Solar panel roof tiles and solar-powered garden features are two excellent solutions if you love the idea of powering your home with solar energy, but

are worried about what your neighbours will think. If this sounds like you, you are probably remembering solar panels from the seventies that sometimes looked like another house perched on the home it provided power for. And because of solar power’s reliability, I am sure that there are still a few of those panels out there, quietly providing clean energy. But today, there are a lot of solar panels out there on houses and around them that you probably haven’t noticed and there are some that you wouldn’t notice unless someone pointed them out.

Solar panel roof tiles are made with built-in photovoltaic cells and are designed to blend in with most types of roof tiles whether they are concrete, slate, or shingle. Each solar tile has a connector and the tiles are wired together during installation. These solar tiles can be installed during roofing or re-roofing your house. Some of the companies currently producing solar panel roof tiles are General Electric, SunPower, and Premier Power.

Now if you are a “roof-purist” you won’t like the look of the solar roof tiles unless you roof your whole house in them or completely go without. You can clearly tell the difference between the photovoltaic tiles and the tiles or shingles that they are incorporated with. But they don’t stick up like regular solar panels and therefore preserve the appearance of the lines of your roof. If your house looks good in a dark-colored roof, the solar tiles will blend in even further.

Garden features are another handy way to install solar power and still look good. I have solar path lighting, accent lighting, and a solar-powered water feature. From personal experience, I can say that the best part of solar garden accents is that there is no wiring to do. At all! You don’t have to wire the lights together and more importantly, get power from the house. This means that you can light up a cozy back corner easily or rearrange your accent lighting every week. You also don’t have to worry about cutting any wires when you plant your spring flowers.

See, you can have solar power and keep your property’s beauty or even add to its appeal!