You don’t you have to pay thousands of dollars for your power bills (well, you can if money isn’t a problem). You can drive down your utility cost by investing in affordable energy sources if you’re a frugal homeowner looking to save a couple of bucks every month. And, this doesn’t mean owning in a power plant.
What follows is a rundown of ways to power your home without blowing your budget.
Portable Generators
A portable generator will keep appliances in your home running after an outage. See, when power gets interrupted, it means lights go out. By extension, it implies that you don’t have electricity for cooking or refrigeration. On top of that, you don’t have communication with the outside world not to mention that you may have to pump water.
With a generator in your home, you’ll have a readily available source of power. Even more impressive, you can use it in your RV to provide electricity when camping remotely.
There’s a catch though. As DIY Luke explains, you need to buy a high-quality model, with the capacity to meet your needs. Of course, the right unit has to be portable enough to allow you to carry it from point A to B quickly.
Rooftop Solar Panels
You can generate up to ten or more watts per square foot with a rooftop solar panel depend on orientation and latitude. For starters, an average house requires about one kilowatt of electricity, so a few panels will be enough for your needs.
Sure, solar panels are an attractive option to save you money, but they only work when the sun is up. Still, you can power your home when the sun is down by investing in a portable generator or other sources of energy below.
Wind Turbines
You don’t have to invest in a big wind turbine such as the ones found in wind farms or floating offshore. Wind power is reliable, affordable and green. A medium-sized turbine can generate enough electricity for most of your electricity needs.
There some disadvantages to wind power, however. First, they’re loud and take up a lot of space. Besides, it might be illegal to erect one on your area depending on zoning regulations and local laws.
Solar Oven
At times, you only need to power a section of your home. In such scenarios, you can opt for a solar oven. Sure, using the sun to heat your food may not sound so feasible but it is an excellent way to get started if you want to cut utility costs.
You can purchase or build your solar oven using readily available materials. The best part? They continue to work even when there’s an outage.
Hydro Power
Hydropower isn’t for everyone. However, you can consider it if you have flowing water in your property. All you need to do is to divert a segment or the entire river and you’re good to go. Of course, the water has to pass through a turbine.
The most basic way to do it is to identify the largest vertical distance. Then direct the water over a series of turbines in a controlled fashion. Keep in mind that installing a hydropower generator isn’t the simplest of tasks. So, be sure to work with a professional to help you set it up.
And, unlike solar, you’ll always get the same output as long as there’s water flowing down the stream. Now, that’s some peace of mind right there.
Solar Air Conditioning
Home air conditioning is expensive. An average home spends a little bit over 500 bucks to regulate the quality of air within their living space. It doesn’t have to be that way though. You can use the sun to cool your home. And the beauty of it is that you can use the water generated by the system for other applications inside your home.
Final Thoughts
It makes perfect sense to look for ways to cut utility costs. That way, you can spare some cash to better your home in other areas. The suggestions above offer a great place to start, irrespective of where you live. You only need to figure out what works for you!