This past weekend, my husband and I took advantage of the Solar Home Tour organized by the California Center for Sustainable Energy http://www.energycenter.org/
If you are planning to install solar, you couldn't ask for a better introduction to the topic.
We visited two homes: one in Bay Park and one in La Jolla. At the La Jolla home staffed by Akeena Solar, we basically got a sales pitch.
The Bay Park homeowners were much more helpful. They even provided food _ cookies, brownies and grilled shrimp. They have 18 Kyocera panels on their roof, installed about five years ago. They also have a Butler solar water heating system, which is designed by a local family. http://www.butlersunsolutions.com/
Unlike most solar water heating systems, theirs does not require a tank on the roof. A plus, given California's history of earthquakes. Instead, the water tank sits in their garage, and it's connected to a radiator and a gallon of anti-freeze on the roof. As of 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, the thermometer read 210 degrees.
Their investment was around $30,000, but that cost was offset by federal tax credits and state rebates. So their out of pocket costs were around 10 grand.
The homeowners told us that their electric bills have been very low. Last year, they paid $125. They get credit for all the surplus electricity they generate, but at the end of the year, if you don't use it all, it's gone.
We visited two homes: one in Bay Park and one in La Jolla. At the La Jolla home staffed by Akeena Solar, we basically got a sales pitch.
The Bay Park homeowners were much more helpful. They even provided food _ cookies, brownies and grilled shrimp. They have 18 Kyocera panels on their roof, installed about five years ago. They also have a Butler solar water heating system, which is designed by a local family. http://www.butlersunsolutions.com/
Unlike most solar water heating systems, theirs does not require a tank on the roof. A plus, given California's history of earthquakes. Instead, the water tank sits in their garage, and it's connected to a radiator and a gallon of anti-freeze on the roof. As of 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, the thermometer read 210 degrees.
Their investment was around $30,000, but that cost was offset by federal tax credits and state rebates. So their out of pocket costs were around 10 grand.
The homeowners told us that their electric bills have been very low. Last year, they paid $125. They get credit for all the surplus electricity they generate, but at the end of the year, if you don't use it all, it's gone.
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