Considering adding solar panels to your home? To be sure, it can be a great way to reduce or perhaps even eliminate your household electricity costs, while also making a small dent in the amount of energy generated by less environmentally friendly methods. But that addition comes with a cost.

The question is whether that cost is a worthwhile investment. So how long might it take to recoup that investment? Well, our friends at Building Moxie dove into that very issue, with help from guest writer Brittany Mauriss. She explains that, for an “average-sized home,” a typical solar panel system could cost anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000, which could take anywhere from three to 10 years (or more) to recoup.

Of course, that’s simply an estimate. Factors such as the direction the panels face and the region in which your home is located will affect how much energy they generate and how much money you’ll save — or even make, if your panels generate more electricity than you use. Energy.gov has an interesting map that shows approximately how much energy you can generate depending on where in the United States you live.

Mauriss also points out the many tax credits that are available to homeowners to install solar panels. You can find information about federal tax credits on ENERGY STAR’s website, and don’t forget to check for additional credits from your state and local government.

[photo courtesy of CoCreatr via Flickr]

Today’s article is a guest post by Barbara Young, who writes on RV solar panels in her personal hobby site 12voltsolarpanels.net. Her work is devoted to helping people save energy using solar power to lower CO2 emissions and energy dependency.

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People have harnessed solar power for centuries. As early as the 7th century B.C., people used simple magnifying glasses to concentrate the light of the sun into beams so hot they’d cause wood to catch fire. More than a century ago in France, a scientist used heat from a solar collector to produce steam to drive a steam engine. In the beginning of this century, scientists and engineers began researching ways to use solar power in earnest. One important development was a remarkably efficient solar boiler introduced by Charles Greeley Abbott, an American astrophysicist, in 1936.

The solar water heater became popular at this time in Florida, California, and the Southwest. The industry started in the early 1920s and was in full swing just before The second World War. This growth lasted until before mid-1950s, when low-cost propane had become the primary fuel for heating American homes.

The public and world governments remained largely indifferent to the possibilities of solar energy until the oil shortages of the1970s. Today, people use solar power to heat buildings and water and to generate electricity.

How do we use solar energy today?

Solar energy is used in a number of different ways, of course. There are two standard kinds of solar power:

• Solar thermal energy collects the sun’s warmth through water or an anti-freeze (glycol) mixture
• Solar photovoltaic energy converts the sun’s radiation to usable electricity

Here are the five most practical and popular ways solar power is employed:

1. Small portable solar photovoltaic systems. We see these used everywhere, from calculators to solar garden tools. Portable units can be used for things like RV appliances, while single-panel systems can be used traffic signs and remote-monitoring stations.
2. Solar pool heating. Running water in direct-circulation systems through a solar collector is an extremely practical way to heat water for your pool or hot tub.
3. Thermal glycol energy to heat water. In this method (indirect circulation), glycol is heated by sunshine and the heat is then transferred to water in a warm water tank. This process of collecting the sun’s energy is more practical now than ever before. In areas as far north as Edmonton, Alberta, solar thermal to heat water is economically sound. It can pay for itself in 36 months or less.
4. Integrating solar photovoltaic energy into your home or office power. In lots of parts of the world, solar photovoltaics are an economically feasible approach to supplement the power of your property. In Japan, photovoltaics are competitive with other kinds of power. In the United States, new incentive programs make this form of solar power ever more viable in many states. A frequent and practical method of integrating solar energy into the power of your home or business is through the usage of building integrated solar photovoltaics.
5. Large independent photovoltaic systems. For those who have enough sun power at your site, you might be able to go off grid. You may also integrate or hybridize your solar power system with wind power or other kinds of sustainable energy to stay “off the grid.”

What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?

In favor of solar energy:

• Heating our homes with oil or propane or using electricity from power plants running with fossil fuels is a reason for climate change and climate disruption. Solar power, on the contrary, is clean and environmentally-friendly.
• Solar hot-water heaters require little maintenance, and their initial investment could be recovered within a relatively small amount of time.
• Solar hot-water heaters can work in almost any climate, even very cold ones. Simply choose the right system for your climate: drainback, thermosyphon, batch-ICS, etc.
• Maintenance costs of solar powered systems are minimal and also the warranties large.
• Financial incentives (United States, Canada, European states…) can help to eliminate the cost of the first investment in solar technologies. The U.S. government, as an example, offers tax credits for solar systems certified by by the SRCC (Solar Rating and Certification Corporation), which amount to 30 percent of the investment (2009-2016 period).

On the other hand:

• The first investment in solar water heaters or in photovoltaic electric systems is greater than that required by conventional electric and gas heaters systems.
• The payback period of solar PV-electric systems is high, as well as those of solar space heating or solar cooling (only the solar domestic hot-water heating payback is short or relatively short).
• Solar water heating does not support a direct combination with radiators (including baseboard ones).
• Some air cooling (solar space heating and the solar cooling systems) are very pricey and rather untested technologies: Solar AC hasn’t been a truly economical option, though it’s changing.
• The efficiency of solar powered systems is rather influenced by sunlight resources. It’s in colder climates, where heating or electricity needs are higher, that the efficiency is smaller.

