Solar Power Options and Ideas

We’re all familiar with solar panels used to generate power, but there are other solar technologies that can help your home save big on energy costs.

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September 09, 2022

By: Carrie Hamblin

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The Latest Solar Technology

Solar is having its moment. Material and production costs are down, technology efficiencies are up and the labs are busy developing new products to dazzle us in the marketplace. Good-quality solar appliances are often pricey, but they also come with fantastic warranties — some of the best in the appliance world — and pay for themselves with utility bill savings because they work for free (or close to it). Generous solar incentives like the federal income tax credit (a whopping 30% from 2022 through 2032) are reducing upfront pricing on many solar products even more. With the cost of electricity on the rise, it’s the perfect time to consider how to incorporate solar into your household.

Photovoltaic (PV) power generation gets most of the attention, but it isn’t the only way to use the sun or plug into its savings. Instead of creating electricity, other solar technologies focus on reducing the need for it by using the sun to heat our air, heat our water and light our spaces. After all, the less electricity we use, the less we need to buy or make ourselves. Let’s look at several of the stars of solar savings.

Solar Panels

The average American household uses nearly 11,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity a year — paying thousands for it — yet many homes are capable of generating that same amount of power for free. The most bang for your buck in solar power generation comes from a photovoltaic (PV) panel installation. On the market now are primarily three types of panels: monocrystalline, polycrystalline and thin-film. They vary in material composition, efficiency, appearance and cost but all operate the same: The PV cells contain silicon or other semiconductive material inside that gets really excited in the presence of light and throws off electrons in response, creating an electric current. Not every home is a candidate for at-home solar power generation — forest folk need not apply. But if you have enough solar resource — aka sunlight hitting your property — slap some panels on the roof or in the yard and get your utility to start paying you for power.

Cost: Before incentives, the average solar panel installation costs $2.77 per watt (W) in 2022, according to EnergySage, a solar comparison marketplace supported by the Department of Energy. That would make an 8 kilowatt (kW) system about $22,000, or $15,500 after the 30% tax credit from the feds.

Install: Find a local contractor on EnergySage.

LEARN MORE: Solar Power 101

Integrated Solar Shingles

Solar panels aren’t the only rooftop solar game in town anymore. Say hello to the integrated solar shingle. Sized like conventional roofing materials, solar shingles use the same cells found in some panel modules but the shingles are deck-mounted — meaning they lie side-by-side with your normal roofing, instead of on a rack that sits on top of the roof. Solar shingles may have lower efficiencies than panels and arrive at a higher price. The tradeoff is improved aesthetics with a sleeker appearance, which many people are willing to pay for. There are a few companies creating solar shingles now, including roofing manufacturer CertainTeed. The company makes two different models designed to blend nicely with conventional roofing shingles and tiles.

Cost: Integrated solar shingles and tiles are often more expensive than a panel system at around $4.90/W and up, but the cost varies by manufacturer (EnergySage).

Install: Hire a pro through the shingle manufacturer's installer network.

A Roof, Plus Solar

The best candidates for solar roofing products are households with roofs ready for replacement. At this point, a shingle installation could be competitive against a panel system, where you’d have the added cost of the conventional roof underneath. But for most shingle systems, that still means hiring a solar contractor for the shingles and a roofing contractor for the traditional roof. GAF Energy, in partnership with established roofing manufacturer GAF, combines the two under a single warranty and a single job, called the Timberline Solar roofing system. A GAF-certified contractor installs the whole shebang — conventional and solar — theoretically reducing costs and the headache of juggling multiple overhead projects. The system is based around the company’s flexible solar shingle that’s installed with the same nail gun as conventional shingles. Ultimately customizable, the solar portion could be only 25% or as much as 85% of the roof. And the flexible design discovers solar opportunities in situations that bulkier panels may find inhospitable. The company markets Timberline Solar as a roof, with solar added, emphasizing that its simplified process incentivizes solar adopters of all sizes — even the wee ones who have traditionally been excluded from the clean-energy club.

Cost: Martin DeBono, President of GAF Energy, in an interview with The Washington Post, estimated that he could have installed a Timberline Solar roof on his Northern California home for about $30,000 after incentives. That’s $14,000 less than his traditional roof plus solar panels ($44,000).

Install: Currently installing across the country, see if there’s a GAF-certified Timberline Solar roofing contractor near you.

