SOLAR-AM CONSTRUCTION
GOING GREEN MEANS-SAVING GREEN!
There are two types of Solar
Technologies for the home-
Solar Electric and Solar Thermal
Home Owner
Solar for Your Home
There are abundant reasons for you to consider going solar today. Whether you are committed to significantly reducing your CO2 emissions to help fight global warming, or tired of paying an ever-increasing utility bill, solar offers a great solution. There are two distinct types of solar technologies - solar electric and solar thermal.
Also commonly known as Photovoltaic (PV) Also commonly known as Solar Water Heating Residential Solar Electric Thousands of homeowners each year are saving money on their electric bills and doing their part to reduce their global warming impact by installing a Solar Electric system on their home. Solar Electric Basics Photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight directly into electricity. 
Solar Electric
Solar Thermal
There are very generous government incentives available today to help you make this worthwhile investment in your energy future.
The system consists of:
* Solar PV Panels -- Generate DC electricity
* Inverter -- Converts the DC to standard AC electricity that is compatible with the electrical grid and capable of powering electrical devices.
* Utility Meter -- Tracks the solar electricity that your system produces and feeds to the utility grid, thereby keeping track of your credit from the utility.
A grid-tied Solar Electric system can generate power on-site to supply a home or business that is connected to the utility grid and offset the usage from the utility company. Grid-tied systems are the most common types of solar systems.
An off-grid solar system with a battery back-up can supply power to a remote home or area that would otherwise not have access to electricit
Simple Grid Tie Solar Power System Drawing Saving You Money Stop paying for electricity, and start making your own! Incentives Solar thermal technology is the most economical way to heat your water for a range of purposes: Solar Thermal Basics Essentially, a Solar Water Heating collector is a black box enclosing copper piping that sits on your roof and collects heat from the sun, and transfers it to the water that runs through the piping. This feeds to your storage tank, and acts as a pre-heater to your existing water heater. Saving You Money The California Energy Commission estimates that the average household spends up to 30% or more of its energy bill for hot water heating, and it accounts for more than one-quarter of the total energy used in a typical single-family home. An electric water heater is the single largest user of electricity of all household appliances. Active Closed Diagram of an Active Closed Diagram of an Active Open Loop System Diagram of an Passive Open Loop System Location: Location: Solar-AM Construction, 830 Euclid Street, Phone: (310) 393-1582 E-mail: info@solar-am.com
You own your home; it is time that you owned your electricity too. Why keep buying electricity from a utility company that can charge you whatever they want for electricity, when you can own your electricity for the next 30 years.
In
Why does Solar make pocketbook sense?
* Generous government incentives help bring down the initial capital costs of a solar electric system by as much as 30%.
* Cost of electricity from the utility is high and will continue to increase. By generating your own power with Solar, you can stabilize your cost of electricity today and not be subject to future rate hikes.
* Solar is an investment that adds resale value to your home.
* A home equity-based Solar loan can break down initial system cost into monthly payments that match or beat current electric bill
The California Solar Initiative offers homeowners installing Solar an upfront cash rebate equal to 25-30% of the total installed Solar system cost
This incentive program is design in such a way that the rebate level drops as more consumers take advantage of the program. So, if you are considering installing a Solar system, contact us today so that we can make your rebate reservation and secure for you the highest rebate possible.
Federal Tax Credit
In addition to the state rebate, a Federal tax credit of $2,000 is offered to any homeowner who installs a Solar system.
This tax credit applies to your tax liability— not merely a tax deduction—for the year the system was installed.
Residential Solar Thermal
* Domestic hot water – Solar can produce enough energy to meet 70-80% of your energy needs for domestic hot water production.
* Space heating – Solar can be used in conjunction with a Radiant Floor Heating system to provide space heating for a building. Solar-heated water runs through pipes underneath the floor boards, which then radiate heat upwards to warm the room.
* Solar Pool Heating – Solar offers the most cost-effective method of pool heating, and allows you to extend your swimming season by several months.
Diagram of a solar water heating system for domestic hot water.
There are two main types of Solar Water Heating systems:
Active systems – Contain pumps and controls to regulate the flow and hot water production.
Passive systems – Operates without the use of pumps.
Solar-AM Construction designs a range of packaged Solar Thermal systems for homes. Depending on your home’s climate and freeze protection needs, we would recommend an appropriate system for you.
Solar Pool Heating System Basics
A Solar Pool Heating system is composed of black plastic (polypropylene) Solar panels that are mounted on your roof. Water runs through the tubing in the panels and collects heat as it passes through, and feeds into your Pool.
Whether you have an electric or gas water heater, the operating cost will continue to rise over time. According to the California Public Utilities Commission, electricity rates have been increasing an average of 6% per year, over the past 35 years, and the wholesale price for natural gas has more than tripled in the past eight years. Natural gas shortages are likely to push rates even higher in the near future. With solar you will no longer have to be at the mercy of the utilities and their ever-rising rates.
The California Public Utilities Commission estimates that a typical homeowner can save 60-70% on the cost of water heating by installing a Solar water heating system.
Government Incentives for Solar Thermal
A Federal Tax Credit of $2,000 will be offered to any homeowner who installs a Solar Water Heating system before December 31, 2008.
In some regions, such as
An Investment That Pays For Itself
A properly designed and installed Solar Water Heating system will perform well for 20-40 years. Over the life of the Solar system you will realize an average annual 15% return on investment. A typical residential Solar Hot Water system in
A Solar Pool Heating system has a typical payback period of 2-4 years. There are several factors that affect the savings realized with a Solar Pool Heating system, including, your climate, the size of the pool, your cost for natural gas, the pool temperature you wish to maintain, whether you use a pool cover, the length of your swimming season, your climate zone, etc.
Residential Solar Thermal Systems
System Type: Solar system for Domestic Hot Water
This is a typical Residential Solar Water Heating installation. These two collectors provide hot water supply for up to 60% of the resident’s annual need, greatly reducing their monthly gas bill. Warmer climates offer even greater savings from solar.
Location: Southern CA
System Type: Solar Pool heating system
This is a standard Solar Pool Heating system installation, featuring the polypropylene panels. These systems are very economical, and can extend your pool’s swimming season by several months. 
System Type: Combined Solar Water Heating System for Domestic Hot Water, Radiant Floor
This home features a large Solar Thermal array (with 10 collectors) that heats water to supply the domestic hot water demand, the radiant floor space heating demand, and lastly the pool and spa.
