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Home Made Energy Review

What with the rising cost of electricity and other forms of energy, and the drop in the cost of renewable energy technology such as solar power, more and more people are thinking about installing a solar system on their rooftops.

Well and good, but when you look into having such a system installed, you find that it will run you thousands of dollars up front to have it done, so that it will take literally decades in some cases to recoup that cost in savings on your electric bill.

For that reason, do-it-yourself solar systems are becoming more and more popular, and you can find a number of on-line guides to making your own solar panels and putting together your own solar system, thus saving a lot of money on the cost of finished solar panels and installation.

Home Made Energy by Ben Ford is one such guide, available after an introductory video at www.homemadeenergy.org. The video (which consists mostly of words flashed on a screen as the narrator, presumably Mr. Ford himself, tells the story, although there are a few photos along the way) presents Ben Ford's tale of how his power company installed new meters that resulted in almost a doubling of his electric bill, which sent him on a project to learn how to build his own solar system and have the company pay him for a change.

EXPOSED

An electrician, Mr. Ford already had a general knowledge base, and was able to learn enough about solar energy at the library and online to make it possible for him to construct his own solar system.

Mr. Ford offers his guide to making and installing a solar system plus a video accessory and a book that he didn't write on how to make a wind turbine, along with himself as a lifetime advice resource, for $47.

Most of this is similar to other DIY guides to solar power that can be found online, although the "club membership" is somewhat unusual. Most such packages sell for a little under $50.

There are certain standard lines that all do-it-yourself solar system ads seem to use, among which is the idea that you can build your own solar system for under $200. That's technically correct, but such a system will generate only around 100 to 150 watts of power, which is nowhere near enough to power a household.

Get past that giddy exaggeration, though, and confront some real figures on what it will cost to build a significant solar system for your home, and you are still looking at great savings compared to having it installed by a contractor and paying full price for the solar panels, plus labor.

The downside, of course, is that it will take some work to make your system. There's no getting around that. You are talking about an investment of time. But it's work that's not too difficult to do, and can save a great deal of money on electric bills in the future. Just keep in mind that you're looking at setting aside at least one whole weekend, probably more if you want to make a good-sized system, or if you need some learning-curve time.

The final thing to remember is that it's entirely possible to research all this stuff the same way that Mr. Ford did and avoid paying his (or anyone else's) price for the guide.

All of the information on how to make solar panels, where to find solar cells, and so on is available online for free, if you want to take the time looking for it and piecing it together.

But a guide like this may still be worth the small amount of money paid for it simply in ease and convenience. After all, how much of your time is worth $47?

Chances are you would eat up that much doing the research.