These days there are a lot of people hopping on the "green" bandwagon, looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment. Solar energy, being one of the cleanest ways to power electrical devices, is quickly gaining popularity as the cost of solar technology continues to drop.

Indeed, solar energy is a great way to save on your energy costs and do your part to save the environment. However, if you are considering solar power as an option for powering your home, eventually you will need to make the initial investment of buying solar panels and having them installed on or near your house.

D.I.Y. vs. Professional Help

While much of the work involved in installation can be done by the average homeowner, some parts of the process are more complicated and often require that you seek the help of an expert. It is important to know the dangers involved in solar panel installation, and to know when you are outside your area of expertise.

On or Off the Grid?

The first task you must complete in the installation process is deciding what you are using your solar system for so that you can decide where to mount it and how to wire it into your home's existing electrical system. The amount of electricity you expect to use versus how much you expect to produce will determine whether you want your system to be wired into the grid.

For example, if you are in particularly productive spot and expect to produce more electricity than you can use, sometimes the electric company will pay you for the excess electricity you generate. If this is to be the case though typically you need the help of a certified electrician to make the necessary connections.

Location

Another thing you must decide before installing your solar panels is where they are to be installed. Picking the ideal location is a matter of evaluating various factors such as how the sun will cross the sky at various times of the year and which location on your property will receive the most sunlight. Typically, unless your house is at a low point on your land, your roof will be the most productive location.

Safety First

Once you have decided on the details of your installation, it is time to mount the solar panels. If you are attempting to do this part of the job yourself, be sure you know what you are doing. Attempting to mount panels to your roof without knowing the proper procedures can leave you with a damaged roof that costs more to repair than it would have cost to hire a professional in the first place.

It is even more important, unless you are a certified electrician, that once you get your panels mounted you seek a professional to help with the electrical work involved in installation. Solar panels are capable of producing a current strong enough to power your house-this is also strong enough to seriously injure or kill you if you don't know what you are doing.

Northern Gas Heating - the UK's local supplier of new central heating including renewable energy systems such as Air Source Heat Pumps and Solar Heating systems.

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Louvers provide ventilation allowing air to pass through a window while at the same time keeping unwanted elements such as dirt, water, and other debris out. Exterior architectural louvers feature a number of fixed or operable blades that are mounted in a frame. There are many factors to consider when dicing upon louvers.

Factors

There are certain factors to consider when deciding upon louvers for any residential or commercial property include. These factors include; free area, water penetration, and resistance to airflow or pressure loss. By fully understanding these concepts the proper louver will be applied.

Free Area

To determine the free area, it's important to take the total open area of the louver. This is done by subtraction all the potential obstructions such as blades and the actual frame and then diving the overall wall opening. This then allows for a comparison of the louvered opening as opposed to an unobstructed opening. The common range for louver free areas is about 35% to 60% of the wall opening. Having a high percentage of free area is very beneficial. This will allow for more air to enter a smaller wall opening, this will therefore, reduce the cost of the wall opening as well as the louver.

Obstruction

Some obstruction is needed in order to keep unwanted water out. A full obstructed opening would allow for no water to enter, while a totally unobstructed opening would allow for water to enter unhindered. A louver that is properly designed will be able to maximize the free area while at the same time allowing for a minuscule amount of water to enter.

Water Penetration

To establish the water penetration of a louver, the air intake velocity must be determined. The first point of water penetration is the point at which a louver will let water pass through the louver. By taking the threshold measurement of the air intake velocity the proper penetration will be considered. By factoring in water penetration the proper louver can be installed.

Resistance to Air Flow

Any obstruction that is in the air stream will create a resistance. This includes louvers, coils, filters, ductwork, the structure of the building, the list goes on. The actual resistance provided by the louver can be determined by measuring the running air through the louver while also measuring the pressure differential at a variety of free area velocities.

Aerodynamics

All louvers create a resistance. This resistance is based upon the frame of the louver as well as the shape of the blade. Lower blade angles or those that have more aerodynamic shapes will create less resistance. In order to fully consider the resistance to airflow the free area velocity allowed by the louver must be calculated. It is important to consider the resistance as well as minimize it, as it can be detrimental to the application of flans or other air moving equipment.

When deciding on exterior architectural louvers it's very important to consider the factors of free area, water penetration and pressure loss. By taking all these considerations into effect a proper decision can be made when installing louvers. In addition to adding protection from water, dirt, and other air debris, they also act as a sun control louver. Their full functionality and design allow them to be an added feature of any residential or commercial residence.

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Solar panels that produce electricity, known as PV panels, are becoming a consideration to more people as a way to supplement their electrical needs, or in some cases produce all the electrical power they need for their home. After a little research it becomes evident that deciding how many panels will be needed is one of the first in a list of items you will need to figure the cost and other requirements for a project such as this.

First of all you must find how many watts per day your home uses, or the portion of your home that you want to supplement with electrical needs. If it's your complete home and if you are now living there, you simply need to look at your electric bill and see what you use on average every month. Notice that your usage is probably in KWH (kilowatt hours), which is using 1000 watts for one hour. If you just want to provide power for part of your home you can figure the wattage and how many hours you expect it to run per day and base your system needs on that figure. You can even find the wattage used by individual appliances by using a meter which merely plugs in between the wall and the appliance.

Once you have a rough figure in mind for your needs you will need to design a system that can produce that much power on a sunny day. Bear in mind that power from solar panels varies by the available sun in a day, so your needs will have to be somewhat flexible, also. Panels are listed as to their output wattage, so you will want to put enough of them in array to achieve the desired power level. The other components of the system will also need to be sized accordingly so that all the parts work together to supply your needs both day and night.

Other components of the system are wiring, an inverter which will change the DC voltage coming from the panels to AC voltage that your home can use, a controller to police the system automatically, batteries to store the required power and possibly a switch to tie your system into the power companies lines if necessary.

There are many companies who will engineer the entire solar power system for you and recommend the proper components, and by the same token there are many resources online that will help you learn what is needed. Even if you find a firm to engineer your system there may not be anyone close to you qualified to install it, so it's good to understand what it will take to make the whole package come together. It is also possible to purchase the parts where ever you like and build the entire system yourself, including building the solar panels yourself.

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