Reduce, Reduce, Reduce, Solar Hot Water, Photovoltaics – The Five Rules To Installing Solar Panels
Unless you are an executive at a utility, coal mining or oil company, you probably agree that solar panels are pretty cool. Beyond the science of converting sunlight into electricity or hot water there is an underlying promise of hope for the future. While wind and solar still have some rather large problems to solve before they can replace fossil fuels entirely, the technology is solid and now within reach of homeowners.
That said, there are some important things to consider before investing in a solar system. First, look at your behavior. Are there simple changes you can make to how you use energy? Do you leave lights on when you leave a room? Do you leave your computers on all the time? Do you wash small loads several times a week? Is your hot water set to 120F, refrigerator to 38F and freezer to 0F? Is your programable thermostat actually programmed? These are all things you can do for free.
Second, have you done everything you can to make your home more energy efficient? You’ll find that weatherizing your home, replacing items like light bulbs with CFLs, replacing older refrigerators and washing machines and adding insulation will all go a long way to reducing your energy consumption.
These are all things you can do which are more cost effective than investing in solar panels. The one exception to this might be solar hot water if you are at the point where you need to replace your existing tank anyhow.
Especially with photovoltaics, the cost increases with the amount of energy you need to generate, so it makes sense to try and reduce how much you need to start with. As the saying goes, the future of solar is bright and with the help of federal subsidies to level the playing field somewhat, solar is becoming a more and more attractive alternative to relying on coal. Even if we can’t entirely replace our coal and gas power plants, with enough solar installed we may be able to eliminate the need to build new ones.
We could all do with a few more ozone action days in our lives.
