energy efficiency Archive

What To Consider When Buying Used Solar Panels

By
Susan E Freemont
Published: July 3, 2010Posted in: solar energyTags: , , , , , ,

Many homeowners are already making great efforts to lower their carbon footprint and their energy bills. They are installing everything from tankless water heaters and compact flourescent light bulbs to low-flow water fixtures and energy-efficient AC units.

Solar electric panels are another great option for homeowners who want to reduce their energy bills while making their homes more Eco-friendly. The price of new solar electric panels has dropped about 40 percent over the last year and prices are still slowly on the decline. But even now prices for solar electric panels are a big financial investment for many homeowners.

There is another option for homeowners who want the benefits of having solar electric panels without paying the high price. Today, you can find many used solar panels on the market that are affordable for any home.

Like buying anything used there are a few things that you need to look out for to make sure that you are still getting a quality product that performs well. First of all, check closely to see if any of the glass is cracked and have the panels checked to see if the condensers are damaged. Some of the most common problems with used solar panels are damaged connections, cracked glass, and condensation build up under the glass. Another common problem that many used solar panels have is also related to the connections. Sometimes there are loose connections in the actual solar cells.

Before buying used solar panels also be sure to test them out. You can test the power output by setting your voltmeter to DC volts. You then measure across the negative and positive terminals of the solar panel. You can find information online about the proper voltage to look for with different sized and powered solar panels.

It is not a good idea to buy solar panels with lots of damages unless you are willing to pay to have them fixed. Also, keep in mind that there are some common name brands that sell decent used solar panels.

Learn more about Arizona solar electric. Stop by Susan E Freemont’s site where you can find out all about solar companies in Phoenix and what they can do for you.

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An Overview On DIY Solar Panels

By
Barry Colemen
Published: July 2, 2010Posted in: solar energyTags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you’ve ever considered using solar panels to power your electricity, then you will be very interested to know that you don’t have to part with the thousands that they cost if you learn how to build them yourself. There are many uses for the electricity which is generated from the sun, you can use it to power up all kinds of things from refrigerators to ovens.

Whatever the reason, now you can build your own small solar panels for an extremely affordable price.

DIY Solar Power guides are now readily available online and will show you how to build your own customized solar panels for around fifty dollars. These guides are usually delivered via eBook and video and come with email support.

By finding a quality guide and following the instruction you can finally cut down on your electricity costs and have the additional power to power up whatever you like. I’m going to avoid pointing out any specific guides in the following paragraphs itself as there are many different types aimed at different people who want to accomplish different things. But a few quick searches and you can easily find the best guide for you.

One of the many benefits that you get from making your own, is that you don’t need to be stuck with the sizes that they are mass produced in. You can choose what shape and size you would like and whilst using the plans that you find online, can build the solar panels you like.

You will be amazed how simple it is to build your own small solar panels, you’ll be hooked, they are a lot of fun to make and you will find yourself revisiting the guide again and again as you add more solar panels to power your everyday energy needs.

I have heard of many success stories online about many people who are using solar and literally not paying a dime for electricity every month! Just imagine what you could do with the money you save from paying for your power! Enough for another yearly holiday I’m sure.

For those that want to take this further and get the benefits of the sun, you should start by joining a message board. This is one of the best places to begin because you are there with a bunch of other people who have either done this or are researching it. From there you can discover all kinds of great information that can be used to help you build your solar panels.

Visit our renewable energy solar power blog.

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Solar Electric Panels: Two Things You Must Know Before Buying

By
Susan E Freemont
Published: June 29, 2010Posted in: solar energyTags: , , , , , ,

There are a number of ways to make your home much more energy efficient. Homeowners can invest in new appliances, water fixtures, tankless heaters, and even something as small as new light bulbs. But there is one environmentally friendly product that many homeowners have not researched, and that is solar electric panels.

