Article Post:
Energy Savings from Solar Products
By Lem Burnet
Solar power doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition for the homeowner, emptying your pocketbook and putting you into debt. There are products on the market that can give you immediate rewards in the form of decreased electric bills. The two products that first come to mind are the solar attic fans and tubular skylights. This article concentrates on the benefits and cost savings of solar attic fans.
Solar attic fans save the homeowner money directly and indirectly. The roof receives direct, intense rays from the sun. Whether it’s a shingled roof or a metal roof, heat begins building up in the attic space. Moisture also enters the attic space from daily activities such as bathing, cooking, laundry, etc. Unless this heat and moisture is removed, damage can occur in the form of mold, mildew, and dry rot.
When the attic space overheats, the shingled roof will heat on the underside of the shingles. This causes unnecessary wear and tear on your shingles and you risk wearing them out before the end of the warranty period. Shingle manufacturers are aware of this and require ventilation for a correctly installed roof to be covered under their warranty. This information can be found on the shingle package wrapper. Most shingle manufactures even offer formulas on their web sites, which will assist you in determining just how much attic ventilation is required.
Without adequate attic ventilation, the manufacturer may consider it an incorrect installation. What does this mean?
For example, imagine that you paid $4000.00 for the installation of a 25-year shingle. However, after 10 years it appears as though the corners are curled, and it’s leaking. You contact the shingle manufacturer and complain of shingle failure. They examine the shingles under a microscope and determine that the excessive wear was from overheating caused by lack of adequate ventilation. Unfortunately, the warranty only covers correctly installed shingles and yours were not. This results in another $4000.00 for a new roof, or your INDIRECT expense for inadequate attic ventilation.
Here’s a quick check for attic overheating? Climb up a ladder, about 4-5 feet. Be careful! Is the room warmer the further up you go? This is not a good sign. This could mean that the air conditioner is working overtime to cool the inside of your home because the overheating in the attic space causes warming of your ceilings. Particularly when you KNOW that you have adequate attic insulation. That means more electricity usage than necessary, which results in higher electric bills. Thus, another INDIRECT expense!
An attic fan uses about 350-400 watts of power. These fans have the thermostats that are set to start the fan when a certain temperature is reached, usually around 85 to 90 degrees. They will then run as long as it takes to get the temperature back down. It costs $10.00 a month or more just to run the attic fan. The DIRECT expense comes in winter when the temperature outside remains low and the thermostat doesn’t cause the fan to run. As a result, the moisture remains in the attic with no place to go.
A correctly installed solar attic fan runs from sun-up to sundown, summer or winter at no cost for operation. With air in the attic space constantly being circulated during the day, attic space temperatures remain lower. That means a cooler attic, less work for your air conditioner, and your shingles don’t deteriorate before their life expectancy. Moisture escapes and the risk of damage greatly decreases. Thus preserving the integrity of one of your greatest investments – your home. Ultimately this results in lower electric bills and money savings for the homeowner.
The cost of a solar attic fan will vary depending on the manufacturer, the roofer, and the area of the country. Usually under $600.00 including installation is a reasonable rate. Quality and correct installation are paramount. The solar fan with installation will generally cost less than the price of an electric fan. Properly installed the solar fan produces no risk of shorting out and causing fires.
As you can see, the benefits of solar attic ventilation far outweigh the risks. Consider letting the sun cool your hot attic space and save you money!
Planning a home improvement? Lem Burnet has been in the home improvement business for over 30 years. http://www.bhomeexteriors.com
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Article Post:
Impressive Solar Consumer Products
by Jim Fritz
Being in the business of solar energy, we see a lot of new and exciting products long before they hit the store shelves. We attend a lot of tradeshows and industry conferences, and it never ceases to amaze me how passionate people are about their newly-developed applications. While it is nowhere near the end of the year, we felt we would share some of these amazing products with you, our loyal readers.
