A resource for those seeking information on organizing and transforming spaces.

Home Ideas Ben Soreff Home Ideas Ben Soreff

How to build a solar panel in 5 steps

Building a solar panel doesn’t have to be costly or require a complicated construction. If you didn’t already know, it’s possible to create your own solar panel. If you enjoy DIY projects, this can be a fun project to take on. Read these quick tips on how to build a solar panel:

Building a solar panel doesn’t have to be costly or require a complicated construction. If you didn’t already know, it’s possible to create your own solar panel. If you enjoy DIY projects, this can be a fun project to take on. Read these quick tips on how to build a solar panel:

  1. Gather the Materials: You will need solar cells, a soldering iron, flux, solder, a blocking diode, a tabbing wire, and a backing board.

  2. Assemble the Solar Cells: Lay out the solar cells on a flat surface and connect them using the tabbing wire. Then, use a soldering iron to solder the wires to the cells.

  3. Connect the Blocking Diode: The blocking diode ensures that the current flows in only one direction, preventing the battery from discharging at night. Solder the diode to the last solar cell in the string.

  4. Attach the Backing Board: Cut the backing board to the correct size and attach the solar cells to the board using a unique adhesive. Ensure the blocking diode is connected to the right side of the board.

  5. Connect the Wires: Use the soldering iron to attach wires to the positive and negative sides of the solar panel. Then, connect the cables to a charge controller or battery.

DIY solar panels are a great way to save money on solar energy and make your home more sustainable. Check out the full guide on how to build a solar panel at SolarTap for more information. 

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Home Ideas Ben Soreff Home Ideas Ben Soreff

Take the First Step: 12 Small Changes to Make Your Home More Sustainable

Looking for ways to make your home more sustainable? These 12 easy tips may seem like small and simple changes, but they can have a huge impact.

As awareness around the importance of sustainability grows, people are hunting for ways that they can actionably make their lives—and their homes—more environmentally friendly.

But changing your home lifestyle can be challenging when you don’t know where to start. There are so many ways to prevent wastage and promote eco-friendly alternatives that the prospect of such a big change can be overwhelming. 

However, small incremental changes are a great way to adjust to sustainable living that is simple and easy to execute. If you want your home to be more eco-friendly but aren’t sure where to begin, look at this list of small but powerful ways to improve sustainability one step at a time. 

1. Wash Your Clothes On Cold 

As much as 90% of the energy a washing machine uses goes towards heating up the water. And while there might be some sensitive fabrics that need a warmer wash sometimes, not everything we toss in the machine needs a 130°F blast.

When doing a load of basic laundry like underwear, t-shirts, or shorts, turn the heat down and let your machine run a much more eco-friendly wash cycle. 

2. Swap Out Your Incandescent Bulbs For LEDs

LED light bulbs use up a whopping 90% less energy than regular light bulbs. Need we say more? LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode, which is a type of bulb that uses a tiny microchip to emit light. 

Amazingly, LED bulbs are really affordable and can even last longer than some incandescent bulbs. In fact, some incandescent bulbs can be up to five times more expensive than LEDs. Swapping your bulbs out for LEDs is one of the easiest ways to make your home more sustainable. 

3. Ditch The Dryer 

We’ve come to see tumble dryers as essential home items, but are they really? Dryers are extremely energy consumptive and not all that necessary if you live in a warmer climate. Instead of using a dryer, consider hanging your clothes on a washing line in summer and going to the laundromat during winter. 

4. Have A Garden? Get A Compost Bin 

If you have a garden, there are loads of ways to integrate more earth-friendly alternatives into your home—and one of them is getting a compost bin. 

Compost is organic waste that gets used as fertilizer for plants or even for generating natural power. By collecting all your plant-based food waste in a separate bin, you can use the compost you make to fertilize the ground outside and facilitate a healthier garden. Or donate it to someone who farms. 

5. Use Biodegradable Cleaning Products 

Many of the cleaning products we use contain toxic chemicals that damage the environment when left to run into lakes and animal habitats. By switching them out for biodegradable products—i.e. ones that can be broken down organically—you can significantly reduce your impact on the environment. 

6. DIY Instead Of Buying Brand New 

Want a new wooden bench for your patio? A new table or shelf? These are actually surprisingly easy to make when you have a guide, and can save both you and the environment some precious resources. 

Using reclaimed wood to build simple furniture is not only a sustainability win, but it can also be a very fun and rewarding process. 

7. Insulate Your House For Winter 

During winter, houses get frosty, and most of us turn the indoor heating high. But there are much cheaper and more environmentally friendly ways to stay cozy and warm during colder months. One of them is through manual insulation. 

By installing eco-friendly insulation strips, you can dramatically increase the heat level inside your home and cut down on energy costs at the same time. 

