I don’t know about you, but if someone mentioned “DIY Home Energy” or utilizing “renewable energy”, my mind instantly conjured up a picture of hippies living in a “green” commune, hugging trees and talking to the local flora and fauna (I dread to think what they do with the grass, batterystoragehome probably smoke it or something…) Anyway, it turns out they may have the right idea with DIY power.

Although I’ve never hugged a tree, or had a conversation with the flowers in my garden, DIY home energy is something I have seriously looked into since moving to the Spanish countryside, (the public utilities not being as reliable as I’m used to, and still getting more expensive!).

Having discounted commercial systems as way out of our budget, I came across an advert for a “DIY Home Energy Course”. Although not being any sort of “handyman”, I was curious…

Gone are the days of expensive components and “trade only” suppliers (so tough economic times are good for something!), and with the Internet comes “personal tuition” through your computer! To cut a long story short you can now get hold of step-by-step text and video instructions to build your own Home Energy System.

Sounds good… but how much does it cost?

Well, our research indicates the best “all-in” (solar, wind, and battery storage) courses will cost you around $50-$80 dependent on any price promotion being offered at the time. Most of them suggest on the sales page that you can build your DIY home energy system for around $200-$500… But as I said before I’m no “Tree-Hugger” and I like my comforts, such as TV, computer, hot water etc, e commerce app so I think to provide power for a “civilized” lifestyle in a small to medium sized house, your looking at about $1000-ish.

Having said that, our average electric bill is the equivalent of around $75 a month, so in about a year we will have almost got our money back, with no more electric bills to pay! Another potential bonus is that many States and European countries will actually pay you for any surplus power you have stored and supply to them (The UK is also planning to start this early next year).

Now where’s that hammer thingy I used for fixing the TV…

Find out more about building your own home energy system