Solar Air Conditioning: Putting The Sun To Work In Your Home
A residential solar-energy system uses solar modules, made up of photovoltaic (PV) cells, to harvest the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity that can be used to power your lights, appliances and other electrical devices in the home. Solar energy is an infinitely renewable resource that uses the sun’s rays to generate the electricity you need. By going solar, you can reduce your energy costs and lower your dependence on fossil fuels. Here's an overview of the types of home solar energy systems available.
Grid-tied PV systems: A grid-tied system is the most common and least expensive of all residential solar systems. It allows you to use your own solar-generated electricity to save energy and reduce costs. At times when the PV system isn’t producing electricity, such as at night, electricity is provided by the utility company’s grid, or network of power stations.
One of the benefits of a grid-tied system is that any excess electricity produced by your solar system can be fed back to the grid through a process known as net-metering. With net-metering, which is available in most areas, when you use electricity from the grid your meter spins forward. The less electricity you use from off the grid, the slower your meter spins. Even better, when you are feeding electricity back to the grid, your meter spins backwards!
It’s important to note that the government and utility companies may provide incentives that can make installing a solar system, so much more affordable usually aren’t available unless your system is grid-tied.
Stand-alone PV systems: Also called an off-the-grid or off-grid system, stand-alone systems operate independently from the utility grid, providing all of the electricity needed in the home. Stand-alone systems are much more expensive than grid-tied systems. However, for homes located in remote areas without utility service, or where installing power lines would be extremely costly, a stand-alone system is a good option.
The SunSource® Home Energy System
The SunSource Home Energy System is a grid-tied PV system that utilizes a high-efficiency air conditioner or heat pump as its platform. The equipment comes solar-ready, which means you can add solar modules to create a home solar energy system, if and when you want one. Simply upgrading to a high-efficiency air conditioner or heat pump will allow you to reduce the energy demand of your home before adding solar. That means you can start small, with one or two solar modules, and add more (up to 15 per unit) when your needs change or you're just ready to maximize the savings.
How SunSource® Reduces Utility Costs
- The solar modules harness the sun’s energy to power the SunSource® Solar-Ready heat pump or air conditioner.
- When the heat pump or air conditioner isn’t running, the solar power can operate other electrical devices in your home.
- With net-metering, any surplus power goes back to the grid possibly entitling homeowners like you to a credit.
- A communication module, which sends performance information for each solar module to a monitoring website, allows you to see the system status, energy production, and also shows the environmental benefits of using renewable energy for your home.
Heat Pump and Solar Assisted Tax Credits
Service Experts is the heating and air conditioning leader, providing innovative technologies that make our line of heat pumps some of the most efficient home comfort products you can buy. We have a wide selection of
environmental heating and cooling systems that qualify for tax credits under terms of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010. Just remember that to qualify, the new equipment must be installed between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.
Tax credits up to $300 are available on central heat pumps that achieve a minimum HSPF of 8.5, a minimum SEER of 15.00 and minimum EER of 12.50 and are matched with the proper indoor coil and/or furnace. A tax credit equal to 30% of the cost—with no upper limit applies to the solar panel installation used in conjunction with the following Lennox products:
- Dave Lennox Signature® Collection XP21 Solar Ready Heat Pump
- Dave Lennox Signature® Collection XP17 Solar Ready Heat Pump
If you would like more information or a free quote on solar or high efficiency air conditioning systems, simply call a
Service Experts Air Conditioning location near you, or
1.888.HEATCOOL (1.888.432.8266).