If you were to build your own solar panels, you could immediately reduce your electric bill. Build and install several panels, and your savings could climb considerably. The only thing preventing you from using them today is likely the prohibitive cost of a commercial package and installation.
Get around those costs by learning to build your own solar panel. Finding the necessary materials is the most time consuming task in the entire project but most of the materials necessary can be found and ordered online.
Even one 120 watt panel can product an annual savings of over $120 dollars. If you find the panel materials for less than $200, the payback period on your initial investment is less than two years.
Compare that to a commercial installation running anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 dollars and a payback period of ten plus years and its obvious that doing it yourself is the only way to leverage the free energy produced by the sun until the overall cost of commercial solar products comes down.
One of the most power hungry appliances in our homes is the water heater. The average water heater uses approximately 400 Kwh of electricity per month. Depending on the amount of sunshine available in your area, one 120 watt solar panel can produce 86 Kwh of power each month. The cost to build your own solar panels, assuming you would need five of them for your hot water heater, would run approximately $1000 but would generate an annual savings of $556 (using the government’s reported average cost per Kwh of $.1159), not to mention any energy tax credits. Again, the project would see a payback in less than two years.
If you want to experiment with using solar energy to supplement your power consumption and reduce your electricity bill, start with small projects that target your most expensive appliances. These tend to be air conditioning systems, large screen televisions, kitchen and laundry room appliances. Even your outdoor lighting system can easily be set to run from solar energy you produce yourself.
Shop around for clear instructions on making your own solar panel and make sure the instructions include diagrams, pictures and video demonstrations, if possible, to make sure the project is a success. Follow any local and federal regulations regarding installation and search online for discount parts required for your project to keep the expenses to a minimum. Lower expenses mean a quicker payback on your investment.
Posted in 
Tags: 
