by Tim McDonald
With our current economic melt down and energy prices fluctuating daily, many of us are thinking of installing solar panel power to contribute to our homes’ energy needs, and reduce our power bills.
But before you install a home solar power system, how many panel will you need in order to say reduce your utilities by half? And how much will you have to invest in the system?
This is the process we followed, when calculating our home’s solar power needs and the investment required.
1 - How Much Power Do You Use Per Day?:
To work out how much power you use on an average daily basis, this is what you have to do: First go back and look at your past 12 months electricity bills. Then work out the average kilowatt hours (kWh) used per month. The reason we do this is because we use different amounts of power throughout the year. The calculation is month 1 + month 2 + month 3 etc… then divide that by 12. If you do not have all the statements, just use last month’s bill.
Now take your average monthly usage and divide it by 30 to work out your average daily power consumption
- So for example: If you have a monthly power consumption of 800 kWh, then your daily amount is 800/30= 26.7 kWh per day.
- So to reduce your electricity bill to half, 26.7/2 = 13.4 kWh of solar power per day is needed.
2 - Calculate The Total Wattage Of Solar Power Needed:
To do this, you first need to determine how many usable hours of sunlight your area receives per day. This is where a solar insolation map comes in handy - you can view one from our original article on our website.
Your next step is to take the daily kilowatt hours needed and divide it by the average usable sunlight hours, then multiply that by 1.25 (this is used to take into account the inefficiencies in the solar power system from wiring, charge controllers, batteries, and inverters).
- From the previous example, if you live near California where the average daily usable hours of sunlight is 5.5 hrs, the solar wattage needed is:
13.4 kWh required / 5.5hrs of insolation x 1.25 = 3.045 kW or 3045 Watts daily.
This indicates that our home solar power system must have the minimum capacity to produce 3045 Watts of power.
3 - How Much Will This Power Cost You?:
Now you you need to calculate how much these solar panels will cost you. At the moment $4.85 per Watt is the highest average cost in the United States.
- In our example: It will cost us at the most 3045 x 4.85 = $14,768 to install solar panels to halve our power bill. And that’s before wiring, charge controllers, batteries, inverters, and electrician costs.
4 - Offset Tax Credits And Rebates:
Before we jump the gun and think it will cost us at least $14,768 for 3045 Watts of solar panel watt power, we need to take tax incentives and rebates in account.
With the new renewable energy tax credits going into effect from January 1, 2009, and state-side rebates from states such as New York, Connecticut, New Jersey or California, our solar installation costs will be much lower than expected.
- Using the same example: For a Californian to buy the solar panels, they would receive a state tax rebate of 20% of the cost, and a federal tax subsidy of 40% of the remainder. So, the investment in the solar panels would only be:
$14,768 - $14,768 x (20%) - $14,768 x (1 - 20%) x 40% = $7,089.
A word of warning: The formula outlined here will give a rough estimate of what you can expect to pay for your solar panel watt needs. Obviously the costs will differ with regard to special offers, the state you reside in and the contractor you use to install the system.
However, from the example, you can see that for Californian to reduce their power bill by half, they would have to buy $14,768 worth of solar panels, costing them $7089 after rebates. A cheaper option would be to learn to source affordable and even free solar cells, and build your own solar panels. This can be done by following a relatively inexpensive step-by-step solar power manual, such as Earth4Energy.
About the Author:
Good news is that you can now try the
Earth4Energy Ebook for FREE, before deciding to build your own solar/wind power system, and cutting your energy costs by as much as 80%. Another guide to consider getting is
Efficient Planet. Follow the link to read the full review.
by Pat Lowe
Raising a garden in a greenhouse is an enjoyable and useful hobby. Many professionals in the field of stress management regard this type of activity as the ideal way to recover from a stressful day and get in touch with their surroundings. You can raise a large variety of plants within the protected atmosphere of a greenhouse. It also makes it easier to experiment with various kinds of interesting varieties and hybrids. And it can be an ideal way to feed your family a never ending supply of fresh, high quality vegetables throughout the year.
Before you buy or build a greenhouse, however, you need to do some planning. The most important aspect of your plans is where you will locate your greenhouse. Garden greenhouses require as much sunlight as possible, year round. Sufficient light is essential for your plants to thrive. If you don’t have enough natural daylight, you will have to supplement it with specialized lighting, which can be quite costly.
