Solar panels may be pricey, but they’re an intelligent home enhancement upgrade. If you possibly could get off the power grid completely, you will save 1000s of dollars in power costs per year. just remember that you should also change to energy-efficient appliances for the kitchen which don’t strain an excessive amount of energy from your solar panels.

Install solar panels on your roof to use significantly less paid electricity. If you can get off the power grid totally, it will save you thousands of dollars in energy prices every year. Remember that is recommended you moreover switch to energy-efficient appliances which don’t draw an excessive amount of energy from the solar panels.

Solar Panel Help and Support

Improving your home’s energy efficiency is a sort of household enhancement that may supply noteworthy returns in both the long and short term. Feasible modifications to take into account are: the installation of your own solar panels on the roof, cavity wall insulation, loft area insulation and upgrading any single-glazed windows with double-glazed or even triple-glazed windows.

Even if you aren’t prepared to install equipment to produce solar panel electricity, you can still harness the power of the sun to your advantage by installing a solar-powered fan in your attic. this requires installation of a single solar cell, which is affixed to your roof and will effectively draw heat from your home, keeping you cool at no additional cost.

Significant Elements in Solar Lights

While individual solar lights are very affordable and available in a variety of styles, these lights serve little more than decorative purpose. If you truly need lighting that will highlight a walkway and illuminate your path, invest in electric models. while these are typically more expensive, they are reliable and will last for many more years than most solar models.

Solar Panels – the Facts

You certainly know already the answer to the quandary what is a solar panel. Tactically placed on the roof structure, you may take advantage of the actual solar powered energy from the sun and transform it into a continual way to obtain free power. There are many solar companies that are producing residential solar cell panels currently, and prices currently have decreased considerably in the recent 18 months, rendering photovoltaic a great deal more economical. the installation of a solar panel technology system will certainly return benefits available as beneficial financial savings on power bills for a long time into the future. For any homeowner who is thinking about environmental surroundings, renewable solar energy offers a very clean way to take advantage of the sun’s energy. There is no question that solar heating systems, which can be typically attached upon the rooftop, are certainly eco-friendly and cost virtually nothing to function after digesting your initial purchase as well as installing expenditure.

Some people say that solar cell panels may be expensive, but they’re a wise home improvement upgrade. If you can get off the grid completely, you can save thousands of dollars in energy costs per year. just remember that you should also switch to energy-efficient appliances that won’t drain too much energy from your panels.

Solar panel systems are a fantastic way to decrease your energy expenditures. Simply by putting solar panels strategically on your roof structure, an individual can transform the strength of the sun in to a regular method of obtaining free power. in case you produce more power than you may need, the regional utility company is going to buy the extra power from you. Improving your home’s energy efficiency is a type of home improvement that could deliver significant returns in both the short and long term. possible improvements to consider are: installing solar panels on your roof, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and replacing any single-glazed windows with double-glazed or even triple-glazed windows.

Clear-Cut Solar Heating Solutions

Save energy and money by means of passive solar powered home heating. Use thermal drapes on your property windows and keep them start throughout the bright and sunny part of the day time in the winter months and shut throughout the sunny part of the day in summer. Don’t forget to seal out drafts all around windows and doors to prevent unnecessary hot or cold air flow from entering.

As has been mentioned early on within the commentary, remodeling can convert into an incredible catastrophe if you don’t develop the knowledge required for a number of the tasks. having got the knowledge, apply it to help your own precise specifications regarding home enchancment. Don’t allow problems get you down, trudge through and the training is going to help to make you more effective. Get moving today, and you will be likely to notice the benefits of adding photovoltaic solar panels rapidly.

npower will help Birmingham Airport to save 22 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year with the installation of 200 solar panels on the roof of its terminal. The 1.6m x 1m panels will generate 40,000 kWh a year; sufficient to power 12 average sized houses.

The Airport has worked in partnership with npower to install the 50kpw solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to provide renewable green energy on-site as it reduces its dependency on mains power electricity. 

