* RodWarnock.com *

Hi,

         The UK Government announced yesterday that it hoped to introduce Green Loans to enable consumers to install insulation and solar panels in their homes without cost. The idea apparently is to fund the solar green energy with private sector funding. In other words consumers would pay for the green energy through their power bills. The saving they would make on their energy bills would be offset against loan payments to the energy company.

It has been stated that since it would take some time to pay off the £9,000 or so cost of solar panels, the loan will be attached to the house rather than the house owner. This would mean that if the owners sold the house the loan would remain with the house. Estate agents however think this might make houses more difficult to sell. Forgive me for being sceptical but in view of the forthcoming UK General election I wonder just how much of this is just election posturing.

Fear not however the answer is build your own solar panels. In this way you can have the benefit of a significantly reduced power bill but without having to pay off a loan. Furthermore if you do sell your house the value will be increased and will be more attractive to buyers since there is no loan to pay off.

Building your own solar panels will cost you just a fraction of the £9,000 or so mentioned above. You can obtain a detailed illustrated instruction manual online for less than £35 ($50) and you can obtain the components from your local hardware store for less than £140 ($200). This represents the sort of cost for building solar panels (using photovoltaic cells) to generate electricity. You can also build solar panels (Evacuated tubes or flat panel collectors) to heat your water, and this will cost even less, around £90 ($135).   

 One other factor that has not been mentioned is the huge investment in renewable energy resources by the government over the coming 10 -15 years. This has to be paid for some how and guess who will pay? All of us in rising energy bills.

Build your own solar panels to generate electricity
Build your own solar hot water system

Hi,
I am sure that many of us are reeling form the high energy bills we have received following the recent artic spell of weather. Many of you like me probably had to turn up your heating to keep warm with the resulting higher energy bills.

hopefully some people will have decided that they have had enough of paying through the nose for energy and will have resolved to do something about it. What should we do and where do we start?
Well the sensible first step is to try to reduce the energy we waste in our homes. This does not mean doing without things or spending any money, but rather developing good habits.

We should close doors behind us, turn off lights when we leave a room, turn off equipment such as TV’s at the socket rather than leave on standby, make sure we have a full load before operating washing machines or spin dryers. If we have any appliances that need replacing we should do so with energy efficient appliances.

Having completed the no cost measures we can then consider low cost measures like replacing our light bulbs with energy efficient ones. They cost a little more but they do last longer and will reduce your electricity bill and your carbon footprint.

Another important area to look at is insulation. Is your roof space properly insulated? The current UK recommendation is for 270mm of insulation. You should check to see that your doors and windows are insulated. If any of your appliances need replacing make sure to replace them with energy efficient appliances.

Once you have taken care of these low cost measures to improve the energy efficiency of your home, you can then consider how you might generate your own energy at home. How do you decide on what approach to take? Much will depend on the location of your home. Solar panels to generate electricity can be used almost anywhere provided that there is sufficient exposure to the sun with out obstructions such as tall buildings or trees.

Wind turbines however require a wind speed of 5-6metres per second in order to be viable. Solar panels only need daylight to generate electricity and are normally erected on the roof of your house.
Why not check now how you can generate your own electricity and save 50% or more on your electricity bill.