set-up costs can be difficult to meet for some.

Significantly More Efficient During Daytime

Solar panels are dependent on sunlight. Although they do not require direct sunlight to work, they lose efficiency if they are not fully exposed to sunlight. In addition, they cant produce energy during the night and are less effective during dark winters.

An effective solution to this is to switch to the main power grid at night. Alternatively, homes with a grid-independent system can store energy in solar batteries during the day, which can then be used at night.

Solar Panel Placement

Inaccurate placement of solar panels can majorly reduce the effectiveness of electricity generation. If you live in an area surrounded by large buildings or tall trees, the efficiency of your solar panels will be very limited.

Ensure there are no buildings or trees blocking sunlight, and always clear branches and leaves from the panels.

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Evaluate Your Sunlight Exposure

More sun means more energy produced and a greater potential to save with solar. Certain states, like Arizona and California, average more sunlight hours per day.

Your home’s orientation toward the sun, the amount of shade and its roof type also affect a solar system’s output. You can estimate the efficiency of panels in your area by using the SolarReviews calculator. Enter your address and the average cost of your monthly energy bill.

Will Solar Impact The Ability To Sell My Home

Not only does owning solar increase the desirability of your home, but it also increases the value of your home.

Real estate studies have found that, by reducing electricity costs, solar energy systems increases a homes value by an average of $17,000. According to the Appraisal Journal, for every $1000 saved in annual energy costs, $20,000 is added to the value of the home. Other home improvements, like kitchen and bathroom renovations and decks, are only worth about 75-100% of the cost, making solar more valuable than other home improvements.

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How To Decide On Which Appliances Or Parts Of Your Home To Convert To Solar Or Battery Power As Well As What Size Solar System Is Then Applicable

Taking your entire home off the grid can be very expensive. It also may mean a change in lifestyle because you are no longer connected to the almost infinite power of the Eskom grid.

In a solar or battery back-up power system, the power available becomes limited to the size of your system, which can also vary according to the suns daily cycle, as well as the weather, all of which may enforce some compromises on your lifestyle.

So it may be more practical to only convert part of your home to solar.

Apart from the significantly lower system cost, this may also have the least impact on your lifestyle, because you still have access to the Eskom grid and its infinite power when you need that, while simultaneously enabling you to enjoy all the benefits of solar power.

This article discusses some of the major steps necessary when converting part of your home to solar or battery back-up power, as well as highlights some of the information/data required to specify the system required. Please note that this article is not meant as a substitute for the wiring code, which should be adhered to at all times, nor is it a detailed step by step guide on how to do the physical work required. The intention is to give the reader an overview of what is involved when converting part of your home to solar or battery power.

What Will The Maintenance Needs Be

Like everything else in your home, solar panels may need to be cleaned or serviced from time to time to ensure theyre in the best condition possible.

If you own the system in a place that gets a decent amount of rain, you likely wont have to think about it for years, Baca says. I havent done a thing to my five-year-old system , and its performing as new.

However, in places with more dust and less rain, cleaning based on local conditions isnt a bad idea but should be done by an installer or other professional qualified to be on a roof safely, he notes.

If you dont own the panels outright, Baca points out that you wont have to worry about the maintenance responsibilities. If you have a lease, you likely have a performance guarantee, which will lower your lease payments unless the system performs to a certain level, he says. That makes maintenance the leasing companys responsibility.

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Homeowners Guide To Going Solar

Since 2008, hundreds of thousands of solar panels have popped up across the country as an increasing number of Americans choose to power their daily lives with the suns energy. Thanks in part to the Solar Energy Technologies Office’s investments, the cost of going solar goes down every year. You may be considering the option of adding a solar energy system to your homes roof or finding another way to harness the suns energy. While theres no one-size-fits-all solar solution, here are some resources that can help you figure out whats best for you. Consider these questions before you go solar.

See the Spanish version here. Vea la versión en español aquí.

How does solar work?

There are two primary technologies that can harness the suns power and turn it into electricity. The first is the one youre likely most familiar with photovoltaics, or PV. These are the panels youve seen on rooftops or in fields. When the sun shines onto a solar panel, photons from the sunlight are absorbed by the cells in the panel, which creates an electric field across the layers and causes electricity to flow. Learn more about how PV works.

