Solar Home Lighting System - Say What?

Times have been tough lately. Struggling to makea reduction in the use of electricity?
ends meet has been a reality for a great manyOne of the simplest and most effective ways of
of us. We're all faced with the same issues whencutting electrical costs is by eliminating the use of
it comes to meeting our financial obligations: weyour lights. Did you guess that? I know, lights
have bills coming out of our posteriors -- theseseem to be of little consequence when considering
bills seem to monopolize the majority of ourelectricity costs... but lights, alarmingly, account for
paycheck. Finding better-paying jobs may be ana very large percentage of our power use. Ask
option that some of us have considered, oryourself, how important is it to have the lights on
perhaps some of us have even thought aboutaround your home? If you feel that keeping lights
changing our lifestyle to better accommodate ouron is absolutely required, then clearly you feel you
respective financial realities.can afford to pay for them. Having the kind of
As our resources become more scarce, we'll findmoney you'd require just to pay for having your
that their cost to us will follow suit. Resources likelights turned on is a good indication that you have
electricity are in high demand world-wide, butthe kind of money you'd require to light your
many of the power stations that producehome (or business) using a solar lighting system.
electricity (primarily within North America) rely onSolar home lighting systems are pretty much
the combustion of fossil fuel (largely coal) toexactly what the name suggests. Solar powered
produce the electrical power that is delivered tolights are introduced into your home, and as
our homes and businesses. As we all know, fossilimplied, make use of solar power rather than
fuel is not a renewable resource and hence wefossil-fuel-produced electricity. As we've
must all realize that the day will come when thereascertained, using conventional electricity comes
is absolutely none left. Another detriment toat an expense far beyond what most of us
consider is the irreversible negative effect thatconsider; however, the use of solar power will hit
burning fossil fuels has on our fragile environment.ONLY our wallets, and will do so only a hand-full of
When looking at this picture, it's easy to see howtimes over the course of our lives (if we decide
the "cost" of producing electricity in all respects isto use it), yet it will have no negative impact on
increasing at an alarmingly unfavourable rate.our planet.
The fact is, the more electricity we use, theThe initial installation of in-home solar lights poses
more money we have to pay out for itsan obvious financial cost. Beyond that cost, one
consumption. When we think about what we'remay have to invest marginal amounts of money
really paying for (power to our homes, pollution toover the course of decades for the maintenance
our world), it would also do us well to consider theof the system. Overall, the money spent (which
fact that there are other ways to pay for thewill unquestionably inflate over the years) on
power that we need at a fraction of the gross"electricity" used to power your lights over the
(financial + environmental) cost.course of many decades out-weighs the cost of
How much attention do you pay to the electricityimplementing better, and ultimately more
usage in your home or business? What do youcost-effective ways to achieve the same goal.
think about in terms of what you should be usingSolar energy is our planet's most plentiful energy
minimally in your home to keep the cost of yourresource... why are we paying for what shines
electricity bill down? Do you know where to evendown on us for free?
begin when assessing how you can contribute to