installations, including Solar Tubular Skylights. A good source of natural light even on overcast days, the skylights also effectively reduce utility bills and are less expensive than many solar options. Since 2010, Florida Power & Light
(FPL) incentives have kept solar alive in the Sunshine State. As part of a pilot program authorized by the Florida Pub- lic Service Commission, FPL offers a $1,000 rebate for every new residential solar water heater and has also part- nered with not-for-profit, low-income- housing builders such as Habitat for Humanity to install 1,000 solar water heaters in low-income housing units over the next five years. Additionally, a taxpayer may claim
a federal tax credit for 30 percent of the cost of solar hot water heaters, geother- mal heat pumps, residential grid-inter- active photovoltaic (PV) whole-house electric systems, solar water heaters, small wind-energy systems and fuel cells. “The tax credit doesn’t include pool heaters, which are considered a luxury,” notes Fields, who adds that sys- tems must be in service before Decem- ber 31, 2016.
According to the Florida Solar
Energy Center, a solar hot water setup, which is relatively inexpensive, has a quick payback and can cut a family’s water heating costs by up to 85 percent. Collector boxes, usually placed on a roof, trap solar heat and preheat cold water. Even on a sunny but cold winter day, water in the collectors can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
“In Southwest Florida, people
who resonate with the dollar and cents of green love to show off their great deals,” advises Fields. “Saving $600 annually on water heating is considered cool, while saving on gas, decreasing carbon emissions and getting a $20,000 rebate on a whole-house PV system is stylish and sexy.”
For more information, contact Advance Solar & Spa, 800-940-4328, AdvanceSo-
lar.com; Fafco Solar, 239-398-6939,
FafcoSolar.com; and Pulse Business So- lutions, LLC, 239-676-6615, Pulsebizso-
lutions.com. Also visit ENERGY STAR, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Depart- ment of Energy, at
EnergyStar.gov.
natural awakenings April 2013 33
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