Having your own source of cheap energy source brings you more than the environmental advantage. It also cuts your power cost by up to 80% of what you usually pay in your electric bill.

If you decide to go this route and switch to residential wind power, then there are a few things you must consider.

Location Requirements

Check the wind velocity found in your residential area. If the average speed is maintained at approximately 11 miles per hour, then a wind generator is a recommended source of free energy for you. If the area experiences slower wind speed, then consider other free energy sources.

Another factor to consider is the big area required. Typically you must have at least 1 acre of free land space to employ a wind generator. You must also check the location of your area. A windmill near the beach requires smaller wind turbines than those at the hilltop.

After area check-up, you must then choose what generator model best suits your need. A generator typically is composed of a tower, fan blades, and energy storage. Windmill, wind generator, or wind turbine – whatever you call them – varies in design and performance.

You can choose to buy a commercial model. There are several designs out in the market for residential users. These commercial windmills are smaller and lighter compared to industrial windmills. You may find that these ready-made models are expensive; the cheapest costs 1,000 dollars. Consider though, that you will just spend one big amount at first but you will benefit from free energy for a long time.

Assemble Your Own

You can assemble a wind generator of your own if you can’t afford to buy a ready-made model. There are various do-it-yourself guides sold at bookstores online and offline. Compared to commercial ones, a start-from-scratch turbine will cost you as little as 200 dollars only. The engine parts are easily found at a nearby electronics store. As long as you faithfully follow the steps mentioned on the guide, a working finished product is not hard to achieve.

There are issues you need to know about wind power. First is the positioning of your blades. The blades should be placed at an area free from external blunders. It should not be near the ground as it may cause harm to the living things that it will hit. This is one reason why the windmill’s tower should be above normal human height. Higher positioning of the blades also allows catching stronger wind velocity.

Safety And Transportation

The second thing you need to consider is the distance of the turbines from each other. If you utilize more than 1 turbine, make sure that the blades are apart from each other at least twice their diameters.

The third issue will be the transportation and installation of a wind generator. Especially if your location is away from civilization, the transportation of each turbine part is difficult, not to mention its installation.

Purchasing a windmill promises you a continuous supply of electricity. Residential wind power can produce 400 watt to 1 kilowatt of power. This amount of energy is enough to supply a household with small appliances.

Depending on what part of the country you live in, heating your home in the winter could be your biggest energy expense. Efficient home heating will make your home more comfortable and result in home energy savings.

Upgrading an Existing Home

There are a number of ways to improve the heating efficiency of your current home. The best way is to keep cold air out of your house in the first place. Sealing air leaks is the most cost efficient way to increase home energy savings. Weather stripping and caulk will seal gaps around windows and doors, but outlets and recessed lighting fixtures can also be sources of air leaks.

The ductwork in your home could also be draining your heating dollars. A leaky air duct lowers home heating efficiency and is every bit as costly as a leaky water pipe. Inspecting and repairing ductwork is a great step toward efficient home heating.

Proper insulation is also necessary for efficient home heating. The US Department of Energy provides a map with minimum insulation requirements for all areas of the country. If you’re replacing or upgrading your heating and cooling systems, make sure they’re correctly sized. While the perils of a too small system are obvious, an oversized system will heat the house too quickly and will not run efficiently. Hire a contractor that knows and uses the latest technology to correctly size your system.

Planning For a New Home

If you’re considering building a new house, take advantage of the planning stages to create efficient home heating. Correctly orienting your house will allow you to benefit from passive solar heating. A south facing house with correctly sized eaves will gain extra warmth in the winter, but remain shaded during the summer. As with an existing home, correctly sizing your heating and cooling system will result in home energy savings. Make sure that you consider your climate, the size and complexity of the floor plan and your home’s orientation.

Landscaping can also be a contributing factor to your home’s heating efficiency. Deciduous trees provide shade in the summer, but will drop their leaves in the winter allowing the sun to provide extra warmth. Evergreen trees are a great way to provide a windbreak from cold winter winds.

Homeowners everywhere are looking for ways to increase the value of their homes. In addition to cosmetic improvements like flooring, paint, or remodeling projects, you might consider the addition of a solar energy system as another way to make your home more valuable and appealing to a future buyer. As an additional bonus; it’s an environmentally friendly way to produce energy.

Gone are the days when you had to have most of your roof or a large piece of your property covered with solar panels. Solar energy has improved to the point where most anyone, with basic skills, can install their own system. In fact, you can even build your solar panel (or panels) yourself.

You can build your solar panel in a weekend in most cases. A trip to your local hardware store or home center will provide you with most of the materials you need. A quick look on the Internet and you can find many guides to help you build and install your system. This may be a bit more complex than some do-it-yourself projects, but many people have successfully accomplished building their own solar panels and installing their systems.

Solar energy systems increase the value of your home in several ways. Primarily is the saving on your energy bill. Most people see a reduction in their electric bill very soon. In fact if your build your solar panel and plan your solar energy system properly, you might even get money from your utility by selling any excess energy you produce back to them. Solar is also low maintenance, and you may have electricity when other don’t during a power outage.

Another advantage is the appeal to others who are environmentally aware. Since solar power is good for the environment, by producing clean electricity, your home will appeal to those who are looking for alternative ways to power their home. And they are willing to pay for it as well.

So start saving money today! Build your solar panel, install your system and increase the value of your home while doing it. It’s good for your home, and it’s good for the environment.

A photovoltaic module is made up of solar cells which use a photo-electric effect to generate electrical energy. Electromagnetic radiation reaches the front of the plexiglass in a solar panel and converts sunlight into a DC current. Since this renewable energy source is free, a photovoltaic module is commonly used by residential and commercial companies. Although most solar panels are expensive but you can also build solar panel free of service charges and excessive materials costs.

To build solar panel free of financial hassles, you must gather all the necessary equipments first. The things that you need to create your free solar panels are copper sheeting, an electric stove or a hot plate, sheet-metal shears, sandpapers, micro-ammeter that can read currents lower the 50 microamperes, two alligator leads, a plastic bottle, water, and two tablespoon full of salt. You must first cut two rectangular copper sheeting with the size of an electric burner. Clean it with sandpaper and lay it down on top of the burner. The maximum heat applied will change the color of the copper into black.

Leave it for 40 minutes until you see the heavy coat of oxidized black material. Turn off the burner and cool the copper on air for 30 minutes. Scrub the copper sheeting under running water but be careful not to remove all the oxidized material. Cut off the top of the plastic bottle which will become the makeshift bucket. The copper sheeting should be bended slightly to fit in the contours of the bottle but should not be touching each other. An alligator clip is placed on second (uncooked) sheet unto the positive terminal of the micro-ammeter while the next alligator clip to the first (cooked) sheets which lead to the negative terminal. Stir salt into several cups of hot water and pour unto the bottle leaving the alligator clips dry. Place it under sunlight and observe the needle of the ammeter as the apparatus begins to charge.