* RodWarnock.com *

Hi,

         I am sure like me you would like to generate your own electricity in order to reduce your bill, but how do you go about doing it economically? Where you live will make a difference to the actual system that you build, so the first thing is to find out if the location of your house is suitable for wind or solar power installation.

Is your house exposed to the sun for most of the day? which way does it face? Do you live on a hill? These are key questions. If your house faces south then it is likely you will have good exposure to the sun. If it faces East or West, then the exposure will be divided by the time of day. Wind speed increases with height, so if you do live on a hill you may have better exposure to the wind.

One way to find out about the intensity of the wind is to contact a local body. In the USA the Wind Resource Atlas of the United States and its terrirories, indicates the general areas where a high wind resource may exist. In the UK it is the British Wind Energy Association. Other countries will have similar bodies. 

Once you have established that there is sufficient exposure to sun and or wind, then you need to check if you need planning permission to erect a wind turbine and solar panels. Solar panels can be fitted to the roof of the house or mounted on a platform away from the house. A wind turbine can be mounted on the roof or on a tall mast away from the house.

The next task is to look at your electricity bill over the past year to see how much electricity you consumed. Electricity is measured in Kilowatt hours kWp. Then you decide on how much electricity you wish to generate. It is possible to save up to 80% of your electricity bill and if you have sufficient capacity you can even eliminate it altogether. Most people start off with one solar panel and then add to it. It makes sense to add the the wind power system as well as it can act as a backup on days when it is dull.

There are a number of options for purchase. Firstly you can go to an energy supplier and pay thousands of dollars for supply and fitting of solar panels and a wind turbine. Secondly you could purchase solar panels already made up from the large DIY outlets, but you would then have to pay for fitting, and it would still cost you thousands of dollars. The third option and the one I recommend is to go online, where you will find up to twelve companies offering Residential solar and Wind Power kits. Make sure that you choose one that has a detailed manual with video instructions on how to build the solar panels and windmill and that they have a good support system in place.

You can build your own Rsidential solar power system for $200 and a residential wind power system for $100. They will last for twenty years with little maintenance.

To learn how to build your own systems: Click Here!