Adding Cheap Solar Power to Your Home

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The sun itself might be 93 million miles away, but cheap solar power is well within your reach.
The sun itself might be 93 million miles away, but cheap solar power is well within your reach.
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Even an older home can be retrofitted with a thermal mass or batch heater system.
Even an older home can be retrofitted with a thermal mass or batch heater system.
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Diagram shows method using a batch heater to assist an existing water heater. 
Diagram shows method using a batch heater to assist an existing water heater. 

Maybe in your mind the term “solar power” conjures up images of blue photovoltaic panels lining a broad expanse of south-facing roof on a residential home, or perhaps vast arrays of mirrors aimed to concentrate the sun’s light in one spot. And maybe you also think about the cost of these big ticket implementations, and know they are well beyond your means. Well don’t despair. Cheap solar power isn’t an oxymoron. Tapping the sun’s energy for heating purposes is affordable and relatively simple. Here are two ways to do it.

Thermal Mass

When I was around ten, my mother decided to build herself a
modest 3′ x 7′ step-in greenhouse as a small addition to
the family room. She and my father sat around the kitchen

  • Published on Jun 1, 1994
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