Wednesday, March 13, 2013

3 Factors You Must Consider Before Buying Solar Panels for Home Use


The use of solar panels for non-commercial purposes has become increasingly popular in many parts of the globe in recent years. Because of their efficiency and cost-effectiveness, more and more people are installing panels in their homes. As such, if you live in an area that gets lots of sunshine every year, you should consider installing solar cells. Not only it can help you lower your electricity bills, it can also help you help protect and preserve the environment.

Choosing the right panels, however, is no easy task, especially if this is your first time using solar energy for home. Every year, there are more options, more manufacturers, and more installers to choose from. Therefore, before you go and set up a solar energy system in your house, you must determine the system that fits your needs so you can make the right purchase. There are many factors that you need to consider when buying solar electricity panels for home use. Discussed below are some of them.

Types of Panels. There are several types of panels available on the market today and each of them has its strengths and weaknesses. Today, photovoltaic mono-crystalline panels and thin-film amorphous silicon panels are the types of solar panels that are commonly used at home. According to experts, mono-crystalline panels are more efficient and they are suited for those who have small roof space. The thin-film panels, on the other hand, cost less but they are relatively less efficient when it comes to converting solar energy to electricity. They are mostly suited for those who have large roof space.

The Size of Your System. Before using solar energy for home and purchasing the needed materials, you also need to determine how big or small your system is going to be. The size of your panel system will mostly depend on your daily energy usage. Do you want to produce energy so you can cut your electrical bills in half? Or perhaps you'd like to generate more energy so you can live off the power grid and be self-sufficient?

Whatever the case may be, you need to determine your daily energy usage. Take a look at your previous electric bills so you can calculate the amount of energy you use every day. By obtaining this particular information, you can identify the size of the system you'll need to set up and determine how many solar panels you'll require for this project.

Potential Savings. Before you purchase solar panels, it is also a good idea to determine the amount of money you can potentially save each year by using solar energy. In addition, you should also figure out how low it will take you before your investment pays off. It is no secret that installing solar cells can be expensive at first. As such, it's best that you determine its financial benefits well in advance so you can be sure that your investments will pay off in the future.