One thing I don't like about media coverage of renewable energy is they talk about the average home installation costing thousands of dollars. Yes, renewable energy is expensive, but it is possible to build it over time. We're going to take a look at how to completely convert your home to be energy independant in 3 years.

It's a tall order I know, but it is possible to do. If you're like me 10% of everything you make goes into a savings account that's never touched (except when needed). Sadly, you are going to need a little bit of money to get started; however, the monthly cost goes down after the initial investment.

The best way to start your journey is to have a grid tied system. This gets rid of the need for batteries which are pretty expensive. We're going to go month by month so here's what you need to do in month one.

First, you're going to need to buy an inverter. Please don't think cheaper is better. You NEED a true sine wave inverter unless you like blowing things up and listening to lights buzz. To start out with you can go with a minimum 2000 watt inverter all the way up to a 5000 watt inverter (if you have the money). Costs have come down so a good quality 2Kw inverter won't break the bank. If you have the money go with an Outback inverter as they're one of the best.

I promise that's the last big purchase that you need to make. Depending on whether you want to buy or build solar panels the next steps will be slightly different for you.

Before we get on to getting solar panels you are going to need your inverter wired up into your fuse box. This requires an electrician for safety as well as the regulations that are in place. Make sure the inputs to the inverter are easy for you to wire things up to. The AC side of the inverter is dangerous; however, the DC side isn't (as long as you aren't trying to hurt yourself).

Once the inverter is hooked up you can go out and buy the parts or an entire solar panel. There's no need to buy new panels as used ones will do just fine. It's important that each panel you buy is at least 72 watts.

Once you have the panel you can do the mounting yourself and the wiring yourself. For the wiring part all that's needed is to hook the positive and negative to the same inputs on the inverter. If you're inverter has an off switch turn it off (not terribly important). Always hook the ground up first (negative).

I know you think I'm crazy because you now have one small solar panel hooked up to a giant inverter, but bear with me.

Each month you're going to continue to add one more solar panel to your array (remember, at least 72 watts). If you build them it'll cost you $100 per month and buying them it will cost you $200 per month. Simply working a couple extra hours a week, or getting a second part time job will easily cover this cost.

Each month you're going to add in one solar panel for three years. Each month your electric bill is going to go down which means you'll have to work less (or work the same and buy more panels!). By the end of the three years you're going to have a solar array that's capable of producing 2500 watts! If you're energy concious that's more than enough to power your home.

The total cost of the array will also be lower because prices drop over time. All in all it's a pretty painless way to do the renewable transition.

We're going to go off on a little tangent here. By the end of the three years you're going to be saving quite a bit on your electric bill. There are programs in place where the electric company will pay you for any excess energy that you produce.

What if you kept adding one panel to your array every month for 10 years? Energy prices will go up and with the extra energy you produce you can have a nice cheque from the electric company every month.

Imagine your house paying for itself by you doing absolutely nothing... Or retiring early... The possibilities are endless.

Do you think you would be able to stick to this plan? Would you like a more detailed plan on the site? We could do a lifestyle changing guide that you could follow.

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