One of the saddest facts about being environmentally friendly is that it tends to cost a lot more than the cost of being something less than environmentally friendly.

For example, in California the overall cost of generating a kilowatt hour of electricity through solar power is around 17 cents compared to just 10 cents to generate a kilowatt hour of electricity through burning fossil fuels. The cost of installing the solar panels needed to generate enough power for an average home can be as high as $30,000 before any government rebates kick in.

While there are moves afoot to bring cheaper solar panels onto the market (and you can read about them here) nothing has appeared yet and few families these days can afford costs like that no matter how serious about being eco-friendly they would like to be. But there are ways of cutting some of the costs … particularly those associated with the installation side of the task.

There are plenty of guides available commercially that will help you work through the installation process. Some are aimed specifically at people with very limited knowledge and so they’re ideal for beginners. Others require a little more background knowledge and they’re more suited for the home handyman. All of them will give you the tips and tricks you need to know to get the most out of solar or wind powered power systems.

They don’t cost an arm and a leg either so they’re a great place to start before you go to any unnecessary expense of buying something that may not suit your particular situation. As I said before, there are plenty of them around and you’re sure to see them advertised right here on this page so if you want to try Green do-it-yourself energy or home made energy then just follow the links.