When positioning your greenhouse, keep in mind that the longest side of the structure should have the most exposure to sunlight. Don’t set it near saplings that will eventually grow into large, shade producing trees. When they reach maturity, the leaves will block the sunlight from your greenhouse.
Greenhouses let you grow vegetables and flowers in a limited amount of space in a controlled climate. Usually, greenhouses are constructed from plastic or glass so they can receive the maximum amount of sunlight. These materials also limit the plants’ exposure to harmful environmental conditions. The structure must have proper ventilation in order to prevent overheating. Maintaining an optimal temperature is an important aspect of this kind of indoor gardening.
Make sure you buy or build a greenhouse with a sturdy frame. It needs to be able to withstand hail, sleet, heavy snow and strong winds. It’s all too easy for a flimsy building to collapse under the force of any of these elements.
With a greenhouse, you can enjoy fresh cut flowers and nutritious vegetables regardless of the weather outside. Most of your favorite vegetables will thrive in an indoor setting. Carrots, radishes, lettuce and tomatoes are very easy to raise in a greenhouse environment. If you’re growing tomatoes, you will need to provide some string for them to climb or cling to. Herbs and spices are also appropriate for greenhouse gardening, and will grow easily in a small pot.
About the Author:
Greenhouses are easy to build and maintain, and are available in an assortment of sizes and materials to suit every home and budget. You can even get an indoor greenhouse if you don’t have a backyard. Learn more at
Garden Greenhouses.
by Garry Brown
We all need a change at times and this change can be in the form of the right surroundings. That is why interior designers are becoming more and more creative and are constantly finding ways to make their surroundings better. With the baby-boomer generation getting older, they children are now buying homes and are even more creative than their parents. That is why when we look at new homes, we see a wide array of different designs and shapes.
One of the best ways to accentuate your surroundings is by installing glass blocks. For those who are constructing new homes, this is very easy and involves simply adapting a whole new approach to interior design. This then is followed by asking the interior designer to create a section of the wall using glass blocks.
Glass blocks are quickly becoming very popular and we can hardly travel very far before we encounter them in either someone’s house or an office. One of the reasons why people are choosing glass blocks is because they are attractive. Unlike the regular bricks which are dark and gloomy, glass blocks allow light into the room making them an easy choice when it comes to recreating exotic and tasteful surroundings. That is why they are preferred now in many office buildings.
The fact that glass blocks allow light also makes them a huge energy saver especially in these times when businesses are looking for different ways to boost cut energy costs. In a traditional building, the room is often dark and to enable employees to work effectively, artificial light is used.
This means lamps burning and lit all day long and all night long. It is not hard to imagine that these businesses pay through their nose when it comes to energy costs. Glass blocks can change all this. During the day, there is no need for artificial lighting.
This is because the blocks allow light inside therefore eliminating the need for lights being lit all day. Imagine the sheer energy costs. Allowing light or being translucent, means that as offices are open, they also enjoy the view outside. This is great for relaxation as well.. With time, glass blocks are being designed that can actually allow more light into the room without necessarily compromising on privacy. This means the people inside the room can see outside but the people outside cannot see inside.
To get glass blocks installed in your home or office is not all that complicated. Most people simply take a trip to their local home improvement store and go to the interior design section. Here there are competent people trained on glass blocks and all that pertains to them. For a small fee, the home improvement personnel can even come and install the glass blocks for you.
The Internet also contains tons of helpful information on glass blocks; from different types, to the prices. That means that you can do research before you install.
by Jacob Williams
Have you ever heard of a loan service that is labeled as no hassle payday loans? Well to tell you the truth this is something that is not very convincing but once you get to know what’s behind the no hassle payday loans service you would definitely like to know more about it.
We all know and are aware that when one is interested to apply for a loan there are a lot of requirements that would be asked for you to submit as well as the time being spent to have it processed is a very exasperating experience. It’s good that we have options like these so we would be able to get temporary assistance that would help us get the financial help that we need for the mean time. And in situations like this no hassle payday loans have been part with the successful approved loans for people who have already tried the service.
