One Year Later, A Look at Solar Home Savings

CBS 6 is continuing to try to find ways to help you save more of your hard-earned money as energy costs climb; in the latest Saving Strategies segment, Mary Beth Wenger went back to a passive solar house we visited a year ago to see whether the anticipated energy savings were realized.

Even just sitting on the ground, the 2,480-feet passive solar home is saving money for its owner. Built by Frank Laskey, the house gets most of its energy from solar panels so it's not dependent on "the 'Grid." An automated system opens windows when the temperature is over 72 degrees and closes them when it's below 65.

The lights flicker in a way that's imperceptible to our sight.

"By doing that, it doubles the life of the bulb," said Laskey, of Capital Construction. "It saves 10 percent in energy usage."

But do the energy bills reflect savings the homeowners were hoping for?

Laskey showed CBS 6 the energy bills for last winter. In January, they totaled 77 dollars. In February, the bill was 194 dollars.

"In a conventional house like this, you'd expect the bill would be 350 dollars or higher," said Laskey.

In March, the bill was 86 dollars.

Laskey believes the boiler helped lower those energy bills. Even if you can't afford a high-tech home like Laskey's, he says homeowners can significantly cut energy costs with an investment in a new efficient boiler costing from 3,500 to 5,000 dollars.

"You can reasonably expect to save 50 percent on utilities over four or five years," he said. "[It's a] payback on your investment."

Changing light bulbs is another inexpensive way to cut costs. "A flourescent bulb of 13 watts is 500 percent more efficient than a 60-watt incandescent bulb."

New windows are also a less expensive way to bring an older home into 21st-century savings. "Windows are so much more efficient than they were even 10 or 15 years ago," noted Laskey.

Any power Laskey's house needs is bought from National Grid at a low rate, but the excess is sold back at a higher rate.

Laskey's computer printout has the bottom line: "The amount we produced is approximately five times more than we had to purchase."

And while the rest of Saratoga sat in the dark for days after a power outage last January, Laskey's solar home was covered by the house's battery backup.

"My batteries had 96 hours," he said. "[It] could turn on lights, and the well pump was working."

While the technology is still costly, the best part of it is that its energy source -- the sun -- costs nothing.

What are YOU doing to survive the current energy crunch? CBS 6 invites you to share your savings tips. Click on the link titled "What Are You Doing to Save Money?" to the right.