Researching All the Subsidy Options

Things are changing so fast that it’s impossible to keep up with all the gov-

ernment programs. I can only point you in the right direction and give you a

nudge. Your job is to poke around and get all the details for yourself. Here’s

how to research the subject further:

 ✓ Talk to your tax preparer. Tax preparers should be versed in the

details of solar tax credits, but if not, they can still access the informa-

tion sources they need to process your rebates and tax credits. Solar is

relatively new, so give preparers a break if they don’t know the details

upfront, but keep at them to find out if they don’t.

 ✓ Ask contractors. Solar contractors need to know about subsidies

because they help sell systems. PV contractors are experts at tax credits

and rebates, and they’ll usually help you process them as well. Even if

you’re going to do the installation yourself, you can get good informa-

tion from contractors when you ask them for competitive quotations.

 ✓ Contact utility companies. Utilities will give you information, although

they don’t necessarily want to. But they have to (it’s required by law),

so if you push a little, you can get all kinds of information, and it’s

almost always free. You can find a customer service number on your

utility bill. When you call, ask if a particular department is dedicated to

subsidies and rebates.

 ✓ Search online. Of course, the Internet is a great source of information.

Use a search engine to look up key words like “solar energy tax incen-

tives,” “solar power rebates,” and so on. One thing will lead to another,

and who knows where you’ll end up?Following the Basic Rules

of Home Building

Building a home is a major project, probably the biggest one you’ll ever

undertake. By keeping in mind a few basic rules, you can maintain your sanity

and establish a better working relationship with contractors, designers, and

others involved in the process.

The one overriding rule that you should never break is “Be patient.” You’re

going to live in your new home a long time, particularly if you do a good job

and end up loving it (why should you expect anything less?). To get every-

thing just right, the whole project will probably take a couple of years. You’ll

make compromises, but impatience should never be the reason why you give

in. Perhaps that perfect lot is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even though

it’s not quite right for your solar home. But you can make design adjustments

to account for certain compromises, so insisting on perfection is impractical

and not really necessary.

 Don’t rely on your home being completed by a certain date. Some people

who build a new home sell their current house long before their new place is

ready, and they have no choice but to be impatient. Just be patient and have

frequent conversations with your builder so you know when the construction

process is behind or ahead of schedule.

The second rule is to take your new-home project seriously. Obviously, you

want your new house to be the best it can be — but you’ll probably be work-

ing with a general contractor, too. Keep in mind that building homes is his

livelihood, and he probably has a family that counts on a steady income. As

a result, contractors are very cautious about committing to a big job. They

have all, unfortunately, seen potential jobs go away at the drop of a hat, and

they’ve been left in the lurch. So never treat the process casually. Your deci-

sions have major consequences for others, and you have a responsibility to

proceed with respect for the ways in which you are influencing others’ lives.Taking advantage of your lot’s features

When you plan to build a solar house, you want to find the right lot first, and

then get busy on the blueprints. You don’t want to commit to a particular

house design, and then insist on finding a lot that will bear it out. Each lot will

support a different style of house with a layout that maximizes views, breezes,

landscaping, and so on. So your house design should be a function of the lot.

You can take advantage of many of the existing features of your lot as you

design your house. When you consider the terrain and landscaping, think

about how those features change through the different seasons. How do the

land, trees, and any other nearby structures influence the wind, precipitation,

sun, and so on? Design on a 12-month basis, not just on the current season.

Hillsides work very well for providing insulation via earth berms and half

basements. If you choose a hillside facing south, you can get two floors’

worth of good sun exposure while enjoying northern insulation.

Deciduous trees work well on western and southern exposures. A house usu-

ally feels much nicer with direct sunshine in the morning, so try to keep the

eastern shading to a minimum if that’s your goal.

Getting the basic principles right

Small is beautiful. A smaller house uses less building materials, is cheaper to

maintain, requires less HVAC capacity, uses less energy, and so on. You can

make a small house every bit as spacious as a large house if you

 ✓ Avoid long, wide hallways

 ✓ Combine utility functions like laundry and storage

 ✓ Put in less bathroom space (make the bathrooms tall, as opposed to

wide, and you’ll get a spacious effect)

 ✓ Forget both a living room and family room and combine them into one

central great room