When working at top capacity, running your AC will use a lot of electricity, which will drive up your utility costs. On the other hand, because an AC unit uses electricity, you can generate your own electricity to take your AC unit off the grid. Just make sure that you use a system that serves your needs.
Options Other Than Solar Panels
You could use solar panels to generate electricity for your home, but such panels can be unsightly. Some people may like adorning their house with solar panels as a badge to show their sensitivity to the environment. On the other hand, if you want to build in a traditional style, and you are worried that having solar panels jutting up from your house would take away from the aesthetic that you want to create, then you may want to look into an alternative product such as photovoltaic glass tiles that will lay flat on your roof and will still work to generate enough electricity to at least power your AC system. You can install just enough tiles to meet the demands of your AC unit, or more tiles depending on the orientation of your roof, your budget, and your energy goals.
Back-Up System
If you install PV tiles or panels on your home, you still may have cloudy days when you are not able to generate enough electricity to power an AC system even though you still may need some additional cooling in your home. Thus, you should consider adding a wind turbine as a back-up to your solar tiles.
Reserve Energy
Whether you go with solar panels or a wind turbine, you will still have times when your power source is not able to keep up with demand. Thus, you need to have a way to store surplus energy. Thus, you will want to make sure you have a battery bank that will store enough energy to power your AC system through a cloudy, still day when you are not able to generate a lot of electricity.
If you are tired of watching your money for summer fun going toward powering an AC system, then you should look into ways to reduce the cost of operating your AC unit. By installing solar tiles and/or a wind turbine, you should be able to at least make it so you don't have to pay for power or use power generated by burning fossil fuels to cool your house. You may even be able to sell any excess power you generate back to your electric company. Using PV tiles to operate your AC unit is an option that is at least worth looking into. Contact an AC company, like Custom Comfort, for more help.