This is the first renewable energy and zero carbon installation on the Airport site and is part of a wider project to improve its energy management and reduce its carbon footprint. 

The solar PV panels capture the sun’s energy using photovoltaic cells, which then convert the sunlight into electricity and even on cloudy days can still produce some electricity, making it incredibly efficient. The system also generates no greenhouse gases, helping the Airport reduce its carbon footprint.

Paul Kehoe, the Airport’s CEO, said: “It’s exciting for the Airport to present such a visible commitment to energy reduction. Managing our greenhouse gas emissions is a high priority for the company and we’re always seeking new opportunities to work with partners to reduce our carbon footprint.”

As a leading provider of solar PV in the UK for commercial properties, npower was selected to carry out the installation in partnership with Photon Energy. from initial meetings in October, npower was able to complete full site surveys, detailed designs, installation and commissioning in just over six weeks, ensuring the Airport could immediately benefit from the green energy. as a result, there has already been a reduction in energy consumption since the panels were installed in December.

Graham Ryott, Development Manager at npower, added: “Birmingham Airport is committed to a sustainable future so installing solar PV as a way of generating energy is fundamental to its on-going programme in reducing its environmental impact. as one of the busiest Airports in the country, Birmingham is understandably a large energy user but supplementing its energy use with on-site generation is a positive step for the site’s future and npower is delighted to be involved.”

An added incentive of solar PV is the Government’s Feed-in-Tariffs (FITs), which provide payment to the companies for every unit of electricity generated by solar PV panels.*

For more information about Birmingham Airport and its environmental programmes, please visit birminghamairport.co.uk.

Notes to Editors:* The current levels of FITs are applicable for installations that are completed and registered by March 2012. A 21p rate will come into effect from April 2012 for solar PV installations which become eligible for FITs on or after 3 March. For further information please visit decc.gov.uk

Birmingham Airport is a public/private partnership. The current shareholders include the seven West Midlands district councils (49%), Airport Group Investments ltd. (AGIL), a limited company owned by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension plan (Teachers’) and Australia’s Victorian Funds Management Corp. (VFMC)(48.25%) and the Employee Share Trust (2.75%).

Birmingham Airport is the UK’s third largest airport outside London, and the UK’s seventh largest overall, handling some nine million passengers a year.

Birmingham currently serves 143 direct scheduled & charter routes and offers an additional 279 possible connections worldwide. This gives passengers a choice of 422 direct or one-stop flights.

Find out more about Birmingham Airport at birminghamairport.co.uk or on Twitter at bhx_official.

About npowernpower is one of the UK’s largest electricity suppliers and has 6.6 million customer accounts across the UK.

npower has been awarded platinum status in Business in the Community’s CR Index and is one of twenty-nine companies to have achieved the CommunityMark since its launch. all CommunityMark achievers have been recognised for demonstrating excellence in their holistic and strategic approach to community investment.

PR Contact:Kelly BrownnpowerBridgwater RoadWorcesterWR4 9FP0845 070 2807 npower.com

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The solar panels brisbane discusses trends in prices of solar panels. some say that solar panels like Bosch and maybe Sunpower are overpriced and not as good as top chinese made solar panels like Suntech but some people buy them for their brand name.Sanyo’s again are very pricey but the panels perform the best in most light conditions.Sunpower only take up 2/3 the space as they are the most efficient solar panels in the world so in that regard they still do well.Suntech make good solar panels which are now cheap enough that going for the other cheaper solar panels out there is hardly worth the risk. Suntech and have been around in the electronics industries for 30 years and there is a strong level of confidence in the business and they will likely be around a long time for sure. currently it costs $1-1.30 per watt to make a solar panel hence if you buy it at that price.

