By:
On:
In: Education
With: 0 Comments

I’ve said before that solar thermal technology like solar water heating and solar pool heating is the simplest form of solar energy. I take that back. What I meant to say is that solar lighting is the simplest solar energy product on the market today. Every morning, even if it’s a little cloudy, the sun comes “up” and we have light for the entire day. Whether it is hot or cold, cloudy or clear, we get sunlight every day. Even better than a traditional skylight is a solar tubular skylight. This product places a small dome on your roof, a reflective tube through your attic,Read More →

By:
On:
In: Education
With: 0 Comments

NOTE: The economics of solar water heating have changed since this article. Solar Water Heating is Dead is an article that has more up to date information. Solar water heating is by far the most efficient way to use solar energy in most homes. It always strikes me as strange that more systems are not installed in Southwest Florida. In some places like Hawaii, solar water heating is mandated for new residential construction. While I don’t think we have to go so far as to mandate installation through legislative means, it just makes great financial sense and it is common sense. Why are so manyRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education
With: 2 Comments

The answer is yes; however, that’s a pretty open-ended question usually. There are several different kinds of solar “panels.” I’m going to nitpick now. Many people that ask this question are really looking for a solar “module,” as in a photovoltaic, PV, or solar electric module. We calls these modules in the trade because they are actually made up of many solar cells that are wired together. Solar modules create electricity that can be used in your home to offset electricity purchased from your utility company, or can take you “off-grid” altogether. Granted, they are are colloquially referred to as solar panels, but technically theyRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education
With: 2 Comments

To start off, let’s get something straight. Power and energy are not the same thing. I am asked all the time, “How much solar power does my home need to eliminate my electric bill?” The right answer is usually how much energy the home needs. Power is a rate of consumption. Energy is a quantity of consumption. Power over time equals energy! Pull out your electric bill. you will not find how many kilowatts your home consumed last month. Kilowatts is a measure of power – how much electricity you are using at any given time. What you will find is Kilowatt-hours, abbreviated kWh orRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education
With: 0 Comments

It’s hard to explain how much light a solar tubular skylight produces. Obviously, the amount of light is variable with the amount of sunlight available. The best way to describe it is in pictures. Pictured below is a closed garage with a single solar tubular skylight. The amount of light in the garage is unbelievable! Solar tubular skylights have lots of applications in residential and commercial settings. The Fafco Solar office and warehouse uses solar tubular skylights exclusively throughout the day. Homeowners can have solar tubular skylights installed in just about any room to brighten a space during the day. Lights come in varying sizesRead More →

By:
On:
In: Education
With: 0 Comments

The setup: Either find an unused bookmark in Safari or create any bookmark that you will change. Edit the bookmark Name the bookmark something like “Pin to Pinterest” Delete the URL and replace with this text (hint:copy and paste this): javascript:void((function(){var%20e=document.createElement(‘script’); e.setAttribute(‘type’,’text/javascript’); e.setAttribute(‘charset’,’UTF-8′); e.setAttribute(‘src’,’http://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r=’+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)})()); Save the bookmark (tap Done twice) To pin: Go to a web page where there is an image you want to pin. Open Bookmarks Tap the Pin to Pinterest bookmark you made previously Tap the image you want to pin Follow the process to pin it Use the bookmark any time you want to pin something on the page in Safari!