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You are considering a conversion to solar electricity in your home. Immediately you wonder “How much is this going to cost?” Consumers often make the mistake of thinking the cost is related to their home’s size, but that is probably the least significant factor in determining solar panel prices. Granted, a bigger house will sometimes use more energy and have more roof space, but those generalities aside, the home’s size is a minor consideration.

More important is the amount of direct sunlight you receive on your southern exposure (i.e. geographic location), the amount of power you consume and the amount of that consumption you plan to replace with solar power. The combination of these factors will determine the number of panels needed and therefore impact the price. Also, different panels have different efficiency ratings. Efficiency rating describes the amount of power the panels can generate per square inch. It quickly becomes clear that you must first know how many panels you need before individual solar panel prices are a concern.

With that having been said, you can estimate solar panel prices at around $9 per watt. Do the following calculations to determine how many total watts you need.

1) First, take the Kilowatt hours (KWH) from your monthly electric bill and divide by 30 to get your kilowatt hours per day.

2) Next, estimate how many hours each day that your location receives direct sunlight – this will only be an estimate because you’ll usually get more sunlight in the summer and less in the winter.

3) To get the amount of power you will need to generate during the direct sunlight hours, divide the daily kilowatts by the daily direct sunlight hours estimate.

4) Finish by multiplying the result by 1,000 to convert the kilowatts back to watts.

As an example: If you use 1,000 KWH per month, divided by 30, you use 33.33 KWHs per day. If you get 5 hours of direct sunlight per day, you need to collect 6.66 Kilowatts per direct sunlight hour throughout the day (33.33 daily kilowatts divided by 5 hours = 6.66 kilowatts needed per hour). 

Multiply the resulting 6.66 by 1.2 to properly size your system and to account for fluctuations in direct sunlight and you get 7.99 Kilowatts needed during each hour that the sun is shining (6.66 * 1.2). Finally, multiply this result by 1,000 to convert back to watts and you get 7,990 watts per day. So replacing 1,000 KWHs per month of electricity will require that you can generate 7,990 watts during peak hours. At $9 per watt, it will cost approximately $72,000.

Remember that although you are generating enough power during the peak sunlight hours to meet all your energy needs for the full day, you will still need a way to power your home after the sun goes down. You can do this in one of two ways.

Extra energy can be stored in batteries for use when needed. Plan on an additional 25% cost for batteries if you go this route. The other option is to sell the excess power back to the electric company during the hours that you are producing more than you consume.

Then during the dark hours you would run on public electricity. Selling back the excess power will partially or fully offset the electric expense during the non-peak hours. Either way, you can see that solar panel prices are only a portion of the total cost for solar powering your home. If this seems confusing, read through it a couple times and it will start to make sense.

We prefer the do it yourself method to get the very lowest cost for solar power. You can save thousands of dollars on  solar panel prices, batteries, and all the other components needed, so give serious consideration to building your own system.

A photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel is a packaged interconnected assembly of photovoltaic cells, also known as solar cells. The photovoltaic module, known more commonly as the solar panel, is then used as a component in a larger photovoltaic system to offer electricity for commercial and residential applications.

Types of Solar Panels:

Monocrystalline are made from a large crystal of silicon. These type  are the most efficient as in absorbing sunlight and converting it into electricity, however they are the most expensive. They do somewhat better in lower light conditions then the other types of solar panels.

Polycrystalline are the most common type  on the market today. They look a lot like shattered glass. They are slightly less efficient then the monocrystalline solar panels and less expensive to produce. Instead of one large crystal, this type of solar panel consists of multiple amounts of smaller silicon crystals.

Amorphous (thin-film) consist of a thin-like film made from molten silicon that is spread directly across large plates of stainless steel or similar material. These types  have lower efficiency then the other two types , and the cheapest to produce. One advantage of amorphous solar panels over the other two is that they are shadow protected. That means that the solar panel continues to charge while part of the solar panel cells are in a shadow.

Efficiency

Solar Panel efficiency is the percentage of solar energy that is captured and converted into electricity. It’s difficult to give an exact number, so the numbers below are an average percentage of efficiency that the different types of solar panels output. Thin film  will generally degrade approximately 1% each year, where as crystalline panels degrade at approximately .5% .

