Alternative Energy, Wind and Solar Power in the Home

With today's higher energy bills everyone is looking for ways to lower their utility bill and save some hard earned cash! Here are two alternative energy sources to reduce those costs significantly over time. Solar power has gotten a renewed interest lately and rightfully so as an alternative energy source. Solar power is fairly expensive to start with, but with state and Federal programs and tax credits, the cost can easily be cut by up to 50%.

Solar power and wind power are both renewable sources of non polluting alternative energy.

Solar power has no moving parts to wear out and only one main component that will need replacing, the inverter that converts the DC current to AC current. The inverter is typically warranted for ten years. The only other normal maintenance required in a solar power grid-tied system (which I will explain later in this article), is cleaning, as the cells are exposed to the weather and need washed off from time to time.

Installing a solar power system will also raise the value of your property, but the real savings comes with time, since the payout is usually around sixteen years or more.

On grid verses off grid alternative energy is really pretty simple to explain. On grid means you are still hooked to the utility power grid and that your solar power system can draw from it when the solar power or wind power is not supplying enough to power the whole house. Your solar power or wind power system can also feed into the grid and get you credit from the utility company when it produces more energy than you are using.

Off grid means you are not connected to the utility company at all and will need batteries to store excess energy for when your solar power cannot keep up with demand, like at night. Battery backup can also be installed on grid for areas with frequent power outages, however; adding the battery backup to your alternative energy system will nearly double the cost.

Typical warrantees cover the solar power system to produce at least 85% of its rated power after 25 years; the inverter is the only exception and is warranted for around 10 years.

More information and pricing on a solar power system as well as estimates can be found at: www.wholesalesolar.com/ .

One thing to remember is that solar power is strongest in the summer months for obvious reasons, which also brings us to our other option, wind power, which is strongest in the winter months, making an ideal pairing if one can afford it. Wind power is also a byproduct of solar power, which makes them related in the alternative energy world.

Home wind power is another alternative energy and is also a renewable energy source.

The average home needs a four to ten kilowatt wind power generator to supply most of its needs. Wind power can also be on or off grid.

It is recommended that you carefully check out your location with the Department of Energy and their wind resource maps to be sure wind power is right for you.

You will need to average an eleven mile per hour wind in your location and an acre of property is also recommended to supply your wind power and access this alternative energy source.

The wind power turbine has to be thirty feet above any obstacle within 300 feet to be effective.

Wind power comes from a wind turbine that normally has a five year warranty and a lot of moving parts. Moving parts mean maintenance and that maintenance is 30 + feet above ground, which may cause a few homeowners not to want to do it themselves.

A great resource for more information on wind power and pricing can be found at: www.bergy.com/

There you have it, two renewable sources of alternative energy that have been around a very long time, solar power, and wind power.