The prices of everything from vegetables to petrol are currently increasing almost daily. Add to that significant interest rate hikes and low wage growth, and it becomes clear that all Australians urgently need to identify and implement ways to save money and manage their living costs. Maximising all available money-saving avenues is now the only way to stretch current incomes sufficiently.
When you carefully evaluate how you can save money around your home, you will be surprised at the variety of available options. Moreover, while some methods will impact your bottom line more than others, the primary advantage is that every little bit counts. Therefore, it falls to you to strategise accordingly and find ways to save money while maintaining your lifestyle.
One of the best possibilities to explore is your power utilisation and the resulting bills. Energy prices are demonstrating some of the largest increase margins across the board, thus becoming the primary drivers of skyrocketing household costs. Consequently, it is more crucial than ever to find ways to reduce your household’s energy use or bring your utility costs down, starting with solar energy.
So, here’s how to beat rising costs with these powerful solar products.
Solar Installations
One of the best ways to significantly change your energy consumption is by finding alternative sources, particularly renewables. The most prominent renewable energy source is the sun, hence the increasing popularity of solar energy. This trend makes sense, as the sun is a powerful and ever-present energy source whose nature allows us to harvest unlimited clean energy free of charge. As a result, a rooftop solar installation becomes the ideal conduit to slash your utility bills.
There are numerous ways to connect a solar installation. Most of these variations depend on your preferences, consumption requirements and your home’s location. The first option is an on-grid solar panel installation. This type enables you to harness and generate solar energy during the day before switching to grid-provided power at night after the sun sets.
Alternatively, you can opt for an off-grid system that includes battery storage. This system takes all the excess power you generate during the day and stores it in a battery for use at night. An off-grid solar installation lets you completely disconnect from the main grid. As a result, you enjoy the benefits of eliminating electricity bills from your household budget.
On the other hand, installing a solar panel system can be expensive. Hence it is prudent to consider what initial costs you can reasonably take on without further harming your financial position. Additionally, you can look into any available government grant and rebate offers that are supposed to make it cheaper to obtain and install solar panels on your home.
Solar LED Skylights
You don’t have to worry if a complete solar panel installation is not feasible at the moment. Numerous available solar alternatives will set you on the path toward lower utility bills. One example of these is solar LED skylights.
Solar LED skylights feature a slight yetsignificant difference from traditional skylights. The conventional variation only provides more natural light during the day while remaining unusable at night. Compare that to solar skylights. Solar skylights are fitted with a small battery that stores electricity and provides light after sunset if you need it. These devices have a solar panel and battery (which you place on the roof), a diffuser kit with LED lights (positioned on the ceiling) and a cable connecting the two. This setup offers an alternative source of light that allows you to avoid relying wholly on your connection to the grid. Consequently, it is a cheaper way of taking advantage of solar energy and cutting down your electricity costs.
Solar Hot Water
Another solar option available is solar water heaters. These solar devices are likely to be more impactful than your skylights as their use addresses one of the most energy-demanding facets of modern living, hot water. Heating water for use in the home is one of the most prominent contributors to energy costs in modern households. Therefore, finding an alternative that helps you reduce and even eliminate these bills can significantly relieve your pockets.
Heating water using solar energy entails the use of solar hot water tanks. The system works by installing solar panels that generate power which channels to solar water heaters you place on the ground or the roof. This power heats the water in the tanks, which then flows into your home. This setup is wholly self-reliant, meaning there are no grid connections and subsequent bills about which to worry.
Solar Roof Ventilation
When discussing energy-savings measures, many people often overlook the question of ventilation. However, proper ventilation is crucial in keeping your energy costs down. Without it, your roof cavity will become a heat trap that creates the ideal conditions for mould formation and other moisture-borne issues. Additionally, the excess heat forces your air conditioner to work harder to maintain cool- a situation that, in turn, increases your electricity bills.
Most solar roof ventilation systems use a small solar panel to generate electricity which drives a quiet, brushless DC electric motor and fan. These components rely on a thermostat that reads the roof’s internal temperatures and maintains them at a certain level. So, if, for example, you set your thermostat to 30 degrees Celsius, when the temperature exceeds this number, it will trigger the motor and fan to activate and allow the roof to ventilate. In doing so, you can keep your home cool in the summer without usingthe air conditioner more than usual.
Conversely, the solar ventilation system secures the roof in the winter by remaining closed as long as the temperature stays below the set thermostat levels. Hence it prevents the home’s warmth from escaping.
So, as you seek ways to save money, remember that the benefits of solar panels will make the switch more than worth your time and effort. Taking the time to discover the different types of solar panels and finding the best available solar panels will help you attain valuable savings now and long into the future.