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There are many different ways to use the suns energy to power your home. You do not have to make a huge investment to get started. If you decide that solar is the way to go for you, it is never a waste because solar panels will increase the value to your home. Many ways are so simple you will wonder why you did not think of them before. Here are some simple ways to solar power your home.

Grow Your Own Solar Power. Did you know anytime you grow a plant you are using solar power? By creating a roof garden, also called a green roof by many it takes advantage of rainwater to control indoor temperatures and adds to the beauty of your home. Green roofs are more than likely one of the man ways of going solar the green way.

Install A Sun Water Heater. A good way to start your knowledge of solar energy is to use solar thermal systems that use no electricity to heat your homes water. You can find two different types of these systems. · Flat-plate systems are the most common type used. It works by the water being pumped through a series of tubes over a black surface, which converts radiation into heat. The cost of equipment and installation runs around $7,500 to $10,000. It will though drop your home energy costs dramatically and can earn you a federal tax credit of around 30%, which is up to $2,000. · Evacuated tube collectors are the second kind. They work better in cold and cloudy climates where sun does not appear as much. They work by the element in the tube collecting heat from the sun; no heat is lost to the cold air outside due to it being in a vacuum working similar to how your coffee thermos works. Twenty tubes, equipment and installation can cost around $5,500 to $6,000. In return, it can help heat up to 70% of a homes hot water yearly. If you are a resident in the home, you can be eligible for federal tax credits.

Passive solar energy. Passive solar energy uses energy directly from the sun for space heating. It is probably the easiest of all four because no moving parts are needed. How it works is the homes’ thermal mass, any thick, heavy material that can hold suns’ heat such as concrete tiles or sheet rock layers absorb the heat during the day then releases it during the night. You do have to design your home with your heating needs and climate in mind. A passive solar home requires four things. · Windows sized for your climate made of glass facing the south. A rough way to estimate it is to go by seven to ten percent of the floor area of your home. · Concrete, tiles or sheet rock layers which can store heat. · Good shading for the summer. · It has to be installed properly. You do not have to build a new home to use this system; a existing home can be retrofitted by adding additional thermal mass such as extra layers of plaster on the walls to capture more heat or installing insulated shades.

Photovoltaics A big word that means solar panels tied to a power grid with no batteries or backup generator. With this, you can actually give or in some places sell power back to the power company if the have such a program in place. A home with eighteen 165-watt multi-crystalline solar modules have been shown to allow the home owner to pay less than $10 per month during the summer for electricity. Overall, no matter what type system you use solar energy can produce a clean source of energy. With energy prices soaring and not likely to drop anytime in the future any alternative is a good thing. So keep in mind the sun will always come out tomorrow.

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