Believe it or not, it is not to soon too begin planning for heating your home or business. The sun provides heat all year round, so why not use solar in the winter too! Solar air heating can supplement your regular heating system and can dramatically reduce your heating costs.

For a home, it is not unusual to see your heating cost reduced by 20%-30% using a solar air heating system such as a SolarSheat, from Your Solar Home, www.yoursolarhome.com.

For commercial buildings such as warehouses, industrial facilities, schools, athletic facilities and retail the business case is compelling for installing a solar air heating system such as The InSpire Wall. The InSpire wall panel, a transpired solar collector, is mounted a few inches from the building's outer wall. The precision perforations in the wall panels allow outside air to travel through the face of the panel. Solar heated air at the surface of the panel is drawn through the perforations where it rises between the two walls and enters the building's ventilation system. The InSpire wall panel also helps to cool in the summer by preventing normal solar radiation from striking the building's main wall. Hot air is thermally siphoned up the wall and vented through holes at the top of the system, leaving the main wall cool. By-pass dampers in the summer allow fresh air to be drawn into the building, maintaining indoor air quality. Consider the following:

* 60,000 sq ft manufacturing building
* Design objectives: reduce energy cost, provide comfortable ventilation air year round and a positive air pressure

Installing a solar air heating system comprised of 3600 Square Feet of collectors on a South wall produced the following results:

* System cost $112,500 before 30% Federal Tax Credit
* $78,750 after Federal Tax Credit
* Annual energy savings $16,500
* Annual energy savings $4.60 per sq ft of collector wall
* Total projected energy savings over 30-year project life is $700,000
* Simple Payback with accelerated MACRS depreciation 3.5 Years

If you are interested in exploring the feasibility of installing a solar air heating system on your home or business call us at 636-699-9540.

"The Energy Savings Store Moves to Webster Groves"
This month The Energy Savings Store and Solar Design Studio began the process of moving to Webster Groves, 146 W. Lockwood. We are sharing space with our friends from Butterfly Energy Works.