Bring Me Sunshine: Why home Solar Panels are a bright idea

Solar Panels for Home

Solar panels are a relatively inconspicuous adjustment to your home’s cosmetic qualities. They can be fitted to your roof to quietly generate energy by cleverly converting daylight into electric energy. There are two classes of panel to choose from. The most commonly-used are solar photo-voltaics (PV), which generate electricity from the sun’s rays. The other is solar thermal, which will heat your water. The solar hot water is then used for your needs in the house. We’ll be talking about the former in this article. You can find PV cells in a startling variety of forms, from gray roof tile look-a-like solar tiles to large black panels and even transparent cells for use in conservatories and windowpanes.

You’ll soon feel the benefit of installing solar panels in your electricity bills and, although the initial outlay can be quite high if you decide to fund it yourself, you will save money in the long run, with the Energy Saving Trust estimating that your average solar panel setup will provide around 40 per cent of your electric energy.

It is worth checking out the government’s ‘feed-in tariff’ scheme, which was brought in to replace solar panel grants. While the recession has seen a reduction in funds for the forward thinking initiative, there are still big benefits for homeowners who will, on top of saving on their electricity bills, be paid for the energy they produce and give back to the grid, so it’s still well worth checking out. You can find out all the information you need about the scheme and other aspects of installing solar energy at the Directgov website.

If you can’t afford to fork out thousands for solar equipment, then there’s good news for you, too. Many companies offer free solar panels and roof systems – just do a search online or visit the Solar trade Association website to find a participating installer. Again, the Energy Saving Trust is a great resource, and it is strongly recommended that you read their consumer guidelines for free solar panel offers. If, after all that, you’re worried about the maintenance and protection of your solar panels, then fear not. Many insurance providers will provide cover for theft or damage of your panels through your home building or sometimes even home contents insurance. Just check out what different companies offer by doing a ‘compare home insurance’ search in Google.

One of the key things to understand is that solar power can’t be stored, so any energy you don’t use will be pumped back to the grid, and you’ll therefore need to be using your appliances during the day if you want to save money on bills.

While solar panels won’t provide all your energy, they are a great start and, with lots of help from the government and solar-savvy installation companies, they’ll save you a lot of money in the long run and help make our environment that bit more green and clean for the future.

This was a guest article written and sponsored by: moneysupermarket.com

(Source: http://www.best-solar-energy.com/solar-energy/bring-me-sunshine-why-home-solar-panels-are-a-bright-idea/)