I’m so happy to be doing what I’m passionate about, and being able to do it while we’re seeing such a great evolution with Solar & Renewable Energy solutions. The realization, adoption, and results generated from these solutions are simply mind-blowing.

More energy can be captured, and utilized, with today’s solutions – less expensively – than ever before.

If you’d like to learn more about solar and renewable energy solutions – feel free to comment below, contact us online or give us call at (239) 574-1500.

Be sure to take a look at all of our wonderful online resources as well:

• Solar Pool Heater- save by using the sun to heat your pool!
• Solar Water Heater NEW! – 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 remove 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 NEW! – save between 30-50% on your air conditioning!
• Solar Breeze Pool Skimmer – save time and money with an automated pool skimmer!
• Home Energy Monitoring NEW! – monitor your energy use and find ways to save!
• Solar2Go NEW! – mobile solar power – trailer mounted solar generator!

We service the following areas in Southwest Florida -  Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Bonita Springs, or Hendry or Glades Counties.

We also service all brands of solar equipment! Find out what solar equipment services we perform here.

Learn More about cost-efficient solar energy.

Discover how you can improve our environment by using renewable energy for life. Check our Resources page.

Thank you so much, and here’s to a renewable energy world!

-Dan

…they seem to be on target all of the time.

Recently, they published the 10 Facts About Our Energy Landscape, which are:

1. The US burns 13 millions barrels of oil a day (half imported) at a cost of $2 billion!
2. The US’s 120 million buildings consume 42% of the nation’s energy.
3. We spend more than $400 billion a year to heat and power buildings.
4. US industry employs about 131 million people and generates over 40% of the US GDP, using roughly one-fourth of the nation’s total energy per year.
5. 86% of US electricity is generated in large, centralized power plants.
6. By 2050, if we make efficiency a goal, and switch from oil, coal and one-third less natural gas to renewable energy, we’d save a net $5 trillion!
7. By 2050, a $2 trillion investment to make cars, trucks and planes more efficient, and more effectively used would save $5.8 trillion.
8. Building’s energy use can be 40 to 60% more efficient in 2050 than today – despite 70% more floorspace.
9. US industry can produce about 84% more output with 9 to 13% less energy.
10. We can capture and integrate the renewable energy needed to meet 80% or more of our electricity needs by 2050.

Interesting, isn’t it?  Be sure to read the entire post, and comment below if you’d like to share your thoughts on this.

Thank you,

- Dan

(Photo used with permission from Paul Shahriari – www.FLGreenHouse.com)

…I’d found the most beautiful kitchen in the world!

It was absolutely break taking – aside from its very functional design – the fact that it was flooded with natural daylight really took it over the top!

Some light entered the room through windows on the north and south sides of the house, too.

But most of the light was provided by two tubular skylights centered in the ceiling.  The combination created a very enjoyable feeling…  I just wanted to stand there and breathe in the natural light.

Paul’s Florida High Performance Green House is located right here in Cape Coral, Florida, and he shares ALL of the details of this unique learning opportunity, including:

• the cost/benefit of green building,
• exactly what green elements are used in this project,
• real-life data of energy consumption (this is amazing!), and so much more!

Be sure to learn more about Paul’s project at: www.FLGreenHouse.com.

How inspiring!

Enjoy,

- Dan

PS – Did you know we have 21 tubular solar skylights that light up our office’s at FafcoSolar?  Come in sometime, and see for yourself, it’s really cool!

Our Showroom with Solar Lighting

The photo above shows the power of Solar Skylights redirecting sunlight directly into our showroom!

Did you know we have 21 tubular solar skylights that light up our entire office area?

The best part?  We hardly ever use the florescent lights.

Some of the benefits of tubular Solar Skylights are:

• Energy savings – there’s no cost for directing natural light into your room!
• Far less expensive than conventional skylights.
• Emit more light per given area.

Be sure to learn more about Solar Skylights, or give us a call at (239) 574-1500!

Enjoy!

- Dan

PS – Also, feel free to stop by our office sometime and see our solar skylights in action!

If you have been waiting for a new rebate program to invest in solar, your time has come. Florida Power and Light, our state’s largest utility has just announced a NEW and Improved solar rebate program!

Beginning June 21, Florida Power & Light (FPL) will begin offering a rebate for solar electric (photovoltaic) and solar domestic hot water systems.

The rebates will require an application and pre-approval, and are available on a first come-first served basis.

Your early planning is critical because rebate funding is limited. Contact us, and we’ll help you through the application process to give you the best chance of qualifying for this exciting solar incentive.

