I created this solar power blog because I want to know for myself what’s really going on with this technology. I believe that by reading articles, thinking about what it means to me, then writing down my thoughts, I will be better prepared to utilize solar power and other sources of renewable energy in my own life.
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July 29, 2009 at 7:23 pm
James Schaaf
Please keep me informed of updates so that I may design my home to be as energy efficient as possible.
September 13, 2009 at 9:01 am
Geoff
Indy,
I stumbled upon your blog from another site yesterday. I am in the process of getting a Solar PV system on my home. When the federal government began the 30% tax credit I became intrigued. In May PA began accepting applications for what they refer to as the “sunshine rebate”. The application must be submitted via an approved solar installer. When the installation is finished, the state will come out and inspect the work. When it passes, they then issue you a rebate check for an additional 30% of the cost of the system. After having several contractors come out and inspect my place, I decided to go with a company called The Heatshed (www.heatshed.com). I am currently waiting for official approval from the state, and once I get that I should be good to go. I’m not sure how soon this will be, but the sooner the better (not just for the free juice, but I’d like to start using my tax credits this year as well).
Because my house is in a rural area, surrounded by preserved farm land, and my house is all electric, I decided to go with a system that produces 6.075Kw /hr. The cost of my system is about $42K, but after the tax credits and the rebate will cost a measly $16K. At today’s electric rates, my ROI is about 6.7 years. Our two local electric companies are both raising rates about 30% starting in January. This will knock my ROI down to under 5 years, all while reducing my electric bill and adding value to my home.
Anyway, the real object of this email was to say THANK YOU for all the informative posts! So, THANK YOU.
Geoff