There is an increasing awareness among people about climate changes and how emissions of harmful gases are polluting the atmosphere. This recognition is because several institutions are advocating cleaner, pollution-free and environmentally conducive living conditions.

People can do their bit for this important cause right at their homes by using a solar power water heater instead of conventional electric water heater. Solar power is energy generated by converting sunlight using Photovoltaic cells (PV). It can also be generated indirectly, using lenses or mirrors to focus a large area into a small beam, in a concentrated solar power (CSP) system.

The function of a water heater is to provide hot water to homes, business offices and other institutions. Water heaters are very useful in winter season or places where it is generally cold. One drawback with water heaters is that it consumes a lot of electricity.

The power consumption in a home with four members of a family can work out to around 6,400 kilowatts per hour per annum. Another disadvantage of using electricity generated by power plants is that along with power for operating a water heater there will be emission of around eight tons of carbon dioxide. This is nearly twice that of what a car would let out through exhaust pipe.

It is from the realization that a waste gas is emitted by conventional electric water heaters, the concept of solar powered water heater has emerged. There are several distinct advantages with solar water heater.

Advantages Of Solar Water Heater

As solar power is generated by conversion of sunlight, a solar water heater does not release carbon dioxide as byproduct. As solar water heater utilizes solar energy and not the electricity generated by fossil fuel, the energy used is a ‘clean energy’.

Another major advantage of using solar water heater is that it contributes to considerable savings in power costs as energy utilized is generated by the solar panels installed at home; with the result there is no need to get power from the grid.

While the charges for the power supplied by the local grid are revised upwards quite often, the solar power generated at home is free of cost. In other words, energy utilized for solar water heater is available for free.

Moreover solar power is a renewable form of energy generated by conversion of sunshine, which can be tapped free in any part of the world. In addition, in many states in the US and in most countries, the governments offer attractive incentives and rebates for using a solar powered water heater.

Governments these days are very strict in implementing environment protection laws and would like as many homes as possible to use eco- friendly water heaters. Solar water heaters are, generally, long-lasting.

Many leading companies manufacturing solar water heaters try to ensure that their branded product is of highest quality, designed by incorporating the latest relevant technology.

As all solar water heaters are not alike in terms of quality, durability and efficiency in performance, it is better to seek the assistance of an experienced distributor not only to select the most appropriate solar powered water heater but also to provide help in properly installing it.

On the whole, a good solar water heater not only reduces energy costs but also ensures that the surroundings are free from harmful carbon dioxide.

A digital multimeter is most sought after instrument if you are planning to start your own home solar power project. It is the most useful and multipurpose instrument which can really be boon for you, provided it is from a reputed company and has a good model.

In fact the multi meter has three devices which are built in one instrument. It has voltmeter to measure the electric current in volts, the ammeter measures the amount of the current and digital multimeter measures the electric resistance of the device. Electric resistances is measured in terms of ohms, the modern good quality multimeter are designed in such way that can be easily operated.

The good quality multimeter has a plastic case and has easy to use selector knobs with a screen on the top part which shows the digital reading. Before purchasing a multimeter, some precautions are absolutely must; you should look for a large screen, quite big, so that you can see the readings easily in the sunlight. Most the times when these multimeters are used in sunlight, the reading is not clear.

Below the screen is a large knob called the function switch, this switch will help you to select different modes of the operation. With this switch you can easily shift between voltmeter and ohmmeter with the turning of the dial, this is the reason; you should look for the large switch, which is easy to operate.

The function switch have normally eight positions, with the V marking which are normally three in umber are used to measure the voltage. Both measurements can be done i.e. AC/DC; you can obtain the measurements in miilivolt range.

There are two more markings A~ and A=, A~ measures AC current and A= measures DC current both in amps. The marking which is of horse shoe upside down Ω measures resistances in ohms, if you have to measure voltage, the digital multimeter has to be turned on, it will again go to startup procedure.

