Submitted by SUZIE ROMIG

For six years, Julie Olson wanted to add solar panels to her New Castle area home to provide clean electricity, but she could not figure out how to make it happen financially.

At the Earth Day Expo in New Castle last spring, she talked with solar company vendors and asked how to finance the installation. A vendor replied that it's just like financing a car.

"I thought, I can do that," Olson said. "It made sense."

Four months later, Olson and her husband, Mike Blair, are the owners of a five-kilowatt, grid-tied

solar system that should cover all their home's electrical needs year-round. With equity in their home, they refinanced their mortgage to pay for the solar system and a number of other energy upgrades.

"It's not as difficult as it first appears," Olson said of going solar. "I think it's a good investment. If we want to resell our house, it's an improvement on the house. It will certainly add more in home price than the bottom-line investment."

Olson and Blair will be one of five New Castle families who will open their homes to the public for the second annual Solar Home Open House and Educational Tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4.

This free, educational event is open to all area residents, business owners and municipal leaders and will feature five locations in and around New Castle to showcase different aspects of solar.

Two homes return from last year's well-attended tour, including a passive solar custom home with a solar electric system and low-water-use landscaping, and a home that was retrofitted for energy efficiency and includes solar electric and a newly-installed solar hot water system.

A home and business location new to this year's tour features both a passive solar home and a solar-powered business at Dwyer Greens, southwest of New Castle.

Other homes new to the tour this year will show recent solar electric installations. The Olson/Blair home, northwest of New Castle, also features upgrades ranging from a 97 percent efficient furnace to an on-demand hot water heater.

The Parker family went solar in the past year, after asking for a free evaluation from a local vendor. The couple believes they need to be more responsible with their use of energy in the world.

"With all the days of bright sunshine we have here, we ought to be using more solar energy. If you look around, you see very little solar in use," John Parker said.

Local solar experts say solar installations are becoming more affordable. Homeowners in Xcel Energy territory benefit from rebates that can cover more than half the upfront expenses. Holy Cross Energy customers also can receive rebates.

An average-sized residential solar electric installation in Xcel territory costs homeowners about $16,000 after rebates and credits, or homeowners can phase in the solar installation starting with an investment of about $8,000.

"Solar panels on your roof provide on-site energy with no line losses and are completely clean and non-polluting," noted Katharine Rushton with SoL Energy in Carbondale. "PV modules are warranted for 20 years or more and will continue to produce the same amount of electrical energy throughout that time. Owners of PV systems do not have to worry about the escalating costs of electricity, and most importantly, by installing a PV system, they will prevent thousands of pounds of (carbon dioxide) from entering the atmosphere."

Efficiencies in solar technology have come a long way in the last 10 years.

"The same square footage of solar module that produced 50 watts 10 years ago produces 200 watts today, and the modules continue to get more efficient," Rushton said.

The majority of electricity to power Colorado comes from coal, and the process to turn coal into useable kilowatt hours is only 30 percent efficient, Rushton said.

"What that means is that every time you see a coal train head down the track, seven out of every 10 cars of coal are lost into the atmosphere as carbon emissions,” he said. “This happens within the coal plant processes, but also from transporting the energy long distances down the wires."

For questions about the Solar Home Open House & Educational Tour 2008 in New Castle, call 984-3565 or E-mail fischerdedog@yahoo.com. A map to tour locations can be found at newcastlecolorado.org, or look for street signs.

The New Castle tour is part of the American Solar Energy Society's 13th annual National Solar Tour. The local tour is presented by the volunteer New Castle Environmental Advisory Committee and the Town of New Castle. Tour sponsors include Sunsense Solar Electric & Renewable Energy, SoL Energy, Colorado Solar, Evergreen Mechanical and Holy Cross Energy.