Note: All three persons in this article have systems installed by Go Solar, Inc.

July 05, 2007
Section(s) Business - Real Estate

Solar energy a growing, inexpensive trend in home construction

By Diana Gallagher

Local residents are looking to the sky for their energy as the cost of energy drawn from subsurface sources continues to climb. The summer sunshine affords an ideal opportunity for homeowners seeking fiscal, environmental and social improvement through solar electricity.

Recognizing the need for renewable energy, the Long Island Power Authority offers the Solar Pioneer Program as part of its Clean Energy Initiative. The program grants rebates and incentives to homeowners in its service area who install solar electricity systems. According to LIPA's Web site, the Solar Pioneer Program also offer homeowners the opportunity to sell back the excess energy that they collect, thus turning their energy meters backward.

Henry Ceruti of Shoreham considered solar powering his home in 2000, but found the cost "prohibitive" at the time. When he looked into the installation again in the fall of 2005, he was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was LIPA offering a rebate, but that federal and state tax incentives were available as well. New York State offers tax credit up to 25 percent on installation, with the federal government kicking in up to 30 percent. Neither the state nor Suffolk County charge sales tax for the system.

"I figured it'd take about eight years to break even," Mr. Ceruti said. The investment seemed worthwhile, as he would cut down on electric bills and put fewer pollutants in the air.

However, the monetary benefits have been immediately evident. Mr. Ceruti estimates that he used to spend about $350 per month for electricity. Now, his monthly bills are about $100. In fact, on an especially sunny day, he's "cranking out solar energy" and able to sell what he doesn't use back to LIPA.

With 22 panels on the roof, Mr. Ceruti's home experiences the "full benefit" of the sunlight. It has an ideal location: it faces south and the roof is unobstructed by trees. He's found that the solar-powered lighting and heating in the house are the same quality that would be produced by electricity. "I'd advise everyone to look into it," he says, reiterating the fiscal and environmental benefits.

Judith Black, also of Shoreham, chuckles that her retirement money finally gave her the opportunity to install both a new roof and solar paneling this past year. Along with cost benefits, she finds the solar electricity system to be positive for "the country, me, the environment, the whole picture."

Besides solar power, Ms. Black has several methods of conserving energy: she uses energy-efficient light bulbs, dries clothes in the dryer for just 10 minutes, then hangs them up to finish drying and lets the dishes air dry.

"I don't go crazy," she says, but her efforts were rewarded when she discovered that she had a net electrical use of zero at the end of June. "The summer has the lowest electrical use of the year," Ms. Black said, noting that her household doesn't need to use the oil-fired furnace in this season, when nice weather means spending more time outdoors than in front of the television.

Another solar homeowner, Harold Robinson of Rocky Point, is succinct about his own motivation to go solar: "I was unhappy about invading Iraq. I saw a direct connection between gasoline and events in the Middle East."

As a member of LIPA's Solar Pioneers Program, Mr. Robinson's roof paneling is a six-kilowatt system that connects to a grid. As the sun's angle changes, light hits different sections of the paneling. He estimates that his roof produces 10 to 15 kilowatt-hours of energy in the winter and about 40 in the summer. Installed in the second week of December, the roof paneling faces the street and "doesn't look hideous."

Despite reductions in installation costs, the Rocky Point resident still finds the price to be formidable. Mr. Robinson envisions that bringing installment and manufacturing prices down would allow all of the homes on Long Island to go solar. It would therefore work out to a large-scale production of energy "similar to a power plant," he said. This way, the entire island would be powered by a consistent, incontrovertible source: the sun.