Solar Energy
Solar is Hot!
Solar technology is hot, but it is not new. In 1973 my parents had solar hot water on our house, a compost pile in the back yard, and a garden to throw the composted dirt on. In the 1990s I put solar hot water on my house in Fort Lauderdale. In my current home I reduced the monthly electric bill in the summer by over $100. I did it without solar power or turning of the AC, but with landscaping tricks that took advantage of the solar energy that the sun gives off, i.e. I grew some shady palm trees and put in rain barrels. My next goal is to add solar panels and bring my electric costs down to $0.
Lately we all see the ads promoting solar as a top priority. However, let's be educated customers first. After I got my EcoBroker certification, I wanted to go beyond just being able to talk about Green marketing
concepts and pointing clients to experts (I find middle men a waste of time and
did not intend to become one myself). I ended up researching the local
solar installers, listening to their marketing, and then determining
the best value for my clients.
What did I learn? I learned
that the solar companies will tell you about the great rebates you
will be eligible for (even though the Florida rebates are not funded as of this writing). However, they have
adjusted their prices so that the perceived value of the rebates is minimal.
For example, a typical 2.2kw solar system (hardware
only) costs $11,500 (see link below). The solar installers will quote you $45,000 for the job
with the tax rebates bringing the price down to
$17,000. That's over $33,000 for labor. So much of the stimulus actually is not realized by the
clients. There is a reason for the lock on the price here in Florida. You only get the state rebates if a state certified solar installer installs the system. Great deal for employment, not ideal for homeowners. Especially since it all comes out of your pocket up front. It pays to shop around.
However, there is no reason that anyone should not make a profit off their work and that includes the solar companies. They have expenses to cover, and sometimes can go long stretches without a sale. Plus they do provide benefits. A solar installer will guarantee their work and service the hardware as needed. When talking with a solar installer be sure they are state certified and that the company has been in operations for more than a year or so. You are paying for experience, make sure you are getting it.
However, those with more ability may be interested in looking at the complete solar systems sold here or learning more about the actual prices the solar companies pay:
Remember, you will need to follow your local building codes, roof work is hot and dangerous, and the solar PV panels create DC electricity which means you will need to use an inverter to convert the DC to AC and then connect the output to your circuit breaker box. Make sure it is a pure sine wave inverter. Don't use cheap square wave DC to AC inverters that are not rated for home use. They will ruin your home's electronics. If this confuses you or you don't understand something in this paragraph, then call a state certified solar installer or call me for a list. As you can see, the installers do earn their pay.
The answer, it depends. Here in sunny Florida we get lots of sun. But how your home placed on your lot, the size of the roof you have, your energy goal(s), and how fat your wallet is all determine what you can do. All of these factors need to be considered. For example, if you have 4 people living in the home, and your wallet is thinner than you would like, then maybe starting off with a Solar Hot Water system is the answer. Solar hot water systems can dramatically lower your power bill and supply endless amounts of hot water on even cloudy days.And everyone gets a hot shower in the morning.
But before you think you can't afford it, look at this website to determine what your power needs are based on your home's roof. Using Google maps, RoofRay locates your home and determines the power potential of your roof based on where you want to place your panels.
Be prepared, this site is going for accuracy and you will need to know your roof's pitch.
When designing a solar energy system you better have a good idea what the worse collecting days will be for your area. This Solar Insolation map provides the amount of solar energy received in hours during the month of January. Source: NREL
Everything that uses electricity can use solar for generation. This works well in our yards for water fountains, pond circulation, swimming pools heaters, swimming pool filters, and more. For more ideas, check out the solar products on this web site. There is a lot of great information on this site too.
If you contact any of these companies, please let them know you found them through my web site. I do this as a courtesy and make no money from any of these sites. They are provided here for your benefit only.
Rebates
There are programs available in the US to help offset the cost of Alternative Power Generation. Be sure you follow the specific instructions when requesting rebates. To see what is available in Florida, go to this site.
A Final Note
When dealing with solar companies over the Internet - Be Careful! Here is a great web page (courtesy of Solatron) that describes what to look out for when dealing with Internet Vendors.
If you want someone to work with you on you next home purchase or sale, and sustainable living is important to you, then please give me a call or email.
Click here to learn more about EcoBroker!
