Harnessing the Sun: Passive and Active Solar Systems

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Stitts' crew install new photovoltaic panels on the roof of his home. Selling solar The PV system costs about $26,500 labor and materials, with the batteries and uninterruptible power supply (UPS). It's definitely a niche market, but it has the potential for much broader appeal. Offering PV systems puts us in the forefront. We get the mavens—people who want to research everything. They're not casual buyers. Our customers are people who define quality of life as something different from the "McBig" house or the "starter castle." They want well-planned, efficient use of space and energy. We sell the reliability of solar and the long-term benefits of holistic systems. The economic dividends of an energy-efficient home and solar system with battery back-up don't ever go down; the system always pays off. The higher energy prices go, the bigger the dividend. It is certainly a better investment than granite counter tops or a bass boat. Some states and municipalities—New Jersey, Colorado, Texas, Nevada and California among them—have the payback down to seven years or less with the rebates and incentives they offer. I believe it's the start of a trend. We're selective about which customers we approach to sell PVs. It may be that they're in a remote area, with no power. Or they want to be independent. Many of them are realists about the fact that the price of energy is going up. Some may just like to play with it. We show them our house, now that it's complete. A lot of times, it just sells itself. You've got to have something for people to see; they aren't very good at imagining a PV system. They'll think it's going to be ugly on the roof. My goal is to integrate it so that it's not aesthetically unappealing. The PVs need to be considered during the design phase. It's a matter of taking what roof is available. You define an area and then determine how many panels can go in there. PREVIOUS  1 | 2 | 3  NEXT