During the past year the prices of photovoltaic solar panels have declined somewhat yet are still anticipated to fall even further as the technology advances and some manufacturers have already stated that their pricing is now comparable to the costs of conventional electrical energy. Unfortunately for many these prices are still a big pill to consider swallowing given the current state of economics in many countries around the world. You’ve tried to make all the changes to your home or businesses energy efficiencies such as switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, using Energy Star rated appliances or installing a power factor conditioning unit to reduce your wasted electrical consumption but you still want to attain greater reductions in your energy costs. There are a great many systems currently available which when used in combination’s can have a great impact on your energy costs while providing the functionality your lifestyle has grown accustomed too.
Tackle the high ticket energy costs first and take advantage of the government grants, rebates and incentives while they are still available. Even if you can only afford a 1kw solar panel electric system to supplement your energy needs you can still add to it at a later date. Consider also using solar powered outdoor lighting systems so that you can eliminate the need for any conventionally powered outdoor lighting. Adding a solar thermal hot water system is very comparable to the replacement costs of your current gas or electric hot water tanks already and as they can save up to 47% of your energy costs you can take advantage of the savings they offer. The idea here is too take advantage of the savings offered by multiple systems in combination’s to give you a collective savings overall.
Power factor conditioners offer up to a 25% energy savings. Radiant Barrier used in your attic spaces along with a solar powered attic vent fan will give you an additional 10% savings. Solar powered outdoor lighting systems use 90% less energy than conventional outdoor lighting, and solar powered air conditioning or solar thermal hot water systems offer from 47% to 90% or more in energy savings. When used in combination’s all these systems can have a greater lasting effect on your overall energy savings! By themselves these individual savings may not seem to be much but when added as a whole they very quickly add up to huge savings that quite simply cannot be ignored. The same can be said when using the larger renewable energy systems as many will use these to feed their appliances which have larger energy requirements while utilizing the smaller systems which operate and are powered independently from the whole.
If you have no idea where to start then it is best that you contact either an energy consultant or a home energy auditor service to have your home or business inspected. Using the latest technologies in thermal imagery, electrical data logging and heat loss detection systems they can very quickly give you a report showing all of your home or businesses greatest weaknesses in energy efficiencies. They will also provide you with a hit list of the areas that need the greatest improvements in a priority list which you can later chip away at. Sometimes the changes needed can seem insurmountable but like my grandfather would always say, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time”. These changes can be overcome with the proper information and system usage.
