A whole home solar system can be an excellent option to help reduce your electric bill, and the home solar systems are available in kits that are easy to install and use. The system consists of solar panels, a battery and a converter. All the components are combined to provide solar power for the whole house, or parts of the house. One disadvantage of this type of system is the amount of electricity needed by each component to function individually. If one of the components does not receive enough sunlight, it will not work.
A home solar energy system works on the same principal as other types of solar power systems do. Photovoltaic cells (solar cells) are used to collect solar energy and convert it to electric power. There are two types of solar energy cells: active and passive. An active solar power system is a more complex system than a passive one, but both types are effective.
There are many advantages to using a whole home solar system. The most obvious benefit is the savings in electric bills. You can generate power for all or part of the house and have the electric company pay for the difference. If you produce more electricity than you need, you can sell some of the excess to the power supply companies. That means you could get money even on the excess that you do not use, again reducing your electric bills.
The solar systems guidebooks will include information about purchasing a solar panel system, installing it and using it to power your house. There may be a system specification sheet which lists all the required components and the energy tax credit you are eligible for. The solar systems guides also give you detailed information about how to calculate your energy tax credit. If you are able to make your solar energy system fully operational, you will be entitled to an energy tax credit of up to 20% of the cost of installing and using a whole home solar system.
Once you have decided to install a whole home solar system, you need to find a qualified installer to do the job. Make sure that whoever you choose has sufficient experience in solar installation and follows professional green building guidelines. You will want someone who will be easy to communicate with – whether this is on the phone or via email – so that you get clear instructions on what your energy requirements are and whether you can install the system yourself.
To encourage green living and to keep our environment clean, many utility companies offer rebates and incentives to solar installers near urban areas. In your quest to build a solar home, you may be eligible for free installation by one of these utility companies. Just make sure to get quotes from several different companies before deciding which one to use. If you want the lowest prices, you may want to consider contracting the entire system – which can include electric, water, natural gas and even solar lighting – from a local company.
To store excess electricity produced by your solar panels, you will need to purchase a bank of 12awg deep cycle batteries. These batteries should be kept in a dry area and protected from the elements. The amount of electricity your solar panels produce will determine the size of your battery bank. The more solar panels you install, the larger your battery bank needs to be. Your whole home solar system will operate at maximum capacity only when you have access to clean uncharged batteries.
For optimum protection of your solar batteries, you should install circuit breakers as well. Circuit breakers will turn off the DC current from the solar panels and stop the flow of current to the batteries when they become damaged. Most home solar battery backup systems come with a set of circuit breakers. Having these breakers installed also gives you more flexibility when it comes to adjusting your solar power systems during a power failure.