Solar Roofs

If you want to generate power but don’t want anyone to know it, a solar roof is for you. Though still technically in the category of integrated solar shingles, these systems are unique in combining active solar modules with inactive roofing components that are nearly indistinguishable, making for a consistent appearance across the roof. At the time of writing, Tesla, Luma Solar and Forward are the three US manufacturers taking this approach. Solar Roof by Tesla (shown above) is a combination of glass solar tiles and architectural-grade steel tiles. It includes its own power storage — a battery called the Powerwall that is shaped like a small mattress. Luma Solar’s product mimics roofing tiles. Forward’s roof resembles standing-seam metal, with a tile version coming soon. Solar roofs are the most expensive rooftop power generation option, but that is expected to change as the products become more popular and manufacturing costs decline.

Cost: Tesla’s solar roof averages $6.40/W (EnergySage). This would make an 8kW system about $51,200 before incentives.

Install: Pro only, through the manufacturer’s installer network.

Learn More: How Much Does Solar Power Cost?

Solar Water Heaters

The sun has something else to offer us besides power generation — it can heat the water in our homes and pools. Like their light-harvesting cousins, solar thermal systems use energy collectors, but these are designed to absorb the sun’s heat instead of light. Solar water heaters operate in different ways — actively and passively, directly and indirectly — but generally speaking, thermal collectors on the roof transfer warmth to a reservoir of water that is supplied to the house. Collector types include batch, flat-plate and evacuated tube. Water heating accounts for 20% of our annual energy use in this country and a solar water heater can save you 50 to 80% of that (Energy.gov). Savings maxes out at 80% because the vast majority of households maintain a backup heating source for those days when our favorite star is feeling shy.

Cost: Solar water heaters are pretty expensive technologies, but they work hard and have a life expectancy of 20 years or more. Expect an average price tag of about $9,000 installed, before incentives (EnergySage).

Install: You aren’t doing this one yourself either.

Solar Pool Heaters

The party pal to the solar water heater is the solar pool heater. In fact, it is a solar water heater, with unique solar collectors designed to heat a large amount of water a little bit instead of a little water a lot, like an indoor water heater. Your existing pool pump pulls water from the pool and forces it through the pool filter like usual, but in this setup it heads through a couple of valves to the collector(s), traveling through rows of sun-warmed tubes for heating and then back into the pool. The installed solar collectors come in climate-appropriate versions and can be roof-mounted or rack-mounted. Smaller, portable versions can simply be plopped on the ground. Whichever you go for and where you stick them largely depends on your home, your pool size and your water-heating needs. An installed solar pool heating system could cost the same as the popular alternatives — an electric heat pump, propane heater or gas heater — but it’s the only one that’ll pay for itself in energy savings. And it does it pretty quickly: Whereas a solar panel or shingle installation could have a payback period of 10 years or more, that solar pool heater will pay for itself in one to seven (Energy.gov).

Cost: Installed systems average around $2,500 to $4,000. The portable models cost substantially less.

Install: The little fellas are DIY all day long, and you can reduce the cost of the roof-mounted systems by donning the toolbelt, too. Solar Pool Supply is an online repository for DIY kits incorporating professional collectors for in-ground systems and it now has a premium above-ground system.

Learn More: Solar Pool Heating Ideas and Options for Every Budget

Skylights

We’ve talked about using the sun to actively generate electricity and to reduce our need for electricity by using it to heat water. Indoor solar lighting, also called daylighting, is another bright idea that reduces energy usage. Daylighting is the strategic use of windows, skylights and sun tunnels to illuminate living areas with sunlight instead of relying on energy-consuming lamps and light fixtures. We all know what a window can do, but a well-positioned skylight can be a straight-up game-changer. And the new skylight models are not just bright, they’re cool. By cool we mean they open for fresh air and can include built-in shades for darkening. Both of these features help you maintain a comfortable inside temperature naturally, saving even more on electricity costs. The remote-controlled Velux “Fresh Air” skylights at HGTV Dream Home 2022 take things a step further and actually operate on solar power. A small photovoltaic panel built into the bottom of the skylight provides the juice. It also makes the purchase eligible for a sizable federal tax credit.

Cost: Before credits and incentives, a new Velux Fresh Air skylight may run $2,800 to $5,700, depending on the complexity of the installation.

Install: Though this one isn’t rocket science and there’s no wiring involved, you may still want a pro installation since you’re cutting a sizable hole in your roof.