Solar electric panels can be difficult to research. Instead of finding practical and helpful information, homeowners often find tons of technical jargon and staggering price information. Solar panels are still quite a financial investment for most homeowners, and depending on the size of the home and how much energy the home uses it can take anywhere from 10 to 20 years for solar panels to pay themselves.

However, this hasn’t stopped many other homeowners from investing. If you choose the right product, they will last you up to 40 years or more and many companies offer warranties up to 25 years. Plus, your electricity bills will become a mere fraction of what they used to be. Many homeowners actually see their electric meter spin backwards after installing the panels.

When searching for solar panels for your home, there are two top things to ask for:

First, you need to know the solar module efficiency for each solar panel product that you look at. Make sure that you are given information for the solar module efficiency and not the individual cell efficiency, as it is preferable to know the efficiency of the entire working unit.

Secondly, you need to know the minimum warranted power of each product. There is a negative tolerance rating for each product which is a percentage that tells you how much power the product is guaranteed to use. As indicated by its name, the percentage should be subtracted from whatever wattage is displayed on the product box. It you have a 200 Watt panel with a negative tolerance rating of 10 percent, than the product is only guaranteed to have a power rating no lower 180 Watts (so its minimum warranted power is 180 Watts). This is a little tricky, but when it comes down it this only means that you could be paying for 200 Watt solar panels and really only get 180 Watt panels. Because of this you should buy panels with a negative tolerance rating of 5 percent or less if you want more value for your money.

To obtain this information and information about the solar module efficiency, you can simply ask the salesperson to print you out a copy of the factory specification sheet. They should not be hesitant to do this, and if they are it is advised that you shop else where.

Learn more about Arizona Solar Electric. Stop by Susan E Freemont’s site where you can find out all about solar companies in Phoenix and what they can do for you.

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Ways To Conserve Energy In Your Home

By
Adriana Noton
Published: June 28, 2010Posted in: solar energyTags: , , , , , , , ,

While Canada is one of the best countries to live in, the fact remains that our climate is unpredictable and residents are forced to spend large amounts of money in the winter to heat their homes, and to spend just as much money in the summer to cool them down.

It is just early June and already residents of Canada have been forced to shell out cash due to intense heat waves. Not only is the heat incapacitating, it can be dangerous for the elderly and for those who do not remember to keep their bodies hydrated. Therefore, spending money on cooling costs is not luxurious spending. It is essential to the wellbeing of the average Canadian.

In addition to the extra spending, Canadians must remain conscious that the energy being used to cool their homes not only leaves a hole in their wallets, it also increasingly damages our environment by using up precious resources. The question remains as to how we can reduce our energy costs and conserve at the same time, while still maintaining a basic need.

There are some easy ways to reduce your cooling costs, and remain environmentally friendly at the same time. Canadians are now starting to follow these easy tips. If you live in a sunny home, close the blinds. While sunshine is lovely, it can greatly increase the heat generated in your home. If you want the sunlight, close the blinds during 12pm and 2pm, which are the hottest hours of the day.

Buy an air-conditioning system sized appropriately for your home. If you only have a small space you wish to keep cool, purchase a small system. Consult with the person selling the system and ask for their best opinions with regards to space and size.

Ensure that your air-conditioning condenser is not crowded or blocked by other pieces of furniture and that it is located in a shady spot of the room.

Awnings can be installed over sunny spots of your house. Turn off the air conditioner when you are not home. Maintain repairs to your unit, and change the filter monthly.

Make sure the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) is 13 or better. If a machine is less efficient than this, it will cost more to run. If you don’t use particular rooms of your house, close the ducts and shut the doors.

Make sure your ducts are not covered by furniture. Turn off your televisions and computers when they are not in use because they generate heat. When you are not using lights, turn them off, as they also generate heat. Most of your home’s heat is absorbed through the roof; make sure your attic is properly ventilated.

If Canadians follow these simple tips they can drastically reduce their energy bills in the summer.

