If you are living in the state of Mississippi, you should definitely power your home with a home solar energy system. Why would you want to do so? Well, your federal government is willing to help you.

When was the last time you look at your home electricity bill? If you were to compare it with last year bills, most probably your utility bill has increased.

This is due to rising energy cost and new electronic gadgets available in the market. We keep on buying new electrical appliances for our homes. Guess what, all these gadgets run on electricity.

To reduce electricity cost, many home owners are looking into residential solar power to supplement their energy needs. If you were to engage a professional solar contractor, be prepared to set aside a budget of $25,000 to $40,000 for a complete system.

It is a large investment, but for the residence of Mississippi, you are in luck because you can get a 30% federal tax credit on your home solar system. The tax credit is for gross cost at installation for on solar electric, solar water heating and wind turbine. There is also no cap available for residential and commercial installations. Meaning you can go for the biggest system your budget will allow.

If you want to save some cost, you can actually opt for a Do It Yourself (DIY) solar system. However, before you begin the project, it is best you understand how electricity works and the science behind solar technology.

Generally a residential solar energy system has 4 major components which are the solar panels, charge controller, battery bank and power inverter. This system is supported by smaller components such as voltage meter, amperage meter, DC disconnect switch, cut off fuses, system monitor, copper cables etc.

The heart of the system, the solar panels create electricity by using a special semi-conductive material known as Photovoltaic (PV) cell. By linking multiple PV cells together, the electric current created can be stored in a battery back which can be used to power your home electrical appliances.

When you have multiple appliances using free energy from the sun, you will begin to notice a reduction in your monthly electricity bill.

DIY Home Solar Guide

If you need some information on how to start a homemade solar power setup, check out the Power4Home e-book from John Russel. John is an inventor from Minnesota that created the Power4Home manual to assist DIY enthusiasts to build their own solar system in their backyard.

Since the Mississippi federal government is giving you a tax credit of 30%, why not make full use of it by building your own solar generator. For more information about Power4Home, click on the link below.

==> Click here to visit Power4Home now!

Do you know one of the world’s largest oil producers has a division that sells solar technologies? Yup, I know it is kind of like a corporate oxymoron but it is true. The oil giant, British Petroleum (BP), has a company known as BP Solar that offers both home and business solar solution.

BP Solar has a very popular residential solar system known as “BP Solar Home Solutions”. It is a system using BP solar components installed by BP registered dealers.

BP Solar Home Solution is very similar to other domestic solar system offered in the market. It comes with all the standard solar components.

The heart of the system, the solar modules, is made from high performance monocrystalline and multicrystalline. The key function of the modules is to harness the energy from the sun and converts it into usable electricity.

One of the main challenges when installing the solar panels is the roof. All houses have very different roof design. Some uses slate, metal, Spanish tile, asphalt, shake shingles etc. If you are a novice, without the proper mounting and tools, securing the solar modules on the roof will be a tough and dangerous job.

Luckily, part of the services offered by BP Solar’s representative is to access your roof. Representative from BP Solar will assess your roof to determine the best location and angle of placement.

The assessment will cover the roof type, roof pitching, shape and orientation as well as analyzing any potential shading throughout the year. The initial roof assessment will ensure maximum power output from your home solar power system.

What are the other components that come with the solar system? It is the inverter and utility net meter.

The solar modules up on the roof only produce Direct Current (DC) when exposed to the sun. All modern home appliances nowadays are designed to run on Alternate Current (AC). The function of the inverter is to convert the DC to AC.

If you are planning to sell access power generated by your home solar system back to the utility company, you will need to install the utility net metering unit. The meter will track your home net energy usage by spinning forward when electricity is used from the grid and spinning backward when there is access power. In short, it generates a credit when the solar system creates more electricity than you need.

DIY Home Solar Power Guide

If you do not understand how a residential solar energy system works, the information above may sound like Greek to you. Before you contact the people from BP Solar, it is best for you to brush up your knowledge on solar power system.

If you are looking for a good DIY home solar guide, check out the Earth4Energy manual from Michael Harvey. It is an e-book with High Definition (HD) step by step instructional videos. For more information about Earth4Energy, click on the link below.

==> Click here to visit Earth4Energy now!

I’ve created this blog to write about how to use solar energy to reduce our home energy consumption. One of the biggest consumption of electricity is the heater during winter time.

Are there any ways to heat the air inside our home using solar energy?

As a matter of fact, you can use a solar air heating system. I found one solar air heater made by a company call Solarventi. Unfortunately, the unit is selling at $1,395.00 at Amazon.com!

That’s a bit too high for me and I think most home owners will say the same.

Well, if you want a cheaper alternative, you just have to make the solar air heater unit yourself. The good news is, someone has already done it.

Check out the video below of an inventor who makes his own solar air heating system in his garage.

Pretty cool isn’t it. Would you want to make your own Do It Yourself (DIY) air heating unit powered by the sun?

If you are looking for the blueprints, check out the solar heater guides web site at www.solarheaterguides.com.

The web site provides the manuals that show you step by step how to construct a solar heater similar to the unit shown in the video above at a fraction of the cost.

How much would it cost to make the DIY solar air heater unit?

The instruction in the guides said you can get it done for less than $30…if you have all the necessary material lying around in your garage. A more realistic figure is around $100.

Heck, $100 is still way more cheaper compared to a commercial unit of $1,395.00. To get instant access to the home solar powered air heater plans, click on the link below.

==> Click here to visit the solar heater guides!