Using Solar Energy Is Not Only Green, It Can Earn You Green Too!
Many people think of solar energy only in terms of green energy. Everyone knows that by installing solar panels on your home you are going to be helping the environment. What many people don't know is that solar energy can be green in another way. That's right, solar energy has the potential to earn you money. Certainly it wont earn you a mountain of cash, and it also won't earn you cash overnight, but it can earn you money in the long run. This article gives you the ins and outs of the solar energy process and helps you evaluate how you can make money with solar energy.
The first thing to consider when evaluating how solar energy can make you money is the easy transformations. Look around your house and look for outdoor lights or water fountains that you might have. These lights and other outdoor fixtures can often be easily replaced with solar powered flood lights. By making this simple switch, you can decrease your energy bill without spending a lot of money.
Of course, the big question is how you can add solar panels to your roof. This is highly dependant on the area that you live in and the solar exposure that your house receives, so there are several considerations you will need to take into account before making your decision. If you can add solar panels to your home, the prevailing estimate is that this investment will pay for itself in less than 10 years. After that amount of time, all your savings will be like money in your pocket.
Next, you should evaluate what kind of systems you can put into your home. When you are considering solar energy panels, you should also give consideration to adding solar-powered water heaters. This is not too difficult an upgrade if you are installing solar panels and can save you a lot of money.
After you have evaluated what kind of system you can put in, you need to see what kind of regulations exist in your area. Chck with your local utility provider to see if they will pay you for any energy that you export to the grid. If you can, this will allow you to forgoe the cost of batteries for storage. If you are unable to sell excess energy to the power company, you will have to store it during the day in order to use at night with batteries. If the only consideration is your net import or export, then you can get away without batteries.
Once you have decided what to do, you need to check with your home owners association and local covenants in order to make sure that these upgrades will be allowed.
These considerations should illustrate to you that it is possible to make money by engaging in solar power. Reducing your energy consumption and selling your excess power to the the local utility can end with you pocketing cash at the conclusion of every month. Evaluate whether this is right for you, and then make your move.