|
|
 |
Is a Solar Home Right for You?
Written by: Solar Home Site
Ste
p 1 - The Energy Audit
If you would like to construct a solar house, you will need to
conduct an energy audit to calculate the total requirements of
your daily energy needs.
Most of the energy that is consumed in your house is reserved
for water heaters, washers, dryers, dishwashers, computers,
refrigerators, freezers, heaters, air conditioners, electronic
equipment and boilers. A careful audit of total energy consumed
by all these utilities will help you to determine the type of
energy efficiency innovations which should be carried out in
your home.
Step 2 - Energy-Efficient Home Design
Designing and constructing an energy-efficient, solar house
requires careful planning and attention to details. There are
several types of solar home designs and remodeling techniques
available to suit everyone's taste and you may consider
approaching a qualified professional to choose the one which
satisfies most of your needs.
Two Approaches
Basically there are two approaches to building your solar home:
1) a passive solar home design that does not require mechanical
heating or cooling, or
2) an active solar home design, which uses innovative solar
energy collectors capable of absorbing solar radiation, then
transporting the heat directly to storage systems, from which
the heat is redistributed
Passive Solar
A solar home that is designed with a passive system is very
efficient in that your home's walls, windows, tiles and other
surfaces can be configured to collect and store solar energy,
and then redistribute it in the form of heat in colder winter
climates and reject the same in warmer summer months.
Passive energy designs are very efficient and do not use
mechanical equipment such as fans and pumps to distribute the
heat. Of course, with mechanical equipment comes more power, but
also more opportunities for parts to wear out and require
maintenance.
Active Solar
If you are residing in a colder climate area, then you may
prefer active solar home designs, to displace costlier energy
resources like electricity, propane and oil.
Other added advantages of using an active solar energy system is
that you are saving huge energy bills in harsh winter months and
also reduce emitting noxious gases to a considerable degree.
Sel
ecting appropriate solar energy equipment depends on many
factors like site, terrain, design and energy requirements.
However, the local climatic conditions are often the most
important parameters in deciding the type of solar home design.
Step 3 - Paying for Building or Remodeling Your Solar
Efficient Home
Building your dream solar home needs considerable amount of
money and thus a careful planning is essential in preparing the
right budget and accessing beneficial finance options. Luckily,
finding a viable finance option has never been easier and there
are many options and programs to choose from accredited funding
agencies.
Possibly the most practical finance option is the energy
mortgage program, which is still unfamiliar to many homebuyers,
architects and even real estate agents.
Energy Mortgages
An energy mortgage is an innovative program that increases your
buying power by enabling bankers and lenders to calculate the
total monthly energy needs and ensuing savings, and reassign
them as additional sources of income!
There are two types of energy mortgages:
]>> an energy-efficient mortgage system and
]>> an energy improvement mortgage system.
These energy mortgage systems depend upon your home energy
rating aspect to calculate the amount of savings accrued from
home efficiency features and utilities.
About the author:
The Solar Home Site
provides energy-efficient ideas, how-to's and product
recommendations. Save on your electricity costs as soon as this
year!
|
