Home Renovation With Sustainability – Areas You Can Improve Through Solar Energy
A good home renovation project is every new homeowner’s dream work, especially if they know how to pay the right attention to the aesthetic. However, is there a way where you can beautify your house without harming the earth?
The answer is two words! Solar Energy!
By harnessing sunlight and converting it into electricity, solar panels provide homeowners with a clean and renewable energy source, reducing reliance on traditional fossil fuels. This leads to a significant reduction in carbon emissions, helping combat climate change and air pollution. So, let’s find out more.
1. Solar House Heating
Heating and insulation are one of the most important parts of comfortable living. Especially if you do not enjoy the tropical summers and your winters are below freezing. However, we all know the shocking electricity bill we are given due to the constant heating.
This is why many insulate their walls and floors. However, that is not accurate for every temperature. Maybe the sustainable solution is staring right at our faces. The functionality of solar heating.
All you need is to spend a good amount of money to buy and install high-quality solar panels. The sun’s radiation can do the rest. It is not just the interiors they can heat; one can also connect and enjoy heated pools for cold night swims.
2. Charge Generator Batteries
Solar generators are great for event locations. However, if you do not have solar generators for your residential houses, you can always charge your batteries with the help of solar charging. A photoelectric solar panel is known to turn the sun into DC current. This helps power electricity within the house.
So, why not use the same mechanism to have solar panels charge your generator batteries? Protecting you during the long hours of power cuts. The best part is you can charge any battery with the help of these solar panels.
4. Automatic Sprinklers
Now, we know the overall cost for installation can be a little higher. Solar water pumps do come in a higher spectrum of expenditure. However, if you invest in good water pumps, you do not have to worry about them until the next decade.
Plus, it is a suitable choice to reduce the carbon footprint emitted by electricity usage of the highest degree and save water. Installing a high-tech solar water pump system will automatically judge the condition of the soil. Allowing the sprinklers to activate only when the soil is dry and is in need of moisture.
5. Power The Entire House
It is not as complicated as it sounds; anyone can do so by calling experts to install a solar panel. The Solar panels need to be lined with polycrystalline silicon to trap the solar currents by generating a small amount of electricity.
You ask the solar panel installers to install it on the roof or an open field that is facing the sun and getting enough sunlight throughout the day. The installation cost is not as high as you would imagine since it is a residential area (vis a vis smaller than a commercial area).
The astronomical fall in the electricity bill will be worth the investment. When installing solar panels to power the entire house, remember to call for regular maintenance (6 months) for them to last more than two decades.
6. Solar Ventilation Fan
On the opposite spectrum of heating, there is keeping your house cool for the hot tropics and the heat wave warnings. Air conditioning is getting expensive day by day, whether it is the installation or the post-electricity bill.
Ventilation, on the other hand, is a cost-cutting method to keep your house cool. Now, non-electric ventilation is not much of use. So, why not install solar ventilation fans? They are much more powerful than normal electric fans. Plus, you can keep them switched on even when outside. Now, you have the liberty to enter a house with a moderate temperature compared to the scorching heat outside.
7. Solar Security
Did you know with a full and functioning solar panel, you should be able to DIY security equipment? No more going through the trouble of calling an electrician during your rush hour. You can easily get solar security sensing lights and our solar security cameras for your gates.
This is probably one of the best innovations which solar energy is bringing. Since smartly equipped solar homes are such on trend now. With everyone running to install the next category of equipment to secure themselves, solar panels powering this equipment are helping reduce the overall carbon footprint (one of the negative side effects of smart homes).
Plus, if you ever wish to enlist your house for real estate bidding, the price will automatically skyrocket because of all the sustainable smart installations.
8. Solar & Aesthetic
Having a long driveway, backyard, and gazebos are luxury on their own. But, homeowners sometimes find it difficult to manage the electricity bill, which comes alone lighting these areas. With home aesthetics being in every issue of ‘Architectural Digest,’ everyone wants to decorate their houses.
So, one LED wouldn’t suffice to light the yard. String lights and lamps of different shades are imperative. With the help of solar garden lights, you should be able to make a cost-cutting, aesthetically pleasing investment.
Installation is easier for these lights since they do not require any further electrical wiring for the MCP. On the other hand, you might have to give it a regular clean for the lights to not get foggy or catch excessive debris due to being in natural conditions.
9. Try Solar Shingles
Not everyone is aware that you do not need to install bulky solar panels to enjoy solar energy. Not that they are any less effective, but they can be inconvenient when trying to renovate roof.
Rather try door panel shingles which are easier to install and clean. It won’t be something extra taking up your entire roof, and also not mess up the aesthetic of the house. Since they function like any other roof shingle, you can detach them during any roof renovation and reattach them when required.
It will save you the time and money of a reinstallation!
10. A Solar Barbecue Set-Up
Now everyone loves a good barbeque on a hot summer afternoon. However, setting up a good barbeque to get the best-charred sausages and ribs is difficult, not to mention the cost of gas, which is powering.
Why not change your regular barbeque with a solar grill? It will not take a toll on your gas bill after a summer afternoon barbeque party.
Frequently Asked Question
Sun is for everyone, yet not everyone feels the confidence to change. It could be the cost or the maintenance. Or the overall doubt of whether it will work!
While perusing the internet, we have found a few new homeowners wanting to install solar panels but are confused. We have picked a few reasonable ones and answered them.
1. Best Area To Install A Solar Panel
Ans. If you plan to charge every other electrical appliance of your house, the solar panel requires you to capture a good amount of energy. Your solar panels should be facing south, between 15-40 degrees.
2. Can I Install Solar Panels Everywhere?
Ans. You will need at least 350 square feet of space if you want a solar panel to light the entire house. Plus, you will at least require strong sun rays to capture the energy. In a residential home, the backyard is the best space.
3. How Many Solar Panels Do I Need?
Ans. This will always have a relative question. Depending on the number of family members and, most importantly, the number of appliances you are charging. For a general rule of thumb, if you have every electrical appliance at home and feeding a family of 4, you will need eight panels.
4. What Is The Size Of A Solar Panel?
Ans. The size of a solar panel can vary depending on its wattage and design. Residential solar panels typically range from 15 to 20 square feet (1.4 to 1.9 square meters) for a standard 60-cell panel.
These panels are commonly around 39 inches (1 meter) wide and 65 inches (1.65 meters) tall. Commercial and utility-scale solar panels can be much larger, with sizes ranging from 20 to 40 square feet (1.9 to 3.7 square meters) or more. The physical dimensions of a solar panel are determined by the number and arrangement of solar cells, which convert sunlight into electricity, and the overall power output desired.
5. How Much Will Solar Panel Installation Will Cause?
Ans. Again this will vary from resident to resident. Depending on the size, location, and additional changes which you require. On average, the cost can range from $10,000 to $30,000 or more.
However, it’s important to note that incentives, tax credits, and rebates can significantly reduce the overall cost. It is a costly investment, but it is worth it for the energy you will be saving. Before you call for installation, try to get as much consultancy as you can. A solar panel installation company might be able to help save.
6. How Long Do Solar Panels Last?
Ans. After all the money you spend on installation, it is common to ask how long it will last. Do not worry; you wouldn’t have to change the panels too soon after installation. Some high-quality solar panels can last up to 25-30 years. You will need to maintain it regularly for it to last the most.
