Solar panels at the old Pearl Brewery, San Antonio, Texas

The National Solar Tour held this weekend encouraged my resolve to use solar energy for our home. My husband and I toured several homes and businesses in the San Antonio area that incorporate solar energy.

Our thanks and appreciation goes to the generous homeowners and businesses that allowed us to trek through their yards and business spaces to view their solar energy systems.

Some homes used strictly solar PV panels. Others used solar PV panels in conjunction with a solar hot water system. Still other homes used solar PV panels with other solar technology such as solar attic fans and sun tunnels. Solar energy is not a one-size-fits-all system.

I gained a greater appreciation for the many variables going into planning a solar energy system for a home or business. Each site used solar technology that made sense for that particular site. Basic variables include how many KW of solar energy is needed, sunlight availability, and pitch of the roof.

Reputable companies work closely with homeowners to design a home solar energy system that is best for their particular home. Along the tour, we met representatives and saw PV arrays from Meridian Energy Systems, The Power Store in San Antonio (210.695.8990), and Ecowatt Design.

It was heartening to see and meet other solar energy fans out touring with us. People care about the rising cost of energy but more importantly, they care about leaving their world better. Solar energy has captured our imaginations and there’s no going back.

The comments of one couple we met sum up the attitudes of the people we met on this tour. This couple wants to add solar energy to their home. They plan to sell the home in a couple years so they won’t realize a “pay back” on the system. Yet they say “it’s the right thing to do.” When they leave that house for another, “that will be one more” solar powered home available on the planet.

God bless them!

The annual, nation-wide tour of solar powered homes happens tomorrow, October 4, 2008.
Sponsored by the ASES, various homes using solar energy are open to the public.

Find a solar home near you and go see what the alternative energy buzz is about. See for yourself how your neighbors are using solar energy. Talk to the homeowners or business owners if they are available. Some sites will have solar energy contractors available to answer your questions.

Take the kids! With rising energy prices and depleting fossil fuel resources, alternative energy is their future. Get them acquainted with it now.

We will visit the solar homes near us and let you know what we learn.

Find your solar energy neighbors and let us know what you learn by leaving a comment.

We are seeking simple solar energy solutions to meet our home energy needs.

Care for our environment remains high on my list of concerns. The raging national debate around solving the world’s energy crisis fizzles into hot air. And my rising home energy bill makes me angry. Our world desperately needs energy solutions.

People create solutions. So I ask myself, what can one person do?

As reported earlier, this blog documents our journey to incorporate simple solar solutions into our home energy source.

But we are not alone.

Many creative people were seeking solar energy possibilities long before us. One website I find inspiring is Sustainable Futures.

David Bolt of Sustainable Futures cares about the earth enough to walk the sustainable talk. In conjunction with the ASES National Solar Home Tours, David will be giving tours of his solar home near Knoxville, Tennessee.

Bolt's Solar Home

If you are near Knoxville, Tennessee, on October 4th, here are the particulars.

Date: Saturday October 4, 2008
Time: from 10:00 am to 1:00pm
Address: 2315 Sugar Grove Valley Road, Harriman, TN 37748

Send an email to let them know you are coming:  kSaltmarsh@SustainableFuture.biz

Contact them by phone if you have questions: 865.684.4426 (day)

If you go see David’s house, let us know by leaving a comment. Thanks!

To find a solar powered energy home or business near you, visit the American Solar Energy Society tour information site.

Tours are listed by state and city. Most tours take place during the months of September and October.

If you visit any of the ASES Solar Tour homes please leave a comment about your experience.

What does a net Zero Energy Home look like? Are the people who live there doing without basic necessities? Are they cold in winter and hot in summer? Do the houses resemble space ships with all the funny panels attached at different angles?

If you are near Knoxville, Tennessee, in early October, you can actually tour a real home that produces as much energy as it uses.

Homeowner, David Bolt, is hosting a tour of his 30-year-old renovated home. Using earth friendly renovation, his home has produced more energy than it has used since April 2006. He says the house is a big experiment and he continues to make changes that increase the home’s energy efficiency.

To see a picture of the house and read further about particular renovations, go to the Sustainable Future site and click the “open house” link on the left side of the page.

If you are in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area and want to see a net Zero Energy Home for yourself, here are the particulars:

Date: Saturday October 4, 2008
Time: from 10:00 am to 1:00pm
Address: 2315 Sugar Grove Valley Road, Harriman, TN 37748

He does request that you let them know you’re coming by sending an email. You may also contact them by phone if you have questions.

Contact Kerry Saltmarch
kSaltmarch@SustainableFuture.biz
865.684.4426 (daytime phone)

If you tour this house, please leave us a comment. Thanks!