There are many affordable options to convert your home into a solar home and solar energy technologies can supply for several different uses in a solar home.  Passive solar design can provide heating, cooling and natural light for your home.  Solar electricity options are available to power home appliances and solar water heating can provide hot water options for laundry and general household water use (showers, cooking, cleaning).  When planning a solar home it is important to consider which solar energy options are most efficient, and cost effective for your situation.

A passive solar home utilizes home design to provide heating, cooling and natural light without the use of any special equipment.  A passive solar home basically uses the environment to accomplish great reductions in energy use.  A passive solar home uses construction materials and design to utilize the sun’s heat during winter months and block the sun’s heat during summer months.  There are several passive solar techniques you can use in a solar home, direct gain, radiant heat from sunlight passing directly into a living space and being absorbed by furniture, flooring etc and usually achieved with south facing window installations, indirect gain, involving an attached Trombe wall that collects heat and distributes it throughout the home by the use of fans, thermal mass, which are materials that naturally collect and store heat such as brick or stone, and passive cooling, which generally includes overhangs for south-facing windows to block the sun during summer months for cooling the solar home.

Another feature often found in a solar home is the use of solar electricity.  Solar electricity is generated when photovoltaic cells are used to absorb sunlight and convert it into usable electricity.  The energy produced by solar panels must be converted to DC (household power) through the use of an inverter.  Solar electricity can be used to supplement metered electric already being received by a solar home or with the use of a battery storage bank, can be used as the only electric source for the home.  If the later is going to be used, it is suggested that owners of the solar home have a generator available for backup power.

Solar water heating is one of the most common uses of solar energy in a solar home.  There are two kinds of solar water heating available for solar home use.  The first is a closed loop system, which can be used in areas that are not prone to freezing.  These systems use water filled tubes that are heated directly by the sun.  A closed loop system uses an anti-freeze type liquid to collect heat from the sun and then the heated liquid is used to heat household water via a heat exchanger.

Regardless of which steps you take toward converting to a solar home, energy efficiency is the most important attribute to a successful solar home operation.  Energy efficiency minimizes the need for heating, cooling and electricity.  Using higher insulation levels, more energy efficient windows, appliance and lighting than used in traditional construction, you will already be saving yourself a lot of money and energy.  However these changes may not be an option when converting an existing home into a solar home, so make any changes possible to your home energy efficiency and adapt other solar practices to convert your existing home into a solar home.

The sun is the life giving force of our existence.  Solar energy, the light and heat radiated by the sun, is what feeds us, clothes us and provides means for our shelter.  However, renewable solar energy can provide us with much more.  Using renewable solar energy can provide both economic and environmental benefits as well.

Renewable solar energy is an excellent source of electricity.  Rather than dwindling more fossil fuels to feed power plants, we can take advantage of huge savings and electricity by utilizing renewable solar energy.  Renewable solar energies come with very little pollution when they convert electricity from solar panels or thermal devices.  Renewable solar energies do not contribute to the effects of global warming.

Solar energy is a renewable resource.  Yes, there are days when the sun doesn’t shine enough to generate electricity, but there are far more days when the sun is there and not being utilized to power our homes, businesses and workshops.  Once you invest in renewable solar energy, you can save greatly on maintenance costs as most systems have no moving parts and require little upkeep.

By utilizing passive renewable solar energy, you can build a solar home that requires very low energy use.  To use passive renewable solar energy you must include south facing windows in your home design, in combination with products like brick and stone that provide heat radiating thermal mass.  In combination with a solar hot water system and solar electric panels you can take full advantage of renewable solar energy resources.

It is also possible to build your own solar panel and solar hot water systems for your design.  By building your own components you can greatly reduce the time needed to pay for your renewable solar energy system.  Building your own solar energy system also allows you to fully understand the mechanics and physics behind harnessing solar energy.  This can be an educational benefit for all members of the family and building your own systems will lower the cost of your renewable solar energy household by at least half when compared to purchasing the system and having it installed professionally.

Start utilizing the power of the sun and design a plan for your renewable solar energy system.  With research and elbow grease you can be on your way to a lower monthly budget and a more environmentally friendly home or business.  Renewable solar energy is going to be the way of the future and the Earth will thank you.