Here are a few great solar power projects you should consider for a home improvement. Not only will it reduce your monthly electric bill, it will also increase the value of your home. The actual amount of appreciation varies depending on the age of the system and the geographic area in which you live. Check them out and see if it is something you are willing to consider. There are a number of good "how to" instructional books and videos that can guide you through the process. A few possibilities for solar power are:
Outbuildings - If you have a garage or storage building that is too far away from the main house to easily get conventional electricity to it, then you might want to consider wind or solar power as an alternative. I have a garage and storage shed used to house the mowing equipment that is a perfect fit for renewable energy. I only needed lights and a couple of base plugs and when I inquired about power from the local power company it was going to require them adding another pole, me paying to trench underground from the pole to the buildings (about 300 feet) and having a separate meter with a separate bill to pay.
Dust to Dawn Lighting - Rather than pay a monthly fee to the power company for outside dust to dawn lighting or even have one wired to your home electricity, set it up off a wind or solar power source.
Electricity for your RV - If you are tired of noisy generators or having to hunt for a camp site with an electricity hook-up, then create your own electricity via wind or solar power. It can be portable and the solar panel can be mounted on the top of your RV. I really like this idea!
Camping - Solar power is great for use at your campsites. Especially if you plan to be there for awhile. You can set it up anywhere.
Attic Fan - Reduce your summertime cooling bills by installing a solar power attic fan.
Home and Home Heating - Of course you can go all out and power your home heating, appliances, computers, lights, etc. with solar power. Some people replace their grid electricity with solar power by doing a few items at a time. When they see how successfully it works for a few things then they are anxious to do more. And, of course, the net of converting to solar power is to save, big time, on your electric bill. Any household items you can take off the grid will save you money on your power bill.
Backup Power Source - When the power goes off, switch critical items to your renewable power source. You won't have to worry about having gas for the generator or dealing with all the generator noise either.
As you can see you don't have to go totally with solar power. But, there are some real practical reasons and places where solar or wind power can do the job much more efficiently and cheaper than electricity from the grid. You can check out some other articles on solar power at:
http://www.squidoo.com/Solar-Power-Systems-for-Homes-and-Buildings. Thanks!
