“Imagine fuel without fear. No climate change. No oil spills, dead coal miners, dirty air, devastated lands, lost wildlife. No energy poverty. No oil-fed wars, tyrannies, or terrorists. Nothing to run out. Nothing to cut off. Nothing to worry about. Just energy abundance, benign and affordable, for all, for ever.”

Wow! These are the opening lines to the preface of “Reinventing Fire”, the latest book from Amory Lovins and his team at Rocky Mountain Institute –

To me, the key word here is “imagine”.

Reread the lines and feel what it would be like to live in such a world.

It’s coming. 

I know it is.

I’ve made it my mission to make it happen. (I hope that makes you feel as good as it makes me feel.)

I’ll be sharing more quotes from this inspiring book with you in the future, but, in the mean time, if you want to light your own fire, I suggest you get cozy with your own copy… or better yet!… Connect with www.fafcosolar.com to learn how Fafco Solar can light your (reinvented) fire!

- Dan

PS – If you have a moment – be sure to watch this very inspirational video as well:

…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!

Some of my ideas were:

eFiF, EFIF, iEFF, eFFi, FLefi, FEFI, FeFi, FLORife…

but here’s the one I like the best:

LIFE: a Love for Independent Food and Energy.

I continued massaging the idea:

Florida LIFE, A Peaceful Florida LIFE.

What do you think?

- Dan

Every two years, the U.S. Dept. of Energy holds a week-long event at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. called the Solar Decathlon.

This year, twenty university teams from around the country (and a few international) will compete to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are:

• cost-effective,
• energy-efficient, and
• attractive.

Four universities in Florida are collaborating on one entry called: FleX House.

I’ve wanted to go for years… and so this is the year I’m going, and I’m extremely excited!

If you, or someone you know, might be interested in this event, be sure to share this blog post with them.

I plan on taking photos while I’m there, and I’ll share them after my return, too.

As you may know, I own & operate Fafco Solar in Southwest Florida, and our passion is helping people use the power of Solar & Renewable Energy.   Be sure to see our list of solar & renewable every services, or give a call at (239) 574-1500 if you’d like to learn more.

Complete information on the Solar Decathlon is available at:

www.SolarDecathlon.gov

and on the FlexHouse is available at:

www.FlexHouse.org

Here’s to creating amazing solar & renewable energy solutions!

Enjoy!

- 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

…and it really sums up how fossil fuels have powered human growth and ingenuity for centuries — all in 5 short minutes!

Now that we’re reaching the end of cheap and abundant oil and coal supplies, we’re in for an exciting ride. While there’s a real risk that we’ll fall off a cliff, there’s still time to control our transition to a post-carbon future.

This amazing animated short movie is written and narrated by Richard Heinberg, author of many related books.

Be sure to watch it and let me know what you think by commenting below!

If you’d like to learn more about renewable energy, and solar energy options, be sure to visit our web site, or give us a call at (239) 574-1500.

- 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