Home Improvement With Alternative Energy Heating |
Posted: May 21, 2017 |
When you improve your home with alternative energy heating you will benefit in three important ways: 1. Save thousands of dollars in heating and energy costs for years to come. 2. Improve the value of your home. 3. Get peace of mind from more predictable fuel and energy costs. The key to a successful transition from fossil fuels to renewable resources is Benefits of alternative fuelThe term alternative fuel describes wood, wood pellets, corn, wheat, rye and other biomass materials as well as solar energy, wind power, and water for micro-hydro or geothermal systems. No matter which method of alternate heating or power you choose, they all benefit to some degree from the energy efficiency tax credits. Solar, wind, and geothermal systems all qualify for a generous 30% tax credit - including the cost of installation. In addition to the 30% Federal tax credit, many state and local agencies offer incentives or rebates with the potential to increase your total savings by 20% or more. Below is a brief overview of the most popular heating and energy systems. If the topic or information you're looking for isn't included in the categories listed on the left, try the Site Search box above or the Sitemap link in the footer. Wood pellet and corn stoves caught fire as home heating alternatives in 2004 when the price of oil crossed the $40 per barrel threshold and didn't retreat until July of 2008. During this time hundreds of thousands of pellet burning stoves were sold displacing millions of gallons of fossil fuel. Wood stoves remain a popular heating alternative due to the relatively stable price of wood pellets and corn, the availability of stoves for as little as $1,300, their simplicity of operation, and easy installation. Depending on the cost of fuel oil, a pellet stove could pay for itself in only 2 to 3 years. he versatile solar panel can be configured to harness solar energy for a variety of purposes. Photovoltaic (PV) panels or solar roof shingles are used to convert the sun's rays into electricity. A professionally installed solar PV system is estimated at $7 - $8 per watt or $15,000 for a typical 2kW system. But if you're handy, a DIY system of similar size can be installed for substantially less. Solar panels for hot water systems are 2 to 3 times more efficient than solar PV. A solar hot water system can be sized for domestic hot water only, or a combination hot water/radiant heating system to satisfy the majority of your home heating needs. Despite the market downturn, the number of small wind system installations increased by 10,000 units in 2009. According to Ron Stimmel, the small wind advocate at the American Wind Energy Association, "It all depends on your wind resource to get a decent payback. You need a little bit of land so you're not talking cities, but mostly suburban and rural locations" In urban and suburban locations where physical limitations and zoning laws prevent the installation of fully fledged wind energy systems homeowners have turned theirattention to rooftop micro wind systems and homemade wind power kits. Probably the most mysterious and least understood of the alternative heating and cooling options is geothermal. Simply put, a geothermal system extracts stored heat from beneath the earth's surface and transfers it to your home for winter heating - then reverses the process for cooling by removing the heat from your home and "sinking" it back into the ground. The extraordinary efficiency of a geothermal system offers a payback period of only 5 to 6 years if you currently heat with oil. Radiant heat differs from forced hot air in that it heats objects (flooring, furniture, etc.) instead of the air. This method takes longer to bring a room up to temperature but provides soothing, even, long lasting heat that eliminates cold spots and keeps dust and allergens to a minimum. Just like any other well designed major home improvement, an alternate heating or energy system will add value to your home. The average is $10 in added home value for every $1 in annual energy savings.
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