Many people are starting to power their homes and businesses with solar energy. You will find a number of budget friendly choices when researching the best option to begin using the energy from the sun to power your home.

Passive solar design can provide heating, batterystoragehome cooling and natural light for solar energy homes. There are solar electricity options to provide power for your home appliances as well as solar water heating for general household water use such as cooking, showers and laundry. When planning a solar home it is necessary to consider which solar energy options are the most efficient and budget conscious for your needs.

What Is Passive Solar Design?

A passive solar home benefits from heating, cooling and natural light by utilizing home design instead of special equipment. In other words, passive solar energy homes benefit from large reductions in energy usage by using the immediate environment. Special construction materials and design are used to trap the sun’s heat during the winter and block it during the summer.

The following passive solar techniques can be used in solar energy homes.

Direct Gain

Furniture, flooring and other surfaces absorb the radiant heat from the sun as it passes directly into your living area.

Indirect Gain

Heat collected by a Trombe wall or sun-facing wall is distributed throughout your home by fans. Heat is naturally collected and stored by using materials such as stone and brick. This creates a solar thermal collector.

Passive Cooling

Your home is cooled during the summer months by using an overhang that blocks the sun from south-facing windows.

Solar energy homes will often feature solar electricity. Solar electricity is created when solar panels absorb sunlight and convert it into usable electricity. An inverter is then used to convert this energy from AC to DC.

It is possible use this electricity as your only source or you can use it in addition to your meter or battery storage bank. A generator is highly recommended for backup power if you decide to use solar panel electricity as your only source. e commerce app

Water heating is another common use of solar energy in a solar panel home. Two methods for solar water heating that are available for your home are outlined below.

Open Loop System

This first method is to be used in climates where there is no risk of freezing. In this system water filled tubes are heated directly by the sun. Pumps are used to circulate the water through collectors and into your water tanks.

Closed-Loop System

All climate types can benefit from this system. Heat is collected from the sun using an anti-freeze type liquid. Heat exchangers are then used to transfer the heat from the liquid to your water tanks.