Handyman alert: solar energy power kits have arrived. The renewable energy explosion has people opting to add solar energy power to their homes. Some are going all out and totally off the grid, while others are wading in slowly. For the handyman, installing a solar energy kit is not difficult. Everything needed arrives in one package.
The only question is how to choose the right solar energy kit for the home?
One main ingredient in the kit should be a set of clear and concise instructions. A solar power kit is only good if it is installed correctly. Check the advertisement carefully to make sure there are detailed installation instructions and look for recommendations by satisfied customers.
Another decision you need to make is whether or not this is a stand-alone system, or do you plan to expand it later. Regardless of the initial answer, I recommend you purchase a kit that is expandable. You may decide later that you do want to expand. Having a system that is easy to upgrade may save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Power Up
To determine the size kit you need, you need to know how much power you consume. You can run around tallying your appliances and gadgets and then research their power use and how often you use them; do some multiplications and hope you are accurate in your determination.
Or you can call your power company and ask them to tell you what your average monthly usage was for the past year. Then you can determine your daily average. Much simpler.
Armed with your average power usage needs you can purchase your solar energy kit. You might want to purchase a kit that covers only a portion of your needs and upgrade later. Doing this lets you see how solar energy performs in your home and keeps your power company as a backup.
You should also decide if you want a battery backup for your system. It will increase the cost of the system and battery backups are expensive to maintain. However, if you are going off the grid and can’t risk being without power in case of a blackout; you might want to consider installing one.
There is a way to avoid both being without power and the cost of a battery backup. Keeping your power system partially on the electric grid will eliminate blackouts and at the same time any excess solar power you produce is sold back to the power company.
Finally, make sure you check out the dealer you are buying from. Read some reviews to make sure they are reputable and stand behind their product. You don’t want stuck with an expensive box of panels that don’t work.
Choosing a solar power kit is not difficult; it just takes a little time. You need to know how much power to generate and you need to feel confident you are dealing with a reputable company. Once you armed with that information you are ready to go solar.
Other Choices to Solar Power Kits
You could of course pay for a professional installation of a solar power system. The main advantage of this is that you have peace of mind in that should anything go wrong in the warranty period you are covered for repairs.
However, because professional systems are so expensive it takes years for the energy savings on your electric bill to pay for the initial installation. It would be far better if you could start making real money savings almost straight away.
What about a DIY Solar Power System?
Image if someone gave you a shopping list of all the materials you would need to build a homemade solar power system and it costs less than $200. This shopping list along with step-by-step DIY instructions on how to put the system together would give you huge cost saving.
There are now several great guides available on Internet that provide crystal clear instructions, illustrations, and videos on how to make and install your own solar panels. These guides also teach you how to build your own wind turbines. The guides I’ve looked at are aimed at anyone who has basic DIY skills, not DIY experts.
Out of all the guides on DIY solar power systems, the one I think is the best is called Earth4Energy. Rather than go into detail you can watch my 7 minute video explaining this system here: Review of Earth4Energy on YouTube.
