So you want to go solar but don’t know where to start: try these great solar investments…

1) A solar thermal panel can be installed within a few hours and can heat all the water you need.

Central heating is an area where solar heating can make a useful contribution but under floor systems will be the best option. Radiator heating operates at too high a heat to be maintained during the cooler months whereas under floor systems with a back up boiler fueled by an alternative power source will continue to work even on cloudy days.

2) Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells that produce electricity directly from sunlight are still pretty expensive for the average home owner.

But, and this is a big BUT, if you are concerned with saving the planet and not just reducing the utility bill, systems are available that can generate up to 2kw of electricity.

This is about a third of the average household’s requirements for an investment of $15,000-$20,000.

Payback will be over decades not years, but with technology improving all the time and prices dropping as production increases, this form of electricity generation is already on a par with oil based plants.

Many people now use solar power lights in their gardens. The lights are charged during the days and give off their light at night. However, such lights do not put out enough wattage to be of use indoors.

3) For heating a pool, even low tech options such as coiled black polythene pipe in combination with a small pump to circulate the water will work to absorb solar energy and maintain the water heat during the day.

4) The higher tech option is to add a solar collector into the current filtration system your pool uses. Between the filter and the return to the pool a solar panel can be installed to heat water on the way back.

Sounds simple and it is. In fact for the average DIY enthusiast and a few materials from the hardware store your current system can be adapted in a matter of hours.

5) Solar powered ovens for the home are still lie in the future, but a gas fired barbecue can be replaced with DIY cookers that are both simple and cheap to make.

In fact if you are prepared to wait for hours, roasting and baking boxes can be constructed for next to nothing.

In the wilderness, hikers can carry lightweight cookers for heating water that pose no fire hazard. Demonstrating the power of the sun in this fashion can be a fun project for a family outing.

Essentially this is the attitude to adopt with solar power, not just as a way to save on the utility bill but to increase your self sufficiency for when electricity may not always come at the flick of a switch.

Solar Energy not for you? Then how about installing a DIY Wind Turbine? Discover more renewable energy technologies at Cheap Electricity Options. This article, Top 5 Alternative Solar Energy Solutions For The Home has free reprint rights.