Top Ten Ways to Use Solar Power in Your Home
Solar panels are becoming more affordable every year, making many people wonder if it’s the right option for them. As fossil fuels become more expensive and their negative impact on the environment becomes more clear, renewable energy — like solar energy — seems more practical and ethical for people. With solar energy, not only do you support a healthy planet, but you save money on utilities too.
Solar panels are usually placed on the rooftop of your home or (if your property is big enough) in an open space. The solar panels use the sunlight’s energy to generate electricity and reduce the homeowner’s usage of electricity from the grid. Any excess energy the solar panels produce gets sent back to the grid or get stored in a solar power battery.
Below we’ll discuss ten different ways you can use solar power in your home.
- Electricity. This is one of the most popular uses of solar power in your home. Instead of relying on the utility company for electricity, you can get it straight from the sun. Solar electricity is becoming more common as more and more people who weigh the advantages of solar energy against the disadvantages of coal, natural gas, and oil adopt solar panels.
- Lighting. Solar power makes lighting your home more cost-effective and can be used in every part of the home and property.
- Cooling. On hot summer days when your solar panels are generating a lot of electricity, you may wonder if you can use that solar power to cool down your house. With a solar attic fan, for example, you can run the fan using solar energy during the day and use electricity at night. This gives you free ventilation during the day and keeps your attic cool at night by using cooler outdoor air.
- Heating. Solar energy can also be used to heat your home. With radiant floors or Forced Hot Air systems, you can use your solar power to heat your home during the winter. Also, if you are building a new home you can design it so that it takes in more light during the winter, keeping it warmer with passive solar heating.
- Heating water. Heating the water in your home is made easy with solar power. The solar heater uses heat from the sun for you to use in your home.
- Cooking. You can even cook with a solar oven. Whether it’s a solar oven that uses solar power passively or electricity from your panels, it will save you money on electricity and support the environment.
- Portable solar. Portable solar PV chargers allow you to charge your mobile devices with solar energy.
- Charge batteries. Any device in your home that uses batteries can be charged with your solar electricity.
- Solar dryer. Dry your wet clothes on clotheslines in the hot sun, or use your dryer and power it with your solar energy.
- Solar vehicles. Solar-powered vehicles are said to be the future. If you have solar panels and EV, you can drive your car and power it solely with solar!