A 4 The Michigan Daily--Friday, February 19, 1982-Page 9 Residents keep their sunny sides up i -. _ i. Sunny days mean extra heat ,' ;, '; . ",. d' By KENT REDDING N O ONE NEEDS to consult a weath- erman to know that Old Man Win- ter has been especially harsh this year. Sure, we've had many sunny days this winter, but what good are they? For most area residents, sunny days offer little reprieve from howling winds and sub-zero temperatures. They grudgingly turn up the thermostat, take longer, hotter showers, and try not to think about next month's heating bill. A few people,. however, rejoice as the sun comes up over the horizon on a clear day. Even during the winter mon- ths, the earth's most abundant source of energy helps heat their homes and hot water. Spurred by rapidly rising fossil fuel costs and available state and federal tax credits, increasing numbers of Michigan consumers are turning to solar energy. Area users of solar energy range from a sales manager of a local solar firm who had his new home designed to maximize use of the sun, to a couple that had solar panels installed on a home built during the Civil War period. While most solar industry experts admit the sun can't provide 100 percent of a home's heating needs, they all assert that solar can supplement a home's regular furnace or hot water heater and save on heating bills. Space heating and water heating, either for swimming pools or to sup- plement the home water heater-are the main uses of solar energy by residents. More and more people are using solar energy because it's non-polluting, free from the 'control of utility companies and oifsheiks, and-perhaps most im- portantly-it saves money. "As fossil energy costs go up, other things look better," said Mark Bram- son of Ann Arbor, who has a solar hot water systepn in his home. His highest monthly hot water bill has been.$12, he said. Doug Buchanen of Plymouth said his 'It always bothered me that I couldn't get any use out of these south walls. Now on a sunny day I get all this extra heat.' -Dorothy Frid Plymouth landlady w - S. Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK' A view of the dining room of the Soup's On restaurant, which is heated by solar and geothermal energy. r Takin t By ANNE MYTYCH H OPING TO take the bite out of winter fuel bills for low income homeowners, the University's Depar- tment of Architecture and Urban Plan- ning is nearing completion 'of a do-it- yourself passive solar heating system.. The project is designed to develop .nethods to bring existing housing up to Standards, reduce fuel consumption, and pave the way for future projects. Although it has been "ridden with setbacks" since it started in September 1980, construction on the project is scheduled to begin this spring, accor- ding to Cindy Conklin, a city energy consultant. Redesign plans for the four houses used in the project do not involve stric- tly solar energy conservation methods. "If one tries to deaL only with solar energy without considering the com bination of all energy sources, one will find that it costs too much," according to'Hofu Wu, a University doctoral can- didate who took over directing the project after the death last week of Prof. Willard Oberdick. Two of the houses will receive ad- ditional insulation in the walls, floors, drapes, and shutters. These two designs rely on virtually no solar energy. The other two designs, however, in- volve considerable construction to allow energy-saving measures which usehe sun.' One will include a device called a wall air collector. The cold air which collec- ts in a room will travel through a panel into the air collector, where the sun's rays will heat it. The air will then travel " i e bite out of the bills y-r 'If one tries to deal only, with solar energy without considering the combination of all en- ergy sources, one will fin that it costs too, much.' -Hofu Wu solar project director, two-year-old solar panels save him nearly $30 a month on heating bills. "I've been preaching it for years and finally decided to practice it," he said. "It's a good way to augment." Many people, like Judy Sakstrup, in- vest in solar to take advantage of the southern exposure of their houses. "It (solar water heater) heats my hot water, so I can make tea right out of my faucet water," said Sakstrup, an Ann Arbor resident who had researched many different methods of saving on fuel costs before turning to solar panels. For Dorothy Frid, who owns and ren- ts four homes in Plymouth, the move to solar energy seemed logical. "They (heating bills) were driving me crazy," she said. "It always bothered me that I couldn't get any use out of these south walls. Now on a sunny day I get all this extra heat." Although the solar industry has been increasingly successful in selling its products to homeowners, businesses have been less willing to invest in solar heating devices, according to Jan Ben- Dor, a sales representative for'"a local solar firm. Unlike homeowners, who are eligible for large state and federal tax credits, businesses have very little incentive to switch from fossil fuels to solar energy, BenDor said. In spite oft the lack of incentives however, one local business has in- stalled 18 solar panels. The Soup's Oi restaurant is trying to promote coni mercial use of alternative enerby, ae6 cording to co-owner Joe Hanish. Th' panels Meat the restaurant's 350-gallon water tank to as high as 128 degrees on sunny days, so that electricity is needed to heat the water only an additional 12 degrees. While many consumers have:repor- ted positive results with their heating, devices, a few have had problems. back into the room through another panel. A heat exchanger prevents the air from growing too warm. The system is not only useful in the winter, Wu explained. Because the warm air can be used to heat water, the design saves energy-and costs-throughout the year. The second design using solar energy will contain a moveable water wall. Water tubes within an insulated wall will allow sections of it to move, either to raise or lower a room's temperature. During a winter day, the tubes will face the sun, and it will heat them. At night, the homeowner will move the walls so that the tubes can heat the room. The moveable water walls can also cool roaims during hot summer days. During the evening, the homeowner will move the walls so they face the out- side, and the water is cooled. During the day, the