Normally when the digital readouts light up, the device goes through the self-diagnostic mode, after this it is ready to be used for various functions. The function switch V= is to measure the DC volts, the black and red leads when connected to multimeter at the right places can start the function.

Simply connect the red lead at the point marked as VΩ and black lead at the point marked as COM. To measure amps, the leads need to be connected differently by setting the function on switch A= position and connect the black lead to COM terminal.

Red lead has to be connected to the terminal marked as 300mA, now your device is ready for different functions. The result you will get in milliamps as you are connected to 300mA terminal.

The third functions of the device is its ability to measure in ohms, it is the measurement of the resistance in an electric circuit. It must be remembered to disconnect your multimeter after you use it, and should be safely stored in your tool box.

You must also keep it safe that the battery does not get drained, it is such a wonderful device and you must ensure it is properly handled. There are many good brands of multimeter available in the market, choose the best one.

For more tips and suggestion on how build your own DIY Photovoltaic (PV) panel on a small budget, check out the Power4Home guide by John Russel. Read up on the Power4Home reviews on this blog for more information.

Today shops are offering you convenient tools for you to choose from according to your home DIY job requirements. Thus buying a tool that you require is easy, but at the same time it is important that you make the right choice that suits your homemade solar power endeavor, lest ruin your project. Here are some of the tools you will need in your garage.

The humble cordless drill.

The primary job a drill as the name suggests is to drill holes into materials, but they can be used to fix or attach things by putting in screws, i.e the Plexiglass cover on the Photovoltaic (PV) panel. Because of operational ease, most of us like to use a cordless screwdriver, rather than one with a cord for power supply.

This is a handy tool for taking out screws because of their magnetic tip; there are no spilled screws and the interchangeable heads like the common flat headed one to the Phillips head. This also reduces the number of tools required to do a job. With the cordless screwdriver, you don’t have to worry about a loose fitted screw anymore.

The edgy saw.

Saws are a much required tool for anybody working with wood and no matter what type of wood you are working with; there is a definite need for some kind of a saw.

Be it cutting the beam in to the right size, cutting the edges, cutting firewood, cutting limbs of a tree or to make a hole in the centre of the wood without disturbing the edges, there is a type of saw to do the job.

Due to the shearing power and razor sharp cutting edges, saws are one of the dangerous tools which has to be handled with great care for your own safety and who works besides you.

The artsy router.

I like specialized woodworking tool such as a router when I am working with timber. I can trim the wood or create distinct patterns in the wood giving form to my imaginations. With some add-ons, you can create a great piece of art work.

But there is difference of opinion about the user friendliness of router tools. Once you have mastered the way to use them, you will simply adore it; on the other hand if you don’t know how to use them correctly you will think that you can do your work without them. With their efficacy and simplicity, you can complete your residential solar energy project easily and faster with a sander.

The smooth sander.

For a neat and smooth finish it is necessary to use a sander first, before painting a surface. There are various shapes and sizes of sanders to choose from as per the job requirement and they are available at a comparatively lesser price. You can use either sand paper or sand discs in a sander.

The sandpapers are available in various grades ranging from very coarse to a super fine grade. It is important that before making a selection, from a wide variety of tools, make a good study about their usefulness in your job.

Do not make a hasty decision of buying a tool that you come across first. By purchasing a tool that is versatile which could be adapted for your various projects, you can reduce the expense of purchasing a tool every time you want to do a project.

Referring to the testimonials available from the users will help you to ensure that you are buying exactly the tool which you have in mind.

Getting Started On DIY Solar Panels

Are you planning to buy readymade PV panels or save money by building them yourself? Since you have the tools, you might as well construct them yourself. What you will need is a good instructional manual.

To get started, head over to Michael Harvey’s Earth4Enery download page and get his PDF guide together with the High Definition (HD) instructional videos on how to build a solar panel on a shoestring budget.

==> Click here to visit Earth4Energy now!