//If you live and own in a loft, then you’ll surely have a lot of roof area above your head which can be ideal for some solar panels and maybe even a small solar water heater taking some if not most of your electrical needs out off the grid. Solar panels are becoming cheaper and now come in DIY kits than can easily be installed by homeowners with all the necessary electrical hardware and fixtures included. Most solar power generation systems come with inverters but if you have a ton of gadgets that can run on DC power, then the inverter would not be needed. Calculating the amount of panels you need is as simple as taking all the appliances you need to run on solar power, getting their wattage and adding them up to get the total amount of power you need. Not enough space for all your panels, then trim down your list and compromise on some of the more used ones that can be handled by available kits.
There is however a very important aspect of installing them should you decide to do it on your own, roof safety for having all the skills such as drilling, measuring, hooking up electrical connections and all other skills but if you have not worked at a height before, you may be in for quite an experience. Rent a lader that would comfortably reach the roof of your loft and tie it down above and to stakes driven deep on the ground so you don’t end up in the ER from a fall. Wear appropriate working clothes and boots (and use sunscreen if you decide to do it on a hot sunny day, never underestimate the heat of the sun). Have a safety line if possible and harness with you, they can be quite annoying but it may just save you from a bad fall. Use an appropriately rated electrical extension chord, preferably with a GFI so no shocks can occur when you say happen to drill into the power chord of your drill. Safety First! And with all these in mind, going green just got to your loft making it your contribution to the re-greening of the urban jungle.