From the editor: Cornell University graduate Laura Miniel is contributing a three part series walking Brownsville residents through the process of installing solar screens on their homes for free, utilizing a rebate from P.U.B.
We post her initial article below:
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| Laura A. Miniel |
$500 FREE FROM PUB TO CUT YOUR AIR CONDITIONING BILL It's that time of year in Brownsville when I'm starting to feel like a marshmallow roasting in the sun. Even indoors. The problem is the large windows on the East, West, and South sides of my home. They've been covered with blinds, room darkening curtains and it's still not enough. Without an A/C running, the house would reach 95 degrees. The sad irony is that running my AC requires the power plant to burn fossil fuels, adding CO2 greenhouse gas to the atmosphere, making it hotter outside. The more I (and others) run our AC, the hotter it gets outside breaking record after record, causing the AC to run more often, and so on. Individually and collectively, we are contributing to the very problem our AC's are trying to solve. Fortunately, Brownsville PUB is offering all PUB residents up to a $500 rebate to upgrade your home - adding window screens or films with exceptional heat-blocking qualities. This material resembles an insect window screen, but reflects 80% of the heat and energy from the sun before it can enter your house. It acts like a selective filter blocking nearly all of the heat, while letting in nearly all of the visible color, view and light from outside. The effect on your utility bill is dramatic. If you have large windows that let in a lot of light, the screens block 80% of the heat from coming in. That means your rooms don't heat up nearly as fast, and you don't need to use the AC as much, since you don't have a constant influx of heat and light collecting in your house, heating the rooms. Background: PUB has several green energy rebate incentives. The page on PUB's website where this solar screen program is described is here: http://www.brownsville-pub.com/go-green/greenliving-rebate-program/solar-screens Challenge: Is it possible to solar screen all of the East, South, and West facing windows in my house, for under $1 per sq foot? And will PUB then refund the entire amount spent back to me, making this a totally free, energy-saving upgrade to my house? Answer: Yes, and yes. A step-by-step guide to how I did it, what I bought, how much it cost, and how you can do the same, will follow in part 2. NOTE: PUB reimburses you based on the square footage of the windows you cover with solar blocking material. So in order to get the full $500 rebate, you need to cover at least 500 square feet of window or sliding door glass facing East or West in air conditioned parts of your home.
Is she single? Filipina?
ReplyDeleteAs to solar panels this is wrong. I have been profiling BPUD and its rebates for years. On Solar Panels the customer loses big time. The other rebates are real good. The blow in insulation gets you $500.00 Lowes will give you two years interest free. You make a $500 down payment and your monthly savings basically pays Lowes. But on Solar Energy you will lose money. I went through the process. $500 does not come close to the cost of providing electricity for the entire house. My electric bill rarely goes over $130.00 a month on a 2000 squ foot home, and a 32,000 gallon in ground pool. I am at the point that I will lose money with solar energy panels. You do the screens, blow in insulation, replace siding glass doors with energy efficient ones, and your bill will come down big time. I also save on the water efficient toilets which cost $99, with a $50 rebate from the city. I calculated how the monthly payment for the solar panels even after the rebate would increase my costs, and for at least 15 years my total utility bill would be higher than it is now. There are great rebate programs but solar panels are a loser. Do not believe me, do the math yourself. Blow in insulaton with no interest from Lowes will bring down your bill big time. The solar screens are amazing.
ReplyDeleteNot solar panels. Solar SCREENS, Bobby. Read the article again.
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