8. Reduce Your Water Consumption

There are plenty of ways to reduce your water consumption and make your home more sustainable. Pop a brick in your toilet cistern so that you use less water when you flush, regularly replace water filter cartridges so you don’t end up running water down the drain because it tastes funny, and shower instead of bathing. You can also invest in water tanks that catch rainwater for watering the garden.

9. Plant Seasonal Herbs 

Not everyone is born with a green thumb, but everyone can learn. Planting seasonal herbs is a great way to introduce more greenery to your household and attract planet-friendly critters like butterflies and bees. Plus, you make your kitchen more sustainable and get free access to fresh herbs such as mint, rosemary, and basil. Yum!

10. Get A Smart Thermostat

Sometimes it’s hard to determine when you’re being indulgent with indoor temperatures or not. But a smart thermostat can help bring that information to your attention in a practical way.

Some smart thermostats can even be connected to an app on your smartphone, so you’ll always be aware of what the temperature is and when it’s time to reduce your consumption. 

11. Fix It, Don’t Toss It 

When it comes to appliances and electronics, it can be very tempting to toss them in the junkyard when they stop working. But many of those items can actually be fixed, lengthening their shelf life and saving you a considerable amount of money. Think before you toss. 

12. Invest In Solar Panels 

Installing solar panels for your home may be expensive, but the money and energy it saves overall are well worth the effort. If you can afford to invest in solar panels, this is one of the most effective and rewarding ways to introduce more sustainability at home. 

Small Changes Make A Big Difference 

With all the stress our planet gets put under, it can be easy to feel like sustainability efforts are futile. But this couldn’t be further from the truth! Every little change you make to the way you live your life has the power to make a difference in the long run. 

Instead of fretting over all the progress that still needs to be made, focus on making small, intentional changes to your lifestyle that lighten the load today and pave the way for a more sustainable future. 

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Home Ideas Ben Soreff Home Ideas Ben Soreff

Eco-friendly Lawn Care Tips

Maintaining an eco-friendly lawn isn't as hard as you may think. With a few simple practices, you can reduce your carbon footprint and still have a beautiful lawn that will make your neighbors jealous. 

Maintaining an eco-friendly lawn isn't as hard as you may think. With a few simple practices, you can reduce your carbon footprint and still have a beautiful lawn that will make your neighbors jealous. 

Read on to learn how you can take care of your lawn without taking away from Mother Nature! 

What Are the Benefits of Having an Eco-Friendly Lawn?

When people think about an eco-friendly lawn, they usually only think about what they have to give up. But there are tons of positive aspects that come with switching to sustainable methods. 

By not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, you won't be putting any harmful toxins into the environment or creating runoff that could end up in our water systems. 

Furthermore, going eco-friendly also saves money on those expensive chemicals and gives back to Mother Nature at the same time! 

Plus, if you decide to use compost as a natural fertilizer, it will actually improve the quality of your soil over time so that plant growth and grass health is improved even further! And in the long run, an eco-friendly lawn actually requires less maintenance.

How to Care for Your Lawn in an Eco-Friendly Way

We all know the importance of being eco-friendly, but did you know that your lawn care can be too? Going green with your lawn care not only benefits the environment, but it also can save you money!

Here are some tips to do it.

1. Use Organic Mulch 

Organic mulch helps to keep weeds at bay and adds nutrients to the soil that help plants grow stronger and healthier. It also helps keep moisture in the soil which will prevent it from drying out too quickly during those hot summer days. Plus, organic mulch looks great! So when you're deciding what type of mulch to use, stick with something organic like wood chips or straw. 

2. Mow the Right Way 

Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to mow your lawn! Make sure you cut in different directions each time you mow so that your grass grows in a uniform pattern and only cut off one third of the total length of your grass blades at a time. This will help keep it healthy and strong without causing stress or damage that can weaken it over time. 

3. Stop Using Pesticides

Pesticides can be harmful not only to your lawn but also to animals and insects living in your yard (and even inside your home!). To avoid using these toxic chemicals, try companion planting instead – this is where two different types of plants are planted together in order to create a natural pesticide barrier around both plants which will help protect them from pests. 

You can also attract beneficial insects like ladybugs which naturally feed on pests and help keep them away from your garden!  

4. Encourage a Deep Root System 

Roots are essential for keeping your grass healthy and hydrated during dry spells since they reach deep into the ground and absorb moisture more efficiently than shallow roots do. To encourage deeper roots, aerate your soil every six weeks by either renting an aerator machine or punching small holes into the top layer of soil with an old pitchfork – this will allow oxygen, water and fertilizer to penetrate deeper down into the roots so that they can grow stronger over time.  

5. Test Your Soil and Amend Only As Needed

Testing your soil regularly (at least once per year) can tell you if certain areas need more nitrogen or phosphorus than others. This way, you know exactly what kind of fertilizer needs to be added in order to optimize growth in specific spots while avoiding over-fertilizing which could damage delicate plants nearby!  

