Your Questions About Cheap Solar Panel Kits For Homes

Henry Dover answers:

Eeeek! That has to be horrible! I so feel for you. I hope you mend faster than they predict and get out of that cast quck!

But to answer your question, there are a few things you can be doing without having to move around.

1. Learn to crochet. Have someone bring you a “how to for dummies” book on it, or a beginners book, some yarn and a set of needles. Make yourself and your friends some cool-looking scarves for the beginning of fall and winter.

2. The obvious…books. May I recommend “The Dresden Series” by Jim Butcher? Very cool reading.

3. Research and plan out how much it would cost to turn a/your home into a totally off-the-grid house. What would you need? How efficient would it be? How much would it cost? Windmill, turbine, solar panel or a combination? How much to install a septic tank? To put in a well for the home? What about cob houses? Yurts? Tumbleweed houses? What about bathroom facilities? A dry toilet? Using “grey water”? How about a rain water collection system? Recycling? How could you get laundry done without using a lot of water and power? All of this can be found by surfing the net.

4. Write the next great novel. Or if you prefer, design a video game or write a few songs/poems.

5. Use dumbells and increase the strength in your arms. Place a weight that wraps around your ankle and exercise the leg that’s NOT broken.

6. Can you wiggle your nose? Your ears? If not, give it a try. LOL

7. How about an online course? There are some that are free or relatively cheap, if you hunt hard enough.

8. A nap is always nice.

9. Write down a plan for what you want to do and where you want to be ten years from now. What steps would you have to take to get there?

10. Think up funny names for pets, dog, cat, fish, bird.

11. Have someone get you a bead jewelry making kit.

12. Use a few online gaming sites. Pogo is a good one.

13. Learn to meditate and bring peace into your soul.

Henry Dover answers:

Eath4Energy is a scam. Please see my review at http://www.nlcpr.com/Deceptions6.php

If your motivation is to reduce your energy bills, then you should first look at conservation projects. These are things like using low flow shower heads, replacing old appliances and adding more insulation.

If your motivation is to generate some energy for learning purposes or as a matter of principle, then consider the following:

Building a wind generator yourself is not a simple project. If you can build an utility trailer for your truck (welding, metal fabrication) then you could certainly tackle the job. There is a great book available from www.otherpower.com called Homebrew Wind Power plus you can order any parts and assemblies that are beyond your abilities to fabricate. Cost of turbine is about $2000 and you need a tower as well. There are cheap units at some hardware stores but they are garbage compared to to the unit designed by www.otherpower.com

A more realistic project would be to get a commercial solar panel (making your own from broken cells on eBay is not worth it), inverter, charge controller and battery and using it to power some things in your house. For about $1000 you could have something to power a small computer. A complete system to power your home is more in the $30,000 range.

There are, unfortunately, no cheap ways to make your own power as Earth4Energy is promoting other than perhaps getting lucky in an eBay auction or purchasing a solar system from a bankruptcy sale.

Do your conservation measures first. Then read Homebrew Wind Power, read the solar links at http://www.nlcpr.com/Links1.php and then decide what type of project you are up for. By then, you will know exactly what you want to do.