Alternative Power - What Are My Choices?

We live in a day of information overload. Trying to sort through all that information is a constant challenge. No matter what you are looking for you will find some of it reliable, some not. I have been trying to decide which type of alternative power is best for me, and for the environment.

Everyone I know has an opinion and all too often they seem to conflict! So how do I know which advice to take? I don't have all the answers but in this article I'm going to give a brief overview of the two most common and inexpensive types of alternative energy sources available today. My suggestion is that you seek to get all the facts, verify them and then make a choice that fits your situation.

Solar power and wind power are the two most common forms of energy available for household use today. The technological advances that have been made over the last few decades has finally made it possible for the average homeowner to benefit by using these energy sources.

Solar energy is power from the sun, and it is collected by specially designed panels. That energy is converted into electricity and stored for later use. Another use of solar energy is to use it to heat water to provide the hot water instead of using an electrical hot water service. Solar panels and solar hot water tanks can be mounted right on your roof.

While solar energy is a free, clean, and renewable source of energy it does have it's drawbacks.

The most obvious, is that it needs sun. That means you will not generate electricity on cloudy days or at night.

Wind power is harnessed by wind turbines that turn that energy into electricity and store it in batteries for later use. However, you need wind in order to make the turbines work, and some places get more than others. What it has over solar power is that you can generate wind power day or night, whenever there is wind.

Both of these methods can help cut down your reliance on your utility company, but it will probably not allow you to be totally self sufficient. Depending on where you live you may find that your best alternative power source is a combination of both solar and wind power. Whatever source you pick, the savings will continue for years to come and that will add up to a lot of money.

Wind Is A Cheap Energy Source

Fear on its own is not a good motivation for change. Yet as I talk to people who are struggling to cover their everyday living expenses and the fear of another interest rate hike, they are looking for any advantage. Electricity is one of those things that we just can't do without, so it is one of the first things that we must cover. But what if you could take some steps today that could lower your bill? Don't live in fear any longer, take control of your life and change a few minor things.

Here are some things you can do to cut your energy bills:

• add insulation in walls and ceilings,
  
• get a programmable thermostat to control the temperature of your home,
  
• replace or repair leaky windows and doors to reduce heat loss (in winter) and keep heat out in summer
• replace normal incandescent globes with compact fluorescent globes, and make sure you turn the lights off when you are not in the room
• Turn off computer, TV's and DVDs, because they use power even they are on standby.
• While these things are helpful and WILL lower your bill, none of them will make a huge impact.
  

However, if you follow the above advice and add to these a wind turbine, you can produce your own electricity, and that will give you even greater savings. Some people have decided not to go down this route because of the cost of turbines, but recent changes have meant that people can now build their own wind turbine. With a few basic skills it's described as "easy" and fairly inexpensive yet it can produce up to 60% of the energy your home needs daily.

The sites I have been looking at suggest that to build a small home wind turbine you will need some supplies, which will cost around $200, and a couple of days to put it all together. For a relatively small investment you will save a significant amount on your electricity bill.

Of course there are always pessimists who will tell you that it's a waste of time and you won't be able to generate enough electricity with your own turbine to make a difference. I guess that's true, to a point.

If your goal is to generate all the electricity your home needs with just one small turbine then you will be disappointed. But I am an optimist, and I live in the hope of generating enough electricity to make a fairly big dent in my utility bill even with just one turbine!

The important thing to remember is that whatever savings you get from your turbine isn't just good for one season or one year, it will add up for years to come and that is significant.

So use a wind turbine to take advantage of a cheap energy source and save the environment as well as save yourself some of your hard earned money.