Tapping the Warmth of the Sun.
Now you can cut your energy bills in half by harnessing the sun’s power with a SunSource solar heating and cooling system from Strine’s.
With SunSource, the solar equipment line from Lennox, solar panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity for heating and cooling your home.
There are a number of reasons why this might appeal to you:
Solar is free. Solar-energy systems allow you to capture free sunlight and convert it into usable power in your home.
Solar is clean. Solar energy can be used to heat and cool your home, but it has almost no impact on the global climate.
Solar is infinitely renewable. While nonrenewable energy sources like oil, gas and coal are becoming increasingly scarce, the sun’s energy is limitless.
Solar can reduce your utility costs. Having a system that creates solar energy means you use less electricity from your utility company. That can contribute to lower heating and cooling costs. This matters, especially when you consider 56% of energy use in a typical U.S. home comes from heating and cooling, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Solar comes with incentives. The U.S. federal government and some states provide tax credits for renewable-energy systems. To find out what incentives are available in the York area, visit dsireusa.org. Or call us at (717) 755-4127, or send us an email.
Solar increases your energy self-reliance. The more sunlight harnessed by the system, the less electricity you need from your utility supplier.
Solar can increase your home’s value. An investment in a solar-energy system may improve the value of your home, thanks to its ability to lower the cost of heating and cooling. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have shown that home values rise an average of $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills.
Solar is extremely reliable. The sun has been around for billions of years and is likely to burn on for billions more to come. And when you consider how a trusted name like Lennox is putting it to economical use in the home, it’s easy to see solar energy’s future is bright.
How Solar Works.
A residential solar-energy system uses solar modules, made up of photovoltaic (PV) cells, to harvest the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity that can be used to power your lights, appliances, heating and cooling equipment, and other electrical devices in the home. Types of solar systems include
Grid-tied PV systems
A grid-tied system is the most common and least expensive of all residential solar systems. It allows you to use your own solar-generated electricity to save energy and reduce costs. At times when the PV system isn’t producing electricity, such as at night, electricity is provided by the utility company’s grid, or network of power stations.
One of the benefits of a grid-tied system is that any excess electricity produced by your solar system can be fed back to the grid through a process known as net-metering. With net-metering, which is available in most areas, when you use electricity from the grid your meter spins forward. The less electricity you use from off the grid, the slower your meter spins. Even better, when you are feeding electricity back to the grid, your meter spins backwards!
It’s important to note that the government and utility company rebate incentives that can make installing a solar system so much more affordable usually aren’t available unless your system is grid-tied.
Stand-alone PV systems
Stand-alone PV systems, called off-the-grid or off-grid, operate independently from the utility grid, providing all of the electricity needed in the home. Stand-alone systems are much more expensive than grid-tied systems. However, for homes located in remote areas without utility service, or where installing power lines would be extremely costly, a stand-alone system is a good option.
Advantages of the SunSource® Home Energy System.
The SunSource Home Energy System is a grid-tied PV system that uses as its platform a high-efficiency air conditioner or heat pump from the Dave Lennox Signature® Collection. These units come solar-ready, which means you can add solar modules to create a solar energy system, if and when you want one.
Upgrading to a high-efficiency air conditioner or heat pump from Lennox will allow you to reduce your home’s energy demand before adding solar.
You can start small, with one or two modules, and add more (up to 15 total, per outdoor unit) when your needs change or budget permits.
How SunSource works to reduce your utility costs
• The solar modules harness the sun’s energy to power the SunSource® Solar-Ready heat pump or air conditioner. When the heat pump or air conditioner isn’t running, the solar power can also operate other electrical devices in your home.
• With net-metering, any surplus power goes back to the grid, possibly entitling homeowners like you to a credit.
• A communication module, which sends performance information for each solar module to a monitoring website, allows you to see the system status, energy production, and also shows the environmental benefits of using renewable energy for your home.
If you have any questions about going solar in York County, call us at (717) 755-4127 or send us an email.