6. Don't Bag Your Leaves or Grass Clippings 

Instead of raking your leaves and bagging them up, mow them.
Simply run your lawnmower over the leaves and grass clippings and transform them into small bits to fertilize your soil for free. This not only eliminates gathering big piles of leaves and grass clippings, but also reduces your lawn waste heading to a landfill. 
Mowing these yard debris helps provide the much-needed nourishment to maintain your lawn's health while providing all the benefits that come with using natural, composted materials in your garden beds or flower beds.

Final Thoughts

Maintaining an eco-friendly lawn doesn't have to be difficult or expensive—just use some common sense practices like natural fertilizers and pest control products, collecting rainwater, raising mower blades higher, planting native plants and grasses, and mulching when necessary! 

With these tips in mind, you can enjoy having an eco-friendly lawn without sacrificing beauty or losing your sanity! So get out there and start creating the perfect green space for yourself today!

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Home Ideas Ben Soreff Home Ideas Ben Soreff

Do Solar Panels Work in Cold Weather? 

Solar panels transform energy from the sun into a form that can be used to heat our homes and cook our food, but will solar panels work in the winter? It is a logical question to ask, because we can all feel the difference in the sun's output between a blazing hot summer and a freezing, perhaps even snowy winter. Let us take a look behind the scenes, so to speak, and see exactly how solar panels work.

Solar panels transform energy from the sun into a form that can be used to heat our homes and cook our food, but will solar panels work in the winter? It is a logical question to ask, because we can all feel the difference in the sun's output between a blazing hot summer and a freezing, perhaps even snowy winter. Let us take a look behind the scenes, so to speak, and see exactly how solar panels work.

What are Solar Panels Made From?

Solar panels consist of two layers of wafer-thin slices of silicon. One of these layers is positively charged, while the other is negatively charged. When the sun's rays hit these photovoltaic cells, they agitate the electrons, which begin to move between the positive and negative wafers; this "agitation" causes an electric current.

How Do Solar Panels Work?

The electrical current created by the movement of the electrons is direct current (DC), which is not suitable for use in the home. But the direct current is easily converted into alternating current (AC), which is perfect for domestic home use. It can also be stored until it is needed, which is highly useful since we seldom need to light or warm our homes when the sun is shining!

The Power Grid

Most homes that have solar panels are also connected to a power company's grid. If your solar panels do not generate enough to meet all your power needs, they can be topped up by the power company.

But what happens more and more, with new efficiencies in both solar panel manufacture and appliances using less power to create the same effect, is that your solar power is surplus, especially at times of low usage (when you are away from home, for example, or in the middle of the day, when little power is being used).

This surplus can actually flow into the power company's grid, and you will be credited for that power on your bill. This means that summer sunshine can, ultimately, help pay for heating your home (whether new or old) in winter.

Do Solar Panels Work in Cold Weather?

This brings us back to the main question: what happens in winter when the sun is further away and the weather is noticeably colder? Do solar panels still work effectively? The short answer is that your solar panels can function just as well in cold weather as they do in hot weather. However, there are a few caveats to this. Solar power does not, as might be assumed, use the heat of the sun to work.

Rather, it is the light from the sun that is harnessed and converted into useful electricity. The clue can be found in the name of the cells used to harness the sun's rays: photovoltaic, where "photo” refers to light (if it were heat, it would be 'thermovoltaic'). So we can see that as long as it is a bright day, solar panels should work effectively, even if it is cold.

Are There Times When Solar Panels Do NOT Work?

There are some conditions under which your solar panels will not work effectively. Most of the time, this is because the solar panel array can't see the sun's rays for some reason. Sometimes this is because of thick cloud cover, which can make it very dull and gray.

On these days, you will still make some solar power, but probably not enough to meet all your needs. Pollutants in the air, such as those produced by out-of-control wildfires or, in extreme cases, ash from volcanoes, can also be a cause. But your solar panels can also be prevented from working at their best by a thick snow cover or leaves blowing over from nearby trees.

In these latter cases, make sure, when you install your solar panels, that you have a way to access them fairly easily for cleaning and maintenance (the secret of a well-run home)—simply wiping down the grime that accumulates over time will restore your solar panels back to peak efficiency.

On the other hand, solar panels are made to almost clean themselves. They can easily brush off deep snow and dirt, so cleaning them shouldn't be too hard.

Positive Notes to End On

One very useful feature of solar power for those who live in countries (such as Ireland, which has solar panels) where winter can be very cold but clear: the cold increases the "difference" between the positive and negative wafers, emphasizing the agitation between the two. This means that the electrical current produced is stronger and will therefore give you more power for your home.

Finally, a thick blanket of snow illuminates the landscape while reflecting a lot of light upwards to your roof, where it finds your solar panels!

Do solar panels work in cold weather? The answer is, they do—and not only that, but they can even work more efficiently than in the summertime. And that is a win when it comes to heating our homes, ensuring that we have hot water for bathing and washing up, and for cooking delicious meals that also help to stave off the cold!

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