It is possible to completely build your own solar panel, but for the most part, these panels are small and don’t produce the wattage necessary to power more than a lamp….and only for a couple of minutes at that!  The most effective way to produce power from the sun, when you can’t afford to hire the professionals, would be with a solar panel kit.  These build your own solar panel kits come with everything you need to successfully build your own solar panel in the comfort of your living room, or the garage may be a wiser choice.

Surprisingly, build your own solar panel kits are not difficult to find.  With large companies like GE producing these kits, the build your own solar panel sets are very affordable and offer quicker return on your investment than purchasing and professionally installing a solar energy system.  In general, the instructions are easy to follow and in no time you are on your way to your own solar power system.

If you are looking to build your own solar panel there are a numerous resources and guides available to help you through the process.   Click on the link to find out how to get Started making your own power at home and take advantage of the potential money savings and the reduction of your carbon footprint.

So you may be wondering what’s the benefit of all those different set points?  By lowering the temperature when you’re not home you’re saving money because you’re using your furnace or baseboard heaters less.  Now of course you could still do this with a conventional thermostat, but you would have to remember to change the dial 4 times a day everyday.  With a programmable thermostat you input your set points once and that’s it!  Studies have shown that by installing a programmable thermostat you could save up to 25% on your heating costs….so I recommend that you look into getting one as soon as you can.

The cost of a programmable thermostat can go from a base model of $35 up to a 7-day touchscreen model for around $150.  Most people will be fine with the basics, but if your work schedule is constantly changing I would go with a 7-day unit.

I was just at Canadian Tire on the weekend and I saw the Black and Decker Power Monitor there and decided to give it a shot.  I got it installed on my Smart Hydro Meter, but quickly found that the unit was having trouble picking up the sigal from the Smart Meter.  After several attempts to find troubleshooting for my particular type of hydro meter, I decided to read more on the Smart Meter technology on the Hydro One Website…

What I found was that by 2010, all Ontario residents will have a Smart Meter installed and will be able to view your energy usage online.  This way you can track what times you are using the most energy, and then you can adjust to keep your energy usage at a minimum during peak hours.  With that being said, this will also be the start of Time-of-Day (TOD) billing which will see high rates during peak hours (estimated at 8.8 cents per kW) and low rates during off hours (estimated at 4.0 cents per kW)

Therefore, if you currently live in Ontario and have purchased a Black and Decker Power Monitor, it will essentially be useless by sometime next year.  You will be able to more accurately check your usage on the internet and have access to the past 13 months of usage to monitor your progress.  I suggest that if you’ve purchased the Power Monitor recently, you take it back for a refund and wait patiently for the smart meter technology to come into effect.

Plan ahead.  Check your flyers for on sale items and create a shopping list before heading out.  With a list you will be more likely to stick to your plan and avoid impulse items.

Comparison shopping is key.  If two similar products are closely priced, compare the unit price (ie. price per 100 grams, etc.).  This way you may find that one of the products has a lower price per unit, and therefore and better buy.  Also keep a close eye on ‘best before’ dates.  You may find that a certain product has a lower price because the expiration date is near.

Picking the right store.  Your local grocery store is probably fine for most purchases, but you may find better deals at warehouses (like Costco) on bulk items.  It’s not always convenient to shop in bulk, but if you have the storage room buying in bulk could save you a lot of money in the long run.

Coupon clipping will pay off.  You may find that clipping coupons out of the flyers is a tedious job, but if you think of it over a course of a year you could be saving hundreds of dollars.  Remember that every penny counts when looking to save money.

Try the no-name brands.  I’m sure there are some things that you refuse to go no-name on (for me it’s Ketchup!), but there are a lot of no-name items that are quite comparible to the name brands….and a lot less money!

Hopefully you can use these tips the next time you head to the grocery store and become a more efficient shopper!