Solar Innovations

Costs are rising across the board, but the expense of running a home is especially on the increase as inflation hits highs not seen since the early nineties. As we seek ways to trim our monthly bills, alternative energy solutions are coming on line to help out. The solar industry, in particular, is gearing up with investments expected to reach $14.3 billion by 2009. Now Ikea is getting into the act by adding $77 million to its eight-month-old Green Tech fund to aid clean technology startups over the next five years, a move that will fuel the rapid expansion of affordable, sun-powered products for the home.

If there is a cloud on the horizon, it's the looming demise of the federal investment tax credit (ITC) for solar power. In July, the Senate failed to extend the ITC for the eighth time. If calls to renew it are not heeded by Congress by the end of the year, analysts estimate that the solar industry could lose $8.1 billion in investments and more than 39,000 solar-related jobs in 2009 alone. On the other hand, extending the ITC by eight years could create enough solar energy to power as many as five million homes and provide tens of thousands of new jobs and eliminate 130 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.

If you're not ready to sink money into solar panels (or are waiting for the next generation to arrive) you can still take advantage of the savings offered by products available now. Here are a few that caught our eye:

Cookers

Sun Ovens International is helping developing countries reduce their dependence on charcoal and deforested wood to cook their food. Rising to temperatures of up to 400 degrees, the Global Sun Oven uses sunlight that enters through a glass panel, strikes a black surface and bakes, boils and steams food in about the same time as a conventional oven. Get a taste of solar cooking for $279 or try the less expensive alternative, the $29.95 briefcase-size Solar Cooking System (with a polypropylene case) from Surfer Chef.

Skylights

Using natural daylight redirected through a tube from a roof-mounted dome, tubular skylights will brighten any room in the house—and even provide a view of the sky. For about $350 (plus installation), a large living room can be illuminated by Solatube's 14-inch 290 DS model. An optional dimmer switch can bring the light down to 2 percent illumination. You can also find a range of sizes and prices for tubular skylights from Velux, Sun-Dome, Tru-Lite and others.

Attic Fans

Traditional attic fans, which vent the hot air that builds up in your attic, can save up to 10 percent of your air conditioning costs. Building on this idea, Natural Light Energy Systems in Phoenix, Arizona, has created a solar-powered attic fan that can vent up to 1,800 square feet of hot air. A ten-watt unit sells for $399 while a 20-watt unit sells for $499 (not including installation). 

Water Heating

Thanks to the ITC, Americans can save up to 30 percent (or $2,000) on the cost of their new solar water heating system. To heat an 80 gallon water tank for a family of four, TCT Solar in Jacksonville, Florida, offers a passive preheating solar water heating system that hooks up to your existing hot water tank, operates without a pump and costs from $3,000 to $5,000, including installation. Although not cheap, the system can save owners six to nine kilowatt-hours per day, or about $30 a month. Velux offers similar systems with options for solar-preheating or an electric backup heater, starting at $5,500. Payback for either system can vary from three to 15 years depending on your heating fuel and state and local incentives.

Home Heating

It may feel too hot to invest in home heating, but with the Department of Energy projecting a 45 percent increase in the cost of heating oil this winter, looking into an alternative now makes sense. Many solar water heating systems can be expanded to include home heating: Apricus produces whole house systems starting at about $12,000 that can meet more than half of your space and water heating needs. To warm up single rooms, the SolarSheat 1500G manufactured by Your Solar Home, Inc.  can be mounted to the side of your house, where it uses heat from the sun to warm recirculated air inside. It can raise the temperature of a 150-square-foot room 15 to 20 degrees F, though temperature controls allow you to keep it to more moderate levels. With savings on energy bills ranging from 20 to 30 percent, the panel can pay for its initial $1,979 price tag in nine years and has a lifespan of 25 years.