There are also ways that you can calculate your cooling by going to Natural Resources Canada: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/cooling-ventilation/rooms-ac/cost-calculation.cfm

This will help you figure out how much you are spending, and how you can reduce you costs.

Adriana Noton is a freelance writer who writes on a variety of financial topics including personal budgeting and debt counselling. For more information about personal finance, ConsolidatedCredit.ca is a tremendous resource on the topic for Canadians.

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Geothermal Heat Pumps: Cost Effective And Environmentally Sound

By
Ryan McCall
Published: June 25, 2010Posted in: Green EnergyTags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A device that extracts heat from beneath the Earth is called a Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP). The GHP functions based on the principle that heat will move from higher to lower temperature materials, by either conduction or convention (air currents). These pumps absorb energy from both the ground and bodies of water and uses it to provide space and water heating. This is able to occur because the Earth absorbs 50% of the suns heat that reaches the Earth’s service.

Ground source heating and cooling provides high-comfort and cost-effectiveness with an environmentally friendly technology that makes use of the Earth’s capacity to store energy in the form of heat. Geothermal Heating Systems move heat from the earth or water into a building, or from a building back into the earth. A small amount of electricity is used to operate pumps, fans, controls, and small compressor.

The temperature of the ground a few feet below the surface is relatively constant, to GHPS use it as a source of heating a cooling. GHPs can be used for either retrofit or brand new homes, and they can also provide hot water with no extra cost, just by moving heat around instead of creating it. GHPs are new, but they can save you a lot of money.

It can cost several times to install a geothermal heating and cooling system, compared to the traditional kind. However, those costs are recovered over the next five to ten years, in the form of saving on energy costs. The interior components of these systems can easily last twenty-five years, and the piping in the ground can last fifty years. These systems are practical in most areas, and about 50,000 new systems are put in every year. They heat in the winter, and cool in the summer.

Many new residential systems are equipped with desuperheaters which transfer excess heat from the geothermal heat pump’s compressor to the home’s hot water storage tank providing very efficient water heating. However, the desuperheater will not provide hot water during the spring and fall when the geothermal heat pump system is not operating. But because the geothermal heating system is so much more efficient than other means of water heating, some manufacturers are offering ‘full demand’ systems that utilize a separate heat exchanger to cost-effectively provide for hot water needs.

Even though the cost of installation of Geothermal Heating Systems can be several times that of traditional heating and cooling systems, the additional expense are returned in energy savings in 5 to 10 years. This is because of the very high efficiency of Geothermal Heat Pumps.

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HVAC Energy Efficiency

By
John Kurtz
Published: June 24, 2010Posted in: solar energyTags: , , , ,

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning are some of the largest consumers of energy in modern households. In fact, some estimations place the average home’s use of energy for HVAC at around 50%. Fortunately, there are a variety of steps that can be taken to reduce this drastic figure, not only promoting a healthier environment, but saving a pretty penny on electric bills as well. If you’re curious about how this may be accomplished, read on for a few ideas.

The most obvious means of increasing HVAC efficiency is by using an energy-efficient system. Newer heaters and air conditioners are not only constructed of more modern materials that improve insulation and reduce electric use, but also feature computerized systems for enhanced temperature control. As such, not only do these systems use the energy they are given more efficiently, but they also allow an unprecedented level of control over the times of day when heating or cooling is used.

Upgrading an inefficient system to a newer, more energy-efficient one is a step that many will not take without incentive. While more efficient systems will save money over longer terms due to lower bills, this is often not enough cause to justify such an expensive upgrade. As such, many state and federal tax credits are available to further encourage such a move.

Information on such credits can vary widely based on where you are located. An online search is the best place to start, with lots of information being made available at the Energy Star website (http://www.energystar.gov.) Your HVAC contractor is also likely a great source of information, as knowledge of the various tax credits available in your region is a great way to encourage purchases that might otherwise not be made.

