Solar Engineering, Volume 1, Number 1, January 1976 Page: 4
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Solar Energy-Energy Conservation-
These are the new "buzz words".
Everywhere we hear of seminars, articles,
new products. One might almost think
this is a whole new industry.
Don't you believe it. It's simply a new
direction-a new facet-of the already
existing HVAC industry. The people who
are going to install the solar energy
systems tomorrow and next year are the
same HVAC contractors who now put in
the more "conventional" systems.
Simply, solar energy systems include
piping, heat exchangers, ducts, pumps,
fans-the same components now used,
put together in new ways.
Obviously, if you are an HVAC
contractor you'll need to "get with it".
Acquire the necessary expertise, know-
how, and understanding. If you're a
successful HVAC contractor you've been
doing this for many years. After all, many
of today's "conventional" systems were
new and different only a few years ago.
But where does one acquire knowledge
of solar energy equipment and design?
There is, right now, an effort on the part
of many people to disseminate this
information. Every technical magazine
has not one but several articles each
month. ASHRAE, at its semi-annual
meeting in February of this year, will have
at least three technical sessions devoted to
solar energy and half a dozen on energy
conservation. Several hundred small and
large companies are manufacturing solar
energy systems and components.
There are a great many similarities
between the current situation and the
computer /electronics boom of 20 years
ago. Then, as now, there was tremendous
enthusiasm, hundreds of "instant
experts", dozens of small industries
starting up overnight, many to disappear
in a few months or a year. It's almost
predictable that something like that will
take place in the new solar energy
industry. Yet, equally certainly, there will
be a continuing industry and it will pay off
for those who approach it carefully and
with respect. The need certainly exists
and the American entrepreneur hasalways been ready to fulfill a need. For the
HVAC contractor this simply means
adapting to another new idea, something
he's been doing for many years.
Where are the customers? For a start
there are some 70 million existing
dwelling units in the U.S. Some of these
are high rise apartments (not readily
adaptable to solar energy), some are in
less favorable parts of the country
(economics is a problem) but several
millions must be suitable for retrofit with
solar heating and/or cooling. Inter-
estingly, the retrofit market may be the
best. A conventional system already
exists, so the solar system need not try to
carry the maximum load nor have a very
large storage. Even with these limits, a
solar heating system will probably save
75% of annual fuel bill. Of course, the new
residence can be designed for solar
energy, yet even here some type of
auxiliary is usually economical.
And there's no reason why solar
heating and cooling cannot be applied to
many commercial, industrial and
institutional buildings as well. Here solar
energy and heat reclaim systems can
combine to provide highly energy-
efficient HVAC systems. The techniques
are known. The economics have not been
acceptable in an era of cheap fuel. But, as
everyone knows, fuel is suddenly no
longer cheap. This writer, for one, is
happy to see the waste being cut down.
(That's due to my "Great Depression"
background.)
A word of caution: as in every new
development there are many newcomers
who, in the rush to get on the bandwagon,
fail to do their homework. We need to
learn the reasonable possibilities of solar
energy, and view with caution any claims
which exceed this. The bibliography
which follows will be helpful in
developing a background in solar energy.
ROGER HAINES is a member of the Technical
Committee on Solar Energy for the American
Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air
Conditioning Engineers. He is also an ASHRAE
fellow and a project engineer with Herman Blum
Consulting Engineers, Inc.Solar-New Facet
For HVAC Contractors
by Roger Haines4 solar engineering: January 1976
States Consider
Tax Incentives
MASSACHUSETTS joins an increasing
number of states offering special tax breaks
on solar energy installations. Gov. Michael
Dukakis signed into law a bill providing that a
city or town assessor cannot raise the
valuation of a home or business because of
the addition of a solar energy heating unit for
a period of 10 years after its installation. The
tax exemption on solar installations will apply
to taxes due in fiscal year starting July 1,
1976. A state senator estimated that a switch
of 10% from oil to solar would save the state
100,000 barrels of oil a day.
OREGON homeowners with solar energy
heating or cooling systems are now exempt
from ad valorem taxation in an amount that
equals the difference between the true cash
value of the property with conventional
heating or cooling and the true cash value of
the property with the solar heating or cooling
system. The law applies to assessment years
from Jan. 1, 1975 to Jan. 1, 1986. Another
new low recommends that any state-wide
planning consider the development of natural
resources, including incident solar energy and
utilization.
FLORIDA legislators will have seven
proposals on their docket on solar energy
when they reconvene in April. The most
promising directs the Florida Solar Energy
Center to develop standards for solar energy
systems to be sold in Florida. Then, a person
purchasing a system which meets the
established standards will be eligible to
receive a sales tax exemption on that
purchase. Another bill proposes to amend the
state constitution so that the assessed value of
real property equipped with solar energy
heating or cooling may be reduced by the
difference between the assessed value of the
property with the system and the assessed
value of the real property without the system
up to $2,000. A 1974 Florida law requires that
all single family homes be constructed with
plumbing designed to facilitate the future
installation of solar equipment. A Florida
legislative staff member estimates that the
cost is $3.50 per unit of construction for the
added plumbing.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. ASHRAE Journal, November, 1975. A
special issue devoted to Solar Energy.
2. ASHRAE Handbook, 1974
Applications, Chapter 59, Solar Energy
Utilization for Heating and Cooling. (This
is also available from the U.S. Supt. of
Documents.
3. Low Temperature Applications of
Solar Energy, ASHRAE, 1967. A revised
edition of this manual will be published by
ASHRAE in the fall of 1976.
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Solar Engineering Publishers, Inc. Solar Engineering, Volume 1, Number 1, January 1976, periodical, January 1976; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1319794/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Solar Engineering Magazine.