A DIY Solar Heating System and be a very Cost-Effective Alternative for Your Home Power Generation

A DIY solar heating system can either be On-Grid (with or without Battery Backup) or Off-Grid and the following are the basic components of whichever type of solar home heating system you choose to build:

• Solar Panels – these will provide the energy source for your DIY solar heating system. Solar panels collect and convert solar energy into direct current (DC) electricity using photovoltaic (PV) cells.
• Array DC Disconnect – this is needed for maintenance of your solar home heating system. It is used to shut off the power.
• Inverter – the electricity produced from the solar panels is passed through an Inverter, which turns the direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) to make the power you are producing usable for both your household and the utility grid.
• AC Breaker Panel – the point where your home’s electrical wiring meets with your electricity supply.

DIY Solar Heating - Step-by-Step Written & Video Instructions

Any other solar heating DIY components you will need depends upon the solar home heating system relevant to you:

On-Grid Solar Home Heating – with this system, if more electricity is produced than you use in your home, your account with your electricity supplier will be credited and you will be able to use this in the future when your consumption may be higher and your solar powered heating system is producing less electricity (in colder and cloudier weather). The additional component you will need for this DIY solar heating system is a Kilowatt per Hour Meter to record electricity coming from the grid to your home and from your home solar power system to the grid. It’s wonderful to watch this meter actually running backwards!

On-Grid Solar Home Heating with Battery Backup – with this kind of system, the battery is used for times of colder and cloudier weather. You will need all of the components mentioned above and also:

• Battery – an optional choice but very useful to store the energy produced as backup power. Deep-cycle batteries are highly recommend.
• Charge Regulator – this protects your battery from becoming over-charged and therefore will lengthen the life of the battery.
• System Meter – to record how much power you are using at any one time and the status of your battery.
• Main DC Disconnect – so that you can disconnect the Inverter for maintenance purposes.

Off-Grid Solar Home Heating – with this method, it is strongly recommended that you also include a home power generator for backup power.

Solar energy is a free, renewable, non-polluting energy source and therefore using the power of the sun to generate your own solar home electricity will benefit you and the environment and also has the added advantage of adding to your property value. And the good news is that diy solar home heating is becoming much more affordable as advancements are made in photovoltaic design and construction. If you’d like to discover more about building your own DIY solar heating system, you will find further information here:

Build Your Own Solar Home Heating - Step-by-Step Instructions

DIY Solar Heating - Further Information