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Going green with solar panels
People are finally getting the message about conserving energy. Coal-fired power plants generate a lot of greenhouse gases, so the less we are dependent on them, the better. Solar power is a viable alternative to your traditional grid-based power plan. Going solar will significantly reduce your dependence on foreign oil and filthy power plants and spare you a lot of money at the same time. Even if you have already converted from a traditional electric supply to clean safe solar power, there are still a lot of things you can do to save power and lower your costs even further.
Turn things off when you are not using them. Sure, it's easier to leave the lights on if you're going to "be right back" but switching off the lights every time you leave a room saves a lot of money in the long run. Turn off that television any time you're not directly watching it. Set your computer to "sleep" after a few minutes of inactivity. It will keep your files and programs in place while barely using any electricity at all. Unplug chargers for your cell phone and other rechargeable devices as soon as you are finished charging them. Unplug anything that has a little glowing light even when in off mode. When it is practical, cook meals or snacks in a toaster oven rather than firing up your full-sized kitchen oven. Microwave when you can. Slow cookers and crock pots only cost about two cents an hour to run and can cook a delicious meal slowly while you work or play. Take shorter showers and save a ton of money in water heating bills. Dry clothes outside on a line whenever you are enjoying a sunshiny day. Convert all of your regular incandescent light bulbs to energy-saving fluorescents with lower wattages. You will still get the same light but use a lot less electricity while doing so. If all these efforts seem like small steps, it's because they are. Insignificant as they may seem, these small steps will add up over the long run.
Of course one thing you can do that will have major impact on energy consumption is to make the switch from standard electricity to solar energy. Every time a household converts to solar energy, it's the equivalent of taking two gas-guzzling, fume-belching cars off the road for good. If even half of your neighbors made the switch to solar power, think of how much cleaner our skies would be. A solar power system runs quietly and efficiently and leaves no carbon footprint whatsoever. Go green and save money at the same time when you convert your home to clean, safe solar power.
You'll also save some green in your wallet with clean solar panels. You'll enjoy a $0 or very low power bill for the 25 or 30 year life of the system. For example, if you spend $200 per month for electricity with a utility, then you will spend $81,979 over 25 years, including a low annual price inflation rate of 2.5%. No matter how you calculate it, you will save money when you realize how much solar panels cost. Forget the confusing and distracting cost per kilo-watt (kW) comparisons. Remember, you can pay the utility for 25 years, with annual price increases, or you can pay a lot less for solar power. You'll also get some great tax credits and cash rebates, and you will increase the value of your home.
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SOLAR PANELS
