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Dear Hunter,
Each month, the BOWA Home Advisor provides you with important tips on how to improve
and protect your home's value and family's safety. We hope the following is helpful.
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Is Solar Energy in the Future for your Home?

As the price of electricity continues to climb, many homeowners are looking for
new ways to shave down their energy costs. And, these days, more and more are considering
renewable energy sources as an option. Technological advancements and an increase
in manufacturing volume have significantly lowered the price of solar energy so
it now costs about seven times lessthan it did twenty years ago. As the cleanest
and most abundant renewable energy source available, solar power is definitely
worth a closer look to see if it's right for your home.

Solar Electric Power

A solar electric system harnesses the sun's energy through photovoltaics (PV), which
is the use of solar cells to directly convert light into electricity at the atomic
level. The solar cells can be encapsulated in a variety of forms, including panels
that are ground or roof mounted in a low-profile or tilt array; thin films that
are applied to a building's structure; or even integrated, architectural roofing
tiles. The units serve as semi-conductors, by capturing the sun's light and causing
the electrons in the material to create an electrical current.

At this time, most residential solar electric systems are designed to offset 25-50%
of the home's electric needs due to system expense and/or production restrictions
imposed by utility companies. Choosing the right solar configuration for your home
depends on the local climate and landscape, how much conventional power you'll want
to offset with solar power, your budget, and the amount of space available. There
are three main types of electric systems:


* Grid-Connected: Still has utility supplied electricity connected to the property,
but it is used only when the solar energy produced isn't enough to keep up with
the home's demand. A meter reads how much energy has been produced via solar and
subtracts that amount from the total bill.
* Grid-Connected with Battery Bank: Works similarly, but collects and stores any
excess power produced, and then uses the back-up power on cloudy days and at night.
One advantage of this system is you can still have power in the event of an outage.
* Off-Grid (or Stand Alone): This system is not tied to any utility lines. These
systems are expensive, but can often be cheaper than establishing conventional
electricity in remote areas - something to keep in mind if you own a cabin, sailboat,
or RV.

Solar Thermal Energy

In today's homes, solar thermal systems use the sun's rays to directly heat water
and air for domestic use or for pool and spa [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=rfegbsn6&et=1105798689498&s=5682&e=001A2hOz_dBMZQSl1pX4c46NLuktbXsBeskSw9d25Ywn4yequ94y9lprW_VKIXGTOFen0JVGgPBhkrLLzDi2rZYNKmgWbiao7EwRrQy1IAkLnQ8McRdtk0ebj7ZBYw1KPURWzD6hR85Ppeple96VOv6tw==]
heating. Perhaps the most common application, solar pool heating uses the existing
pool filtration system to pump water through a solar collector that transfers the
heat directly to the pool water. Since solar pool heating does not require an entirely
new system, it is often the most cost-effective type of solar energy currently available.

In general, solar water heating, whether for a pool or domestic use, offers a relatively
quick payback period when you consider electric and fuel savings and available incentives.
And, with 35-65% of a home's electricity bill going towards heating water, a combined
solar thermal and solar PV solution may be an excellent way to recognize additional
savings over a PV-only system.

Get Paid for your Renewable Energy

While these systems can be costly to install, there are tax credits and other incentives
provided by governments and third parties to help you recoup your initial investment
faster. At the federal level, the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=rfegbsn6&et=1105798689498&s=5682&e=001A2hOz_dBMZRhJN9reVVFIERi55ONI8YV9CASDH5R_ZXhaRyW-O5T-Tzy8cQti7iW39iHNg-AXwe9Cbjgn7Q3ARyjXNWWsVmD6dO5kBM3DRiW_1HtVEJsFM-0dRFrJNIhUtzH--B2025kQXuqOYcKW3pXdwlCDqU-RynTgkRUK7HWE-6cnV2Vjo6upFW93s9zGT0WCBx7m6z_dGwBuSWdyQ==]
allows taxpayers to claim a 30% credit for qualified expenditures on solar-electric
systems and solar water heaters, and there are also many programs available [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=rfegbsn6&et=1105798689498&s=5682&e=001A2hOz_dBMZRkfaub7T-ExDbZKtjoNODfvTLJqfBrqPn265ATBj0polBoUywmxDa8p_B74oLhEl15_sMWn8HDjUk7tPmZKLQpN_ZKFeZsPdEgjaJjzZAV-MbADxG7NxwpQjkYLSucb5Yt_xSVZ7MotTMmlooXV6t1]
at the state and local levels. Additionally, Virginia, Maryland and Washington,
DC are among those states that support a system called net metering. If your PV
system is producing more energy than your home is using at that moment, your local
utility company can buy the excess energy from you, essentially causing your meter
to spin backwards and reducing your overall electric bill. Finally, there are some
turnkey ways for homeowners to sell or auction Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs)
to help offset the cost.

The Future of Solar

There are numerous reasons why more homeowners are considering solar as an option
for their homes. Two factors that play a role for many are growing environmental
concerns and the rising cost of non-renewable resources such as coal, natural gas
and oil. While the initial cost of many solar systems makes them not yet competitive
with conventional energy sources, we are seeing that the time between system installation
and cost breakeven is shortening. As more technological advancements and improvements
are made, the costs of solar materials and installation are expected to continue
to decline. And, as non-renewable energy sources become scarcer traditional energy
prices are likely to rise even higher. Combined, these factors will help to close
the cost gap between solar and conventional energy. So, while solar may not yet
be feasible for everyone, it's certainly becoming a more viable energy option worth
considering.
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For your convenience, past issues of the BOWA Home Advisor are available in the
"News" section of our web site [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=rfegbsn6&et=1105798689498&s=5682&e=001A2hOz_dBMZSVY4YZNyLtlSYNpBA0vrxdoP5H-WPHdu9zSrf-l-1GDLzZIfVQCy-xypop2_hWPaNbe2_x3yX3awYOL6NSnsMEdhjOEEoogdKlKGBHORSM2Rj65EiowyjB].


If you would like more information on any of these topics of if there are other
ways we can be of service, please contact BOWA [mailto:info@bowa.com].


Regards,
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Kathy Kelly Hines
BOWA

kathyk@bowa.com [mailto:kathyk@bowa.com]
phone: 703-734-9050
www.bowa.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=rfegbsn6&et=1105798689498&s=5682&e=001A2hOz_dBMZRSS8cfZ-h-CRBJBHYW3woVCOkzn1Nr-bx6kKXiMsKIlPw7TMK41bpN-BNZbCi84jux0jvdy8_b_kzQKEbU9c_-URahenOa_MI=]
P.S. Have a specific issue you would like addressed in a future BOWA Home Advisor?
Please let me know [mailto:kathyk@bowa.com].

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