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

It happened, again, when Nancy and I were on vacation in Southwest Colorado.

We were about half way into a tour of a cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde (see below to learn about Mesa Verde), when a couple, who heard we were from Florida, started the following conversation…

“What part of Florida are you from?”
“Fort Myers.”
“Oh?! We’re from Cape Coral.”
“Oh?! That’s where my business, Fafco Solar, is.”
“Fafco Solar?! We were just there three weeks ago!!”

They went on to say they had been customers for 20 years and had recently purchased repair plugs for their solar pool panels that finally sprung a leak.

He remembered that we had met previously at a monthly eco-gathering and that we both drove Priuses.

Imagine how surprised and delighted I was!

What were the odds of running into a customer in one of the most unique places on earth?

After the tour was over, we went our separate ways. I couldn’t get over the uniqueness of our meeting… the synchronicity of it! Throughout the day, I kept telling Nancy, “That was just CRAZY!”

But, amazingly, our story doesn’t end just yet…

As Nancy and I were ending our last site visit of the day, walking down a small, remote path in the park, we meet the same couple, again, coming up the path. Amazed again, we chatted awhile, then said good bye.

As we walked away, I shouted back to them, “We need to figure out what this means!”

HOW CRAZY IS THAT??

- Dan

ABOUT MESA VERDE:

Mesa Verde is located in the southwest corner of Colorado. It is the ONLY national park in the United States dedicated to the works of people… rather than to the works of nature. It is where a group of Native Americans lived from 750AD to 1250AD. If you get the chance, I recommend you visit. Email me and I’ll tell you my favorite place in the park! ☺

For more information on Mesa Verde, visit www.VisitMesaVerde.com.

You’re invited!

We’re having an open house at our “green” building in Cape Coral from Monday, April 19 to Friday, April 23, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m, and we’d love to see you!

At our Open House, you’ll be able to:

• take a tour of our Green Building,
• sign a “Declaration of Energy Independence,” and
• learn more about all the solar energy products offered by us.

We’ll also give you a listing of other local Earth Day events, tips and suggestions for going green and a “Solar Bill of Rights” to take home!

As I said in a recent News Release:

“This is a great opportunity for us to be able to educate the public on what they can do to be green and do their part to save the environment. Solar energy is a readily-available and renewable source of energy that will not only reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, but it also helps our customers save lots of money. We’re proud to celebrate Earth Day by teaching our customers how to be environmentally responsible citizens.”

See you next week, and have a great day!

- Dan

It was good for heating water or making electricity, but not for transportation.

But with this…

… and checking out www.calcars.org to learn about electric vehicles (EVs), I’ve done a complete 180!

If you want to learn more, I highly recommend you check out:

Who Killed the Electric Car?

After 30 years of being in the solar industry, I was so wrong about what I thought solar energy could do.

Kinda humbling.

So, if I could have a wrong perception about solar energy after 30 years, I guess I could understand that YOU too could have a misconception about solar energy.

I think there’s a lot of people that don’t fully understand solar energy:

• How it works…
• What it can, and can’t do…
• When it could be applicable…
• Affordable… and
• A host of other questions.

But there’s a huge belief that solar energy is a good thing… a VERY good thing, in fact.