tubes will face the inside of the house, and they will cool the room. "We constructed the designs in the lab to show contractors, who have "never worked with solar energy designs, how the construction is done," Wu said. The project was started in September 1980 by Oberdick and Barry Tilman, director of the city's Community Development Department. Funding for construction will be provided by the Home Rehabilitation Department, under the Community Development Department. The program offers the four homeowners involved deferred loans on the solar equipment. As long as they own their homes, they do not have to pay the loans. If they sell the houses, however, they will have to reimburse the Home Rehabilitation Program for the money spent on the solar energy construction, without interest. When construction begins, Wu and his associates saidl they hope to oversee progress, offering whatever help they can to the contractors. When the work is completed, Wu said he hopes to monitor the systems to see how well they work and how consistent the families are with their use of the systems. Solar users go for tax breaks By KENT REDDING In order to stimulate the use of solar energy, both the state and federal governments offer tax credits to those who install alternative energy systems in their homes. "There's no doubt that we need to diversify Michigan's economy, and there's no doubt that we need to save energy," said Perry Bullard, State Representative from Ann Arbor and sponsor of several solar tax bills in the State Legislature. "By providing strong tax incentives for people and small businesses to con- vert to renewable forms of energy like wind and solar, we can speed up progress in both areas," he said. Michigan imports 95 percent of the energy it uses, and solar energy could reduce that figure while providing new jobs for-the economy, according to Dan Sharp, Bullard's aide. As it stands now, the federal income tax credit allows tax exemptions which cover 40 percent of the costs of a residential alternative energy system on the first $10,000 spent. The tax break for businesses is 25 percent. Both exemptions are scheduled to expire in 1984. The state credits are a bit more com- plicated because they cover property, use, sales, and income tax exemptions. There 'is a 100 percent exemption on both property and sales taxes for solar energy system purchasers. The income tax credit covers 15 per- cent of the first $2,000 spent, and five percent of the next $8,000 spent on an alternative energy system. This credit will drop to 10 percent in 1983, the last year in which it will be available. Businesses receive no business tax credits from the state, but are eligible for the other tax exemption. According to several local solar fir- ms, most consumers use the tax credits to help offset the initial costs of the systems. "When you get someone who's going to pay for half of your system, it becomes very attractive," said Mark Bramson, who received the tax credits for installing a solar hot water system in his new home three years ago. Other consumers have reported similar results. using both the state and federal credits, some have saved up to 50 percent on costs of their solar heating systems. Despite critics' charges that the tax credits deprive the state of badly needed revenue, Sharp asserted that the cost of the tax credits to the state is small. In fact, he reported. Bullard would like to see the credits extended to In - .e..^". i n"Mn MA 1,.. Daily Photo by BRIAN MASCK The Delta-T differential temperature thermostat monitors the temperature of the water coming off of the solar panels as well as the temperature in the storage tanks, turning the pumps on when the temperature at the panels is high enough to increase the temperature in the storage tanks. Solar searchesfor credibility By KENT REDDING "One of the biggest problems we face is to dispel the myth that solar doesn't work in Michigan," said Marcia Bruns of Solar Energy in Michigan, a South Lyon firm. The public is skeptical of the prac- ticality of solar energy in Michigan's cold northern climate, according to solar experts. Local firms and the non- profit Michigan Solar Energy Association are trying to eradicate that skepticism by holding seminars and tours of local homes which use solar energy. The MSEA is holding its fourth an- nual solar energy conference this weekend in Madison Heights, a Detroit suburb, where it will try to show that solar enetgy is economically feasible in Michigan. Even the state government is getting involved in promoting solar energy. Gov. William Milliken has urged "all cititens to be aware of solar energy," and he proclaimed February "Solar Energy Awareness Month." Nevertheless, the public remains hesitant. "The sad part is, tax credits will-pay for half of a system's cost," said Howard McMullen, owner of 'It's a viable source of power... But don't take my word. You don't buy a car that way. You check it out.' -Howard McMullen' solar businessman, industry. "The more successful in- dustries in pool and domestic hot water heating (the two -fastest-growing ap- plications of solar energy) have doubled their business in each of the past five years," he said. Several area solar firms are actively involved in promoting conservation. Before installing a solar heating system, "you've got to plug the holes," said Bill' Park of Star Pak Solar Systems in Novi. "We're a nation with houses like sieves." Mark Ross, a University physics professor and energy expert, said he agrees. "It's important to design buildings very well," he said. But Ross is more skeptical when it comes to solar energy, which he said has "promise in specialized situations." If solar energyis more which can maintain the same produc- tion at a higher price for some time, he said. The solar industry faces more challenges than having to educate 1a skeptical public and compete with natural gas. The sluggish economy has hurt solar companies just as it has other businesses. Perhaps the upcoming elimination of state and federal tax credits poses an even greater challenge. These credits, which can pay consumers up to 50 per- cent of a system's cost, will expire -at the end of 1984. Both Prof. Clark and Richard Blake of the MSEA said this could cause difficulties for solar energy businesses. Despite the serious challenges, solar business officials said they remain op- timistic. "The systems are selling good w .- ... . ......