Benefits Of Solar
Heating
Two of the main benefits of solar heating
are quite obvious: to save money, and to reduce the use of
fossil fuels. This is actually a great thing because you
can accomplish both objectives at the same time. There
really are not that many other ways to do this
efficiently.
Even if you only partially heated
your house or domestic hot water using solar, the benefits of
solar heating are still significant. You can save a great deal
of money as well by using passive solar heating.
Saving money is one of
the benefits of solar heating
How much can you save? There is
no easy, straight-forward answer to this because there are so
many variables. For example: how large an area are you heating,
how much sunlight do you receive on a daily basis, how many
solar panels are you planning to use, etc.
One thing is certain, you will
save money by using solar heat. It is not uncommon at all to
save 30-80% on your annual energy bills. Solar hot water alone
can bring quick and dramatic results, with a minimum of
expense.
Another factor in determining how
much money you can save is the price of fuel. It goes without
saying that the more expensive fossil fuels are, the greater
the benefits of solar heating become. When fuel oil costs $4.50
per gallon in the US, you can be sure that heads will be
turning to look at those solar panels on the house down the
road!
If you are remodeling or having a
new construction, you will be able to save even more money. By
incorporating solar heat in your design, you will have a more
economical and efficient system. It is always easier to build
it initially than retrofit a system to fit into an existing
construction.
Saving the environment
is another of the benefits of solar heating
Using solar heating is a very
approachable way of helping the environment. It is simple, can
be done inexpensively, safe, quiet, and non-polluting. Just
imagine the impact if the majority of homes used solar heat,
even in a partial manner, such as passive solar heating! The
amount of coal and oil saved is staggering to the mind.
Solar Hot Water Bible: Do-It-Yourselfers
& Contractors - Learn from the solar water heaters
industry leader.
Typically, domestic hot water
produces 20% of the greenhouse gases in a home. This means
that, over the life of your solar heating system, you will
prevent the emission of up to 50 Tons of pollutants into
the atmosphere.
It is a wonderful feeling to look
at your solar system and realize that it is so efficient and
friendly to the earth. An even better feeling is if you were
able to make your own solar panels.
One of the benefits of
solar heating is making money!
It is true, you can actually make
money with solar heating. This is because, once you know how to
do it, you can use your solar panels to make electricity and
sell it to the utility company.
This process is not as
far-fetched as might seem initially. By using the energy of the
sun to generate electricity, you can convert it into a form
used by the power company, and sell it to them.
There are a few special tools
required to do this, such as an inverter. An inverter changes
the electricity from DC (direct current) to AC (alternating
current). When you make your own electricity, it is DC. The
power company uses AC, so you need to convert it.
Some power companies will pay you
in cash, others only in credits toward you own utility bill.
Anyway you look at it, the benefits of solar heating are well
worth the investment and effort.
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