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Initiating Green Construction With Solar Powered Energy

Wednesday Mar 3, 2010

Solar powered energy is lucrative. It allows a home owner to put a few panels on their roof, sit back, and watch the electricity roll in! The only problem is that these panels are expensive, they can be fragile, and they don’t always make enough electricity for a large family of individuals.

Solar power panels typically cost just under $1,000 for each panel. The average panel might make 100 watts per second in peak daylight. When you think of it in terms of your average light bulb, which might only be 20 watts, you can do the math in your head and see how affordable solar panels really are. The typical home might place five, ten, or more of these panels and store energy for later.

Depending on where you live, you can apply for tax credits. Tax credits are now be given by the United States government, both on the federal and state levels. The tax credit won’t pay for all of the upgrades you are planning, but it can make the project much more affordable.

Even when you start counting the drawbacks of going for solar powered energy, you will see that most of the thoughts you have about solar energy is not true. For instance, solar panels still work, at a lesser rate, during the night and morning hours due to light from stars and even other forms of light. During the Winter months, the efficiency is also about the same, as sun light is still hitting the panels.

The thing to look at is your return on investment. If you can make a profit by not paying so much in electricity costs each month, then you made a good decision! The problem is that a group of panels can easily run $4,000 or more for frugal projects. It often takes several years at the very least to pay off this amount. As such, solar energy should be viewed as a long term solution, and not something that is a quick pay off.

You can also save money on installation charges. In reality, you won’t have to do too much other than hop on your roof, install the panel and secure it, and then hook it up to your home’s electricity mainframe. If you are comfortable with doing that the process is quick and simple- and free! Otherwise look into hiring a local handy man to do the job. As a last resort, you may consult a company to do it.

Closing Comments

It looks like solar powered energy is the best solution, but it comes at a cost. Start saving up so you can put money forth to buy your own solar panel. That way you can generate your own electricity and keep your bills at bay- and instead use the money for more important matters.

Learn more about sustainable building and Asheville.