How to Decide on the Best Solar Power Kit
Handyman alert: solar energy power kits have arrived. The renewable energy explosion has people opting to add solar energy power to their homes. Some are going all out and totally off the grid, while others are wading in slowly. For the handyman, installing a solar energy kit is not difficult. Everything needed arrives in one package.
The only question is how to choose the right solar energy kit for the home?
Solar power kits come with detailed instructions for the handyman to follow. This should be the first thing you look for in the review or description of the kit, unless you are purchasing it to be installed by the pros. In that case ask them for recommendations.
Your kit should also be expandable. If this is your first venture into solar energy and you decide you like it, you want to be able to expand on the installation, not start over with a new one. The ability to add to or upgrade is an important feature to look at.
Power Up
There are easy and hard ways to determine your power needs. You can research every item in your home to determine how much power is used and multiply that by your best guess of how many hours per day you use each one. This can be a tedious process that at best gives you an estimate of your power usage.
Alternately, and probably simpler, would be to call your power company and have them access your records for the past year. They can tell you what your average monthly use is then you can divide that by 30 days to get a daily average.
Armed with your average power usage needs you can purchase your solar energy kit. You might want to purchase a kit that covers only a portion of your needs and upgrade later. Doing this lets you see how solar energy performs in your home and keeps your power company as a backup.
Another factor you should look into is whether or not the kit comes with a batter backup. You should decide ahead of time if you desire a battery backup or if you are okay being without power should blackout occur. Battery backups will increase the cost of the system dramatically and they are expensive to maintain.
If, however, you are staying on the power company’s grid and using an inter-tied system, you don’t have to worry about that. And you also save more money by selling your excess power to them. This system requires little or no maintenance to upkeep.
Your final decision, but also an important one is the company you are purchasing from. You should do your homework to insure you are dealing with a legitimate company that stands behind its products. If you can’t find good reviews or customer comments, keep looking until you do. You can save yourself a lot of headaches.
Choosing a solar power kit is not difficult; it just takes a little time. You need to know how much power to generate and you need to feel confident you are dealing with a reputable company. Once you armed with that information you are ready to go solar.
Other Choices to Solar Power Kits
Many people go for the expensive option and pay a company to do the complete installation of a solar energy system. The main benefit of this is that installation is hassle free, plus you will get some sort of a guarantee.
The down side to a professional system is that due to high cost it can take very long time for the system to actual start saving you money.
Have You Thought About Building Your Own Solar Panels?
If you had a shopping list of all the parts you need to build a solar panel system and step-by-step instructions on how to wire the system together, you could actually build your own solar power system for under $200.
You may not be aware, but there are now some great “how to” guides available on Internet that provide step-by-step instructions on how to build a solar power system. Some are much better than others and the best ones even include video instructions. These guides are aimed at anyone who is capable of using a drill and doing some basic wiring.
Out of all the DIY guides on renewable energy systems, my recommendation is Earth-4-Energy. You can get a quick insight into this guide by watching this YouTube Video Review of Earth4Energy.
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