The cost of a new
Solar Hot Water System is parallel to the cost of paying utility bills for about 5 years in your home.
Residential solar hot water systems can cost between $5,500-$8,500 installed, depending on the size
and requirements.
North
Carolina offers a generous 35% tax credit for solar systems, and there is also a 30% federal tax credit
available.
Are you a good candidate for a solar application?
In order to obtain optimum results from a solar
thermal or photovoltaic system, your home or business should get at least 6 hours of sunshine, between the hours
of 9AM and 3 PM on the southern exposure of your home or land. This area should have unobstructed,
unshaded exposure. The solar panels can be mounted either on the building itself, or pole/rack mounted on land.
Solar Thermal Hot Water: This is the most
popular and widely used form of renewable energy. Solar hot water can be produced by using solar panels to
heat hot water for use inside homes and businesses. The hot water is usually stored in hot water tanks and then circulated
through piping for use. It can be used for the following applications: - Domestic Hot Water
- Space
Heating
- Radiant Floor Heating
- Pool Heating
Photovoltaics: Solar cells are arranged together to form a solar
module. Modules are arranged to create an array which could create an electrical system of solar energy. Installation can
run from $9 -$12 a watt, installed. Three options of using photovoltaics
are grid connect, grid connect with battery back-up, and off-grid. A grid-tied starter system can be designed to supply
a small portion of electricity while the remainder can be purchased from you utility company. Future expansion of your solar
system is relatively simple, and can be added on at your own financial pace.
To start, get a rough estimate of your home's energy use, look at your electric bill's KWH usage
over the last 12 months. That should give you a rough idea of how much energy was used in the last year.
Passive Solar And Daylighting:
Today, more buildings are being designed to take advantage of a natural
resource called passive solar. This occurs when the south side of a building is used to
absorb and store the sun's heat. This energy can be harnessed by using large, south-facing windows and materials
that are built into the walls and floors to help absorb the sun's heat during the day. When this occurs, the
heat is slowly released at night, which is a form of passive solar design called direct gain.
Daylighting is the use of natural sunlight to brighten up a building's interior,
and is usually part of the passive solar design. Another
passive solar heating design involves sunspaces and trombe walls. A sunspace
is much like a greenhouse and is built on the south side of a building. It lets sunlight pass through windows or other forms
of glazing, which warms the space. A trombe wall is a very thick, south-facing wall which is painted black and absorbs a lot
of heat. There is a single pane of glass that is installed a few inches from the wall and holds in the heat, which heats up
during the day and is slowly released at night.
If you are thinking about using Solar Energy, let Energy Earth LLC provide you with
a comprehensive consultation to assess what the best options are for you!
