This BBC article discusses how the not only this initiative will provide jobs, but it will provide energy from the sun to power over 70,000 homes WHILE cutting carbon dioxide emissions.

Good news!

If you’re thinking solar, or renewable energy, be sure to give us a call at (239) 574-1500, or visit our Web Site at: www.FafcoSolar.com.

Enjoy!

- Dan

Special Thanks to Jason Szumlanski, our Operations Manager, for this blog post!

However, these terms represent very different, but related concepts.

Power is the rate at which energy is consumed, expressed in watts or kilowatts.

Energy is the amount of power consumed, expressed in watt-hours or kilowatt-hours (kWh).

To understand energy use, and consequently our utility bills, we must factor in the amount of power devices and appliances use and how long we use them.

Let’s look at the example of a typical light fixture outside your front door with a 60 watt light bulb. Sixty watts is the amount of power the lamp consumes, or the rate at which the lamp uses energy. If you run a 60 watt light bulb from dusk to dawn for 12 hours, you will consume 720 watt-hours of energy (or 0.72 kilowatt-hours).

In Southwest Florida we currently pay around 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, so that light bulb would cost 7.2 cents per night, or $26.28 annually.

If you look at your utility bill, you will see that you are charged for the number of kilowatt-hours (KWH) that you consume.

This is the amount of energy consumed between meter readings. To reduce the energy you use, you must either reduce the amount of power you use, or the amount of time you use that power (or both!)

Energy  =  Power  x Time

Going back to our light bulb example, you could install a light bulb that uses less power, or you could reduce the number of hours it runs. Both courses of action would reduce the energy used and save you money. Here are three different ideas to save energy and money.

1) Replace the bulb with a 13W compact fluorescent with equivalent light output (reduce power).

Energy Saved:                   0.56 kilowatt hours daily, or $20.58 saved annually

2) Put the light on a timer and run for just 6 hours nightly (reduce time).

Energy saved:                  0.36 kilowatt hours daily, or $13.14 saved annually

3) Do both of the above (reduce power and time).

Energy Saved:                   0.64 kilowatt hours daily, or $23.43 saved annually

While power and energy are intimately connected, they are not the same.

Understanding the difference can help you save money!

In my next article, I will take this concept one step further and explain why you think twice when trying to be “energy efficient.”

- Jason

PS – Be sure to check out our information on “TED – The Energy Detective” to monitor your energy usage!

…saving a LOT of money on your electric bill, then you’ll probably be very interested to hear about Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning .

Recently, John & Dominic, stopped by Fox4’s Morning Blend, and talked about our Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning product, be sure to watch the video above to learn more.

Our Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning system uses a roof mounted solar thermal collector panel to assist a high-efficiency compressor. By using the power of the sun, we can significantly reduce your electrical consumption.

Benefits:

• Reduce your electricity consumption
• Efficiently cool your home
• Enjoy the comfort of air conditioning at a lower cost

Different than solar electric systems, which produce electricity, hybrid solar air conditioning systems use evacuated tubes to heat a transfer fluid in the solar collector. This fluid superheats an environmentally friendly refrigerant to make the cooling process more efficient. The hybrid solar air conditioner reduces the amount of electricity required to cool your home.

Learn more about How Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning Works, or give us a call at (239) 574-1500.

Currently, our Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning product is available in most of Southwest Florida.   Call us at (239) 574-1500 if you want to assure it’s available for you.

- Dan

Buying Eight Track Tapes in an IPad World” is a special blog series written by Melissa Upton, of our team here at Fafco Solar, reviewing four arguments against drilling for oil off of the coast of Florida.

…expensive way to produce energy – investing in clean energy would create four times as many jobs as investing the same amount of money in oil.

We need energy efficiency coupled with new, advanced, sophisticated, clean renewable energy technologies such as solar energy.

What we can do is thank Florida Senators Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson for their continued strong opposition to drilling and spilling oil on America’s best beaches, drilling that would ruin our state’s number one economic resource: our beach sand.

People in other states can help by getting their Senators to take Florida drilling out of the Senate’s energy bill.