Is my home suitable for solar panels?

How do I start the process of going solar?

Can I install solar myself?

How much power can I generate with solar?

Will I save money by going solar?

Can I get financing for solar?

How can I find state incentives and tax breaks that will help me go solar?

Is solar safe?

What does mean?

Can You Get Solar Panels For Free

It is not possible to get free solar panels in the UK anymore. The free solar panels scheme was offered by solar panel providers in the past, during the peak of the Feed-in Tariff .

Solar panel providers would offer to install solar panels for free, allowing homeowners to use the electricity generated to power their homes. In return, these providers would collect the FIT payments, making it a profitable arrangement for the business.

As the FIT payment amounts decreased over time, this setup became less commercially beneficial for suppliers. Once the FIT came to an end entirely in 2019, free solar panels were no longer available.

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Getting A Mortgage On A Home With Solar Panels

Your mortgage application may have some additional complications if youre buying a home with solar panels.

Mainly, your lender will be concerned if you can afford to cover lease payments for the system in addition to all your other debts and financial responsibilities.

Buyers interested in a home with solar panels have to make sure they qualify for and can afford the remaining payment on the panels, Akhtar says. This could be a lien or lease item, and that information has to be relayed to the lender to see if the prospective buyers qualify for the remaining payments. Sometimes contracts on the panels can be transferred over, and other times, new contracts have to be drafted. Every company is different, and the current price may not stay the same for a new buyer as things like personal credit rating are taken into consideration.

How Does Solar Work

A solar PV system captures sunlight and converts it into direct current electricity through a series of semiconductors. The DC electricity is converted to household AC electricity with an inverter that flows to your main electrical panel to power your house. On days you generate more electricity than you use, your meter spins backward and you bank PG& E credits.

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Lets Say That Youve Decided Not Only To Go Solar But You Want To Go All

If youâve used our solar calculator or looked at the map of solar homes around you, youâll know that going solar is pretty easy and increasingly common. As the price continues to drop, it becomes affordable for more people. But what if you want to go completely solar? What if you donât want to use any fossil fuels at all in your home?

Yes, itâs possible for solar panels to supply all of the electricity your home needs. The first step is to maximize your energy efficiency with insulation, air sealing, and efficient appliances. Then, move off fossil fuel heating to electric heat pumps, and replace gas cooking and water heating with electric. Once youâve done that, a correctly sized photovoltaic system can be used to power everything in your home. But does it make sense?

This guide will explain how you can go completely solar in your home. But before we launch into it, letâs clarify what it really means when we talk about making your house completely solar.

Do you:

• Want to generate all of your current electricity usage with solar, but leave some appliances, like your stove and furnace, using fossil fuels?
• Or do you want to move 100% of your home energy use to solar? This is called net zero.

Main Types Of Solar Power Systems

You have three choices for solar energy systems to power your homes and property:

During the research and planning phase of your DIY solar project, youll have to ask yourself:

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So What Is Solar Energy

Solar energy is the energy that is produced by the sun in the form of heat and light. It is one of the most renewable and readily available sources of energy on planet Earth. The fact that it is available in plenty and free and does not belong to anybody makes it one of the most important of the non-conventional sources of energy. Solar energy has been used by people since ancient times by using simple magnifying glasses to concentrate the light of the sun into beams so hot they would cause wood to catch fire.

Mainly, Solar energy can be used to convert it into heat energy or it can be converted into electricity. Solar energy is energy harnessed from the sun. Its harnessed in 2 main ways:

This technique utilizes Solar Photovoltaic devices or solar cells that convert the suns energy into electricity. Photovoltaic devices produce electricity right from the sunlight through an electronic process that naturally occurs in particular material types known as semiconductors.

Electrons contained in these materials are let loose by solar rays are stimulated to travel via an electronic circuit, sending power to the grid or directly powering electrical devices. This form of energy can be used to power solar watches, calculators or traffic signals. They are often used in locations that are not connected to the electricity grid.