How to Use Solar Power http://howtousesolar.com Learn about Your Energy Needs and Solar Options Thu, 22 Feb 2018 13:46:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.10 http://howtousesolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/cropped-Misty-morning-32x32.jpg How to Use Solar Power http://howtousesolar.com 32 32 Roof-Mounted Solar Panels and Pests http://howtousesolar.com/roof-mounted-solar-panels-pests/ Thu, 22 Feb 2018 13:46:39 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=1189 Pest Problems Pigeons and squirrels will happily make their nests under roof-mounted solar arrays. Squirrels, in particular, can do serious damage to the wires hooking up your inverters to your solar panels. These damaged wires then become a fire hazard. Because of the fire hazard caused by damaged wires of string inverters, it is now […]

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]]> Off-grid Solar Home goes Grid-Tied – Why we made the Switch http://howtousesolar.com/off-grid-solar-home-goes-grid-tied-made-switch/ Tue, 06 Feb 2018 01:21:27 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=1161 For over a decade my husband and I lived off the utility grid. We took pride in our self-sufficiency, and actually found tracking our energy usage interesting. So why switch to grid-tied after all this time? In 2003 I decided to follow a long time dream to build a solar home.  On an acreage near Saskatoon, […]

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]]> SaskPower Promotes Renewable Energy with a 20% Net Metering Rebate Program http://howtousesolar.com/saskpower-promotes-renewable-energy-with-a-20-net-metering-rebate-program/ Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:14:49 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=1046 In Saskatchewan solar electricity now costs less than than traditional utility power. Solar power – the environmentally friendly solution to producing your own electricity – is now also the least expensive source of electricity for SaskPower customers. Why Solar Power Costs Less than Utility Power Solar technology and pricing has improved dramatically in the last few years. […]

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]]> How to Power Your Home with Solar: Solar Array Tilt Angles http://howtousesolar.com/how-to-power-your-home-with-solar-part-4-solar-array-tilt-angles/ Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=700 How can you collect the most electricity from your solar array?  In a nutshell, face the solar array: as close as possible to true south (not magnetic south) towards an area where nothing will shade it perpendicular to the sun’s rays. The first two depend on the space that you have available.   The third […]

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]]> How to Power Your Home with Solar: Mounting Options http://howtousesolar.com/how-to-power-your-home-with-solar-part-3-mounting-options/ Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=699 Solar panels take space – 400 to 800 square feet or more, depending on how much electricity you want to produce. If you want to get top production, the panels should face due south (or north if you are in the southern hemisphere) and at an angle to best capture the sunlight.  But what, exactly, […]

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]]> How to Power Your Home with Solar: Deciding on a System Size http://howtousesolar.com/how-to-power-your-home-with-solar-part-2-deciding-on-a-system-size/ http://howtousesolar.com/how-to-power-your-home-with-solar-part-2-deciding-on-a-system-size/#respond Sun, 01 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=697 Solar panels come in many sizes.  They can be used alone or combined to make up a solar array. Calculators and solar lights, for example, need only small solar panels while a home uses an array of much larger panels.  Commercial and utility scale solar systems can involve acres of solar panels, often set up […]

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]]> http://howtousesolar.com/how-to-power-your-home-with-solar-part-2-deciding-on-a-system-size/feed/ 0 What’s Your Backup? How to Choose a Backup Power System http://howtousesolar.com/whats-your-backup-how-to-choose-a-backup-power-system/ http://howtousesolar.com/whats-your-backup-how-to-choose-a-backup-power-system/#comments Sun, 01 Jul 2012 14:04:46 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=712 We had wild storms in Saskatchewan this week.  Many areas were without power for several days.  But our power was not out – our power is solar power and doesn’t depend on the utility.  In fact, we are not connected to the electrical utility at all. This is a great solution in a power outage […]

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]]> http://howtousesolar.com/whats-your-backup-how-to-choose-a-backup-power-system/feed/ 1 How to Power your Home with Solar: Assessing Your Solar Potential http://howtousesolar.com/how-to-power-your-home-with-solar-assessing-your-solar-potential/ http://howtousesolar.com/how-to-power-your-home-with-solar-assessing-your-solar-potential/#respond Sun, 24 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=696 I live in a solar home – it is powered by the sun.  When I make my morning toast, grab my drink from the fridge, sit at my computer and write this post, it is powered by the sunlight striking the panels  on my roof. It is an exhilarating and  liberating feeling – I am independent, […]

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]]> http://howtousesolar.com/how-to-power-your-home-with-solar-assessing-your-solar-potential/feed/ 0 A Basic Renewable Power System http://howtousesolar.com/a-basic-renewable-power-system/ http://howtousesolar.com/a-basic-renewable-power-system/#respond Tue, 29 May 2012 18:28:20 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=497 Photovoltaic cells, or a combination of photovoltaics and a wind generator, can be used to provide all or some of the electrical needs of a house. A photovoltaic array of suitable size that can supply the needs of the house is mounted either on the roof or on some type of ground or pole mount. […]

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]]> http://howtousesolar.com/a-basic-renewable-power-system/feed/ 0 Calculating your Load http://howtousesolar.com/calculating-your-load/ http://howtousesolar.com/calculating-your-load/#comments Tue, 29 May 2012 18:19:40 +0000 http://howtousesolar.com/?p=494 The first step in designing a solar system for your house is to figure out how much power you need to run the various systems and appliances. Types of Loads Loads can be continuous (running 24 hours a day) or intermittent. Many loads, such as a refrigerator, toaster, or vacuum cleaner use a large amount […]

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