Everyone should have an alternate source of backup power in case of an emergency and the power has been suddenly cut off. During the hurricane and tornado season is especially a good time for a power back up.
What if, rather than having to rely on the electricity from your sockets, there was an alternative? And what if that alternative could be relied upon whenever you needed it, and could also save you money? A solar powered charger has the ability to charge anything from the smallest battery to powering the heating for your home.
Once the initial purchase of your solar panel, or solar charger is made, there should be no further cost. The electricity you recieve is then "free". It may take some time to recoup your initial investment, several months perhaps, but at least you know that your standard electricity charges should start to drop.
You can talk to the installation contractor about just setting up a power grid large enough for emergency use only. This will save you some money now, and later when you can afford it better, you can then finish installing the rest of the solar panels, because you will already have some of the installation already.
For the ultimate in solar power for your home, you could start with a wind turbine that will hook up to a generator; the generator will then transfer power to an inverter, which will store power in at least 4 batteries or power cells. Regular house electricity is powered by Alternating current (AC) and the solar power that you are saving used direct current (DC), so you need to have an inverter to transform the DC current into AC current. You will also need a component called a charge controller. The charge controller disconnects the electric current once the batteries have been fully charged; this is a necessity for long battery life. Batteries still have to be maintained, even the batteries that you are storing energy in.
You should check the installation company to find out what mounting hardware, wiring, junction boxes, grounding equipment, and other equipment you will need in order to build your own solar charger. Often the company will have a discount available if you acquire them to build your system.
Of course you will need to maintain your panels and equipment, but if installed correctly this should only need to be done occasionally. And it's got to be worth it for the peace of mind you would get from knowing you have "free" electricity whenever you need it.