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Even just sitting on the ground, the 2,480-feet passive solar
home is saving money for its owner. Built by Frank Laskey, the
house gets most of its energy from solar panels so it's not dependent
on "the 'Grid." An automated system opens windows when
the temperature is over 72 degrees and closes them when it's
below 65.
The lights flicker in a way that's imperceptible to our sight.
"By doing that, it doubles the life of the bulb," said
Laskey, of Capital Construction. "It saves 10 percent in
energy usage."
But do the energy bills reflect savings the homeowners were
hoping for?
Laskey showed CBS 6 the energy bills for last winter. In January,
they totaled 77 dollars. In February, the bill was 194 dollars.
"In a conventional house like this, you'd expect the bill
would be 350 dollars or higher," said Laskey.
In March, the bill was 86 dollars.
Laskey believes the boiler helped lower those energy bills.
Even if you can't afford a high-tech home like Laskey's, he says
homeowners can significantly cut energy costs with an investment
in a new efficient boiler costing from 3,500 to 5,000 dollars.
"You can reasonably expect to save 50 percent on utilities
over four or five years," he said. "[It's a] payback
on your investment."
Changing light bulbs is another inexpensive way to cut costs. "A
flourescent bulb of 13 watts is 500 percent more efficient than
a 60-watt incandescent bulb."
New windows are also a less expensive way to bring an older
home into 21st-century savings. "Windows are so much more
efficient than they were even 10 or 15 years ago," noted
Laskey.
Any power Laskey's house needs is bought from National Grid
at a low rate, but the excess is sold back at a higher rate.
Laskey's computer printout has the bottom line: "The amount
we produced is approximately five times more than we had to purchase."
And while the rest of Saratoga sat in the dark for days after
a power outage last January, Laskey's solar home was covered
by the house's battery backup.
"My batteries had 96 hours," he said. "[It] could
turn on lights, and the well pump was working."
While the technology is still costly, the best part of it is
that its energy source -- the sun -- costs nothing. |
