With so much publicity about the climate change effects of fossil fuel combustion, you might think that the public are starting to understand the importance of switching to alternative energy sources. You’d be wrong. While the number of people signing up to support carbon zero initiatives has risen by 41% in the last year, new figures from the government show that only 1 in 7 people in the UK now consider themselves to be “environmentally conscious” – and just 3 in 100 consider themselves to be “very environmentally conscious”.
This means that there’s still plenty of room for growth when it comes to changing our energy consumption habits. That’s why alternative energy sources, such as solar power, are still finding it so difficult to break through to the public. As the demand for clean energy increases, so does the price of solar panels. At the same time, the government’s subsidies for solar power also appear to be on the agenda for reduction. It’s a real public/private partnership problem when a company that sells solar power equipment has to turn to government intervention just to make a profit. Without action from the government, the company would be forced into administration due to unprofitability.
If we’re really serious about cutting our carbon footprint and becoming energy independent, then we need to look at how we can make alternative energy sources more affordable. Fortunately, there are a number of ways in which we can do this. One of the best – and most underestimated – opportunities is right under our noses. If we’re not careful, we could end up wasting a lot of time and effort, whilst also undermining our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. That’s why it’s essential that we look into the various methods that help to make solar power more affordable.
How Can Solar Power Be More Affordable?
When you consider that there’s no need to buy a new power tool every few years to make sufficient profit from, it’s easy to see how solar power has gone through such an abundance of advancements in terms of pricing and efficiencies. If you’d purchased a Rolls Royce in the 1970s, you could expect to pay around £1,000 per month, more than double what you would typically pay for a Honda Accord. The same goes for power tools of that era. Nowadays, however, you can buy an almost identical equivalent model for less than half of what you would have paid in the 1970s – and that’s not even taking into consideration the depreciation on the tool itself.
The point is that whilst prices have come down, nothing has replaced the need for constant maintenance and care, so you’re still left with the same amount of work to do with less equipment. That, in turn, has a direct knock-on effect in terms of how much your energy bill is likely to increase. If you’re not careful, you might actually end up spending more money in repairs and maintenance than you would have otherwise paid for energy. The good news is that these costs are more than offset by the savings you’ll make on your energy bill. This makes solar power more affordable than you’d think. It also makes it a worthwhile investment, so long as you make the right calculations and stick to the right strategy.
The Affordability of Solar Power
The first step to understanding the affordability of solar power is to calculate its effective energy yield (EEY). Put simply, this is the amount of energy generated by the sun divided by the amount of energy consumed. For the average family of four, this figure is around 37.5 watts. So, for every kilowatt hour that you use, you’ll get around 37.5 watts back. This is the figure that you need to use when making your calculations about how much money you’ll actually save or how much it will cost you to run your home on solar power.
To arrive at this number, you’ll need to take into consideration how much energy you use in your home. If you have one or two rooms that you never use, you’re going to generate a lot less energy than you would if you were using all of your rooms. To make the right calculations, you’ll need to look at how much energy you use around the home and how much energy your solar power system generates. There are online calculators that can help you to work out the effective energy yield for your specific situation.
Once you know your EEY, you can use this figure to work out how much money you’ll be able to save or how much money you’ll need to spend. The good news is that the majority of solar panel owners report an effective energy yield that’s higher than this number. In many cases, this figure is around 50%. The reason for this is that whilst your solar panel might only be producing 37.5 watts of energy, you’re still able to use this figure to power various appliances in your home, such as a fridge, freezer, or room heater. In these cases, the energy you’re using to power these appliances is counted in the equation too, so the effective energy yield is actually higher than 37.5 watts.
The Rise Of The SMART Home
SMART homes are those that integrate renewable energy sources, such as solar power, into their design. These are the greenest, most energy-efficient houses you can build. They use renewable energy sources to generate electricity and store this electricity in a battery. These batteries can then be used to power various appliances. When the batteries are fully charged, they can be removed and recharged. This, in turn, reduces the strain on the national grid and also helps to reduce your home’s carbon footprint.
If you’re interested in creating a more eco-friendly, zero-carbon footprint home, then you need to look no further because the SMART home design is exactly what you’re looking for. For those interested in learning more, there is a wealth of information out there, including a Google search on the subject. Once you’ve found the right source, follow the instructions carefully and you’ll be able to create the green home of your dreams.