Prepare your home for residential solar panels

With a few simple home improvement projects, you’ll be saving even more money in energy costs when you switch to solar.  In other words, your electricity bill can be cut down to practically nothing!

Here are our 5 tips to prepare your home for residential solar:

1.  Check and re-seal windows and doors with caulk.  Weatherizing your home will prevent heat and cool air from leaving or coming in your home.  Caulking is one of the easiest, least expensive ways to seal air leaks and save money.  If you don’t want to do it yourself, there are plenty of professionals in your area just waiting to be hired to help make your home more air-tight and energy efficient.

2.  Make sure you have adequate insulation.  Insulation traps warm air inside during winter, and when its hot outside, you won’t lose the benefits of air conditioning, either.  Many homeowners do not have enough insulation to help moderate temperatures in their home and they end up spending much more on HVAC to feel comfortable.  An energy audit can help you determine if you have enough insulation, or whether you can save more on energy costs by adding or replacing insulation.

3.  Consider storm windows.  This is the final step required to fully seal your home from air leaks.  Today’s windows are much more energy efficient than those from 10-20 years ago (or even older).  Go with double-pane and make sure that they are fully sealed.

4.  Monitor your home energy usage and reduce where possible.  Smart meters and programmable thermostats are just the start.  You can now keep an eye on when you use the most electricity and which appliances are drawing the most energy with a home energy monitor.  Even after you install solar panels, this device will help you keep energy use in check so that you don’t have to draw on grid-based electricity as often (if at all).

5.  Use passive solar techniques.  Passive solar is such a great concept and so easy to use.  I cannot believe that there is not more written about it on the Internet!  Basically, passive solar involves allowing cool air in during the morning-  over summer months – or warm air in during winter months.  This is primarily achieved through windows.  Open them when you want the temperature to adjust and/or open or close blinds to let sunshine and heat in, or to keep it out.  Planting deciduous trees outside can also help with shading during summer and letting more warmth in over winter.

Click on the following link for more tips on how to save energy so that solar panels work best for your home.

Now that you know how to prepare your home for residential solar, what’s stopping you from taking the next step?

Solar lights along a walkway

Last weekend, we replaced our old grill on the patio.  That led to planting some containers of flowers, which made me want to string lights along the back deck for extra ambiance.  Its so easy to improve your garden with solar lights!

Whether you want to light up your patio (like we did), illuminate a pathway, or bring attention to garden specimens, solar lights are easy and convenient to use.  No need for wiring or digging trenches.  Simply place the lights where you want them, and your home improvement project is done.  Simple as that!

Small solar panels absorb sunlight during the day and, at nightfall the garden solar lights automatically come on.  The light from these devices is soft and pleasing and will glow for 6-8 hours.  There are also solar-powered security lights that work even if the power is out!

Strands of lights can also be solar-powered

You can find solar lights at many home improvement stores, as well as major retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, Costco, etc.  They come in a wide variety of colors and styles to fit your personal taste.  Even strands of lights for the holidays can be solar-powered.

Here’s some of our favorite solar powered lights:

4-Piece Garden Solar Lights

Moonrays Vernona Style Solar Powered Path Lights

Wild Grass Solar Powered Lights

Designers Edge Solar Panel Shed Light

International Development Solar Snowflake Light

MAXSA Innovations Solar-Powered Security Floodlight

Solar Powered Security Light and Motion Detector

Good luck with your home improvement project this weekend!  Be sure to incorporate some garden solar lights!

Installing solar panels

Are you like many people when it comes to solar power – you want to do the right thing, but are afraid of the high cost of solar panels?  You are not alone.  Count me in!

Fortunately, the cost of solar panels is going down, while their reliability and efficiency is increasing.  Add the fact of government tax incentives, and the savings in energy costs over the life of the panels, and you’ve got yourself a real deal!  Rebates may also be available to lower the cost of solar panels to you.

Deals on solar panels can be found on many Internet sites, including ecobusinesslinks.com, wholesalesolar.com, and Solartron Technologies.  If you are wary of the cost of a full solar panel set, you may want to consider a mini solar panel set that you can purchase for a DIY home improvement project.  Instead of spending thousands of dollars, you can install mini sets for a few hundred dollars.  My husband and I have been seriously comparing the cost of these systems, considering the fact that we plan to be in our house for years to come.

I found this fantastic video on YouTube in which a real homeowner describes the actual cost of solar panels installation at his home:

Would you be willing to bear the cost of solar panels in order to reduce your carbon footprint?  If not, what would it take?  What is the price you would put on a clean, green environment?  Let me know in the comment section below!