FORT MILL, SC - FEBRUARY 2008
With the high cost of energy ranking as a top concern among American consumers, homeowners are turning their attention to renewable energy sources to lower energy costs and reduce consumption. This focus has led to a demand for products that make homes more energy efficient, including solar water heaters and the role the technology plays in low-energy homes in the U.S.
"Five years ago, when oil prices hovered around $20 a barrel and the price at the pump was just above a dollar a gallon, energy costs barely registered among Americans' top concerns," said Josh Plaisted, president of Kineo Design Group, a Berkley, Calif.-based engineering and consulting company that specializes in product design and development in the solar industry.
"Today, you will find high energy costs among the top five concerns of consumers," he said. "Whether it's natural gas, electricity or gasoline prices, energy weighs heavily on their minds, and they are clamoring for solutions."
According to Plaisted, consumers can have the greatest impact on their energy costs by reconsidering how they heat their water. The average household spends about 25 percent of its home energy costs on heating water, he said, noting that solar water heating offers homeowners not only a solution to rising energy costs but also offers environmental benefits.
"Studies have shown that owners of solar water heaters can save as much as 50 percent annually on their utility bills over the cost of conventional water heating," said Plaisted, who entered the solar thermal industry in 2000 after earning a master's degree in thermal systems engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He founded Kineo Design in 2002 to bridge the gap between engineers, architects and contractors and the solar energy systems specified in their designs.
North America's leading skylight manufacturer, VELUX America, is introducing a line of solar water heating products in the U.S. in February at the 2008 International Builders' Show in Orlando, Florida. A leader in the solar water heating industry in Europe, VELUX has developed and manufactured solar thermal water heating systems and products that efficiently harness the energy of the sun. According to VELUX, the U.S. demand for these advanced technology systems is steadily growing as consumer awareness of the increased cost of energy grows.
VELUX solar water heating systems utilize one or more low-profile roof top solar energy collectors containing a glycol (antifreeze) solution to gather heat. An electronic controller activates a pump to feed the heated solution through insulated tubing to a solar hot water tank. The heat is transferred through a heat exchanger from the solution to the water in the insulated tank, where it is held until needed, and the solution is returned to the collectors to be reused. In addition, homes must also include an auxiliary electric or gas heating system to ensure a reliable supply of heated water.
"Solar thermal water heating is not new to the U.S. - the U.S. was the world leader in the industry following the energy crisis of the early 1980s," said Jim Cika, manager, solar products, for VELUX. "However, in the mid- to late-1980s, as the cost of energy suddenly sank to record lows, American consumers were once again enjoying cheap oil, federal and state tax subsidizes for solar water heaters were eliminated in the U.S., and the demand for solar systems came abruptly to an end."
As the U.S. market for solar water heating products was collapsing, Germany, Austria and other European countries continued to focus on product innovation, Cika said.
"European countries saw what was happening in the U.S. in the 1980s, took the technology and continued innovating," he said, noting that the U.S. Department of Energy reports that 82 percent of all greenhouse gas emitted by human activity is energy-related carbon dioxide. "They made solar water heaters more energy efficient and more cost efficient. Twenty years later, Europe is a global leader in solar water heating technology, and now this technology is returning to the U.S."
While solar water heating systems usually cost more to purchase and install than conventional water heating systems, the financial benefit of a solar system is realized over the long term. A typical solar installation for a three- to four-person household costs about $7,000, but state and federal tax credits, state rebate programs and utility company incentives can reduce the final price tag by more than 50 percent. These savings, along with long-term savings associated from using the sun to heat the water, are causing U.S. consumers to take a second look at the advantages of solar.
"Low-energy houses will be the houses of the future, and for consumers concerned with long-term energy costs, solar systems will play a prominent role in reducing energy costs in U.S. homes," Plaisted said, noting that the return on investment of a solar system varies by region.
According to the North Carolina Solar Center, which is operated by the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University and serves as a nationwide resource for solar and other renewable energy programs, less than 5 percent of the world's population lives in the U.S., yet the U.S. consumes 24 percent of the world's energy. As a result, the center notes that the future of energy conservation will rely heavily on advancements in renewable energy resources.
"Our position is, the sun comes up every day, so it's only logical that we find a way to harness this energy," said Dona Stankus, manager of building programs for the North Carolina Solar Center.
"People today are truly interested in reducing their personal energy costs, and they are finding out that current solar water heaters are among the most reliable and affordable technologies in the renewable energy debate," she said.
VELUX America Information Series No. 1/08 – Velux Solar Water Heating Technology Comes To America – Apx. 952 Words