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| Monday, August 18, 2008 |
| Going Solar Goes Mainstream |
 The Washington Post article: Going Solar Goes Mainstream reports that tax credits and grants are causing more and more homeowners to install systems. Ajay Chitnis and Susan Koester are both scientists at the National Institutes of Health. Since they bought their Rockville house in 1997, they have been making it increasingly energy-efficient. "We redid the windows, changed out the HVAC system [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] and dramatically reduced our usage," Chitnis said. The couple cited Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" as an influence, as well as documentaries that depict regular people using solar power.
"It wasn't just rich people doing it," Chitnis said.
In April, the couple decided to take things to the next level by tapping savings and installing a 2.3-kilowatt photovoltaic system on their rear-facing roof. It cost $27,000, but they got $8,000 back in tax credits and have cut their electric bills in half compared with their usage before going solar and switching out the heating and air-conditioning system. Wow, after reading this I am even more impressed with Massachusetts renewable energy grants. I have a similar sized system on my roof and my upfront costs were over $6,000 less and my final costs after rebates and credits was over $10,000 less.
You really have to shop around when contacting installers. I was very surprised when I did my price comparisons how expensive some were compared to others. But even at the higher costs these homeowners in the D.C. area took the plunge - good for them! |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 8:21 AM *
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Hi,
I noticed you have some very interesting articles on your site. I have just subscribed and am looking forward to reading more!