Down to Earth Blog

Washington Post Spotlights Virginia Family's Conversion: Catching up on articles I've saved to blog about. This one ("Rare Powerhouse Under the Sun") describes how and why Monique Hanis and Douglas Warnecke of Arlington, Va., decided to add solar panels to their home to provide some of the power and much of the hot water. Some of their reasons: To cut rising energy bills, decrease carbon emissions and teach their kids about alternative energy sources.

The costs to install solar: $5,000 for the solar hot water system and $20,000 for the photovoltaic system to generate electricity. The energy savings from the hot water system will offset the cost in about six years. The photovoltaic panels won't pay for themselves for 22 years. They got a $2,000 federal tax credit for each of the installations.

Want to find a solar contractor in your area and get a work estimate?  Try findsolar.com. Who knows -- maybe one day you can be selling electricity back to the power company.

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• #1 Comment from imabnrml 
  6/8/06 9:29 AM | Permalink

  Dear Human Beings,
  
  PAY ATTENTION!  HERE'S YOUR SIGN!
  
                   love< god