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Like other Californians this past year, Mimi Carlson was looking for a way to cut down costs on her electricity bill. When her ophthalmologist described to her the solar panels he had installed on his roof, she decided to follow suit. Now, three months after installing solar panels on her own one-story home, Carlson wants people to know that switching to solar energy was a smart move.
"Everybody ought to check into this, make this their top-priority home improvement," Carlson said. "If I can persuade people it is economically viable as well as the right thing to do for the environment, it becomes a no-brainer."
Joining homeowners from some 400 communities nationwide, Carlson plans to open her doors on Oct. 4 to people participating in this year's solar home tour. For $15, a party of up to five people can tour nine houses throughout Silicon Valley, including homes in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell and San Jose.
"The goal is to educate people about solar energy. It does work; it's not a fly-by-night, risky operation. It's something people can do right now," said Chris Beekhuis, who represents the Northern California Solar Energy Association, the organization sponsoring the Silicon Valley tour. The tour is part of a national event sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society.
The self-led tour, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will commence at Starbird Park in San Jose. There, attendees can get information at the solar vendor fair, enter a raffle for a free solar electric system and obtain a map for the tour. The names and addresses of homeowners participating in the tour won't be released until that day.
Organizers are encouraging those on the tour to ride their bicycles to the homes in Campbell, which are within nine miles of each other.
The homes on the tour are of different styles and sizes to demonstrate that solar panels work on all types of structures. Though the Carlson property is shaded by mature trees, the solar panel installer managed to place the panels in a way to maximize its energy output, Beekhuis said.
One home on the tour runs on solar thermal energy, and a couple of homes use batteries so that the household can run off the electric grid in the event of a power outage.
"I was trying to show different homes so that people can see one that matches their own situation," Beekhuis said.
Perhaps participants on the tour will find it interesting that Saratoga's Vimal Kumar managed to install solar panels on his tiled roof--despite a common misconception that this is not doable, Beekhuis said.
When Kumar made the decision to install solar panels about two years ago, he did so with the knowledge that the house would be his permanent home.
"The whole key is if you plan on staying in the same house for 10 years, it's a great investment," Kumar said. Many homeowners who install solar panels expect to recapture the money invested within a decade.
Kumar initially put down an estimated $40,000 to install the panels, but later received a state rebate. He anticipates to break even on the money paid upfront after 8 1/2 years.
Prior to installing solar panels, Kumar spent $150 to $200 each month on electricity. Since switching to solar energy, he essentially pays nothing. In fact, his panels generate more electricity than he uses.
"We see the PG&E meter go crazy, running backwards," he said.
Energy generated by solar panels that isn't used gets fed back into PG&E's electrical grid and provides energy to other households. A meter that calculates how much energy one household consumes spins backwards, providing the homeowner an opportunity to receive energy credit from PG&E.
In addition to the credit from PG&E, the state of California is offering a one-time cash rebate and 15-percent tax credit to homeowners who make the switch to solar energy.
According to Beekhuis, California makes up 70 percent of the nation's solar market. The industry is growing at a rate of 30 percent each year in the United States, he said.
For tour details and online registration, visit http://www.norcalsolar.org/tour.
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