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How Our Simple Home Solar Energy Project Began
By Solar energy | September 17, 2008
Image via Wikipedia How Our Simple Home Solar Energy Project Began
Our simple home solar journey began with keen understanding that governments are inept at finding solutions. People create solutions.
So we asked ourselves, what can one ordinary couple do? We are not among America’s wealthy. We live on a budget which tightens with the arrival of each month’s fuel bill.
Exiting the fossil fuel treadmill requires embracing alternative energy sources. They are solar power, wind power, waterpower, and biofuels. We knew that we would have to start where we live, with the resources at hand that fit our interests and abilities.
Not having enough sustained wind speed here in our part of Texas, wind power isn’t feasible. Our dry climate does not lend itself to waterpower. Living on less than four rocky acres, biofuel is not practical.
But what we do have is sunshine. And lots of it! Harnessing the lovely solar energy that pours on us each day seems the most practical alternative energy source for us. Our initial research revealed the costs of a PV energy system.
The keeper of the budget had a seizure.
Yet, we are unmoved. We want to go solar! We will find a way.
We began with what we call Phase 1, finding out just how much energy our home uses. Are we efficient or wasteful? How do we decide what is efficient? What is a reasonable energy efficient goal to work toward?
Our Phase 1 began with a basic energy audit. We did a simple do-it-yourself audit. We learned our energy efficiency could be increased by adding new weatherstipping and insulating the electrical outlets.
Now, using a nifty little Kill-A-Watt meter, we are finding out just how much energy the appliances in our home are using.
We post our finding here in these blog pages as we collect our data.
What alternative energy sources make sense where you live?
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Topics: home energy audit, Home Energy Use, home solar energy, Solar Home Energy Project | No Comments »