To heat water with solar energy, you don’t need . . . → Read More: Solar Hot Water Systems Prices]]> Solar hot water systems prices are usually much more affordable than photovoltaic systems. The retail prices of some of the most efficient solar hot water systems can cost you several thousand dollars. But keep in mind, these are retail prices for the most efficient systems.

To heat water with solar energy, you don’t need expensive equipment. Unlike creating electricity with solar energy, heating water with solar energy is simple and does not need costly materials. If you leave a garden hose out in the sun, you have probably noticed that the water inside can get very hot. This example alone should convince you that you don’t need to pay high retail solar hot water system prices to heat water with solar energy.

The more expensive solar hot water systems may be more efficient, but since solar energy is free, a less efficient but much cheaper solar energy system may be a better choice. You can build your own solar water heater with common materials for less than $100 that will work almost as well as the ones that cost thousands. With a home made system the payoff can be a few months instead of years.

Heating water with solar energy is one of the most economical sources of energy for your home. Heating water is one of the biggest energy users in an average home and can be slashed greatly or even eliminated without much of an initial investment. The roofs of most buildings receive an enormous amount of free energy every day that could be put to use. Instead of using this energy, most consumers instead choose to use energy that they have to pay money for.

With home made solar hot water systems prices being so low, you can create a system with more than enough capacity to supply your traditional home hot water needs. The excess hot water you produce can be used for many other things. You can use it to heat a pool or a hot tub or even to heat your home or a greenhouse. Try watering your yard, garden and other plants with warm water instead of shocking them with cold tap water and see what kind of results you get.

Even if you do buy the higher priced systems, the investment is usually well worth it in the long term. After a the few years that it takes to pay for the system, the money you save is all cash in your pocket.

Learn how to build your own solar hot water systems.

Heating with solar energy is very simple compared to photovoltaics. . . . → Read More: Swimming Pool Solar Heaters]]> Swimming pool solar heaters are one of the most practical and most cost effective ways to use solar energy. If you have a pool and want to heat it, it is almost crazy not to do it with solar energy. Actually it is crazy.

Heating with solar energy is very simple compared to photovoltaics. Instead of needing high tech electrical components, all you need to do is lay certain materials out in the sun and it will get hot. This is especially true with heating water.

With a swimming pool solar heater you can amplify this process and heat your pool to any temperature you want. This can be done with a swimming pool solar heater panel that can be complex and in some cases somewhat expensive. You can also accomplish the same thing with low cost materials that you can put together yourself.

One of the reasons that swimming pool solar heaters work so well is people are more likely to want to use their pools when the sun’s energy is the greatest. Most don’t use their pools so much in bad weather or in the winter, they use it in the summer when there is more solar energy available. And unlike household solar water heating systems, you don’t need 24 hour a day heating for your pool. Daytime heating is enough and heat loss at night can be minimized.

In most cases pool solar heaters are used to extend the swimming season and make the pool more comfortable. But this doesn’t mean you can’t heat your pool with solar heaters in the winter for year round swimming. As long as you have adequate sunlight, a swimming pool can be heated any time of the year with solar energy. It may take more equipment to heat your pool to a comfortable temperature in the winter but in many cases it can be done.

This works best for indoor pools but can also work for outdoor pools with the assistance of pool enclosures that can be bought or built relatively inexpensively.

Swimming pool solar heaters can be as simple as pumping water through a black pipe or hose or can use more complex systems such as evacuated glass tube systems. It is typical to use the existing pool pump to circulate the water through the solar heater. This makes building your own solar pool heating systems simple. You can build a crude system for just the cost of some plastic pipe. It may not be as efficient as more complex systems but it will still heat your pool.

Lear now to build a solar water heater to heat your pool.

These shingles are a prototype and not in development yet but they look like a good idea . . . → Read More: Installing Roof Shingles with Photovoltaic Film]]> This video demonstrates the simple steps for installing roof shingles with photovoltaic film. These solar shingles are made from metal shingles that are commonly used in Florida and designed to be long lasting and hurricane proof.

These shingles are a prototype and not in development yet but they look like a good idea to me. They are a simple design and it should be easy for someone to make something similar themselves.

They are made from a type of shingles that have been in use for a long time so they are time proven. The metal shingles are combined with the photovoltaic film easily and when finished it just looks like a normal roof. With this design the shingles that have solar material look just like the shingles that don’t so it will all blend together. With many solar roof shingles the parts that are solar will stick out like a sore thumb.

Installing Solarcentury Roof Shingles

The video below shows the process of installing roof shingles by Solarcentury. It demonstrates the shingle installation, and making the electrical connections and hooking up the inverter.

If you are building a new house or replacing a roof it only makes sense to replace it with something that will make electricity instead of letting all that free solar energy that hits your roof every day go to waste.

Installing roof shingles with photovoltaic film may be more expensive than plain shingles but over time it will be well worth it. With state, local and federal tax incentives the cost can be greatly reduced. Plus you have to consider the value of knowing you are doing a good thing by using a source of energy that is clean, renewable that would otherwise be going to waste.

If you want to build your own greenhouse, you can either build it from scratch or from a pre-built kit. Either way you do it, you are going to have to assemble it yourself or have someone do it . . . → Read More: Build Your Own Greenhouse]]> Essentials to Know Before You Build a Greenhouse

Download plans to build your own greenhouse.

If you want to build your own greenhouse, you can either build it from scratch or from a pre-built kit. Either way you do it, you are going to have to assemble it yourself or have someone do it for you. Only with a kit you are going to be paying inflated prices for the same materials.

If you build a greenhouse from scratch, it will take a little more work and planning, but you can usually do it for a fraction of the cost. With a little bit of wood and plastic, you can throw a greenhouse together very easily and for very little money. But without knowing what you are doing ahead of time, the greenhouse you build may not work the way you were expecting.

There are important things to consider when designing a greenhouse, like the best materials to use, ventilation, dimensions and positions to make the best of your location and resources. This is where spending just a little money on greenhouse building plans made by a greenhouse expert can pay off big time.

Someone who has had many years experience in building and managing greenhouses has been there and done that. They have already learned the mistakes and know how to get the most out of your greenhouse. It is important to know what the best materials to use for maximum results, that will last the longest and will cost less.

The way you build your greenhouse can greatly effect the way it collects and retains heat. If supplemental heat is needed in cool weather, there are very economical ways to do it and ways that can cost a lot. There are also simple off grid ways to heat a greenhouse without gas oil or electricity. Knowing how to do these things before you start building will allow you to build it to better utilize these methods.

Your specific climate will determine how your greenhouse will function and how it should be built. Knowing how to design a greenhouse to better distribute light, heat and to ventilate it properly is very important and will determine how well your greenhouse performs. Building one that is all wrong for your climate can be a disaster.

Garden pests can be a problem, even in a greenhouse. A well designed plan can help you minimize and even eliminate common garden pests.

If you plan on being away for days at a time, you can build a greenhouse to better take care of itself while you are gone. Gardening can be an every day chore, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right planning, gardens can be set up to be low maintenance and trouble free.

Download plans that will teach you all of this and teach you the best ways to build your own greenhouse.