You might as well be thinking if no hassle payday loan would be that comfortable in terms of acquiring it. That is because of its key feature that allows the borrower to proceed through the application process without the worry of being disapproved because of a failing credit background check. Believe it or not, by availing no hassle payday loans your problems regarding the rejection of your application would be resolved through this loan procedure.
It is already a known issue to borrowers, it is known that a lot of individuals applying for a loan are being rejected because of having a bad credit history. What they do is that they just give up on the matter and look for other options if possible.
It’s a very good thing that we have the option to choose no hassle payday loans as your loan provider because through this you will be able to avail of a service that would be truly beneficial on your end. So if you would really like a loan processing with no credit checks, no sending of documents through fax and no brokers being involved, don’t hesitate to look for further options because if you have the will to find the answers then you will always have a way to reach your goal.
So having all the possibilities of you being able to acquire that loan that you need even for a short period of time, you don’t have to worry about stabilizing your financial status in a short while.
by Eric Jilson
As time progresses, more and more people are joining the credit card revolution. Yes, it really is a revolution. These days you no longer have to worry about how much cash you have in your pocket when you go shopping. So long as you have that single plastic card you’ll have enough ‘money’ to buy yourself a treat. You can even use your credit card to order things online from the comfort of your home.
The number of credit card applications is on the rise, but not every application is met with success. Many applications get rejected.
Why would a credit card supplier reject a credit card application after spending so much time, energy and money on wooing and recruiting new customers? One potential reason for the rejection of your credit card application is simple human error. Perhaps you wrote down the wrong telephone number, incorrectly spelled the name of your street or inputted the wrong postal code. Another possibility is that you forgot to fill in some mandatory information on the credit card application form, or misunderstood what was required of you. It’s normal to make mistakes such as these. After all, we are only human.
Your credit card application could also be rejected because of someone else’s error. The person processing your application may find your handwriting difficult to understand, resulting in processing errors. Your credit card sales representative may make a mistake while depositing your form or give you incorrect advice regarding how you should fill out your application. Newly hired sales representatives can make such mistakes, and even seasoned representatives can have an off day.
These types of errors are minor and can be easily corrected. Their only impact would be to delay the arrival of your new credit card. The main and more serious cause for rejection of credit card applications is if you have a bad credit history.
If you have other credit cards or have taken out loans or mortgages in the past you will have already built your credit rating. If you have made your payments adequately and on time your credit rating will be in good shape. However, if you have been irregular or have defaulted on payments, you will have developed a bad credit rating and a low balance transfer credit card may not be in your future.
Your rating is calculated by credit agencies based on information provided by from different lenders and financial institutions. Every credit card applicant is examined for his or her credit rating. If yours comes up negative your application will be rejected outright, not just delayed. This is the result of more than simple human error, and to fix it requires time, commitment and responsibility. Your best bet is to take this responsibility early, and build a good credit rating from the start.
by Dean Engle
Buy Notes - Who is Your Borrower?
I just got off the phone with the Sr. Vice President of a California bank in charge of note sales, and a note broker friend of mine who set up the call.
The bank had 3 defaulted mortgages which were commercial loans based in the Los Angeles area.
A Buy Notes Lesson about Golf Clubs and why to Communicate with Your Borrower
Keep listening…
As we continued our conversation…the SVP at the bank notified me that one of the loans had a scheduled foreclosure sale in 2 weeks.
And that she hasn’t spoken to the borrower (a builder/developer) in several months.
I asked her if she was worried about possible problems when taking over the properties through foreclosure. And if she had any other concerns regarding the loans.
She let me know that the bank didn’t have too many concerns because the property values were enough to pay off their debt.
My Concerns With This Buying Notes Situation
The most important thing that I have learned is that building the relationship with your borrower is key. This is probably one of the most important concepts in the note buying business. Manage your relationships.
By not working with your borrower, you can really mess up your chances of getting out of your note deals.
This is why…
There are essentially 5 Buying Notes Exit Strategies for all Loans:
reperformance, refinance, short sale or deed-in-lieu, refinance, note sale, foreclosure.
Only 2 of those plays, foreclosure and note sale, can succeed without any communication at all with the borrower.