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rainwater tanks, grey water irrigation systems and solar panelling on their propeties. if Department of Housing implemented these products Iam sure there'd be a dramatic improvement to the current situation. if solar was implemented here our complex would generate enough power in one day to last us a week!

be a grate idea i have i think
i know of a lot of people in Department of Housing property's & they want them to

No you could not get enough in one day to last a week without covering a vast amount of land. no that is not the complete answer.

People living in the wrong places is what most of the problem is. too many for what resources there are.

That is what it comes down to. too many people living on this planet and it is feeling the strain. It will strike back and millions will die.

Last week saw some sunny forecasts for solar in 2012, with newly announced projects that will help back such forecasts up. while one treasured company, Kodak, filed bankruptcy last week, the company most likely to help the renowned film maker actually is a solar company. New Jersey seems to be the biggest in the news lately, but other states, like Tennessee, are taking their own spot in the sunshine.

It’s not hard to say 2011 was a tumultuous year for solar stocks, particularly on the manufacturing side. But Ardour Capital Investments anticipates a sunnier year in 2012. the company believes that some of the issues that plagued the industry in 2011, like unstable prices, oversupply and dramatically falling module prices, are being worked out in 2012. In 2011, solar panel prices fell a full 40 percent, according to Ardour—some other analysts have put it at a steeper cost drop. Prices are still expected to drop in 2012, but not as steeply as in 2011.

A study of solar industry insiders conducted at last year’s Solar Power International found that most think the most important reason—to the public—for increasing the amount of solar in the U.S. is to reduce foreign energy dependence. Concerns over the environment and pollution were not the top choices. the survey found that out of 250 professionals surveyed at the conference, 51 percent think that reducing foreign energy dependency is the most popular reason to support renewable energy, jobs creation is perceived as the second most important reason.

Solar-related technologies are set to grow in 2012. for instance, Solectria Renewable said it plans to double U.S. production of inverters in 2012, growing its U.S. workforce by up to 50 percent—oh, and building two manufacturing plants overseas. In 2012, the company is projecting 2 gigawatts of inverter sales in the U.S., up from 1 gigawatt in 2011. To meet the demand the company will have to expand production, hiring more people at its Massachusetts facility, which it expanded just last year.

While Kodak filed for bankruptcy last week, solar may help offset some of the jobs lost at the 1,200-acre Rochester, N.Y., facility. That’s because Natcore Technology has been leasing space at Kodak’s Eastman Business Park as it moves forward on research and development of its Black Silicon PV and quantum dot PV technologies (two different technologies). the company will continue to use the space as Kodak goes through the bankruptcy process.

The big solar news in New Jersey is brown fields. the state and its environmentalists are increasingly looking to the state’s brown fields as potential sites for large-scale solar projects. the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club estimates that the state has about 20,000 contaminated sites, many of which are brown fields. up to 500 of them could be suitable for large-scale solar developments. These include landfills like the close landfill in Egg Harbor Township, which will host an 11.3-megawatt PV array being developed by Seashore Solar. Power produced at the site will be sold to Norristown, Pa.-based PJM

Former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen’s (D) Silicon Ranch is bringing solar to a region famous for its barbecue and country music. the company will develop a 30-megawatt PV array in Social Circle, Ga., on a farm owned by award-winning songwriter and producer Steve Ivey, who’s worked with artists including Arron Neville, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. the new array will triple the budding company’s solar portfolio from 15 megawatts installed to 45 megawatts. and with Ivey’s connections it could lead to some solar endorsements or projects with major country stars and others.

image courtesy of NREL.

SUN CITY: the Highfield subdivision will be new Zealand’s biggest solar power-based community. from left: Andrew Booth of SolarCity Nelson, Gareth Owen of Meridian Energy, Stewart Fowler of Panasonic and Roy Hamilton of Highfield developer Maxim.

all 2200 homes in Christchurch’s proposed Highfield subdivision will be fitted with solar-energy systems, making it new Zealand’s biggest solar community.

the systems, consisting of both photovoltaic and hot-water panels, would supply about a quarter of a typical home’s energy needs, developer Maxim Projects says.

