Energy Costs, Tax Breaks energize solar market
As energy prices continue to rise at an alarming pace, consumers
are turning their attention to alternative forms of energy to
power their homes. A front-runner in the alternative energy
market is solar power, which is gaining popularity thanks in
most part to the energy crisis gripping the country. Solar power
is finding its way into homes across America tasked with
reducing the costs for everyday things such as heating our homes
and water.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), heating
your home
accounts for about 56 percent of your utility bill making it the
largest expense for most homes. Water heating is the third
largest energy expense and can account for about 14-25 percent
of the utility bill.
A recent addition to the Metropolitan Industries product
line are solar powered systems manufactured by Viessmann for
domestic hot water, radiant floor heating and air conditioning
systems for residential and commercial applications.
The advantages of using solar power for domestic hot water,
radiant flooring and air conditioning are significant given the
cost of energy, its continued rise and its limited supply. The
DOE says a solar system can provide up to 80 percent of the
heating needs required for a home or business at zero cost to
the consumer after initial equipment and installation costs.
Given solar energy is free, a system will pay back the purchaser
in just under a couple years in energy savings and will continue
to pay dividends in energy savings and consumption for years to
come.
Other benefits include tax incentives from Federal and State
governments in forms of rebates, grants and exemptions that help
offset installation and equipment costs making the technology
feasible for many businesses and families.
For example, the State of Illinois offers a property tax
exemption for passive solar space heat, solar water heat and
solar space heat for residential, commercial and industrial
properties according to website dsire.org, a database of State
Incentives for Renewable & Efficiency funded by the U.S.
Department of Energy. A residential solar tax credit is offered
by the Federal Government that that offers a maximum incentive
of $2000 for a solar water heating system installation. An
incentive offered by the United States Department of Agriculture
is in the form of a grant upwards to 25 percent of project
costs. For renewable energy systems, the minimum grant is $2,500
and the maximum is $500,000. For energy efficiency improvements,
the
minimum grant is $1,500 and the maximum is $250,000.
With solar power gaining popularity in the U.S., Viessmann
Manufacturing Company of Germany is ready for the increased
demand based on the more than 2 million solar collector
installations over the last 30 years installed in just Germany
alone.
Viessmann solar hot water heating systems, marketed as the
Vitosol, collect and absorb solar radiation through either solar
vacuum tubes (Vitosol 300) or solar panels (Vitosol 200) and
transfers the solar heat directly to a storage system, from
which the heat is distributed.
Viessmann solar collectors are specifically designed for
northern climates and can produce as much as 70 percent of the
annual hot water requirements of an average family household.
The average lifespan of any Viessmann solar product is 20 years
or more.
The Viessmann product line is only available in Illinois at
Metropolitan Industries, Inc. located in Romeoville. For more
information, contact Mark Brickey at 815-886-9200.
