Save on energy bills. Solar power

Save on energy bills

With rising global demand and foolish government`s policies driving up energy prices, especially for gas and electricity, we need to begin considering ways of saving a few quid in energy expenses. One of the ways to do just that, beginning right away, is through the use of solar power.

Constant research and development are making solar panel systems ever more efficient, and as consumer demand goes up solar power systems prices are dropping. With no end foreseen to the sharp upward trend of electrical and gas prices, the time is now to begin more seriously considering making use of solar power.

For instance, it's reached the point where solar water heating can provide about one-third of a home's hot water needs. The average domestic system shaves about £200 a year off of your hot water bills if it is installed in a gas heated home.

And consider this: the cost of solar heating, once you have paid for the initial installation, is zero. How can you get more cost-efficient than with free energy?

Furthermore, solar panels can be used to trickle charge batteries and charge mobile phones. Larger solar panels with inverters can run appliances such as a stereo, tv set or power your PC.

As long as the government remains unable to come up with a way of taxing the sun, solar power is going to remain free and readily available--yes, even to people in the UK where you can just forget about getting a sun tan.

There is a wide array of solar power components available on the market.

For instance, if you are looking for a more cost efficient solution to ventilating sheds, greenhouses, a summerhouse, or a home office, you could consider a 120mm solar fan with a monocrystalline solar panel measuring 167mm x 120mm. Such a fan can be used indoors or outdoors, and it's very easy to attach even if one just uses glue.

Solar power is also highly customizable.

0.5V250MAH microcrystalline solar panels with leads are available for you to join together either in series or in parallel to make larger panels with higher voltage or current to meet a wide array of electricity needs. Battery charging, powering motors, powering water pumps, powering appliances in your guest home...there are endless possibilities. Furthermore, these small individual solar panels are useful in instances where you need to make an odd-sized panel or a panel of a very particular voltage, and can therefore be put together to power the electricity in things such as your boat.

The Navitron corporation in particular manufactures a very fine 20-tube solar heating collector. This system is modular and therefore can be added on to for meeting various needs. This is a roof mounted tube collector and it's an ideal product for taking care of one's hot water heating needs, even for a backyard pool.

The corporation describes this solar heating collector as consisting of "twenty evacuated tubes, with a high tech heatpipe [inserted into each one]. As the sun strikes the tube the power generated is transferred directly to the tip of this heat pipe which is situated in a copper manifold in which water circulates. The heat in the tip is then transferred to the circulating water, which is then stored in the domestic hot water tank ready for use. If a tube is placed in direct sunlight on a sunny day, the tip temperature can reach 250°C -- so the system easily heats domestic hot water cylinders to 60°C even in cooler weather. The manifold is heavily insulated with a 5cm thickness of pre-formed rockwool to keep the heat in so freezing is no problem."

Those products listed here are just the tip of the iceberg of what's out there nowadays for making use of solar power--truly, it's become an industry of endless possibilities. With such a high ROI over time, drastic savings on gas and electricity costs, a sense of freedom from the utility companies, and the ability to make highly effective use of non-polluting energy technology, solar power can make a world of difference to your bottom line and more.