Many people like the idea of using solar power to reduce their home energy consumption. Using solar energy has the potential to reduce your monthly utility bill because some of the electrical components can draw power from the solar system instead from the main power grid.

A residential solar kit can be expensive. Be prepared to invest $8000 or more. If you want to cut cost, you can build the solar system via a Do It Yourself (DIY) approach.

Do you know there are some steps you can take which can reduce your solar budget substantially? You can cut cost by following the 3 approaches below.

1) Check for air leaks – One of the major energy cost is on air conditioning. To save cost, you can start by checking for air leaks in your house.

During winter, cold air leaking into your house will increase your heating bill. During summer, hot air seeping in will jack up your air conditioning cost.

2) Install attic exhaust fan – This is a very simple and inexpensive approach. Installing an exhaust fan in the attic can cool down your living rooms substantially.

During summer days, hot air is trapped under the roof or in the attic. The hot air will tend to heat up the rooms beneath it. By using an exhaust fan, it will suck out all the hot air therefore keeping your home cooler.

3) Install window screen – This is another simple and inexpensive step you can take to reduce your air conditioning cost. You can cool down a room by installing window screen which has direct exposure to sun light.

Some people do it wrong by installing the screen inside the room. This will make the room hotter because of “green house effect”. The right way is to install the window screen outside the window. You can save cost further by using inexpensive wood or bamboo screen which is replaceable.

Will Yap writes about DIY solar homes at http://www.diysolarhomes.com Do you want to cut your home energy bill by using solar power? If you do, check out the Earth 4 Energy e-book. The manual will show you step-by-step how to make a solar module with inexpensive parts. For more information, read the Earth4 energy review on the web site.