Solar Power in our homes

I believe that where we live and how we live are directly connected. The fact that we are in South Florida and are known as the "Sunshine State," should hint to a great resource - the sun. We get a lot of sunshine and it can help save us MONEY and ENERGY. This is a technology that has been around for many years, but most do NOT fully understand it. Today there was a great article I found at CNN.com on that subject and it gave me a full overview of the issue as it relates to our homes.

Here is an excerpt from the piece.

This weekend, Sacramento-based homebuilder Tim Lewis Communities is opening Amberleigh at Madeira, a new community of energy-efficient, solar-powered homes in Elk Grove, Calif. The planned 61 homes will feature building-integrated solar-electric power systems from SunPower Corporation , a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency, commercially available solar cells, solar panels and solar systems. Tim Lewis Communities expects that the solar power systems, combined with the energy-efficient features, will save homeowners up to 60 percent on their electric utility bills.

Each of the new homes will be equipped with a 2.3-kilowatt SunPower SunTile(R) system that blends seamlessly into the roof and features the most-efficient solar panels available on the market.

"Recent studies have indicated that new homes equipped with SunPower systems are selling at about twice the rate as comparable homes in the same neighborhoods," said Bill Kelly, general manager of the New Homes Division at SunPower. "Energy prices are increasing, and Tim Lewis Communities recognizes that combining high-quality, energy-efficient features with SunPower systems will result in significant savings for homeowners."

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