One of the most interesting products we have seen this year comes out of a university in UK. It is being called the "Sun Trap", and it is garnering a lot of excitement in the world press. It is not exactly a revolutionary idea, but it certainly is an innovative use of existing technology. It is a handbag designed using photovoltaic material as an exterior, while the interior of the purse is lined with electroluminescent material. When the bag is opened, the interior lights up! It is powered by a small battery that is continually charged by the sun throughout the day. No more searching for your keys in the night!
Another fine product that we see as being incredibly practical is the solar panel for notebook computers. This an incredibly handy tool for those people who spend a lot of time outdoors. We have all had situations when we are far from an outlet and the laptop dies. Isn’t that the worst? Well, this product has the potential to solve that problemso long as a light source is available. I plan on taking mine on my next camping trip!
There are also some awesome new products designed for use in your yard or garden. I am particularly keen on some of the great garden lighting systems that have recently been released. These are basically small lights that are used to illuminate garden paths and walkways. They are charged throughout the day by the sun, and they stay lit well throughout the night. There are also new solar powered rodent repellers that are an excellent alternative to using chemicals or traps to keep rodents out of your garden.
These are just a few of the exciting products that have seen the light of day. Engineers and inventors around the world are working to develop some wonderful new products. It is very refreshing to see that people are devoting time and effort into developing sustainable energy applications. It is only a matter of time before all energy products are designed with the interests of sustainability in mind.
Jim Fritz is a committed lifelong environmentalist, and a proud member of the editorial team at thesolarguide.com an incredible online resource with extensive information about the latest developments in renewable energy environmental education including photovoltaics, charge controllers, solar consumer goods and more.
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Article Post:
The Boom In Solar Powered Products
As people become increasingly concerned with the damage to the environment and the rising costs of traditional energy sources, thoughts turn to alternative ways to power everyday devices. Indeed, governments and industry are also looking into ways to utilize renewable and sustainable energy supplies. Governments try to provide leadership by giving incentives in the shape of tax rebates or grants to take up renewable energy sources. Industry try to create more products that are green or clean. In fact the new industry that is springing up around this theme is being dubbed 'clean tech' and is touted to be a boom industry over the next decade. Solar powered products fit into this category of renewable and sustainable energy devices. This article will outline some of the solar products available and the way forward for solar energy products.
Gone are the days when the only solar power products were your watch or your calculator. Now there are many appliances that use the sun’s energy in an active or passive way.
The most obvious place to have solar powered products is in the garden. If you have a pool, a solar pool cover is a perfect way to keep the pool water warm and prevent water evaporation. Solar pool covers are an example of passive solar power, in that they trap the sun’s energy and use it to heat the water. The energy isn’t converted but simply used.
Many ponds and fountains, particularly bird bath fountains can be powered by a solar cell. The solar cell will be used to charge a battery that then powers the water in the fountain. A heater can be added to the process so that the water never freezes in winter and the birds can still use it.
Garden lighting can also be powered by solar panels placed into the design of the lights. The most popular form of solar lighting are the guide lights that can be used to illuminate pathways or driveways. They charge up during the day and then provide light to a darkened path in the garden. They are simple to install. Simply plant them into the ground and that’s it. The simplicity of installation and the saving on electricity bills is a major benefit of solar lighting.
Other solar products include solar battery chargers, solar radios and solar fans. As a project in solar power you could construct a solar oven. A solar oven is another example of passive solar power. A solar oven is ideal in warm or hot climates. You can cook a variety of meals in a solar oven but the best types of meals are things like casseroles that need to stew a while.
The future for solar energy products is adding solar panels to housing and reduce to need on fossil fuels. Many governments, especially in Japan, Germany,Italy and California have given incentives to industry and individuals to use solar power. In California there is a push to have solar panels installed on 30% of new homes by 2025.
Find out more about some of the products mentioned in this article, including the solar oven and the solar attic fan at http://www.solarpowerappliances.com/ Adrian Whittle writes about using solar power and products that can utilize renewable energy sources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adrian_Whittle
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