LESLIE: Now we’ve got Jean in Arizona on the line who is looking into some solar power. Jean, what can we do for you?
JEAN: Wondering if solar power would be a good thing for us. We’re not sure if we want to maybe look at a unit for the roof or maybe a unit for the garage with – for our hot-water heater.
TOM: OK. So you’re talking about – when you say “unit for the garage,” do you mean mounted on the garage roof or what? I mean you’ve got to get this – you’ve got to collect the sun at some point.
JEAN: As I understand it, you can choose to heat your house through a type of solar unit that looks after your hot-water heat.
TOM: Well, considering that you live in Arizona, solar energy is definitely something that you should consider because you obviously have a strong sun for most of the year. You can take advantage of this in a number of ways.
If you want to use this to supplement your water-heating cost, that is the easy thing to do. You also might want to consider using active solar panels to basically collect energy that could be converted to electricity. In many cases, there are companies out there that will partner with you, perhaps covering the cost of the panels in return for a share of the energy that it generates. There are also rebates to consider. I would look into what’s available in your market area.
But I think, generally speaking, the concept of having solar panels, especially in a state where you’ve got such sunshine, is a great idea.
JEAN: Thank you very much.
Leave a Reply