Maxim has signed a deal with power company Meridian Energy, Japanese manufacturer Panasonic and South Island solar-power company SolarCity to install the systems.

it applied for resource consent from Christchurch City Council to build the fast-tracked subdivision last September.

the 180-hectare site – between Redwood, Mairehau, Belfast and Marshland – is bigger than Hagley Park and was identified by Environment Canterbury as suitable for housing in 2009.

SolarCity chief executive Andrew Booth said residents would see “massive benefits” from the solar systems and would be able to sell excess power back to the national grid. With optional batteries, the systems could continue running during a power cut, he said.

the thin photovoltaic panels each generate 235 watts and weigh 15 kilograms, and each roof would have at least four.

they will be made in Japan by Panasonic, and the frames and solar water panels will be made by SolarCity, which is based in Nelson and has a manufacturing plant in Christchurch.

EnaSolar, a Christchurch business owned by Christchurch company Enatel*, will manufacture the solar inverters for the project.

Booth said the work would create “green jobs” in the city.

Panasonic new Zealand managing director Stewart Fowler said photovoltaic technology was improving fast, and panel prices had dropped 40 per cent in the past year.

all residents in the subdivision would initially be customers of Meridian, which has undertaken to buy solar-generated power fed back into the grid, but Maxim director Roy Hamilton said people could opt out of this arrangement later.

Hamilton said his company was “leading the way” by building new Zealand’s first solar subdivision and wanted to install solar systems in all 3500 houses it has planned in Canterbury.

Highfield will sell home and land packages only, not bare sections, with homes ranging from apartments to million-dollar houses. Its design includes reserves and two shopping precincts.

Hamilton said the first homes could be completed by Christmas if consent processes went smoothly.

the company has a contract to buy the land, known as the Mills Hills block, from about 15 landowners.

* EnaSolar, a solar inverter manufacturer based in Christchurch, is not owned by SolarCity as reported in an earlier version of this story. SolarCity is a separate company that will be installing the solar systems. the Press apologises for the confusion.

– © Fairfax NZ News

I live in Christchurch and have an EnaSolar 3.8kW inverter. We have 16 panels, not 26 and regularly generate over 28kWhs per day which far exceeds my household consumption this time of the year. If you go to the EnaSolar.net website there is a panel configurator that calculates how many panels you need according to the size of the inverter you choose.

I also take issue with Nznev’s take on the output of micro inverters and would ask where the 30% extra efficiency comes from? Being that a good quality central inverter will operate between 96% and 98% it is hard to see how you can squeeze 130% out of a micro inverter.

In my humble opinion micro inverters are more difficult to install, there’s more wiring to do (grounding is very tough) and they are generally more complex to install. they do not appear statistically to becoming a standard in any region let alone worldwide although I am happy to be corrected if the figures can be found. the other problem is that unless you cover every AC wire they are not code compliant which of course means higher install cost.

I am not here to knock competing technologies as I am indeed a keen advocate of all renewable energy but simply believe if you are making public comment that the uninitiated may rely on to make judgements we should try to offer as unbiased view as possible.

One final comment regarding central inverters being old technology. If you saw the TVNZ news clip you would have seen that EnaSolar are world leaders and one of new Zealand’s leading technology companies, I suppose that’s why they won the top award last year for the most innovate hardware product.

A local middle school is saving green by going green and their hard work is paying off in a big way.

Sierra Middle School was the first school in California to join the PG&E Solar Schools Program. It makes science fun by showing students how their everyday actions can positively impact the environment.

PG&E honored the students and faculty for their hard work Thursday with a 20 kilowatt solar array, which features solar panels on top of a structure to provide shade on the school's playground. It will provide enough electricity for more than half the school. PG&E says it is a win-win, not for only the environment, but the school and its students.