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Floating house, solar-powered “microhouses,” new kitchen products and ideas for “bump-out additions” — plus we squeeze in a little Brad Pitt. Read on for today’s link love post.

What are you reading this week? Anything interesting you’d like to share with us? Leave a comment below!

Brad Pitt Unveils Flood-Surviving Float House for Make It Right Foundation
Inhabitat
The Make It Right New Orleans Foundation, founded by Brad Pitt, has unveiled its most recent project: a floating house designed by Morphosis Architects. As Inhabitat writes, “In case of flooding, the home can literally break away from it’s moorings and rise up up to 12 feet on two guideposts. It won’t float away, but it will act as a raft and provide the family with enough battery power to allow them to survive for up to three days until help arrives.”

Solar-Powered MicroHouse
Curbly
We’re fans of doing great things with tiny spaces, so we like to see this nice little off-the-grid, solar-powered home. It’s only 100 square feet, but think of the freedom! And it’s nice-looking, too.

New Kitchen Products
The Kitchen Designer
Certified kitchen designer Susan Serra offers her thoughts on a handful of new kitchen products, including a sleek faucet, stylish lighting fixtures, some knee- and back-friendly floor mats, and a ready-for-primetime ice maker. Be sure to stay tuned to her blog for more great kitchen design and decor advice.

Bump-Out Additions — Small Spaces, Big Impact
Remodeling Guy
The Remodeling Guy offers some thought-starters on what a little bump-out addition can do for your home. In part, he writes: “It’s really kind of amazing how much of a difference a space like this can make. The uses are only as limited as your imagination! Here are a few ideas: More cabinet or seating space in a kitchen, a light filled breakfast nook, a window seat in a bedroom or office, a small little corner to paint or do crafts. The list could just go on and on. What would you use it for?”

If you are remodeling or building a new home, chances are you’re considering some type of green element or option. Some facts about what is green: First, all that lumber used to build your home is a renewable resource. In fact, there is the same amount of forestland in North America now as there was 100 years ago. Most of the wood used in construction is grown in managed forests; it’s a crop that gets harvested about every 30 years. So you can rest assured that you are not harming Mother Nature at all.

There is a lot of interest in bamboo products, and while bamboo does grow quickly, it is not all the same. If you are considering flooring, cabinets or trim made from bamboo you need to make sure it was allowed to grow for at least five years. While you hear a lot about bamboo being cut at 30 days, the density and strength of that material is, in my opinion, not worth the investment. There are several makers of bamboo products that allow it to age and cultivate from managed bamboo farms.

Technology is also changing what’s available for our homes. A few years ago, Marvin put together some demonstration wood windows at the International Builder’s Show in Orlando with a product called Sage glass. This glass is basically a polarized pane that will darken as the sun hits it to cut down dramatically on the heat gain in your home. It is a terrific choice for southern exposures or your entire home.

Keeping on the topic of the sun, you can now install solar roofing tiles that can generate a good portion of the electricity your home needs. These tiles are also the actual roofing material so you do not have to see the large panels that are typically associated with solar technology. An average installation of this type of roofing tile will generate enough power for a 2,000-square-foot home. The cost is about $30,000, but in many states you can receive up to a 50 percent tax credit.

And then there is the wind. Introduced just 6 months ago, there is now a 6-foot diameter wind turbine that can be placed inconspicuously on or near your home that can generate power in less than a 2-mile-an-hour wind. A turbine installed is about $5,000 and the same 50 percent tax credit may apply. Do some research; speak with your architect and builder about their suggestions to green up your home. Each little step will help us all.

Photo courtesy of Vaxomatic on Flickr

This week’s Link Love post brings us some tips on stylish, fire-resistant siding; photos of funky treehouses (expanding our horizons with regard to style around the “house”); a minimalist kitchen with a unique dishwasher; and a solar cell phone charger.

Shou-sugi-ban
Pursuing Wabi
Via Remodelista, we stumbled across an interesting exterior finishing option coupled with a little lesson in Japanese aesthetic philosophy. Shou-sugi-ban, or burnt sugi boards, are charred, oiled and used as siding that’s both stylish and practical: The burning process helps protect against future fire damage (basically, it’s a lot harder for burnt wood to catch fire again) and helps prevent rot.

Escape to the Woods: Five Fantastic Treehouses
Apartment Therapy
Stepping outside its apartment-minded comfort zone, Apartment Therapy shares these photos of some rather outstanding treehouses. We need not say more than, “Go take a look.”

Simple Tech = Common Sense Kitchen Design
Home Design Find
A sleek, simple kitchen counter-top and sink combo is great. But add a couldn’t-be-simpler dishwasher and you have perhaps the perfect minimalist kitchen. As the post says, “[S]imple tech is quietly bringing back simplicity and sustainability as a worthwhile goal for industrial design. Here’s a good example; a low tech kitchen appliance that would go well beyond a simple energy star rating for efficiency.”

Charge your cell phone with solar power on the go
The Hardware Aisle from This Old House
You’ve maybe seen the extended-power batteries you can slide onto a cell phone for a couple of extra hours of juice. This is like that — but way cooler. You basically get a limitless amount of juice because you’re carrying a pocket-sized solar-power generator. Free yourself from the grid!