Monocrystalline – 18%

Polycrystalline – 15%

Amorphous  – 10%

More about Green Energy and Solar Panels can be found at http://solar-panels-info.blogspot.com

Solar panel kits are great for people who would like to start a green project at home on budget. But, not all kits will be suitable for your home needs, and careful planning is a must before you head off to the supply store.

If you have prior experience with installing solar devices, you may have good knowledge about which parts you need and how each of them works. You may just purchase your kit from an online store and resemble the parts with minimum need for technical suggestions or support.

However, if you are totally clueless about solar panels, you should do some thorough research and select a reputable supplier who provides quality service. You should only buy the DIY kit that are accompanied by installation manual, preferably with a good amount of illustrations. Check with the supplier whether he can also be accessed by telephone, as email communication may not work sufficiently for you. Ideally, the supplier can send over his staff in case you require in-person help with installation.

Turning to technical planning, it is crucial that you tell your supplier about your home’s current energy consumption status and your projected energy requirements, so that he can work out the exact size and configurations of the solar kit that will meet your expectation. Without this step, you may end up buying a kit that is either too big or too small, which will either waster you money or fail to perform required job.

Professional solar kit suppliers will also ask about the exact location of your house, how it is situated towards the sun, whether you have trees and other buildings around, and the average outdoor temperature year round. These factors will all impact on how efficiently your solar panel works, and determine what technical features your panel needs to have.

You also need to consider purchasing batteries for storing excessive electricity, so that you do not have to go back to the grid at nights or on raining days. There are a range of batteries to choose from. Different batteries have different life spans, different needs for maintenance, and therefore different prices. Getting expert help in your selection will allow you to get the best value for your money.

A word of caution about prices. Solar panels come in with a variety of combination of voltages and amperage, and hence price tags vary. Do your research first and you will understand why some are more expensive than the others and whether it is worth spending more. Again, seek the expert help from reputable manufacturers so that you only pay for what you want – no more, no less.

Going for DIY solar panel kits is no small project at all, however cost-effective it is compared to buying ready-made solar devices. As such, you should not just do enough research, but also ask all your questions and test the suppliers’ services before you spend your money. It costs you time, but you will be rewarded with a satisfactory purchase.

When I hear the word ‘kit’, I invariably think about putting toys together for my Children, when the box said “some assembly needed” I used to just cringe, when I read it! The instructions were invariably incorrect! Or, possibly it was just my interpreting of them. As the years went on, I got pretty good at putting things together. These days, just about everything that you buy involves some sort of fabrication. Now, you can even put home solar panel kits together, and even make them from scratch!

When it comes to solar energy panels for your home, just a few years ago, it was only a fleeting thought, because solar panel cost was just too high! Nowadays, however, there are many more options available. Its like everything else. Supply and demand causes the selection that’s available, and with always raising electric cost, and the economy making all of us take a closer look at expenses. There are more and more effective options available.

Today, there are some big name companies offering solar kits, that you can build in your garage. Just to name a few, BP and general Electric are now in the Solar Power game. If you decide to go the kit route, make sure you do business with a reputable company. Just a few pointers to look for;

* How long has the company been in business?
* How long have they been not only in the solar business, but how long have they been producing kits?
* What is the warranty? Who do you have to call for service?
* What all is warranted? Get a copy of their warranty, and check out the fine print.
* How clear are the directions?
* Does the kit have everything you need, or will there be surprises.
* Who do you call if you need help?
* How much electric will this system produce?

These are just some of the basic questions that you will need answers to. One more important one, is how much does it cost? I would opt for great answers to all of the above questions and pay a few dollars more, but thats just me. I experienced the old adage penny wise and pound foolish a long time ago.

Theres another option available too! You can build your own home solar energy system! Yep, thats what I said, build your own solar panels! Thats the route Ive taken, and my reasoning is simple. I can build it at my own pace. I can start small and since I know how to build them, I can add on to my system, when I can afford it. No big cash outlay!

