Going solar

I finally was able to convinced my husband that solar was the way to go. You'd think it would be a no-brainer in Hawaii take advantage of our renewable energy from the sun. But it is expensive and that was his major argument against going for renewable energy via sun power.

The decision to go for both a solar hot water system and photovoltaic panels on our house was made after a representative laid out the financial benefits. Benefits include:

• electric bill will not increase
  
• state and federal tax credits
• no more brown outs
• zero percent financing options

Before we took the plunge I devised a plan on how we would make payments on the most excellent financing scheme. Regular payments would be possible through:

1. electricity bill going from $220 to $20
2. eliminate tax withholding on my husband's paycheck, since we are getting a tax credit.
   

We'll realize an immediate savings of $200. Yes, you read this right - $200. And we don't have AC or heat. We have an energy efficient fridge, a timer on our hot water heater and I cook with propane. Our electric bill like everyone's is high because our electric rates on the Big Island are the highest in the country.

The project looks good on paper, however I'll keep posting on this green project to see if what the salesman sold us on it true.