Another less obvious source of increased energy efficient heating and cooling is solar power, or more specifically, passive solar energy. With the correct architectural and other considerations, the rays of the sun can be harnessed not only to heat a structure, but to cool one as well. Such use can dramatically slash your need for traditional, electronic systems.

Solar energy’s ability to heat is its most obvious use. Proper placement of windows can admit rays which have a dramatic effect on internal temperatures. In instances where windows are not available, glass tubes can be used to channel rays into other enclosed spaces, offering the benefits of solar heating in rooms without an abundance of natural light.

Solar energy can be used to cool as well. By heating air in certain locations, the sun’s rays can cause the air to rise, displacing it with cooler air. As such, a location can be cooled by the constant replacement of the heated air by cooler, moving wind.

Many other solar techniques are available for heating and cooling. Using solar energy in this way is often more efficient than is converting it into electrical power, a process in which some energy is lost. As such, passive techniques can be used in areas where traditional solar energy use is otherwise impractical.

While heating and cooling represents a large energy expenditure, there are a variety of steps and techniques that can be used to lessen waste and boost efficiency.

AirZero offer the most reliable HVAC Contractor St. Petersburg services around. We also offer our services at prices you can afford. If you are in need of any ac repairs or installation services just contact our HVAC Company St. Pete Team today. We look forward to serving you. Be sure to visit our website to take advantage of special discounts.

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What Are The Benefits Of Using Solar Panels?

By
Fred Martimes
Published: June 8, 2010Posted in: solar energyTags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Solar energy is an incredible source of power available to us. It can quite easily be produced and can be used to run all kinds of devices like light bulbs, heating systems and more. Take a look at what you can do with solar energy and how you can make use of a couple of solar panels in your back yard.

Solar panels can help you provide your house with hot water for the whole year. The panels will collect the solar energy and will turn them into heat energy that will quickly heat the water and keep it hot for the whole day.

Even electricity can be generated from this energy. By installing the solar panels on the roof top you can easily generate adequate electricity which is required to run some of your household equipments thereby reducing the cost in the electricity bill.

Solar energy is now also used in cars to operate the small electric cars through changing the solar energy into the needed electric energy to propel the car. Make sure that you are using the right amount of solar cells in order to generate the right amount of electricity.

Of late, one can also use this energy for running smaller equipments by generating the required energy. The interesting feature of these devices is that they will work every day throughout the day and you don?t have to worry about recharging them.

Nowadays, the best thing to do will be to add some solar cells on the roof top, which is not expensive and which would help you save money in the longer run. The energy required will be collected by these panels and will be transformed into the energy you need.

There is no limit to the imagination when you have electricity at your command as there are many things one can do with this energy. It is important that you check the required electricity to meet you needs and accordingly install sufficient quantity of solar panels.

To ensure that there is no leakage whatsoever, you will have to get solar panels of best quality.

You can find out more about this subject at this solar power blog.

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Using a Solar Fountain to Attract Wildlife to Your Garden

By
Eddie Bacon
Published: May 5, 2010Posted in: solar energyTags: , , , , , , , ,

The life of wild birds can be pretty tough at times, especially in the winter. Food sources are scarce and the cold can be too much for some of the younger birds to cope with. If they should happen to find food left for them in a nearby garden or park they will usually return there regularly.

If you want to attract wild birds into your garden then providing a regular source of food is the easiest way, especially during winter when they are particularly in need. It is not all about survival though as birds, especially the younger birds, clearly love to play. A great way to add some extra fun factor to your garden is by installing a solar water fountain, as our feathered friends appear to take great delight from playing in water.

Opting for a solar fountain allows you the freedom to place it anywhere in your garden, provided it will get plenty of sunshine, as there is no need to connect it to the electricity supply.

Once placed in the sunlight, a solar fountain will function with the use of the energy drawn from the Sun. They therefore require minimal maintenance and their running costs are non-existent.

Solar fountains have become increasingly popular over the last few years and manufacturers have responded to this demand by creating an impressive assortment of attractive designs. These days even if your nearest garden center does not stock something you like, you will most probably find something you do like on the internet, and most probably cheaper too.

