Solar energy is one of the most versatile forms of renewable energy available. It can be used for various residential applications, from heating your home to powering your appliances.
This blog post will explore nine ways to use solar energy in your home.
Heat your home
There are several ways to heat a house using solar energy, such as drawing heat from a pool or hot tub through an outdoor heater.
(such as a sun heater), or storing heat in a tank with a portable heater.
Heating is probably the most common use of solar energy and likely the way you’ll benefit the most. Using thermal insulation and reflective materials, heating a home can be done cheaply (with no expensive upgrades needed).
If you don’t have access to free heating, it may cost money to keep your pipes and system running, or you may be unable to afford higher utility rates
Or you can make a choice that may lower your gas bill but still get you some warmth in your home – choose natural heating options like geothermal heating.
They feel good too!
Run your appliances
Although most people think of using their home’s energy source, solar power, you can also use what you have already installed to get some output from your devices.
After you install what you need (make sure it isn’t prohibited by law), you can still generate power with your systems.
You can find ways to make this system work best for you. Some pay very little money to get these things going, while others spend thousands of dollars custom-designing a system.
No matter how much you spend, deals are always found to reduce the cost somewhat.
Plus, if you know where to look, you can find opportunities everywhere you turn to recycle old possessions into new sources of income.
Generate electricity
There are two ways to generate electric power with solar energy; using photovoltaics or capturing thermal energy, also called heat pumps.
Photovoltaic systems use solar cells to convert sunlight into electric energy. When you install a PV system, you will need to provide direct access to the sun to ensure your system can operate efficiently.
This installation is very expensive, unlike traditional power sources, like coal and nuclear plants. However, it is one of the most cost-effective ways to produce some amount of energy from renewable resources.
Traditional power sources only have about 3 percent of their costs covered by energy production, while the rest is maintenance. With solar energy, there is no cost for equipment or installation.
Instead of purchasing a unit at retail, you may be able to lease a module from the manufacturer or acquire one already installed for less than $1,000.
Once you calculate your potential output, you can determine how much you should invest.
Cool your home
Heat is one of our largest energy costs. The amount you spend depends on several factors, such as the degree to which your home is heated, how long it takes you to warm up, and whether you have hot floors and cold ceilings.
But with some simple changes, you can reduce your heat expenditure greatly. For example, use the same temperature everywhere in your house: the thermostat.
That way, people will know what time it is at all times. Use insulated curtains or sheets that cover windows where you don’t need them.
Install a program called WeatherRider on your smartphone or tablet. It not only tells you when it’s going to rain but also sends you weather updates every hour.
Light your home
More people are turning to solar energy to light their homes. Several reasons make solar light very appealing.
First, daylight harvesting is one of the most basic ways to use more sustainable forms of light in your home. Daylight harvesting refers to collecting natural sunlight during the hours when it is most abundant and storing it for later usage.
Using clean energy sources like solar helps reduce the amount of energy you spend while reducing the environmental impact. You can save significant amounts of money by going green with solar electricity. Start at SolarSwitchReview.com.
Solar light has been popular for centuries because it’s relatively cheap. With traditional electric lights, there’s no real way to prevent rising costs due to increased demand.
But depending on where you live, you may be able to take advantage of free or almost-free solar light.
Government programs, such as solarize, encourage communities to have open data about available renewable energies.
This allows for better integration of different methods of obtaining power in your area. You may need to look elsewhere if there’s not enough data on an alternative source.
Store food
It isn’t easy to calculate exactly how much energy is saved by using solar power instead of conventional ovens or light bulbs, but some services will estimate it for you.
Once you enter your information, you can start having your meals prepared by the sun rather than the thermometer.
This works better if you have a small or possibly no kitchen. Scholarly helps other meal-preparation companies also, such as Juice Express and Veggiefication.com.
They build these tools specifically to fit in your garage. So you can eat clean and cook some delicious dishes!
Rainwater harvesting
With rainwater harnessing, you can use water from rainfall to help supply needs such as watering plants, drinking water, and other uses.
This is useful because you will not have to purchase large quantities of water at the expense of money. Also, water may be scarce in certain areas, so having a way to store it is helpful.
There are many ways to capture rainwater. The most common method is to lay lines of plastic film or sheets (also known as ‘rain covers’) over drains.
When it rains, the water runs into the drain holes and is stored inside the cover.
You can also place pots with nets in front of downspouts to catch precipitation. Another option is to install water-storage systems that use cisterns or tanks.
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Yet another way to capture rainwater is by using dry wells. These are excavation types where soil moisture levels are kept below the surface by digging trenches and covering them with screens.
Dry wells are often used to collect rainwater for livestock watering facilities.
Use water heat pumps.
There are many ways to use solar energy in your home without cost-effectively turning the house into a sauna. The most obvious is through windows, which can be used together or separately depending on the room’s function.
The best way to utilize window space is by installing low-cost shades or blinds. If this cannot be done, lamping becomes an easy solution. Lamping works by focusing light from the sun onto a particular target.
More expensive solutions, such as building adaptive replacements (glass that adjusts to changing illumination levels), are possible but require more maintenance and attention.
Heating and cooling account for 80% of all utility costs during the heating season.
With efficient air conditioning units, there is no reason why you should not be able to reduce the amount of electricity that you spend while keeping cool.
These units have either an inverter installed to produce power or need a connection to your local power grid. While saving money is unnecessary, reducing pollution and carbon footprint is always a good idea.
Conserve water
Sunlight is natural radiation that we can see, touch, and taste. It is composed of photons, which are quanta of energy.
When sunlight strikes an object, some heat is absorbed and converted into infrared light, which is invisible to us.
However, when this happens, the object becomes hotter. As it heats up, the object emits less visible light with each wavelength. This is why you will sometimes see red roses in the sunshine.
Most objects try to avoid losing too much heat by using protective coverings or insulation. However, your skin is very thin—and helps protect all living tissue from damaging amounts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
UV rays change the chemistry of surface materials, leading to changes in appearance and texture.
