Thinking to solar power your house? It is definitely a good idea, especially if you are an enthusiastic environmentalist who wants to do a tiny bit in saving the planet from further deterioration at the hands of non renewable sources of energy. Moreover, residential solar energy will definitely help save your money, as the sky rocketing costs of gasoline has made electricity costlier.

Whether you are thinking of installing a solar panel or a solar heating system, you need to do a bit of research on solar technology and the cost effectiveness. Installing an expensive solar cell that produces only a tiny amount of electricity inadequate for your house would not be cost effective in the long-run. Therefore it is imperative to seek professional advice before going for residential solar energy, and more importantly seek government rebates and tax exemptions on solar power.

For making the most use of solar power in your house, you should install the maximum number of solar panels that can fit in your roof. That way you can harness most of the solar energy to good use. The high cost you incur during the first installation will be compensated in the reduction of electricity bills in the coming years. Although solar panels require maintenance to ensure optimum working, experts say they can be effective for up to 20 years or more.

Residential solar energy can also be used for water-heating purpose. The water in the storage tanks is heated by direct sunlight, and is pumped into pipes by either a passive process that employs the simple process of convection, or by active pumping. The shortcoming of solar water heating systems is that it cannot occur at night since no sunlight is present, and is not effective during winters. Nevertheless, more and more people are going for solar water heating systems as they cost much less than electrical heaters do. Central heating systems and pool heating can also be a useful utilization of residential solar energy.

Solar energy is renewable and environmentally friendly; it does not release harmful and toxic gases into the air that are the leading cause of global warming, and also detrimental to human health. Solar energy is not only a clean source of energy, it also cheaper in the long run, and thousands of people solar power their homes everyday. Be one of them!