![]() |
|||
|
|
Mr. Thomas and his wife had been doing everything they could to help out the environment. This included reducing their power consumption, composting their organic waste, and even growing some of their own food. Until recently, however, the Thomas family had not been able to install a solar electric system. That all changed with the advent of the Missouri Linked Deposit Program. The Linked Deposit Program provides "low-interest loans to homeowners who want to make alternative-energy retrofits". This state program allowed David to take out an $11 000 loan to pay for a twelve panel solar electric system. The program should save the Thomas family over $1500 in interest payments over the five year loan. These new financing options are a great way to make solar panels more affordable. Some people even look at solar power as an investment that will offer an attractive rate of return. People decide on solar houses for many different reasons, however, and David Thomas was thinking of the environmental benefits rather than any financial benefits when he installed solar panels. Although David hopes the panels will pay for themselves over time, he really enjoys the great feeling of being able to supply power back to the electrical grid. On a lighter note, David also loves to open his laptop and check out how much power each one of his solar panels is producing. This sort of monitoring software is available with many solar companies and provides a fun way for people to spread the solar power word. It should also provide some additional incentive for any of you gadget lovers out there. Just think of how fun it will be to monitor your solar system from your iPhone!
|
||