In this example, the bank has chosen foreclosure as the exit. But the time it could take to recover the property can easily be postponed, if the borrowers file for bankruptcy. This is one of the risks associatied with foreclosures.
Tip on Buying Notes
When buying notes, you can earn terrific returns without having the either sell the note or foreclose on the property.
And if this is true, then not maintaining contact with your borrower will jeopordize 60% of your note buying exits. (3 of the 5)
Would any professional golf player get only a course with 5 out of their 12 clubs?
Wouldn’t that limit their game?
Probably.
It sure would be entertaining watching him hit a putt with a 9-iron.
Working with your borrower is essential when you are buying notes. It can be painful, but it is what has to be done.
This is the same advice that I shared with the LA bank today.
Will they take my advice? I am going to be tracking her discounted notes to see if any of them end up in bankruptcy court.
And if the notes do end up in BK, I am pretty sure that she will be regretting the fact that she lost communication with her borrowers.
About the Author:
Interested in learning more about the Note Buying Business? Watch Hours of FREE Training Videos here:
Buy Notes Real-life, Up-to-Date Information for You. Visit NoteBuyingProfits.com or Call 718-783-7605 Or Click Here:
Buy Defaulted Mortgages From Dean Engle & NoteBuyingProfits.com - This time on Buy Notes.
by Jacob Williams
Isn’t it relieving to know that to be able to get a loan approved and you don’t have to wait for months just to get an approval for the loan? Usually people would like to get loan when they are in a financial crisis or they are in a sudden unforeseen crisis that requires immediate action.
But instead of waiting for those loan approvals that may take months to process there is another service that can process loans faster than anyone can expects, this is through instant payday loans.
Instant payday loans allows the process of one’s loan application more quickly because of its ability to take care of the applications via a database online. Nearly everybody can definitely avail of instant payday loans. If you are an individual that depends on your salary for making sure that your expenses are covered on a monthly basis you can as well avail of this. a certain amount that covers the goods and services you purchase for a month you’ll be qualified for acquiring this type of loan.
Instant payday loans usually will verify if you will be able to payback according to the amount of loan that you have applied for. And you can find it easy to acquire because it doesn’t need any documentation for you to pass.
If you have the job then this is the right option for you. Financial institutions that supports instant payday loans to affirm certain information via the borrowers company and the salary that they have to avail of the appropriate financial aid.
The approved amount would be equivalent and is contingent upon the monthly salary of the individuals applying for the instant payday loans. The borrower would then be asked to pay the loan via the next pay period. Meaning that this type of loan would only be applicable for short term loans.
In paying for the loan one should be able to consider the timeline that has been given by the lender. The consequence of not being able to comply with the terms that has been agreed upon delay of payment may result to penalty which includes high interest rates.
It’s definitely something that one can take advantage of and to make sure that you will be able to comply with what the terms and conditions of lenders are you can actually try researching online to give you more information. You’ll be amazed on how easy you’ll be able to get access to this specific financial assistance - instant payday loans is one of the best options that you can rely on.
Read More
by Mathew Kingston
Determining the best kitchen curtains
The kitchen is one of the most intimate places in the entire house. It is the place where meals are prepared and the place where families frequent in order to eat breakfast and to look for snacks. In families where the wife is a housewife and there are numerous children, time spent in the kitchen can be considerable. It is therefore important that the kitchen looks good and many have invested considerably in the appearance of the kitchen. One investment can be in kitchen tiles which can enhance the look of the kitchen. Others have invested in copper sinks which can be very ideal for modern homes because they are long-lasting and are very hygienic. Of all these enhancements, one of the best is kitchen curtains. Many homes have beautiful kitchen curtains and others prefer not to. There are a few tips you can consider before adding kitchen curtains.
The first thing to consider before putting kitchen curtains is the size. Size is important because it determines the amount of light that comes into the kitchen and indeed the whole house. Large windows will automatically mean you will have to pay more for curtains because they will have to correspond to the size of the windows.
Another point to note is how far your home is from the neighbors. If you are too far from the neighbors, like those who live out in the country or on a ranch, then kitchen curtains are not absolutely necessary and one can simply enjoy the view and also let in as much light as possible.
