Does anyone here support renewable energy? i.e. does anyone have their own solar panels (whether for use in the whole house or just for hot water), wind turbine etc., or do you subscribe to green energy plans with your local electricity provider?
Increases in greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, are causing increases in global temperature and significant and deleterious alterations in weather patterns. I know a lot of people don’t care enough about the environment to do something about it, but it’s time we all started giving a fuck.
How much energy does your household use? On every electricity bill there should be an energy use figure represented as kWh (kilo-watt hours) used per day. For every kWh used, approximately 1kg of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. My household uses, on average, 12kWh per day – that’s 12kg of CO2 released into the atmosphere every day or 4.4 tonnes every year!!! That’s not even including the energy used at work!
Photovoltaic cells, or solar panels, can not only greatly decrease these CO2 omissions, but they can also greatly reduce your energy bill. Although it requires a significant up-front investment, there are a lot of schemes that offer government rebates so that in the long run it works out to be cheaper. I understand that the US has a rebate scheme called the ‘Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Benefit’ whereby you receive a 30% rebate on solar panels, up to $2000. Australia has something similar to this also.
An example (based on my energy requirements):
I pay 15.2 cents per kWh of electricity (Australian money)
12kWh per day at 15.2 cents per kWh = $1.82 per day.
$1.82 per day x 365 days per year = $665.75 per year.
165 watt solar panels cost $1,440 each, 25 year warranty
Australian Government rebate of 4c per watt = $780 ($660 less)
South Australia receives on average 7 hours of full sun per day throughout the year
Each 165 watt panel will therefore produce 165 x 7 watts, or 1155 watts per day
1.155 kWh per day = 17.5 cents per day or $64 per year
25 year lifetime = grand total of $1,600 saved on electricity (all for a $780 investment).
If you purchased 4 such solar panels, it would cost you $3,120 now but could potentially save you $6,400 over the life of the panels ($3,280 ‘profit’!)
There are a few gadgets that you may have to buy, such as an inverter, but they are relatively cheap. Also, whatever energy you don’t use from the solar panels goes directly into the electricity grid and it causes your electricity meter to literally go backwards! And because you’re still connected to the grid, if your panels don’t produce enough energy to sustain your lifestyle, you can still purchase energy from the power company same as you’re doing now.
Go green, it’s cheaper for you and a lot better for the environment!!!
If you would like any more information, let me know and I’ll be more than happy to discuss it with you.
Increases in greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, are causing increases in global temperature and significant and deleterious alterations in weather patterns. I know a lot of people don’t care enough about the environment to do something about it, but it’s time we all started giving a fuck.
How much energy does your household use? On every electricity bill there should be an energy use figure represented as kWh (kilo-watt hours) used per day. For every kWh used, approximately 1kg of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. My household uses, on average, 12kWh per day – that’s 12kg of CO2 released into the atmosphere every day or 4.4 tonnes every year!!! That’s not even including the energy used at work!
Photovoltaic cells, or solar panels, can not only greatly decrease these CO2 omissions, but they can also greatly reduce your energy bill. Although it requires a significant up-front investment, there are a lot of schemes that offer government rebates so that in the long run it works out to be cheaper. I understand that the US has a rebate scheme called the ‘Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Benefit’ whereby you receive a 30% rebate on solar panels, up to $2000. Australia has something similar to this also.
An example (based on my energy requirements):
I pay 15.2 cents per kWh of electricity (Australian money)
12kWh per day at 15.2 cents per kWh = $1.82 per day.
$1.82 per day x 365 days per year = $665.75 per year.
165 watt solar panels cost $1,440 each, 25 year warranty
Australian Government rebate of 4c per watt = $780 ($660 less)
South Australia receives on average 7 hours of full sun per day throughout the year
Each 165 watt panel will therefore produce 165 x 7 watts, or 1155 watts per day
1.155 kWh per day = 17.5 cents per day or $64 per year
25 year lifetime = grand total of $1,600 saved on electricity (all for a $780 investment).
If you purchased 4 such solar panels, it would cost you $3,120 now but could potentially save you $6,400 over the life of the panels ($3,280 ‘profit’!)
There are a few gadgets that you may have to buy, such as an inverter, but they are relatively cheap. Also, whatever energy you don’t use from the solar panels goes directly into the electricity grid and it causes your electricity meter to literally go backwards! And because you’re still connected to the grid, if your panels don’t produce enough energy to sustain your lifestyle, you can still purchase energy from the power company same as you’re doing now.
Go green, it’s cheaper for you and a lot better for the environment!!!
If you would like any more information, let me know and I’ll be more than happy to discuss it with you.