>Solar Air Heating: Overview
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Great Return on Investment
Solar air heating has a long list of benefits for home energy use. By using these systems, you can:- Reduce your energy usage
- Cut your fuel bills
- Help protect the environment
- Help make our country less dependent on foreign fuel sources
This sounds great! But you’re still curious about the return on your investment, aren’t you? Here are some thoughts about the financial side of a solar air heating system:
Note the built-in solar electric panel at the top - powers the built-in fan. No external power needed.
Take the example of a solar air heater on a home in New England. In central Massachusetts, where the Alt E Store is located, we can expect the need for home heating for about 5 months of the year. Most homes here use a central boiler fed by #2 heating oil. At the current price of that fuel, and based on a modest 15% projected offset in heating costs on a 120-gallon-a-month consumption rate, a solar air heater would pay for itself in less than 6 years! And it will do so without producing greenhouse gases.
If your old furnace or boiler is due for replacement, buying a new, more efficient boiler for $5,000 to $6,000 may decrease your yearly fuel consumption by 20-30%. However, if you spend $1,500 to $3,000 for a solar air heating system, you'll achieve the same efficiency gain or better --without the hassle of removing the old boiler-- and save $2,000 to $4,500 over the initial cost of a new boiler! Replacing the boiler and installing solar air heating will produce the greatest long-term cost savings overall.
If you are a commercial property owner and you pay for your tenants’ heating, then you have very real concerns about heating costs. The increase in heating fuel could mean you'll be paying thousands of dollars more than you did in previous winters. You likely have a contract for a few years to hold the lease price, which means a real drop in profit. If you're planning to hold onto your property for more than 2-3 years, it makes sound financial sense to install solar air heating to reduce your heating costs. The money you save in heating costs could prevent lost rent which would otherwise have to cover the rising fuel costs.
Interested in Learning More about the Solar Air Heaters We Offer?
Check out our classes or visit our Solar Air Heating section of our website for a complete product listing by clicking here.