The third e-book I bought on DIY home solar power system is Ben Ford’s Homemade Energy Guide. If you have never heard of this manual before, you can find it at www.homemadeenergy.org.
So, what’s my take on Ben Ford’s e-book?
The first impression is pretty good. The main web site is professionally done. I’m quite surprised his manual was seen on popular publishing such as Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. That’s a great social proof!
Ben Ford is a 52 year old “average Joe” from California. There’s one thing different about him though, instead of paying the utility company, the electricity company is paying him!
How did he do it?
Well, he uses renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power for his home. When the amount of power generated from the sun and wind is more than enough for his household consumption, he sells the excess energy back to the utility company. Great isn’t it?
In the Homemade Energy Guide, Ben promised to teach you how to live off the grid and how to get the power company to write you a check every month.
According to Ben, you can setup the solar system for less than $200. As with other renewable energy guide on the web, the budget is meant for 1 solar panel only.
Based on my research, a homemade solar panel is typically capable of generating about 18 volts and approximately 75 watts of DC (Direct Current) electricity.
How much would it cost to have a complete solar power system at home?
Be prepared to invest upwards of $1000. The budget is needed to purchase other solar component such as meter gauges, charge controller, deep cycle batteries, power inverters etc.
The main cost of the system lies in the battery bank. If you have a lot of electrical appliances and you need lots of power, you may have to build a larger battery bank to support your energy requirement. Large battery bank means higher cost.
Nonetheless, a residential solar power system costing around $1000 is still much cheaper compared to a system installed by a professional contractor.
If you were to engage a contractor, be prepared to pay upwards of $40,000!
If you are looking for ways to reduce your home electricity bill, explore the idea of using solar or wind energy. If you want to save more money, go for the Do It Yourself (DIY) route.
If you are good with hand tools, you can build the system on your own. All you’ll need is a design blueprint and a step by step manual.
If you are looking for a good instructional manual on the web, check out Ben Ford’s Homemade Energy Guide. It comes with a 60 days money back guarantee.