One thing to bear in mind is the height of the fountain. Even if you don’t own a cat, it is likely that someone nearby does own one, and cats like nothing better than catching birds off guard. Going for a fountain high enough to keep the birds from immediate danger is the ideal.

A suitable location for a solar fountain bird bath is somewhere you see all the action but far enough away that the birds feel comfortable visiting.

Avoid placing them where trees might block much of the available sunlight, and potentially damage the fountains functioning further with the natural shedding of small branches and leaves.

Find more interesting articles related to the home about the solar powered fountain and outdoor patio lights.

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Cost Effective Solar Panel Installation At Home

By
Thomas Murphy
Published: May 4, 2010Posted in: Solar PanelsTags: , , , , , , , , , ,

The largest sources of energy that we are currently using will eventually run dry. As we run out of non-renewable sources of energy, they are also getting more expensive. Renewable sources of energy are the way of the future but many people still don’t believe that it is cost-effective for their own homes.

Costly and Complex? Not anymore!

Getting somebody to install your own solar panels for you may cost more than $3000 dollars. But it’s easy to learn to install your own!

There are many guides on the Internet that you can check out to show you how to do this and save thousands of dollars. In addition to that, solar panels installed on your roof can save you more than 80% on your monthy energy bill.

All you need is a basic tool set and a nearby hardware store for simple building materials. The price of solar panels is also dropping steadily, and now you can even get a lot of money back that you spend up front for th panels:

Government Supports Solar Power

Any manual that you might pay for should tell you this.

You can also get government grants to install solar panels – these guides can show you how to get $1000′s back from the government by installing your own alternative energy sources. Free money for clean energy!

Electricity Company Will Send You Money

If you conserve energy and send more to the grid than you use, your energy meter will go backwards and your power company will send you a check for the power you give them. By doing this you’re not only making money but reducing the use of traditional sources of energy such as coal.

The Environment – You Don’t Have To Pay The Price To Go Green Anymore

You can either do something about our failing environment or you can just go and watch more TV about it like everybody else…

Now that you can actually profit from going green, you have no excuse!

Wanna see how to make your own solar panel at home and save money? You can. Just go here to find out more about solar energy for homes and install your own panels and save thousands.

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Solar Panel Information – 3 Things To Consider When Going Green

By
Jonathan Gervais
Published: March 8, 2010Posted in: GeneralTags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Swapping to solar power is becoming increasingly popular as the cost of traditional energy is on the increase. This combined with the move to greener fuels to protect the global environment make solar an attractive option.

Here are three things to consider before you go solar.

1. Is your roof suitable – The obvious place for solar panels is on the roof. Depending on the direction and angle of the roof you will get different amounts of exposure to direct sunlight. It is important to maximize your panels exposure so that you will have sufficient power during the darker winter months.

How do solar panels cope with other weather conditions? Since the panels are fitted at an angle the snow will slide off and should not damage your solar panels, and the rain will help to keep them clean; so other weather conditions should not be too much of an issue.

2. Choosing the best kit – The easiest way to convert your home to solar power is to buy a solar panel kit. It is worth investing in a good kit as you want it to be comprehensive, otherwise you may have additional, unexpected costs.

The cheapest kit available may look good, but do your research, as with most things you get what you pay for, so don’t skimp to much!

3. Financing your change to solar power ” The effects of global warming are causing great concerns to our governments. Consequently many governments and local authorities have grants available if you are considering converting to a greener energy source. Before you choose your solar power kit you should do some research into what funds you may be entitled to claim.

If you are not sure where to start a good place is with the manufacturers of the solar panel kits. These people want you to convert to solar power and they are usually a great source of information. Try to find a regional office that will know what is best specifically in your area and will be familiar with the building types as well as the grants available.

Find out more Solar Panel Information If you want to find all about installing solar panels visit http://worldsolarpanels.com

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