Talking solar at the CCGT

I spoke for the second time at the Chicago Center for Green Technology last Tuesday night.  The first time was last September and it went well enough for them to invite me back for another go at it.  My presentation covered solar water heating technologies in a broad way and has been set up to be a continuing education course for AIA architects.  Despite it being Valentine's Day, we had a rather large turn out with over 40 people in the audience.  The CCGT has been seeing strong attendance with all the their courses in this winter session.  I feel the general awareness level of the public is continuing to grow with respect to sustainable building practices and with solar technologies in particular.  The questions from the audience were more technical and specifically focused for projects that people are seriously considering.  I have even had 2 subsequent site evaluations from my talk for solar projects in Chicago from people interested in solar for their particular buildings.

 
I speak all the time about solar water heating and solar technologies in general so feel free to reach out to me about arranging a talk with your group!

Free Hot Water with Every New Home!

Image courtesy VELUX America

In a recent NY Times article covering issues surrounding the ongoing housing slump, an interesting sales tactic caught my eye.  One builder outside Chicago is offering a credit at a local GM dealership with the purchase of a new home and he's not the only one.  While this promotion appears to be working to generate some sales, I have an even better idea for home builders.

In a market where new homes are competing against plummeting existing home prices driven by foreclosures, builders must differentiate their product on things other than price.  New homes must offer features that you can't find in older ones if they have any hope of being attractive.  One thing that almost no existing house has is an integrated solar water heating system.  A new home builder looking to stand out and make an impact in the minds of buyers should offer "Free Hot Water with Every New Home!"  Unlike with a free car, a free solar water heating system would reduce the homeowners' monthly power bills, reduce their carbon footprint, appreciate in value as fuel costs rise and make a leadership statement that appeals to 94% of us.  On top of that, local renewable energy creates good, local green collar jobs.

Solar water heating works everywhere in the US with almost immediate payback on invested dollars when financed as part of a standard home mortgage.  In an economic downturn, the best way out is to commit money to long term infrastructure enhancements.  In the past, this has meant roads, dams, bridges, etc that provide value for many years after the upfront costs were recovered.  Now we can add renewable energy to that mix.   Let's commit to making this sound investment today so that we can reap the benefits for decades to come.