"It's a great educational tool for the students. It's going to save the school about $6,000 a year in energy costs. That's energy they would have had to buy off our grid, and it's going to reduce a million pounds of CO2 admissions over the next 20 years," said Shawn Cooper, PG&E.

Sierra Middle School is the first school in California to receive such a large solar structure, paid for by PG&E.

"the Kids for Solar Energy Club" at the school has been promoting solar energy and green projects year-round for the past eight years.

Sooner or later, the laws of economics prevail, even in heavily subsidized industries like solar power. The latest evidence that government manipulation cannot overcome economic reality is the decision by BP PLC, the giant British energy company, to leave the solar power business.BP has developed solar energy for 40 years and for more than a decade touted its “beyond Petroleum” campaign. The Wall Street Journal suggested, however, that BP’s solar experiment was more gimmick than serious investment. BP spent millions trying to go green, but simultaneously spent billions on its traditional gas and oil business.International competitors, particularly China, turn out solar panels more cheaply, even as global demand has slowed. When supply outstrips demand, higher-cost providers suffer, as BP learned. Even government subsidies, without which solar manufacturers couldn’t begin to compete with less-costly, conventional energy, couldn’t keep BP competitive.A similar lesson was learned this year by Solyndra, the bankrupted Northern California solar-panel maker that burned through $535 million in federal guaranteed loans. Last week, first Solar, the only pure-play solar-panel maker in the S&P 500 stock index, issued a profit warning for 2012, as profit fell to a four-year low, and the company said it will shift to large-scale utility projects rather than residential solar panels.“(B)eyond the United States,” the Journal reported, “there have been a rash of recent solar company failures in Germany as well.” The failures come as China, which heavily subsidizes its solar manufacturers, flooded the market with less-expensive products, and as other governments ratcheted back their own tax-financed subsidies.Solon became the first publicly traded solar company to file for bankruptcy in Germany, unable to repay loans of 275 million euros. since 1990 Germany has imposed mandates that utilities must pay higher-than-market prices for solar and other so-called renewable energy sources, driving retail costs 46 percent higher than conventional sources, Bloomberg new Energy Finance says.Electric bills for U.S. consumers skyrocketed in the past five years, adding $300 a year to household costs, USA Today reported.this should be unsurprising. President Barack Obama three years ago said to move the nation off traditional energy sources and on to these impractical alternatives, “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.”So-called renewable energy is possible only if government demands those sources replace conventional energy, and subsidizes their manufacture, purchase or operation with tax dollars. Even then, there isn’t enough subsidy — let alone demand — to make these systems cost-effective.Sooner or later, economic reality prevails.

The world is awash with conserving the environment, and while this seems too out there for you, it really isn’t. How about you take part in this endeavour this year, brick by brick- literally, by building a house using materials that will not harm the environment, and save you lots of money while you are at it- in the long run at least.

You can do this by using those materials which are least likely to cause health problems or destroy the environment- the eco-friendly. let us start from the ground up.

Flooring

We all want a firm foundation for our house and so we build strong concrete ones, largely made of concrete. So for your eco-friendly concrete foundation, use fly ash instead of ordinary cement.

While ordinary cement, commonly referred to as portland cement, saves energy by 20 per cent, fly ash saves up to 70 per cent. It will also leave room for agriculture since it does not need to be mixed with sand. So instead of digging up large chunks of land to get that soil to make concrete, you could reserve that land for a forest by planting trees.

The walls

If you are building a house, then you will need something to hold up the walls- those long steel bars. instead of using the ordinary steel bars, use recycled ones made from recycled scrap iron.

You have seen old car parts, old refrigerators and cookers, and even rusty steel bars at scrap shops. When recycled, these make for some nice steel bars. these are strong and do not give off any toxic gas when they are exposed to a lot of heat. Also, they are resistant to erosion when it rains heavily and they do not attract termites.

And if you are going for boarded walls, there is an alternative to using wood- how about using boards which come from all those toothpaste tubes you throw away. It doesn’t sound reasonable, does it? what they do to make these boards is that they take those plastic tubes, cut them up, and hot press them into whatever shape or thickness they want.

