UPDATED:  9/21/08

“Payback on solar isn’t the most important thing…it is the only thing the vast majority of potential solar homeowners care about.”  

GetWithGreen took a look at how easy it is for us consumers to actually estimate the cost of installation/installing solar during a home remodel – using a web-based solar calculator.  

Below are we have listed a number of sources for solar installation calculators, and we have compiled the most comprehensive list of these calculators available on the web.  We want to warn you, many of these solar calculators appear to made by scientists for, well we couldn’t always figure out who the target audience was . 

To help you, we have given a GetWithGreen Rating (“GWG Rating”) to each solar calculator, where 1 is very hard to use, and 10 is the easiest to use – for an average consumer.  You should also know that MANY of the solar calculators on the web are from the same creators, and are just re-skinned (web terminology for different colors).

Before you begin, make sure you have a copy of your utility bill handy because you will need to input either your annual electric costs and/or your monthly electric usage in Kwh into the solar calculator!

Find Solar ( GWG Rating:  9 )
The “My Solar Estimator” solar calculator tool starts out simple with entry of a zip code and selection of your utility provider and remains easy to use from there on out.  We like the navigation of this solar calculator and believe this solar calculator was designed for consumers like the GetWithGreen.com community.  This solar calculator is used by a number of different websites, and is referred to quite often.

BP Solar ( GWG Rating:  7 )
Calculate the potential cost and savings by using a BP Solar Home Solution solar calculator.  Easy to use and very fast calculator.  This solar calculator will estimate out the savings per month off your present bill, and you can adjust the size of the system to determine further savings.  Very easy to use, very friendly.  We think this is a good solar calculator to get your feet wet with before proceeding to the My Solar Estimator tool from Find Solar above.

Southern California Solar Calculator (Southern Cal Edison & San Diego Gas Electric) ( GWG Rating: 7 )
Heritage Solar offers a solar calculator that is easy to use and provides savings information for ”small”, “medium” and “large” installation scenarios.  

SunPower Solar Calculator (GWG Rating: 7)

This is a very complete and comprehensive solar calculator.  This calculator is almost identical o the Sharp and Kyocera calculators below.  It is built by Clean Power Research.  You definitely have to know your stuff to answer all the questions, and to get an answer.  The nice thing about this solar calculator is that it compares your costs to actually leasing a system through SunPower.   

Sharp USA ( GWG Rating: 6 )
Estimate system cost, monthly savings, and payback using this solar calculator.  This is the same solar calculator as Kyocea, but implemented a bit nicer.  Still requires you to know the cost per Watt to get a good estimation.  

Kyocera Clean Power Estimator ( GWG Rating:  5 )
Estimate the energy output, pollution prevention and cost of your grid-connected photovoltaic system using this solar calculator. 

Select the residential option, and input your Zip Code to get started.  Does incorporate tax benefits.  This calculator is used by a number of websites, and can be easily identified by the “cleanpower” text in a webpage URL.  We didn’t find this solar calculator particularily useful for the average consumer because it required you to put in what you think the size of your PV System should be (e.g. 4,000 Watts) and a cost per Watt (e.g. $8 per Watt dc). We question whether the average consumer trying to make a solar decision knows this?

Arizona (Phoenix) Residents ( GWG Rating: 5)
SRP delivers a Solar CostCalc for Phoenix residents.  It estimates the cost of a system and cost savings of the system, but you have to estimate the size of the system.   So you might want to start with the My Solar Estimator, and come back after you’ve done some estimating.

Long Island Residents ( GWG Rating: 5 )
Take a look at what Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI) has to offer. 

PV Watts ( GWG Rating: 4  )
Calculates electrical energy produced by a grid-connected photovoltaic system.  Created by researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to enable experts to obtain performance estimates for grid-connected PV systems with the US.  This solar calculator, while getting many referrals on the web, appears to be made by rocket scientists for rocket scientists.  It is very difficult to use for the average consumer, but there are instructions that can teach you the science behind the solar calculations.

SolarHome.com ( GWG Rating:  4 )
Online solar retailer with an easy to use solar calculator that quickly tells you how much solar energy your system will need to output to fullfill you needs.  You can take this system sizing, and then use it on the Kyocera Clean Power Estimator or the PV Watts calculator above.   So, as you can see this is not a complete solar calculator, but a piece of the puzzle.

Texas State Energy Conservation Office ( GWG Rating: 2 )
Basic solar calculator that estimates a system cost, but does not account for any incentives like almost all the other calculators.

