| America is certainly missing the boat with all the | | | | sun's energy and make electricity for use in the home |
| technologies available to build a solar home or to | | | | through a conversion process that is efficient and free. |
| convert to a solar home. Americans should not be | | | | Solar panels collect the sun's energy and converts it to |
| dragging their heels in making this conversion, but | | | | electrical energy where it can be saved in batteries for |
| moving to make the switch much more quickly than | | | | later use or used right at the time of conversion. |
| they are. | | | | An inverter converts the solar power DC current into |
| The technologies are not only more efficient, they are | | | | usable AC, alternating current, for home usage. |
| more cost affective and more affordable than only a | | | | These systems can be stand alone or designed to |
| few years ago. With the rising costs of energy and by | | | | use the local utility power as a backup power supply. |
| extension utility bills, it is a wise choice to upgrade a | | | | Another very cost effective solar power type is the |
| home to solar energy. | | | | heating of water for domestic use in showers, laundry |
| Passive solar can provide natural lighting, hot water, | | | | and kitchen us. |
| heating and cooling for the solar designed home. With | | | | There are basically two designs available. One is a |
| solar electricity it is possible to power appliances and | | | | closed loop system and an open loop system. |
| hot water for cooking, cleaning, bathing and of course | | | | In the closed loop system anti-freeze is circulated |
| laundry. | | | | through a pipe system and heated by the sun. This |
| With the price of energy going up it is quite a viable | | | | system is used in areas where freezing is a possibility. |
| option to convert a home to solar energy, even if | | | | The loop runs through a heat exchanger, heating the |
| doing it a bit at a time. | | | | homes water without the worry of freezing the |
| It is wise too look at the return on investment, but ROI | | | | heating medium. |
| should not be the only consideration as independence | | | | The open loop system is used in areas where freezing |
| is a valuable thing. A price cannot be put upon | | | | will not occur. The water is simply pumped through the |
| freedom of any kind. Freedom of dependency upon | | | | solar panels where heat is picked up like heating a |
| someone or something for energy is a great feeling to | | | | garden hose. The hot water is stored in the hot water |
| be sure. | | | | tank for household use. |
| Since passive energy uses the home's design there is | | | | Successfully converting and using the sun's energy |
| no need for any special equipment. Taking advantage | | | | efficiently is the goal of every solar home to provide |
| of natural lighting, heating and cooling can be built into a | | | | maximum comfort and minimum cost the home owner. |
| home. | | | | In the process of it all, not only the home owner is |
| Designing the home to take advantage of the winter | | | | benefiting, but so is the environment. |
| sun for heating is a sure fire shoo in for reducing | | | | Using these techniques along with using energy |
| heating bills. Use the solar gain to heat the floors, | | | | efficient windows, upgrading insulation, using low |
| furniture other interior material to be released during the | | | | wattage florescent bulbs and energy efficient |
| night when the interior space starts to cool off. | | | | appliances all contribute to cost savings. |
| Such things as solar wells constructed of stone or | | | | Some of these options may not be available to |
| bricks for thermal mass can be used to collect heat | | | | existing homes without major reconstruction. But |
| then distributed through out the house with fans. | | | | others are certainly usable and available for moving |
| It only has to be taken a step further to block the | | | | toward the energy independence of a solar home. |
| summer sun and it's solar heating ability. Using eves | | | | The home owner can adapt many of these practices |
| and trees will dramatically reduce or eliminate the solar | | | | to converting an existing home into an energy efficient |
| gain into the solar well and the home. | | | | solar home. |
| Solar cells or panels can be constructed to collect the | | | | |