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Dear Krista,
Its pool season again! With our
dry climate in Southern Arizona, most pools
are not warm enough to swim in until
mid-May. In this edition of The Solar Flare,
we describe how pool heating systems work, what
you can expect, and the systems offered by
The Solar Store. When you spend
$600-$900 a year to maintain your pool (pump and
chemicals), why not increase the amount of time
you can use it with a solar pool
heater!
Sincerely,
Katharine
J. Kent, P.E. CEM
President, The Solar
Store
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| SOLAR
POOL HEATING |
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In
general, pools lose their heat from the
surface area. In addition, windy
conditions and water features
will decrease a pool's
temperature. You can combat this with
pool covers, conventional
gas heaters, and/or solar!
According
to the US Department of Energy, a solar pool
heating system is the most cost effective use of
solar when compared to non-renewable energy
heating sources. The simple payback for a
system is less than 2 years.
A
solar pool heater raises the
pool's temperature by 10 degrees over average
ambient air temperature. Therefore, if the
high is 85 and the low is 55, your pool will be
around 80 degrees ((85 + 55) / 2 + 10). In an
average year, you will have 80 degree temperatures
by mid to late March, and typically swim through
the end of October. We've even had customers
swimming through Thanksgiving
weekend!
Systems are easy to install
and use your existing pump and filter
system. The Solar Store offers two different
types of collectors; the Solar Coil for flat
roofs and ground mount installations, and the
Suntrek for pitched asphalt shingle or tile
roofs. Both systems carry a 15 year warranty
on parts.
A typical pool heating system
costs $3,500 - $4,000 installed and qualifies
for the State of Arizona tax credit of 25% of the
cost with a cap of $1,000. The Solar Store
provides free estimates and systems can generally
be installed within three weeks of contract
signing.
For more information on pool heating systems
and pictures of recent installations, visit our
website here.
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| UTILITY UPDATES |
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TEP
& Unisource: The
utility has not made any changes to
its rebate program. However, with The
ACC's desire for consistency throughout all
utilities, a drop in rates is likely. If you
are considering installing a Photovoltaic (PV)
system, now is the time to get your reservation
in!
APS:
Effective
March 31, 2010, APS dropped their PV rebate
from $3.00/watt to $2.15/watt. Hot
water rebates also dropped from $.75/KWh
offset in the first year to $.50.
SRP:
The utility now sets maximum quarterly
rebates. When the total utility reservation
allotment is fulfilled, customers must wait until
the next quarter to apply.
TRICO:
The utility is still reporting a 12-18
month waiting period on rebates. With
the increase in their REST program, we expect this
time to drop by 25%.
SSVEC:
The utility is still reporting a 4-5 year wait for
rebates. The Solar Store has learned there
are people on the waiting list who did not install
a system, have moved out of the area, and
have not been terminated from the program.
This will eventually alleviate some of the
wait. We recommend you contact members of
The ACC to express your desire for SSVEC to
increase their REST charge to reduce the waiting
period. This measure proved very successful
in the TRICO service area. You may find a
sample letter on our website here.
Not
in the Southern Arizona region? Go to
Dsireusa.org
to
find out what your local utility provider's
current incentives
area. |
| UPCOMING EVENTS |
|
American
Solar Energy Society-National Solar
Convention This year the event will
be held in Phoenix Arizona, May 17-22. For
more information, visit the ASES website here.
Tucson
Botanical Gardens-Solar Seminar
Reaching Net Zero Presented by
Katharine J. Kent, May 1st from 10 am - 12
pm.
Solar
Clinics at The Home Depot
The
Solar Store is the service provider and installer
for many of the Home Depots in Southern
Arizona. Weekly, we host Solar Clinics
where you can learn more about Grid
Tie PV systems. Bring your utility bill
and we will size a system to meet your energy
needs!
Upcoming
Event Locations:
April
28th - Irvington (6pm - 8pm)
May
5th - Marana (6pm - 8pm)
May
8th - El Con (10am - 11am)
May
12th - Oracle (6pm - 8pm)
May
19th - El Con (6pm - 8pm)
June 2nd - Casa Grande (6pm
- 8pm)
For more information on upcoming
events visit Upcoming Events on our
website. |
| ADDRESS & PHONE
NUMBERS |
|
| Physical Location:
2833
N. Country Club, Tucson, AZ
85716
Phone
Numbers:
Tucson:
520.322.5180
Sierra
Vista: 520.515.0051
Phoenix:
623.236.9167
Toll
Free:
877.264.6374 | |
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