More and more home owners are choosing to install solar panels on their roofs. According to the Energy Information Administration, the official provider of energy statistics to the US government, the number of installed units was over 280,000 in 2007 (the latest year that data is available). Why are so many people installing them?
The first reason is that solar, or pv, panels can save money. In many cases homes become "net providers" of energy. That means the solar panels create more electricity than the homeowners' need, turning these homes into mini-power stations, where the electricity the homeowner does not need is sold back to the power company. They not only reduce their electricity bill to zero, but get credits applied to their electric company's bill. That comes in handy on those months that there may not be enough sun to cover all of your electricity use, like during a month with a lot of rain or snow - or during winter.
The second reason is that there are tax credits that try to make the installation of the panels more affordable. Recent stimulus legislation includes these incentives.
A third reason is that more and more Americans are concerned about where their fuel comes from, and they want to do their part to help keep the environment clean for the children and grandchildren.
However, even with the tax credits, the costs for putting solar panels on homes can still reach into the thousands of dollars. That is beyond the reach of many people. But there are other options.
Believe it or not, you can build your own. With as little as $200 in materials and a little elbow grease, it is possible to start putting these savings into your pocket. And there are very easy step by step guides to help. The internet offers many products that walk you through the process.
How many months does it take you to spend $200 on your electricity bill? Three months? Two? One? In that amount of time, these panels would have paid for themselves. This is a great investment.
Autor: Robert Fryer
My experience installing solar panels is always the same: homeowners love saving money, using less foreign oil and helping the environment. See if this product is right for you. http://makeyourownenergy.wordpress.com
Robert Fryer is an architecture professor in energy efficiency, and has 15 years experience in designing homes and systems.
Added: December 25, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/
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