The FPL photovoltaic rebate is $2 per installed watt of solar power with a limit of $20,000 for residences and $50,000 for businesses.

A typical 5 kilowatt residential grid-tied solar electric (photovoltaic) system would qualify for a $10,000 rebate, drastically increasing your return on investment!

Solar water heating systems qualify for a $1,000 rebate!

Coupled with a currently available 30% Federal Tax Credit and the lowest prices ever for solar energy systems, there has never been a better time to GO SOLAR!

If you have any questions about the FPL Solar Rebate, or would like to learn more about how we can help you – please contact us, or give us a call at (239) 574-1500.

Thank you,

Dan

That’s how much my Florida Power & Light (FPL) electrical bill was in March of this year…

The amazing thing?

Quite a while ago, I set a goal to save 10% per year on my electrical bill — working my way toward personal energy independence over 10 years (with today’s technology advancements, I really believe it’s possible!)

Comparing this March (2011) with last March (2010) – I saved over 70%!.

In March 2010 I paid $67.98.

You might ask what I’ve done exactly, and that’s a great question.

As you probably know, I’m really passionate about using solar & renewable energy to create personal energy independence.

Over the last few years, I’ve made some pretty substantial changes, one was adding a Solar Electric Photovoltaic (PV) System to my house.  I’ve also added a Solar Water Heater, which uses the sun’s power to keep my water hot (I have an electric water heater as a backup!) along with a Solar Pool Pump.  Finally, I installed Solar Air Conditioning which is making a huge difference as well!

Notice a theme?

It’s all about harnessing the power of the sun, and today, it’s very efficient and cost-effective.

You can learn more, or read about each of our solar products — feel free to contact me, or comment below if you have a solar energy savings story!

I’d love to hear it!

Thank you, and here’s to personal energy independence in the next few years.

-Dan

If you’re like me, you might be ready to take matters into your own hands.

But even though you feel ready, you might still be holding back a little.

Well, if that’s the case, I suggest you take a look at “The Cost of Doing Nothing”… an interesting 5 minute video produced by the Florida Solar Energy Center:

Continuing on… You can learn what really happened because we chose to do nothing by reading this article from Renewable Energy World.

So… do you think we’re at our Sputnik Moment?

Or… to make it a little more personal… are YOU at your Sputnik Moment?

If you are, you don’t have to wait anymore…

Take matters into your own hands!
It’s time for a personal revolution!

Declare your own Energy Independence… and make it happen for YOU!

Learn more about OUR Revolution…

- Dan

…by ABC-7 about high-level energy officials from the Department of Energy coming to the Suncoast to meet with local officials talking about energy programs.

Including those that may bring green jobs to the area!

In the interview, Dominick said “We should absolutely be the front runners in solar energy.  The more installations I have, the more of my employees I have on the road working.  Hopefully down the line hiring more sales staff and technicians.”

To learn more about solar power, be sure to visit the “Go Solar” section of our web site!

If you’d like to read the article, click here.

Enjoy!

-Dan

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

Being energy efficient is critical to saving money, but reducing power is only half the battle.  Some changes that may seem energy efficient on the surface may not save any energy at all.

For example, you might ask about replacing an existing 1-1/2 horsepower pool pump with an “energy efficient” 3/4 horsepower pump.  The smaller pump would definitely use less power – in fact, about half the amount of power. Unfortunately, to circulate the same amount of water, you would need to run the smaller pump for more than double the amount of time each day, ultimately using more energy!

A better strategy would be installing a photovoltaic (solar) pool pump that runs using energy from the sun, eliminating the utility electricity consumed by your circulation pump.

Some items are inherently inefficient, and power savings are simply not a viable option.

For example, a curling iron will use essentially the same amount of power to reach the same temperature as any other brand. The only way to reduce energy used in your daily hair care regimen may be to work faster!

Conversely, if you want to watch television, it’s hard to reduce the time it takes to watch American Idol (except with a DVR!)

The best way to reduce your energy use with this appliance is to buy an energy efficient model, which saves energy by using less power.

Some items that can be more efficient by using less power to do the same job are televisions, computers, and air conditioners. Some items that simply need to be used for shorter periods of time are water heaters, hair dryers, and irons.

The bottom line is that saving energy with one appliance may require a different strategy than with another appliance.

Don’t bother shopping for a toaster that uses less power, and you won’t find a light bulb that shines when it is turned off.

Understanding the relationship between power and energy (efficiency and time) is critical to reducing your overall energy use.

- Jason

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!