Because they are basically made of plastic, water does not easily destroy them, they are soundproof, resistant to any termite attacks, self-decorative, and will not expand with change of weather. another advantage is that they can be cut, sawn, glued, screwed, nailed, or drilled.

Roofing

Use clay tiles for your roof. While sales people are going to try and sell you iron sheets that can pass off for these tiles, stand firm that you are on a mission to save the environment.

So go for the tiles because they are long-lasting, easy to maintain, and when destroyed, they can be recycled. It is more expensive to buy the clay tiles, but considering that you will not have to change them every odd year after they start leaking, it is a good direction to go.

Clay tiles are also a good cooling system. Richard Tomusange, a contractor, says a house with a tiled roof is not likely to get as hot as one with iron sheets. this is because clay absorbs the heat while the iron sheets just let the heat through into the house.

Plumbing

Use PVC pipes as they are long-lasting because they are made from a combination of plastics and vinyl. because they do not have metal, they do not rust, so there are no fears about your water having rust particles. Also, the vinyl gives the pipes a smooth surface, which makes them resistant to bacteria. PVC pipes are more expensive than the ordinary pipes, but the cost is worth it in the long run.

For your tapped water, use low pressure faucets for your water taps so that you do not use more water than is necessary. a 2009 study by environmental students at Makerere University, shows that most of the water used in the city is used for domestic work.

And in your mission to save the environment, you are trying to use as little water as possible and these faucets are the way to go. a lot of water is wasted on flushing the toilet. To make sure that this does not happen in your new home, use double flushing cisterns. these are becoming common in most homes in Uganda.

They have two flashing units, a long flash for solid waste, and the short flush for the non- solid. So this will ensure that water is not used more than is necessary. this type of faucet costs between Shs45,000 in most of the plumbing shops on Market Street in Nakasero.

Heating and lighting

Use a tankless water heater. The water heats up immediately you turn it on and when you turn off the water, it goes off. you will find that it is more expensive than most, but in the long run, you will save a lot on the money you pay for electricity. this heater heats about 20 litres of water per minute compared to the tank heaters where you need to heat the same 20 litres for at least an hour.

Opt for solar energy instead of the hydro you get from Umeme. It will cost you a lot to install it. At Ssebaggala and Sons Electro Centre installing solar energy can cost you Shs4m. Solar comes straight from the sun and does not affect any plant, water, or land life to be generated as opposed to hydro power which needs a lot of energy to run the turbines that produces it, and also it affects the quality of water, affecting plant and water life in the long run.

Do you remember the energy saving bulbs the government was giving out a few years back? Those are the ones you should have in your home. They are called compact fluorescent lamps and they are environmentally friendly because they use low energy and will last eight to 15 times more than the ordinary neon bulbs.

The compound

If you have space for a compound that will have plants and flowers, go for those that do not need a lot of watering, but can still spruce up the place. Plants like cactus can do the trick since they do not need a lot of watering. J&J Garden Centre gives some examples of flowers that do not need a lot of water like a species of the beautiful daisies called yarrow.

Painting

When it comes to choosing the paint you will use, go for paints which will not release toxins into the air. Mr Nelson Okulo, a supervisor at Sadolin Paint, says water paints are the least harmful to the environment as they are made of just water. And when you have some of it left over after that house is complete, that paint can be recycled.

Other tit-bits

When it comes to carpeting and any other form of upholstery for your house, go for something that will not gather dust in its wake. get carpets made of sisal or bamboo. They are beautiful, and they will not collect dust that causes all those allergy infections for you and your children.

Jolene Male is proud of her home because when it was being built, they used recycled cardboard to insulate the walls and bits of her home are made of coloured bricks which do not need painting. this for her is her penance to the earth.

