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Energy saving tip number 7
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Install solar panels…

If you live somewhere that isn’t cloudy all the time and you get direct sunlight, it makes sense to install solar panels. The prices have dropped considerably compared to a decade or so ago, so they can pay for themselves quickly.

A grid-tied system hooks up to the utility company’s system through a special inverter and can send excess electricity back to the utility grid when you aren’t using all of the energy that the panels generate. Think of the grid as being a giant battery that can store all of your extra electricity. Some companies will help finance the purchase or installation of a solar system. Others will act as a utility company themselves and charge you a monthly fee. Sometime the utility company will pay you for the extra electricity that your panels generate for the grid.

You could also have an off-grid system that uses batteries to store extra electricity when the sun shines and then provide power when it doesn’t. Or you can have a combination system that is grid-tied with local battery backup. A system with battery backup is nice if your electricity supply is unreliable.

If solar is not practical for your location, consider helping to finance a system for someone else who is in a sunny location.

If you can’t afford a complete system for all of your energy needs, you can install just a few panels to help offset your energy usage. Every little bit helps.

(Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SolarHouse.jpg, CC-BY-SA-4.0)