Has anyone actually used those kits online like energy4green or earth4energy to build their own solar panels or windmills? I'm so tempted but with my budget can't afford to waste any money. They have a 60 day money back policy but that doesn't include the money used to buy the supplies to try and build the things. My electric bill is almost $300 a month due to my stay at home disabled veteran husband who went from Utah snow to Florida sun and he has to have the AC on really cold. If anyone has actually built one can you tell me of your experience and if it actually is worth the money? I do lots of D.I.Y. projects but am a novice with electric besides installing a ceiling fan and changing out a light switch.
What I've heard, is that for those sites implying that you can power your house and save money with homemade solar panels, is that if you try to get your money back, there is no response. Maybe if you used a real credit card, you could dispute the charges through your credit card company. Actually, I wouldn't be worried about buying materials and it not working - the more likely scenario is that you would get their instructions, and realize that they're practically worthless. In Florida, you have a chance to save money on your electric long-term, but it will be by investing maybe $0-20k, and then getting that back after 0 or more years. I'd suggest you contact a local solar installer and get a bid, even if it's only to scope out how much it would cost up front. Then you can shop around and see if you could save by installing it yourself. It's a serious project, not to be taken lightly. It took me about 3 months to put it up. It's possible that you will not save money by self-installing, as professionals may get better prices on the panels. The Florida state rebate is subject to availability of funds, and typically, I've heard people wait a long time to get it. The Federal rebate is a credit to your taxes, so you get it the next year.
Electric panels are not feasible for most people. They are two super thin layers of polarized material. When the sun hits them electrons move from the first to the second layer with an amount of force. You can't duplicate that at home. What you could do is setup solar heating panels and run them against a Stirling engine. This technique is typically more efficient than normal electric panels anyway in industry. They have heat on one side and cold on the other to generate force. Hook that to any generator to produce electricity. If you are successful building a home system, blog about it, others will want to know precisely how you did it.
