Why you don\'t need solar panels
by:Tunto
2020-02-13
When people learned that I was a green building consultant, almost without exception, they asked me if I did a lot of work on solar, but I didn\'t.
I don\'t have many solar systems installed, photovoltaic (
The kind that generates electricity)or thermal (
The kind that produces hot water).
I was accused of opposing it.
Solar, because I often stop people from focusing on photovoltaic at home, at least until they do everything else for energy saving, they rarely bother to do it.
PV makes a lot of sense in less developed countries because these countries are unreliable or unreliable
The existing grid, or for a rare person in a developed country who wants to live completely out of the grid.
In both cases, the key to using solar energy is not to use too much energy in the first place.
This also applies to anyone who wants to install panels at home for \"green\" wishes.
\"Reducing the demand for electricity requires living in a small and efficient home, using efficient lighting and equipment to minimize or Disconnect electrical and electronic equipment as much as possible, change behavior with less power.
Here\'s what you have to do to reduce your power usage and thus benefit from solar panels:
The size of your house: the average size of American homes is about 2700 square feet, about twice that of 1950s.
Larger homes use more power for lighting, heating and cooling, so smaller is better in terms of energy use.
Next is the efficiency of the building itself: simple things (
OK, it\'s not easy if your house has been built, but it\'s simple if you\'re building a new house)
It is like guiding the house to use the sun to heat when needed, avoiding heating when not needed, which can save energy.
Air-sealed, insulated, sealed HVAC pipes in most homes (
Call qualified HVAC contractors)
And other home performance improvements will produce more energy at a lower cost than most solar systems.
The use of windows to provide natural light also reduces the amount of light needed.
Unplug your device: in the 21st century, we have more electrical equipment in our house than ever before, most of which are still on when not in use or even when turned off, electricity is still needed to operate.
Check out your house-all of these digital monitors, cell phone chargers, and TVs will power up even if their switch is \"off.
\"Finally, and probably most important, is the behavior of the occupants: no matter how small or efficient your house is, turn the heat up if you turn on the lights and electronics, or turn the air conditioner down so you feel comfortable. When the weather is good, don\'t turn them off and open the windows so you waste a lot of energy and all the solar panels you can install on the roof will not be replaced.
So before you spend your hard earned money on solar panels, fix your house, unplug your electronics, turn things off, open the windows, air seal, and then
You will be more comfortable and save money than decorating your roof with a lot of beautiful solar panels.
Carl Sevilla wrote an article for Networx on electrical issues in Atlanta.
Read more like this-on Networx.
I don\'t have many solar systems installed, photovoltaic (
The kind that generates electricity)or thermal (
The kind that produces hot water).
I was accused of opposing it.
Solar, because I often stop people from focusing on photovoltaic at home, at least until they do everything else for energy saving, they rarely bother to do it.
PV makes a lot of sense in less developed countries because these countries are unreliable or unreliable
The existing grid, or for a rare person in a developed country who wants to live completely out of the grid.
In both cases, the key to using solar energy is not to use too much energy in the first place.
This also applies to anyone who wants to install panels at home for \"green\" wishes.
\"Reducing the demand for electricity requires living in a small and efficient home, using efficient lighting and equipment to minimize or Disconnect electrical and electronic equipment as much as possible, change behavior with less power.
Here\'s what you have to do to reduce your power usage and thus benefit from solar panels:
The size of your house: the average size of American homes is about 2700 square feet, about twice that of 1950s.
Larger homes use more power for lighting, heating and cooling, so smaller is better in terms of energy use.
Next is the efficiency of the building itself: simple things (
OK, it\'s not easy if your house has been built, but it\'s simple if you\'re building a new house)
It is like guiding the house to use the sun to heat when needed, avoiding heating when not needed, which can save energy.
Air-sealed, insulated, sealed HVAC pipes in most homes (
Call qualified HVAC contractors)
And other home performance improvements will produce more energy at a lower cost than most solar systems.
The use of windows to provide natural light also reduces the amount of light needed.
Unplug your device: in the 21st century, we have more electrical equipment in our house than ever before, most of which are still on when not in use or even when turned off, electricity is still needed to operate.
Check out your house-all of these digital monitors, cell phone chargers, and TVs will power up even if their switch is \"off.
\"Finally, and probably most important, is the behavior of the occupants: no matter how small or efficient your house is, turn the heat up if you turn on the lights and electronics, or turn the air conditioner down so you feel comfortable. When the weather is good, don\'t turn them off and open the windows so you waste a lot of energy and all the solar panels you can install on the roof will not be replaced.
So before you spend your hard earned money on solar panels, fix your house, unplug your electronics, turn things off, open the windows, air seal, and then
You will be more comfortable and save money than decorating your roof with a lot of beautiful solar panels.
Carl Sevilla wrote an article for Networx on electrical issues in Atlanta.
Read more like this-on Networx.
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