Please list the cheapest source of energy for the home from cheapest to most expensive. Obviously free energy like wind and solar would be at the top of the list, but what comes after that? If one was to create a house focused on using the cheapest source of energy while still remaining practical, what would that energy source be? Electric?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I think bio fules can be really really cheap, for one your making gas out of rubbish and that is virtually free at the moment.
Think homemade fuel! insanely renewable.
This video will get you started
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-RyysPU1Hw
Also here is an industrial size version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGTVrMTAcTU&feature=related
I can’t see anything even remotely as cheap as this, I know there are poor farmers in developing nations that produce their own gas for cooking and lighting though these means. – They litterally have a big hole in the ground put the rubbish in one chute and collect the gas that rises out. Methane when lit does not stink it is virtually odor free.
again, super cheap. And yes you can run generators to produce electricity, but that costs more of course.
Cheapest source of energy means through bio fuel/bio gas. And what you mentioned wind and solar energies.
design your house to maximize use of sunlight for heating, cooling by use of shade, glass, eves, thermal mass. Then also incorporate natural ventilation and solar hot water, all very practical and you reduce your energy needs tremendously. The rest depends on where you live, comparative prices vary. But for lighting at night electricity is the only viable option, although you can create your own from solar panels etc. Natural gas is often cheap, but then firewood can be cheaper. So can cow patties, or bio gas
surely that awnser is wood? just go out into a nearby woodland and cut up some wood? sorted. might be trespassing and stealing but at the end of the day no ones going to care and chopping up dead, fallen, or excess trees does little eco damage.
I would go with biofuels followed by geothermal. This is specially true where I live.
I think solar energy will be the cheapest of all.Also bio fuel may be used but the fact is that a lot of energy will be consumed.
The cheapest source of energy for your home is natural gas and electricity in that order. Also the easiest to get. You buy them right off the grid. Natural gas is much cheaper than electricity and most gas appliances cost less than electric ones so get a gas cook stove, water heater, clothes dryer, and a gas furnace if possible.
There is no such thing as “free” energy. If you want to use wind, solar or thermal energy first you have to build the physical plant. And they are expensive. Even then you must still be hooked into the grid as none of these sources will provide enough continuous energy to power your house.
Some of these “free” energy sources will cost you more than conventional energy sources. A museum in Denver spent $ 170,000 to install solar panels. Their best estimates say the panels will save them $ 140,000 over there usable lifetime. This means they lost $ 30,000 in order to have solar panels. The panels are not enough to power their building so they are still dependent on the grid.
I saw a documentary on TV where a man reduced his total electric bill to less than $ 10 a month. He installed a geothermal plant. It cost him over $ 200,000. It will pay for itself in about 80 years. Assuming he doesn’t have to do any repairs to it.
You can build a methane producing system pretty cheap and use the methane for cooking or to heat your home. But the methane you get will not be anywhere near pure. The impurities will stink to high heaven when you burn the gas. Go to your local landfill and stand downwind of the methane burn off valve. This will give you an idea of how bad it stinks. Basically you will be burning farts.
Bio fuels offer a good source of energy. They will power your car (diesel), you can use them in a generator to make electricity, and you can use it to heat your home. You can get free cooking oil from restaurants to make into bio fuel. You will need a building to house your equipment. 200 square feet should be big enough. If you can weld, do basic plumbing and know some simple chemistry you can make the equipment fairly cheap and produce your own bio fuel. If you have to pay some one else to build it for you it is still cost effective, it will just take longer to pay for itself.