The price to install different forms of renewable energy systems is continuing to drop, and more Americans are beginning to switch to sustainable home energy. If you’re thinking about adding renewable energy systems to your house, read on to learn more!
What Is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy is also called sustainable energy or clean energy. Overall, renewable energy is defined as energy from natural resources or processes that can be replenished. Today, the most popular forms of renewable energy include wind, solar, and water.
If you’re researching renewable energy for your home, you must understand that the conditions need to be right in order for you to get the most out of your system. The amount of sun and other weather conditions can impact the effectiveness of your renewable energy system. However, the biggest benefit to renewable energy is that your energy source is not likely to run out. By harnessing the power of natural energy sources, it can be converted into forms of energy that can power your home.
There are a few kinds of renewable energy sources. Some can power your entire home while some will offset your gas and electricity bills. These sources include:
- Solar electric systems: this is where the sun’s energy is turned into electricity
- Wind electric systems: wind turbines turn kinetic energy from the wind into electricity
- Microhydropower systems: this is a good option for people with flowing water on their property
- Hybrid systems: usually a combination of wind and solar, hybrid systems let you harness power from more than one source
- Geothermal systems: this system is built underground and is good for new construction, using a pump to heat and cool your home
How to Incorporate Renewable Energy into Your Home
If you’re thinking about switching to renewable energy, make sure you consider:
- how much electricity your home needs
- local laws, codes, regulations, and guidelines so you can narrow down your options and see if you’ll be able to connect to your local power grid
- weather patterns where you live
- cost of installation and maintenance
How Will Renewable Energy Affect Your Finances?
Renewable energy options can save you money as well as make you money depending on your system and energy usage/generation.
Different energy carriers and different states allow you to sell unused renewable energy back to your local power grid. In some places, homeowners have made around $3000/year from selling unused energy and receiving government renewable energy incentives.
Your home value will also increase with renewable energy. Current studies are showing that a home with a standard solar energy system can increase in value by $15,000.
There is definitely a lot to research and learn about renewable energy. It can be well worth your time to look into clean energy systems and determine if the options are cost-effective for you and your house. Don’t wait. Search around online and see what would work best for you!
