I live in the desert Southwestern areas of the United States, and solar power is something I've been heavily interested in for years. Since this area of the country tends to have 300+ days of sunshine each and every year, it makes sense for me to take advantage of that in my home.
Putting in a full solar powered home energy system can be expensive though, particularly if you have a large family. It took some time for me to finally realize I do a little bit at a time. Instead of putting an expensive solar system into place all at once, I can do it in steps instead.
Personally our electric bills ranged from $250-$350 which I felt was outrageous, but I know in some parts of the country people pay $600 or more a month. So the first step I decided to take was reducing consumption.
- I replaced every lightbulb I could with the energy efficient "pigtail" bulbs. I couldn't believe how much money I saved on monthly electric bills just by doing this one thing.
- I sealed up various cracks and drafy spots around the house. Old or unkept houses like this one tend to be very drafty all year long, and this wreaks havoc on the heating and cooling bills. Blocking the drafts made a huge difference in keeping the house at more comfortable temperatures throughout the year.
- I started using more of the sun's natural solar energy. In the wintertime I try to open my curtains during the day so the sun's warmth can help heat things up. I also place water jugs in the sun so they can store heat during the day. At night, these are excellent heat source supplements to our small space heater.
I've also been trying out various forms of natural convection heating, solar power heating, and I've been learning how to create my own solar panels too.
I researched solar panel systems and found that the solar panels can be bought for as little as $700. If you're handy and want to install them yourself you can save a cool $1000 there too. Making your own solar panels is actually quick and easy to do though, and that can cost as little as $150-$200. And since you can install the solar system a little at a time, those low costs make it so much easier to get started.
