Opinion: Staying in Vermont because of solar heat

Staying in Vermont because of solar heat

by Leonard Perry

We’re nearing retirement and have been exploring ways to reduce our expenses so we can stay in Vermont. We never thought solar would be part of the solution. We’ve always liked the idea of solar – using the sun to power our home and reduce our carbon footprint. We assumed it was going to be too expensive. At a farmer’s market this summer we met with SunCommon and found out that solar was possible at little to no extra expense to us; that the power generated would offset the financing costs; and that, thanks to SunCommon-arranged financing, solar was possible at a very good rate. We also learned there is a generous federal tax credit for solar.

We decided to both power and heat our home with solar. Having grown up in the South, I have used traditional heat pumps, but they were only effective to about 35-40 degrees outside. Now cold climate heat pumps can handle temps as low as -18 degrees (F). Our heat pumps are much more efficient than our oil hot air furnace. And yes, even as temperatures have dipped well below zero these last few weeks, our heat pumps put out nice warm air!

Now that we’ve run our heat pumps for several months, my wife and I feel this is one of the better purchases we’ve ever made. We now use about 1/3 the amount of fuel oil we previously burned. And, we have never been so comfortable in our leaky old (1833) brick post and beam house.

The bottom line: Because our home is solar-powered and solar-heated, we can afford to stay.

Leonard Perry

Milton