Does your home use the sun in the proper way? Residential solar energy is FREE!

Don't let it go away...

Residential solar energy has lately been developed for several reasons:

• We need HUGE clean areas to produce the energy needed for a city.
However, if every house has a solar energy system installed, home solar energy will replace the energy needed to be bought annually.
• The enormous costs for these installations are divided between home owners.
• Each house may even be grid-independent if designed properly.
Thus, people use the sun to save considerable amounts of money!

Solar energy for homes does not only refer to solar panels.
Have you ever considered what happens when you put the wet clothes in the sun to dry? Wouldn't be a good idea to prepare your barbecue using a solar cooker? Home solar energy applications are really versatile!

Well, lets start from the beginning... Solar Energy is divided in two major categories:

Solar Thermal Energy
Of course, you are not looking for a better way to make your clothes dry in the sun. Perhaps your house's positioning might only be troubling your architect.
BUT, you may want to heat you house's water using No electricity. What about cooling your room for free using the sun in the Summer, while keeping it warm during the Winter? Space heating, cooling and ventilation is widely used in solar energy homes throughout the world.

Solar Electrical Energy
The truth is that there are several ways to produce electricity from the sun, but only one to make electrical solar energy for homes. Large scale systems are not available for domestic use. Thus, we use photovoltaic panels or PV/T to do the job.

While skimming the solar energy article, you may notice that most of the "home solar energy technologies" demand to be designed before building the house. Ideas like solar lighting or the use of the greenhouse effect for space heating are difficultly installed later on.

HEY! I won't build a new house... How can I put residential solar energy to work for my house?
No Problem, here are some great "solar energy for home ideas"...

Cheap & Easy residential solar energy ideas:

• Get some solar lights for your garden.
You can find a lot of small solar gadgets that are cheap and look nice. It is not the energy they save that matters, but the green way of thinking that they cultivate to people.
• Prefer solar powered electronics.
Residential solar energy does not have to be of large scale. Small electronics are common nowadays(e.g. a solar calculator).
• Install shutters/tents over your windows.
Remember that external shutters are much better because they prevent sun from entering the house. Instead, internal shutters or curtains will trap the heat between them and the window.
• Plant deciduous trees in the yard.
During the summer they will provide shade, whereas during the winter, when they lose their leaves, they will allow the sun to pass through them.

Expensive but Effective residential solar energy solutions:

• Install dual layer windows.
The air gap between the two layers of glass provides terrific thermal (and noise) insulation. As a result you save electricity that you would use for heating or cooling.
• Install a solar hot water system.
These systems use the sun to heat your water. They are really efficient and during a relatively sunny day they will provide sufficient energy to keep your water hot.
• Install a solar space heating system.
Solar energy for homes has great applications here. Even huge buildings use sun for heating, cooling and ventilation.
• Install a solar cooling system.
Have in mind that buildings in desert use sun to keep cool. Now, isn't this a nice home solar energy application?
• Install a Green Roof.
Note that a green roof is not a roof garden. This special design covers all the roof with plants and it consists of many layers. It will drive the sun away and provide an excellent insulation from cold and heat.
• Install photovoltaic panels.
You can reduce your electricity bills. Many solar energy homes do also sell electricity back to your energy provider. Will YOU lose this opportunity?

There is no doubt - the demand for solar energy for home use is growing. You can now take advantage of not only using solar energy technologies for your home, but also invest in profitable companies involved in this sector. Here is some general information you should know about green investment, if you are thinking about investing in green industries.

P.S. Those were just some ideas to help you take advantage of the solar energy for your house. Please make sure you go through the solar energy article to learn everything about this renewable energy source. Also, you may be interested to learn some residential or not residential solar energy facts.

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