LESLIE: Ray in Florida’s interested in talking about some alternative energy. How can we help you?
RAY: I’m interested in the uni-shingles; like a solar – it’s not a solar panel but they are like shingles that go on your roof, but they’re actually solar shingles that absorb energy.
TOM: So the roof shingles actually act as a solar panel with this particular product?
RAY: That’s correct.
TOM: Ray, I think you’re talking about something that’s called UNI-SOLAR shingles. Solar shingles. They’re not uni-shingles. They’re UNI-SOLAR shingles. And basically, what they are is they are – it’s a rolled-up solar panel that has a power rating of about 17 watts. It’s lightweight, it’s flexible, it looks just like roofing shingles. So it sort of gets installed in the roofing system, just like another row of shingles would be; except that this particular row is designed to collect solar energy. It’s really a pretty cool idea and they seem to be gaining in popular. You know, they’re freeze-resistant; they’re used in residential buildings; they’re used in commercial buildings.
LESLIE: And I think interesting to know is that they sort of have a peel-and-stick adhesive, but that backing is capable of withstanding 160 mile-per-hour winds. So it’s good for the Florida area.
RAY: That’s what I was worried about.
TOM: Yeah, well they seem to have that nailed down; no pun intended. I mean I think it makes a lot of sense. Now, I haven’t had a chance to look into the pricing and do a cost benefit analysis. I would encourage you to do that because that’s really important. A lot of the solar systems are expensive but perhaps there are some discounts available to you or some energy credits available to you. And if so, it might make some economic sense. But I think it’s a pretty cool technology.
LESLIE: There’s two different systems that they offer and one is a laminate system, which goes directly on top of your roofing material. And then there’s another one that’s a shingle system. And this one’s not as wind resistant because it actually replaces the shingle itself. This one’s only resistant to 80 miles per hour. But the one that’s a laminate that would go over your roof, that’s the one that’s to 160. So keep that in mind, Ray.
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