While you will spend more money buying eco-friendly materials than you would have on the ordinary ones, you will not have to spend a lot on maintaining them after your house stands in all its environmental goodness.

Tuesday night, President Obama spoke about his commitment to renewable, clean energy sources.

Sunlight is one of the renewable sources of energy we can all have access to every day.  BUT we need some technology to convert the sun’s energy to a power source we can use.

Even today solar panels are often too expensive for the average homeowner to buy.  It’s an especially difficult problem when so many homeowners are concerned about the market and their home’s resale value.  and, when you’re worried about having money to pay your current bills why would you take out a loan to install solar panels?  even if your energy costs are reduced significantly there is a payback period before your gains in savings equal and exceed your capital outlay in expenses when buying a solar array for your individual home or for you cohousing community.

Why would you BUY?

An article by Beth Buczynski just appeared in the Care2.com daily newsletter with an answer to the problem cohousing communities face when dealing with keeping their communities affordable while still going green.  Happily, this solution applies to built communities as well!

LEASE your solar panels.

Here are the top nine questions Buczynski suggests asking when thinking about installing solar panels.  this is from the Care2.com newsletter for January 24, 2012.

1. Lease versus own? An average home-solar installation can cost $25,000 or more. The easier alternative is to have a licensed contractor install the system and offer lease financing for little or no money up front. The installer owns and maintains the system, not to mention handles securing permits and managing the many other small details leading up to turning on the system.  Solar leasing is affordable for many homeowners because they immediately see savings from lower electric bills and someone else worries about the system’s maintenance.

2. Net metering? When a rooftop solar system produces more energy than needed for a home, the excess is supplied to the local electric utility. Homeowners can see some of their greatest monthly cost reductions when their rooftop solar panels are providing energy back into the system.

3. Rebates? since a leased solar panel system is “owned” by the installer, rebates will go to the company. this enables the installer to further reduce the overall price of the solar project, which in turn lowers the lease payment. Rebates will vary by region. it also is important to know that some rebates are currently scheduled to expire in a few years.

4. In-house service vs. outsourcing? Does a solar installer have all staff and services – from customer representatives, to installers, to ongoing maintenance and financing – within their company? Or, do they provide some or all of these services through third-party entities? The “continuum of care” is usually more guaranteed by an installer providing these services by their own employees.

5. Home values? Several current studies show that a home’s value increases when it contains the best available energy efficiency devices. Why? because a home’s overall “operating cost” decreases as it uses less water, gas and electricity. Rooftop solar is becoming a standard feature on new homes for this reason.

6. what if I move? Typically, a homeowner can assign a solar lease to the purchaser (following a simple credit check of the new owner). Studies show an increase in the percentage of prospective homebuyers actively seeking residences with multiple “green” features, such as solar.

7. Remain energy efficient? with solar panels on the roof, it is tempting to crank up the air conditioning, keep lights on throughout the house or otherwise revert to energy wasting habits. since some power must still come from an electric utility, being energy efficient ensures the lowest monthly costs – even as solar dramatically reduces the amount of utility-supplied power purchased on a monthly basis.

8. Appearance? some state laws prohibit homeowner associations, municipalities and other organizations from enforcing rules that would prevent a homeowner from installing rooftop solar. But, you also don’t want to upset your neighbor. After determining a home has enough roof space for solar, an installer will usually create a custom design to ensure a solar panel “array” will blend into the roof as much as possible.

9. New technologies? The rate at which solar cells convert sunlight into electricity has increased since the first cells were made. while gains continue to be made, they are at small incremental rates. Therefore, the panels bought today should continue to be very efficient for their 20- to 30-year life. as solar becomes more popular, companies also are developing new solar technologies and cell designs. However, until these designs are incorporated into mass production, these more “exotic” solar panels may be too expensive for the typical homeowner.

–end–Posted by Ann Zabaldo, Principal Partner, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC

this entry was posted on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 10:50 am and is filed under Green Living & Building, Sustainability. you can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. you can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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