A house in south Huntsville off Bailey Cove road has a wonderful new feature, Solar Hot Water.   If you are cruising down the street you just might notice something shinny on the roof.  No, he didn't leave his Christmas lights up, it's a pair of solar panels used to supply the home with 90% of it's hot water needs.  This contract specialist is looking for more than the latest technology toy.

For anyone ‘keeping up with the Jones’ in Jones valley, you'll have to work hard to one-up this environmentally friendly system which collects the heat from the sun and uses the stored heat to provide enough water to satisfy this bachelor.  A large 80 gallon tank with 1 electric assist element, a pump & controller, 10 gallon drain-back tank and a heat exchanger.  All the equipment is located in the laundry room with the only visible part of the system, two very modest roof mounted solar panels.

It sounds simple, but in this tight economy it's difficult for homeowners to part with the up-front cost, even to save money over the long term.  Maybe it's a reflection of our mobile society.  The average person looks at their home more as a place to stay, rather than a long term investment.  We are conditioned to think of a mortgage in terms of 15 to 30 years.  What if we looked at our energy costs the same way.  By putting in a system now; you are effectively 'locking in' a stable long term energy benefit.

This system was designed and installed by Southern Solar Systems, 11807 Memorial Parkway SW, Huntsville.  Southern Solar is a local company with a management team who gained their experience working with both the Departments of Energy and NASA on space based and terrestrial solar power.