While it’s possible to go green without spending a lot of green, advances in technology are making some of the gadgets and gizmos more affordable.

Ken Bonville, president of Bonville Construction and Sandhills Energy in Pinehurst, is pioneering residential solar panels in the area. Bonville is an Energy Star builder, and is looking into the NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program and LEED. He says his company has been dedicated to building energy efficient homes for years, and in a time where home construction is off, it helps to have something that distinguishes his firm from the rest.

His first installation of a residential solar power system will take place at a Pinehurst house in the coming weeks. He says the energy created by the panels quickly adds up.

Contrary to some misperceptions, customers using the panel remain on the power grid — meaning the lights stay on at night and on cloudy days — and the system pumps excess energy back into it.

The system is monitored by computer 24 hours a day, and customers can even access a Web site that displays the amount of power being produced, the total amount produced since the system was installed and individual performance breakdowns of each individual panel.

When there’s a problem, Bonville gets an e-mail alert telling him about it.

The technology still isn’t cheap. Bonville says a single panel costs about $1,000. But with all of the incentives out there, it’s possible that the system can pay for itself within five years if it gets good production. The 52-panel system on the roof of his office is already paying dividends.

“The sky is the limit, basically because you’re getting such a big return on your investment so quickly,” he says.

source:  The Pilot Newspaper