Before you add shower curtains, it is also essential to check and see where exactly the window is placed. If the window is near the stove, then it might not be a good idea because the curtains have a way of absorbing moisture especially the steam that comes from the food. This might cause a musky smell to permeate the whole house because of that. In some cases, the curtains may also absorb grease from the steam and from the different foods increasing the risk of a fire.
The best kitchen curtain can be bought at many department stores. Specialty stores like those that sell linen are also a great source of kitchen curtains. If you have access to the Internet, this is also one of the best ways to shop for kitchen curtains because you can do a price comparison. Because of market forces, different stores stock curtains at different prices and one of the best ways to check for the best deal is the Internet. The Internet also has many websites which sell kitchen curtains. eBay for instance offers affordable curtains and because eBay is the world’s largest market, it is highly unlikely that you will search for an affordable set of kitchen curtains and not find one.
Smart shopping for curtains can be very rewarding in the long run because kitchen curtains are a great way to accentuate your kitchen and indeed your entire house.
by Rick Jarman
Technology has been constantly changing ever stoves replaced bare fire in helping man prepare food, warm himself and prepare other items. Today we have cookers that have constantly evolved to what we use today. Man is now able to cool using electricity, gas and even coal. There are also stoves that can use all three; electricity, gas and coal although coal has largely been phased out of the modern world.
In today’s homes, cooking is done almost always by a cooking stove of some kind. In the industrialized world, homes come equipped with pre-installed electric or gas cookers stoves which are a practice that has more or less become a standard. As we have mentioned, coal has more or less faded from the world of stoves and electric cookers and gas cookers have more or less become the predominant form of cooking although we do have coal being used in the less developed world.
Gas cookers are very popular. They work by pumping natural gas through a network of pipes that runs underground and is largely provided and regulated by gas utility companies much the same way that way electricity or cable is provided. In the event that you fall behind on your bill, the gas company can interrupt the gas supply.
The electric cooker is quickly becoming a very common way of cooking. It comes in a freestanding stove that has mostly four heating surfaces where the cooking is done. While professional chefs still prefer gas cookers because they are easy to regulate, electric cookers have become the standard cooking appliance that is installed in all new apartment units and condominiums.
Electric cookers have a few advantages. One of them is that they are cheap in the event that you wanted to install a new one. A couple of hundred dollars will get you a new or used one depending on your budget.
Another advantage is that they are safe. There is no flame involved and no smoke to spread soot around the house or cause the air to become dry. Gas cookers while being present in many homes, pose the danger of fires. There have been many incidences where someone has unwittingly left the gas knob on and gas has escaped in the atmosphere then someone unknowingly either lit a match or a cigarette. In the past when gas did not have an odor, these incidents caused numerous deaths and destruction of property.
Another advantage that electric cookers have is that they do not need a match or a lighter to light. A push or a button or a turn of the knob ensures automatically turns the on and there is a light that comes on to indicate that the unit is in use.
One disadvantage of electric cookers is that it uses metallic coils which when bombarded by electrons at high speed, become heated up. After the coils have been heated, they remain excessively hot for some time even after the stove has been turned off. This can pose a danger to people who come into contact with coil.
by Tim Kolstowski
Have you been thinking about obtaining an unsecured loan? Because if you are, you will have to take in some information before going ahead with this. If you’re planning to get the best unsecured loan with low interest, take the time to read this article through.
The first step you should take is look into your credit report. A Lot Of people are not aware of the fact that it’s not rare to have mistakes on your credit report. And if these faults lower your credit score, it’s going to cost you a lot of money. Take the time to go over your credit report meticulously.
Make sure all the errors are removed from your credit report before you apply with a lender. Don’t send your application to the lender first and then make an effort to remove the errors. Take the time and go through the trouble of checking every record on your credit report.
If you want to get the bottom interest rates, you should compare rates against each other. Comparing loan offers is simple online. Just make a point of comparing apples to apples. See if the loans are for the same amount and have about the same terms attached.
Finding a lender that’s willing to supply you with an unsecured loan isn’t difficult. Throughout every marketplace, there are good and bad suppliers. With the Internet, you can do some inquiries on a lender to see if he’s one of the good guys. Or ask your acquaintances if they know a good lender.
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