Renewable energy technology works extremely well in an iPad world!

- Melissa

…Spain used a solar distiller to break down sea water into drinking water, and the thought came to me:

“Can Solar Energy Clean Up the Gulf Oil Spill?”

There’s a section in the article “Purifying Water, with the Sun” (feel free to read the article here), that talks about how pesticides and other contaminants are made contaminant free after a reaction initiated by UV, and pinch of titanium dioxide.

Then the water is shipped off to a desalination plant that extracts the sea salt from the water, helping Spain assure it’s thirsty population has plenty of water.

Basically, the water condenses and is collected, leaving behind the salt…

What if we put together distiller barges that did something very similar, except leaving the oil behind (on those barges)?

What do you think?

- Dan

PS – If you’d like to learn about how my company, Fafco Solar, can help you tap the power of the sun, be sure to visit our Web Site at: www.FafcoSolar.com.

…to our product offerings!

What is Zep?

The Zep system eliminates costly and cumberson aluminum rakcs by integrating the rails WITH the solar modules.   It also provides the most reliable electrical grounding system WITHOUT separate grounding wires.

Zep is simpler, easier, and cleaner – the best part?  It’s less expensive, too!

What does this mean for you?

• Dramatically shorter installation times on our solar panels,
• Elimination of mounting rails and clip hardware,
• Elimination of separate grounding hardware,
• Ultra-reliable hyper-bonded grounding matrix,
• Ultra low part counts – 3 parts for the entire array,
• Enhanced aestetics – low-profile, straight and level!

Learn more about Zep on our Web Site, or by giving us a call at (239) 574-1500.

- Dan

…our new Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning product (see video above).

You can learn more about our Solar Air Conditioning solution, along with all of our Solar & Renewable Energy solutions on our Web Site.

If you have any questions, contact us, or give us a call at (239) 574-1500.

Enjoy!

Dan

..about using our Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning product.

They excitedly talk about using Solar Energy to cool their Dental Office, reducing their electric consumption (as well as their demand on fossil fuels), while harnessing the power of the sun to help them succeed.

A great story, indeed!

Enjoy,

- Dan

PS – Our solar air conditioning solution is available in Charlotte, Collier, Sanibel Island, and Cape Coral at this point — very shortly, we’ll have approval in Lee County & the City of Fort Myers as well.

Learn more by visiting our Web Site at: www.FafcoSolar.com, or by giving us a call at (239) 574-1500.

…one of the most common questions people have is:

“How Do I Power My Home From the Sun?”

The answer is with a Solar Electric Photovoltaic System.

Solar Electric Photovoltaic Systems, sometimes referred to as PV Systems, have many benefits:

• Reduce your electric bill.
• Take advantage of tax benefits and rebates.
• Help our country become less dependent on fossil fuels.
• And – Watch your meter spin backward (we never get tired of this!)

Be sure to learn all about Solar Electric Photovoltaic Systems on our Web Site, and visit our Learn More section to see the common questions people have as well.

Enjoy!

…and how Florida is not number #1 in terms of solar usage, YET, it is the Sunshine State!

We’ve been in the Solar Energy business for over 30 years, and we’re definitely seeing a continued growth in our solar energy business.

Here’s 9 ways you can conserve energy by switching to solar energy based solutions:

• Solar Pool Heater – save by using the sun to heat your pool!
• Solar Water Heater – save by using the power of the sun to heat your water!
• Solar Electric Photovoltaic System – save by powering your home with solar energy!
• Solar Lights – save by using natural light for your home!
• Solar Attic Fan – save by using the sun to pull heat from your home!
• Solar Pool Pump – save by using the sun to power your pool pump!
• Pool Automation – save by automating your chlorination, pump timing and heating!
• Solar Water Pump – save by not having to bring in costly utility lines!
• Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning – save between 30% to 50% on your air conditioning!

If you have any questions about Solar Energy, or would like to learn more, visit our web site at: www.FafcoSolar.com, or give us a call at (239) 574-1500.

We’re very passionate about what we do, and would love to help you!

- Dan