How effective is residential solar power?

The effectiveness of a solar power system for powering your home (or part of your home) depends upon a number of factors. For example:

• Electric or gas? In general, any appliance that uses electricity to power a heat element (for instance, an electric stove, an electric clothes dryer, or an electric water heater) is not very compatible with solar power.

To get the most from a solar panel system, the first thing you should do is switch out energy-inefficient electric appliances with more efficient gas or propane appliances.

Replace water heaters with tankless, gas-powered water heaters; replace electric range tops with gas ranges; and replace electric clothes dryer with a gas-powered clothes dryer.

• How well does your home regulate its temperature? Probably the largest category of energy usage in a home is heating and cooling. Air conditioners use an inconceivably huge amount of power, and central heat falls not far behind.

If you haven’t weatherized your home yet, take advantage of the current tax credits offered as part of the Recovery Act and make your home as energy efficient as possible. The more energy efficient your home, the more cost-effective solar power will be.

• What is the south side of your roof like? Solar panels are most effective at catching sunlight when they are located on a south-facing roof.

If you have a neighboring building that blocks sunlight to the south side of your roof, you may want to think twice before you make a large investment into a solar panel array.

If you have trees shading that side of your roof, you may want to cut them down or at least trim them before installing solar panels.

• Where do you live? Even if the south side of your roof is completely clear and free, there’s a big difference between the amount of sunlight a south-facing roof receives in San Diego, CA, compared to Nome, AK. You should check NASA’s helpful Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy website to see if your particular area receives enough annual sunlight to make solar power a viable option.

These are just a few of the many factors that determine the effectiveness of solar power. Remember, solar power requires a significant financial investment, so be sure to do your homework carefully to decide if solar power is the best alternative energy option for you.

About the Author

Shannon Bell writes for residentialsolarpanels.org a non commercial blog focused on her Photovoltaic experiences to help people understand how and why they should save energy starting investing in solar power. She writes on <a href=” http://www.residentialsolarpanels.org/ “>residential solar energy</a> to help people learn how to start save energy from the scratch and then apply those experience to the next level.