What Can You Run on Solar Energy in Your Home?

With the environment of utmost concern today, it is vital we work toward protecting it as a community. There are several things that can help protect and clean the environment including recycling, using less gas, and emitting as few harmful energy by-products as possible. One way you can do this is by using solar power. But what can you run on solar power in a home?

The great thing about solar power is that it can be used for a number of different things. For instance, residential solar home heating and solar water heating continue to grow in popularity as people become aware of the benefits of solar energy. Installing solar roof tiles can potentially generate a significant amount of energy that can be used to power the appliances in your home. With solar energy, you are using renewable, abundant, free, and a clean energy source.

Many homeowners find the cost of installing a solar power system overwhelming. Not surprisingly, the upfront investment cost presents a challenge for many people. However, it is possible to build your own solar panel to save money. If you're not comfortable building your own you can, of course, purchase a system for your home. Sometimes rebates are even offered by the government - a great incentive to convert to a sustainable energy source.

Everything in your home could potentially be run on solar power:

• Use of solar home heating to keep you warm;
• Energy to power your stove, washer & dryer, and lights;
• Heat hot water for use in your clothes washer, your bath or shower;
• Heating a pool;
• Accent lighting, garden ornaments like birdbaths and fountains to enhance your outdoor living spaces. Even post caps for decks and fences can be run using solar power.

Unfortunately, one of the big disadvantages for homeowners is the investment cost to purchase and install solar panels. The efficiency of solar cells isn't as good as one would like, and they generate a relatively small amount of energy for the space they take up. That means you would need a large number of solar panels to if you wanted to power your entire home, which in turn results in a higher cost. As a compromise, many homeowners pick and choose the items they wish to power with solar energy - for example, they might only install a solar water heating system, or only use solar garden lights to illuminate their decks and gardens.

Although solar power is most commonly referred to with residential housing, it can actually run several other things as well. Solar power is beginning to branch out within the auto industry, commercial use, and can even be used for cars, planes, and boats.

As solar cell efficiency improves, fewer panels will be required togenerate the same amount of energy, making solar power more cost-attractive to individual homeowners seeking to do their part for the environment. The additional cost savings after the initial investment has been paid off is just another bonus.