Is A Solar Home Right For You?
By Solar Home Site, Fri Dec 9th
b>Step 1 - The Energy Audit
If you would like to construct a solar house, you will need toconduct an energy audit to calculate the total requirements ofyour daily energy needs.
Most of the energy that is consumed in your house is reservedfor water heaters, washers, dryers, dishwashers, computers,refrigerators, freezers, heaters, air conditioners, electronicequipment and boilers. A careful audit of total energy consumedby all these utilities will help you to determine the type ofenergy efficiency innovations which should be carried out inyour home.
Step 2 - Energy-Efficient Home Design
Designing and constructing an energy-efficient, solar houserequires careful planning and attention to details. There areseveral types of solar home designs and remodeling techniquesavailable to suit everyone's taste and you may considerapproaching a qualified professional to choose the one whichsatisfies most
of your needs.
Two Approaches
Basically there are two approaches to building your solar home:
1) a passive solar home design that does not require mechanicalheating or cooling, or
2) an active solar home design, which uses innovative solarenergy collectors capable of absorbing solar radiation, thentransporting the heat directly to storage systems, from whichthe heat is redistributed
Passive Solar
A solar home that is designed with a passive system is veryefficient in that your home's walls, windows, tiles and othersurfaces can be configured to collect and store solar energy,and then redistribute it in the form of heat in colder winterclimates and reject the same in warmer summer months.
Passive energy designs are very efficient and do not usemechanical equipment such as fans and pumps to distribute theheat. Of course, with mechanical equipment comes more power, butalso more opportunities for parts to wear out and requiremaintenance.
Active Solar
If you are residing in a colder climate area, then you mayprefer active solar home designs, to displace costlier energyresources like electricity, propane and oil.
Other added advantages of using an active solar energy system isthat you are saving huge energy bills in harsh winter months andalso reduce emitting noxious gases to a considerable degree.
Selecting appropriate solar energy equipment depends on manyfactors like site, terrain, design and energy requirements.However, the local climatic conditions are often the mostimportant parameters in deciding the type of solar home design.
Step 3 - Paying for Building or Remodeling Your SolarEfficient Home
Building your dream solar home needs considerable amount ofmoney and thus a careful planning is essential in preparing theright budget and accessing beneficial finance options. Luckily,finding a viable finance option has never been easier and thereare many options and programs to choose from accredited fundingagencies.
Possibly the most practical finance option is the energymortgage program, which is still unfamiliar to many homebuyers,architects and even real estate agents.
Energy Mortgages
An energy mortgage is an innovative program that increases yourbuying power by enabling bankers and lenders to calculate thetotal monthly energy needs and ensuing savings, and reassignthem as additional sources of income!
There are two types of energy mortgages:
]>> an energy-efficient mortgage system and
]>> an energy improvement mortgage system.
These energy mortgage systems depend upon your home energyrating aspect to calculate the amount of savings accrued fromhome efficiency features and utilities.
About the author:The Solar Home Siteprovides energy-efficient ideas, how-to's and productrecommendations. Save on your electricity costs as soon as thisyear!
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