So in summary, GetWithGreen believes the calculators we have Rated higher than 5 or higher, can offer you some guidance in your solar education and decision. 

Clearly there is a lot that solar resellers have to offer in the way of estimations, and it’s likely they keep detailed tools close to their chest.  We believe there is a market out there for one of you readers to create a free comprehesive tool.  If it existed we suspect it could demystify solar to the average residential homeowner, and possibly accelerate adoption!

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Earlier this Summer, GetWithGreen.com selected a Solatube Model 160 DS Daylighting System for a residential hallway installation. A daylighting system was selected because a dimly lit hallway constantly required energy consumption for lighting — even during daytime hours.

Solatube was selected by GetWithGreen.com because of the sheer amount of clear information on the company’s and reseller’s website, and because it was so easy to find the product locally. It’s now time to update you on the install, and our final opinion of this specific daylighting system.

The Solatube 160 DS installation was a snap. Our GetWithGreen.com contractor installed the daylighting system within 90 minutes, and if you use a Solatube dealer this time could likely fall well below an hour! Our installation did require the wiring of electricity to the daylighting system, so that it could be used during the night as a light as well.

So what happened to the once dark hallway?? The hallway is now brilliantly bright during the day, and often glowing with moonlight in the evenings. GetWithGreen.com did use both a diffuser AND a softening lense for the installation because the light coming through the Solatube was too bright at first!! In addition the light was very white, and not as soft as a traditional incandescent bulb. The diffuser and the softening lenses took care of this. (Special thanks to Marjorie at Sunlight Concepts for allowing GetWithGreen to sample the various diffusers and softening lenses!) Should you still want to tone down the light, or perhaps change the color of the light, you might be able to use a colored gel to further alter the color and mood of your daylighting system — but this has not been confirmed by Solatube.

It does take time to get used to a new daylighting system. For weeks following your daylighting system install you will reach for a light switch because you will think a light has been left on!! You may also feel it is too bright, but we urge you to give it a few weeks. You will grow accustomed and fall further in love with your free and environmentally friendly light source.

GetWithGreen.com gives daylighting systems two green thumbs up!! In our opinion, the Solatube daylighting system performs beyond expectations, and Marjorie at Sunlight Concepts (our dealer) was amazing to work with. If you are considering one of these systems, GetWithGreen.com urges you to take the plunge. If you haven’t considered a daylighting system before, then take note and check out these incredibly eco-friendly products for lighting your home!!!

Read more about Daylighting Systems on GetWithGreen.com.

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The momentum around eco-friendly EcoTop “paper” countertops continues to build as Klip BioTechnologies is locking up distribution agreements that will take this green countertop product “mainstream”, and make it incredibly easy to obtain for our home projects. 

As many of you know, and write often to us about, it is very difficult to easily buy “green” products for our home remodels.  Thus many of us just purchase what is most easily available from our contractors, Home Depot, or other — at the last minute.  (Come back later this week as we tell of our most recent difficulties trying to obtain UltraTouch insulation from Bonded Logic!)

Today, EcoTop is available to order by directly calling Klip BioTechnologies at 1-253-507-4622 in Washington.  At the moment all homeowners receive factory direct pricing.  Lead-times are running three weeks, for the present earth-tone neutral colors:  Snow White, Ivory, Cashew, Palamino, Pecan, and Jet Black.  Soon EcoTop will be available in a Charcoal, Concrete Grey, Espresso Brown, and Thistle Green.  

Sample Kits can be ordered from EcoTop for $30, and if you decide to purchase EcoTop the $30 will come off the price of your final order.  Klip BioTechnologies did tell GetWithGreen.com that the Sample Kits are on backorder, so contact them now if this is how you are planning on evaluating their product.

Remember that this product differs from Paperstone and other fiber countertop products in that it uses a completely new fiber system, a newly developed resin, and is manufactured with patent pending processes.

Finally, the team over at Finehomebuilding.com is running a great “paper” countertop overview in their most recent edition.  See the article at:  Paper counters look and feel like stone.  (Note: you might need to register to get the article.)

Read More About EcoTop on GetWithGreen.com

• Paperstone, now EcoTop
• EcoTop NOW IN WIDE DISTRIBUTION!

