Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 20, 1990 TAG: 9005220440
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ANDREE BROOKS THE NEW YORK TIMES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Fuel shortages were predicted and tax credits for renewable-energy installations tempted homeowners.
Then, as fuel prices started to fall, the Reagan administration ended special tax credits and stories began to emerge of systems not fulfilling their glowing promises and of manufacturers and contractors who vanished.
Now solar energy appears headed for a comeback. Concern about finite resources, polluted air and global warming, and talk of a new surge in fuel prices, have encouraged homeowners to give solar another chance.
"Many more people are beginning to request information again," said Catherine Dimatto, director of the Northeast Solar Energy Association in Greenfield, Mass.
The remaining contractors tend to be more responsible and knowledgeable. They also use more advanced technologies, said Michael Brower, energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, a conservation group in Cambridge, Mass.
The company, he noted, signed a contract in March to begin providing Sears, Roebuck & Co. with solar hot water systems on a trial basis through Florida stores.
Builders say people ask most about solar options when renovation or new construction is being planned.
"Once you get going, it's free," said Robert Arndt, owner of a 15-unit apartment building in Bridgeport, Conn. Arndt is looking into solar energy to reduce his water-heating costs. Demand also is coming from those who already own or have bought a home with a defunct solar system.
Some are encouraged when they learn that tax benefits and grants are still available. Others turn to solar when their fuel bills grow intolerable, as happened to Rick and Karen Kline before they installed a solar hot water system in their all-electric, four-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot home in Hamilton Township, N.J., two years ago.
The system, window quilts and a wood stove have cut their electricity bills by about 40 percent, Kline said.
Anyone needing to rehabilitate, update or install a system should read up on improvements in solar technology. One source is "Assessment of Solar Energy Technologies," a 56-page report published in 1989 by the American Solar Energy Society. (Send $20 to: ASEA, 2400 Central Avenue, Boulder, Colo. 80301).
There also is the Directory of the United States Solar Thermal Industry, a 36-page book that describes available technologies, published by the Solar Energy Industries Association. (Send $14.50 to SEIA, Suite 610, 1730 North Lynn Street, Arlington, Va. 22209).
This association also offers, for $25.50, the Directory of SRCC Certified Solar Collector and Systems Ratings, which classifies manufacturers of solar collectors according to the product's BTU output and other criteria.
A catalog of all its publications is available free. The association (phone 703-524-6100) also is one of the few remaining referral sources for local contractors and installers, including those that rehabilitate or update "orphan systems" - the industry expression for systems made or installed by companies no longer in business.
Among items to look for are greenhouse windows that offer better insulation and deflecting properties to mute the summer sun, solar heat-exchange water tanks designed to last considerably longer than the five to seven years of the early models, collectors that operate with greater efficiency in overcast skies, collector mounts less likely to damage roof membranes and a cheaper water-heating alternative called a thermo-syphon, designed for use in Southern states.
This system, widely in use in Israel, comprises a water tank mounted above the collectors - rather than in the basement - to provide a natural-gravity flow of water.
The most reliable solar contractors undoubtedly are those who entered the business more than 10 years ago, outlasting the period when lesser companies collapsed.
Their references also will be more meaningful, since earlier customers can be asked about the installation as well as the level of follow-up service.
Questions recommended when seeking references include: Did the workers who installed the system seem to know what they were doing?
Was the company willing to provide a written quotation that included details of materials and manufacturers to be used? How long has the company been in business?
Expect to pay around $3,000 for a two-panel domestic hot-water system, including installation, and about $2,000 for a thermo-syphon system.
Rehabilitation of an existing hot-water system can range from a few hundred dollars for small changes to $1,500 if a new heat-exchange tank is needed.
Some of the remaining grants, loans and tax incentive programs should help cover the cost.
The energy conservation programs sponsored by some utility companies are one source. For example, New Jersey Public Service Electric & Gas is still offering customers $500 toward a domestic hot water system - a benefit the Klines used.
State-sponsored, low-cost energy-saver loans are another.
by CNB