Summary
Learn more about building your own solar panel kit – click here!

http://www.energymoneysavings.com

Cosmetic Teeth Whitening
Why Cosmetic Teeth Whitening is for You
Our society is filled with programs and products that are geared towards all of us who want to look and feel younger as well as more attractive. There is everything from weight loss systems to wrinkle creams, all of which sometimes, may or may not work. There is one cosmetic procedure or system that is sure to be effective in almost all cases. Improving your appearance by using Cosmetic Teeth Whitening. This is not a hoax as it using simple science behind each and every form of whitening on the market. Whitening your smile can be a safe and sometimes inexpensive way to make a difference in your life.

There are several different ways to go about Cosmetic Teeth Whitening. There are different processes and products posted all over television, magazines, not to mention your dentists office. The most widely used and inexpensive, are the ones that you can buy at your local drugstore. This makes it easily accessible and it can be done from home which also makes it very enticing. These normally involve trays that can be worn overnight. A bleach solution is put in the trays and given enough time to soak into the enamel will lighten the discoloration of the teeth. There are also stickers that can be worn on the teeth during the day that follow the same principle as the trays.

Some may choose to go with more extensive procedures in order to brighten their smile. This could either be for mere ease and time constraints or because of extreme discoloration. You can go to the dentists office and receive a treatment called laser whitening. This is when bleach is put on the teeth and a laser speeds up the absorption into the enamel allowing it to take minutes as opposed to hours. This is a very effective means of Cosmetic Teeth Whitening and it is much faster than your home solutions but it does come at a cost. You will most likely pay over 1000.00 when all is said and done for your laser procedures.

All of these treatments are effective ways to get the resuts that you are searching for. Which specific one you choose will most likely depend on your time constraint, your finances and your personal need. Cosmetic Teeth Whitening is a great way to look and feel better about yourself and its so easy and available.

With the economy continuing to fall and the cost of fossil fuels continuing to rise many people are beginning to take a serious look at alternatives to the energy that they use in their homes. Selecting solar panels for your home is a task that will require some research and time but will be worth the effort when the job is completed and you have your solar panels installed.

It was not long ago that solar panels on homes were primarily an experimental technique that was very expensive to have installed, required several months of intense labor, and could only perform certain specific functions in and around the home. Most of the popularity of solar panels for your home were found to be in heating swimming pools because the panels were not required to work continuously and, if they failed, it would not cause an undue hardship on the family.

Today many new homes are being constructed with solar energy panels being used for everything from heating the home to providing electricity. In the United States there are many homes built that do not use fossil fuel at all and rely solely on solar energy panels. The biggest incentive for selecting solar panels for your home is the fact that there are tax credits and incentives given to homeowners who switch to solar energy which, in some cases is extended over a five year period. In addition, solar energy powered homes are increasing in value as home buyers look for houses that are the most affordable over the long-term.

The most expensive part of using this type of energy is the cost of installing solar panels for your home. There are still very few contractors who are skilled in the details of solar panels and how to install them. In addition, when converting a heating unit, hot water heater, or electrical panel to solar energy there are some modifications that must be made to your home structurally that will require the aid of a certified and licensed contractor who specializes in solar energy.

In addition to the installation factors, there is a growing number of solar panel suppliers who are not certified and not familiar enough with the function of solar panels to provide you with the type and size of panels you need for your home if you have specific needs. It is very important that from the first step of calling a certified solar energy specialist for advice, to the last step of having a certified solar energy contractor modify your home that you check credentials and licenses and make sure that they are aware of the latest technology regarding solar energy.

While at first it may seem an easy task, selecting solar panels for your home can be a challenge because new research and new strategies are being adopted very quickly that change the way that solar panels are made and installed. This means that if your project is going to  take up to three months to complete, the solar panels that you select at the beginning of the project may not be the most appropriate panels for your home at the end of the project. This is another reason to give the project to a certified and licensed solar energy contractor who will be able to alert you when changes or modifications need to be made to your home or the equipment that you are installing. For the best quote on installation of solar panels for your home call a solar energy contractor today!

im looking to get solar panels. what type should i get? who is the best company to buy from? do i need to have someone come to my house and evaluate it? and if it make any difference i live in southern california in tulare county

Solar Panel w/ Attic Fan Model 4