UtilitySwitch.info

Does Home-Made Solar Panels Really Reduce Electricity Bill?

4th March, 2010 - Posted by admin - Comments Off

Every other DIY Solar Panel guide claims that it helps reduce electricity bill by building home-made solar panels.  Let us briefly think how realistic this claim is.

Fact 1: Solar Panels reduce power bills – This is a fact that no one can refute.  Well, any power that you generate off the grid is going to save some money – this is a no-brainer

Fact 2: Solar Panels are expensive – Now, this is purely a question of ROI.  Obviously, there is going to be an upfront cost in installing a Solar Panel.  This cost can be justified only by the time it takes for the savings to cover up the cost.  Typically, it takes about 3 to 5 years to recover the cost of installing a ready-made Solar Heater – so you can do the math.

Fact 3: Homemade Solar Panels are cost-effective – Well, a little bit of effort into building a Solar Panel can definitely save you hundreds of dollars – for the same output.  In this case, the ROI comes definitely much sooner than that from a ready-made panel.

Myth 1: Homemade Solar Panels can eliminate electricity bills – No, it can’t entirely eliminate your bill! Unless you live in a single room with only a tube-light and a fan.

Myth 2: Homemade Solar Panels are easy to make on your own – No, building one is hard work. Unless you have a DIY guide with clear video instructions or you have help from an expert who has done it already.

As you see, Solar Panels indeed save electricity, but they have their own limitation. Buying Solar Panels to power the entire home can be extremely expensive.  On the other hand, homemade Solar Panels are inexpensive, but are ideal only for powering certain appliances.  Building a Solar Panel to power an entire home can be a very difficult exercise and maintaining it after building can be a nightmare.