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To many of you, the “remodel” you are presently doing may be a backyard and pool makeover project – and it is highly likely that you may be evaluating the different methods for heating that swimming pool oasis. GetWithGreen.com wants to reveal a list of top manufacturers of solar heating products to you. We want to make your quest to understand your options as easy as possible. Additionally, we want to make sure you have a place to double check the information you are receiving from your pool specialist or installer.

How does a solar pool heating system work? A solar pool heating system works via black plastic panels or collectors capturing the energy from the sun and using it to heat the water in your pool. The materials used to make these systems are manufactured from high tech. plastics which have been designed to resist weather and resist the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. The materials are typically a flavor of polypropylene. Using your existing pool pump, water is circulated through the solar panels where it is heated by the sun and then returned to your pool. The collectors that sit on your roof typically come in the same sizes, no matter what manufacturer you get them from: 4ft x 8ft, 4ft x 10ft, or 4ft x 12ft.

Solar heating is not “on demand” heating. On demand heating? On demand heating is, “I feel like turning on the heater and heating my pool.” Solar pool heating systems doesn’t work that way. Solar systems heat only when water is running through those collectors, and when those collectors are being heated by sunshine – so your pool will not heat at night. But how well will solar heat your pool? FAFCO (collector manufacturer) says their systems will:

• “raise you pool temp 2 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit each time the water passes through the system, and
• raise your pool’s temperature 5 to 15 degree Fahrenheit over a period of several days of good weather.”

Do solar systems cost a lot? Solar, unlike electric or gas heaters, uses sunshine, and that sunshine is free – therefore there is no operating cost, and you are heating your oasis with a completely renewable, non-polluting, green, eco-friendly sourse. In addition, following the purchase cost ($2,500-$7,000), there are no ongoing associated utility bills. Here is some other cost and feature comparison between solar and other heaters:

• This table compares Gas, Propane Electric and Fuel Oil pool heaters and the saving you realize by going with solar instead. Estimated costs of equipment, installation and energy supply for an above ground 24ft. (7.5m) diameter pool or an in-ground pool 15 x 30ft (4.6 x 9.2m)

• The charts below give some other interesting solar comparisons. (charts from FAFCO):

Here are the the Manufacturers GetWithGreen.com researched
(in order of the ones we found most informative)

FAFCO
Claim to be the oldest and largest manufacturer of solar collectors, having started their overall business in 1969. In 1996 FAFCO installed their 1,000,000 solar panel collector. FAFCO offers three products for in ground pools: SunSaver, Revolution, and SunSaverST. Solid website with information on ideal placement of panels.

Heliocol
Been in business since 1977. 12 year warranty. Claim to be the largest manufacturer with 200,000+ installations. Distributed all over the United States. Helicol manufacturers their panels out of polypropylene w/ “special” ultraviolet inhibitors, which Helicol claims won’t discolor your pool water. Heliocol has a fairly informative website, and claims several patents on their technology.

Aquatherm Industries
Solar collector manufacturer. Claim 125,000+ installations of their solar collectors The collector systems are called Ecosun Solar Pool Heating Systems, and designed into systems by a nationwide distribution network. The website is semi-informative.

Techno-Solis
Established in 1976. Techno-Solis has created a sizing calculator to estimate the number of panels you would need. Solar panel sizing calculator for pool. Semi-informative website. (We also found two other calculators: solar pool panel calculator, solarenergy.com pool calculator).

Suntrek
Established in 1991, and their products carry a 15 year warranty. Manufacture complete systems and those systems are sold by dealers in the US. Unclear if Suntrek is a manufacturer of their own collectors. Semi-informative website.

Enersol Solar Products, Inc.
Family owned and operated since 1979. 15 year warranty (pro-rated toward replacement). 

Solar Attic
Solar Attic manufacturers a completely different type of pool heating system that uses the sun. Their product runs piping through your attic where it collects and extracts the heat and deposits into your pool. This is a very innovative approach as it elimates the need for panels and positioning of panels. We had some interaction with the team at Solar Attic and we found them to be very responsive to our inquiries. Definitely we would recommend at least reading about their offering.

Sunfence
There is minimal US information about SunFence, as the products are designed and manufactured overseas, but we wanted to bring them to your attention. They manufacturer solar pool heating systems that are built into fencing.

More…

Finally, we want to note a couple must read websites before you make your purchase:

Solar Energy Specialists
This is a must read page on solar pool heaters. Great background and overview of solar pool heating.

BuilditSolar.com
This site also gives great overview information. Warning: the BuilditSolar team website has many links that will keep your researching mind busy for hours!!

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