With the summertime promising to offer plenty of sunshine this year, one way of really taking advantage of sunshine is to use it to power your home. While many people think solar power is a pointless exercise, in a country such as the UK which is too far North to get enough sunshine, the actuality is far different.
When most people think of solar power they assume it means disconnecting the from the mains and relying solely on the sun to provide your energy needs. Of course, both technology and the amount of sun in the UK means this is impossible, especially in the winter, but we can still use the energy of the sun to complement our other sources of power.
Solar Water Heating
Solar water heating is one way to do this. A solar heater uses whatever power of the sun is available to pre-heat the water entering the boiler. Normally water entering from the mains is cold, forcing the boiler to burn energy to heat it to the required hot temperature.
By preheating the water, a solar water heater reduces the gas or electric a boiler needs to heat the water, saving both energy and money. And on a really sunny day, can eliminate the need to use any conventional power.
Solar Lighting
Another way to reduce your reliance on conventional energy and use the sun’s power, is to replace any outdoor lights with solar lighting. As outdoor lights are only used infrequently, and for short periods, the sun can easily provide enough power to charge them through the day, and expend that power at night when light is needed.
Solar Garden Light
Solar Powered Gadgets
Using the sun to power low energy items too, such as laptops, mobile phones and MP3 players is another method of…