Sun Tunnels

Sun tunnels are another daylighting technology that do a brilliant impression of a recessed light without the power-chugging. Perfect for those spaces traditionally lacking windows — hallways, closets, small bathrooms — tunnels can be impactful pretty much anywhere. A roof dome captures the light, which is amplified on its way into the home by a reflective tunnel. The sunlight then passes through a frosted or decorative diffuser and into that formerly dark corner of the living room. The tunnel is available in rigid and flexible versions to negotiate obstacles, and Velux even makes a solar night light kit for the rigid tunnels. It provides a moonlight glow at night and makes the purchase eligible for that tax credit we mentioned.

Cost: A Velux sun tunnel installed will run $650 to $2,150, before credits or incentives.

Install: Installation on a sun tunnel is roughly half the price and this one is easier to DIY than a skylight. That said, you’ll still need to be confident making holes in your roof.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Outdoor Solar Lighting

Outdoor solar lighting incorporates tiny photovoltaic panels, like fairy garden versions of the ones on the roof. They work the dayshift, converting sunlight into electricity and storing it in batteries, which take over at night powering the lights. The lack of wiring makes solar lights a breeze to install in even the most creative locations as long as its panel will see sunlight. Until fairly recently, solar lighting products were best used for accenting, not in spaces needing a good degree of brightness or light for safety or security. But with the improvement of all the technologies involved in making them, it’s time to increase their responsibilities. For homes basking in consistent sunlight during the day, solar spots, floods and path lights join their decorative brethren as appealing alternatives to electric lighting.

Cost: Outdoor solar lights are often $10 or more each, but from then on you are lighting your yard for free.

Install: You can do it.

Passive Solar Design

There is another solar strategy to influence air temperature and this one is already available to many of us without a huge investment. According to Energy.gov, “Passive solar design takes advantage of a building’s site, climate and materials to minimize energy use.” You know this one already: You participated in it when you installed those sun tunnels to daylight the den. Now, imagine how much energy we could save if we used the sun to warm our indoor air during cold months and prevent it from doing so during the hot seasons. The answer is quite a bit, considering heating and cooling our homes is a third of our energy bills.

New homes built using passive solar design are models of efficiency. In the winter, they might collect heat from the sun on the south side, storing it in the walls or floors and then transferring it by conduction, convection and radiation to other areas of the house. During the summer, indoor and outdoor window treatments, roof overhangs and smart fans and vents equipped with heat and humidity sensors decrease the indoor temperature. Shade gardens and strategic landscaping can also reduce the home's sun exposure during hot times of the year. But you can quickly see how easy it is to incorporate many of these passive design ideas into an existing home, particularly in the areas of window treatments and awnings, shade gardens and landscaping.

Learn More: Why Is My Electric Bill So High?

From: Mark Silva

Coming Soon: Power Generating Windows + More

Stay tuned! We covered the heavy home hitters of solar that are out now but now is the operative word here. The solar industry moves at the speed of light and a recent federal infusion of cash means you can bet on exciting innovation in the coming year. Solar roofing resides in a research category called building-integrated photovoltaics, modules that are built into the fundamental aspects of our homes — the roof, walls and windows. And in terms of technology research, windows are the next big thing, with solar glass and solar blinds under development. These yellow windows being installed at the cafeteria at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory contain quantum dots — teeny tiny semiconductors. They absorb light energy from the sun, which is trapped in the glass and guided to the edges where solar cells generate electricity from it (NREL).

Also, community solar projects allow everyone to avail of solar benefits without the gleaming rooftop, so they're perfect for renters, condo residents and those homeowners who have it made in the shade. Community solar projects are operated by utilities, businesses, neighborhood groups and condo associations and take different forms. The basic idea is you buy in or subscribe to a share of a solar installation and then receive a portion of the energy production rewards. Visit the community solar section of EnergySage to see if there's one near you.

Solar Power Options and Ideas

Related To:

Shop This Look

The Latest Solar Technology

Solar Panels

Integrated Solar Shingles

A Roof, Plus Solar

Solar Roofs

Solar Water Heaters

Solar Pool Heaters

Skylights

Sun Tunnels

Outdoor Solar Lighting

Passive Solar Design

Coming Soon: Power Generating Windows + More

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How Much Does Solar Power Cost?

Small Steps in Solar Power: Lighting, Generators and More

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