Residential Solar Energy: How To Get The Benefits Without Spending A Fortune

Are you looking for ways to cut your soaring energy costs but not quite ready to spend $20,000 on a complete home solar power system? Even with the various rebate and incentive programs available, many of us still can’t quite afford the investment necessary to power up the whole house. Here are three ways to make use of residential solar energy on a smaller scale and still save money on your energy bills.

The least expensive way to start with using solar power around the home is with the many solar powered lighting options and other solar powered products now available. You can choose from driveway lights, landscaping lights and even solar power bird baths. These are very easy to install so most homeowners will be able to do the installation for themselves. One of the best benefits is that you will not have to worry about wires buried around your yard while you’re saving energy costs.

Another great use of residential solar energy is for a solar-powered attic fan. An attic fan will lower your attic’s temperature and reduce the load on your air conditioner in the summer. During the winter, you will still benefit from the attic fan as it blows the heated air back into your home instead of losing it through your roof. A solar power attic fan will only about $500 and that’s with installation costs factored in. Your fan will pay for itself in as little as two years and will add to the resale value of your home.

The last small scale solar power option you need to be aware of is the solar water heating system. This entails a 40 to 80 square foot collector box which captures solar energy and uses it to preheat cold water. This heated water is either piped into a special tank or back to your existing hot water tank. This type of water heating system will provide anywhere from 50% to 80% of the energy needed to heat the water for a typical household.

Depending on the size of the setup you need for your household, solar water heating systems can range in price from $2000 to $8000. Currently you can get up to 30% of the cost back from the federal government in the form of tax breaks. Many states also have rebate and incentive programs to help defray the cost, as well. You can expect this system to pay for itself within 6 to 10 years. The solar water heating system also will add to your home’s resale value.

Solar lighting and other products are inexpensive and easy to install. A solar powered attic fan or solar water heating system are a little more costly but will pay off in utility bill savings and increased home resale value. If you’re ready to explore residential solar energy options without the large initial investment required by the full scale solar power systems, you now have three great options to choose from.

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