Southwest Florida aims for a switch to solar hot water

BY EVAN WILLIAMS ewilliams@floridaweekly.com

Representatives of six county governments and 16 cities have all agreed on a single, long-term project that could affect virtually every homeowner in Southwest Florida. The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council on Wednesday applied for a federal grant that, if awarded, would put in motion a plan to offer tens of thousands of homes throughout the region the option to get rid of their old electric water heaters.

They could choose to get solar thermal hot water heaters instead, the Planning Council proposes. Half the cost would be paid for by the grant and the other half by savings on the electric bill. The project could create jobs, reduce carbon emission, eventually shear an estimated one-third off homeowners’ electric bills. “It’s a great idea,” said Howard Kunik, city manager of Punta Gorda. “It’s one of our strategic plan initiatives here in the city of Punta Gorda. Whatever can be done through grants to help keep down the cost of the homeowner is good for the whole community.”
If the grant money is awarded as early as February, plans to retrofit an initial 11,000 homes throughout Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, Glades and Sarasota counties could begin. Upfront costs are the most significant barrier. Most homeowners wouldn’t start to see savings on their energy bills for five to eight years.

The Planning Council estimates the heaters will cost $3,800 each.
“The one thing that hit me between the eyes is, it’s awfully expensive,” said Cape Coral Mayor John Sullivan. “Cape Coral decided to support (the grant application) because it’s alternative energy. It’s going to create jobs and reduce our dependency on foreign oil. We’re not going to keep on burning gas and oil into the next century.” Because of the initial cost, The Southwest Florida Solar Energy Retrofit Initiative won’t happen anytime soon without federal funding. The grant, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is part of a pool of $390 million set aside for local energy-saving projects nationwide. Competition for the dollars is stiff, although there are a few points that may give Southwest Florida an edge over other areas.
“(The Department of Energy) is looking for projects that have significant energy savings, stimulate the economy, are regional in nature, and set up a protocol that can be adopted elsewhere in the country,” said Paul Wingard, project manager for the Southwest Florida Solar Energy Retrofit Initiative, and Lee County deputy director of transportation. “Other things we’ve got going for us: Our economy is near the bottom nationwide, foreclosure is near the bottom. Because we’ve been hit harder economically, it will help us float to the top a little more.”
Wilber Smith Associates, an engineering, planning and economics firm (not related to the former mayor and attorney), helped prepare the grant. The firm also collecting feedback from vendors and homeowners interested in the program on its Web site, www.solarswf.com.
“We can get a number of businesses involved, so it’s not just one company producing the water heaters and one company doing installation,” said Amy Davies, the company’s Fort Myers office manager. “Homeowners can choose which vendor they would like to install their solar hot water heater. We want to put solar hot water heaters into mainstream use (so) plumbers or some type of contractor can make this mainstream, as part of their business. We want to make it very simple for homeowners.”
Workers will be needed for jobs like manufacturing, installation and maintenance, some based on competitive bids. For example, Fort Myers-based Storm Smart Industries developed a solar thermal water heater that can be attached to your old one for about $2,000.
“It’s one of the things that will help us jumpstart the economy again,” said Storm Smart President Brain Rist. “More people will be able to reduce their energy cost by using these systems, but more important in our eyes is that we’ll be able to put more people back to work.”
The federal money will pay for half the cost of each heater and cover the full price for low-income households. Property owners’ initial energy savings, roughly one-third of their electricity bills, will go to pay off a loan from the county or city on the new heater. Homeowners will start seeing the savings in five to eight years. They would also have the option of paying it off all at once.
A portion of the money would be held in a revolving loan fund used to keep installing more heaters.
“The better a municipality does as far as their participation, the higher their numbers (of solar water heaters) are going to go,” Mr. Wingard said.
Getting the entire region to agree on the project was a crucial first step to compete for the grant money alongside other areas that boast larger cities and greater resources.
“We’re hoping that through a 20-year period we can eventually get everyone onto solar energy if they choose to be,” Ms. Davies said. ¦ view the whole story:

http://charlotte.floridaweekly.com/news/2009-12-24/Top_News/Southwest_Florida_aims_for_a_switch_to_solar_hot_w.html