Adair Solar

Solar water heaters: Is it all Greek to you?

We just love the Department of Energy–and their awesome website! While surfing their site, we found this awesome page that explains exactly how solar water heaters work. We at Adair Solar Company in Mesa feel it’s important for consumers in the Valley of the Sun not just to purchase and start using solar equipment, but to understand exactly how it works. The idea is that, when you understand how something works, you don’t have to worry IF it’s working.

The solar water heaters in Phoenix that we install all come with warranties on service and product, so if you ever have any issues with your Phoenix solar water heater, you won’t have to worry–one of our technicians will come right out and help you get right back on track again.

Here’s a little excerpt from the Department of Energy (DOE) and what they have to say about solar water heaters:

“Solar water heating systems include storage tanks and solar collectors. There are two types of solar water heating systems: active, which have circulating pumps and controls, and passive, which don’t.

Most solar water heaters require a well-insulated storage tank. Solar storage tanks have an additional outlet and inlet connected to and from the collector. In two-tank systems, the solar water heater preheats water before it enters the conventional water heater. In one-tank systems, the back-up heater is combined with the solar storage in one tank.”

This wonderful and informative page of the DOE website goes on to discuss the various types of residential solar water heaters. We hope you’ll have a look so you’ll know just how powerful an investment these appliances can be.

Of course, no solar water heater installation in Phoenix would be complete without rooftop solar panels on your house in Phoenix, so be sure to discuss this with the customer service representative you talk to when you call Adair Solar Company in Mesa for your FREE in-home consultation. We’re also here to answer any questions you have about solar tax credits and rebates.

Now is the time for solar energy in Arizona more than ever. It’s cheaper and saves more money than any other type of alternate energy source available in our desert landscape, and we’re happy to discuss other options for money-saving benefits with you too, including radiant barrier insulation, KVAR, and regular a/c maintenance.

Call us today to get started! (480) 827-1162.

Nature uses solar energy, so we should too!

According to a recent MarketWatch article, US Foods has activated a “905 kilowatt, 3,934 photovoltaic solar panel system at its Phoenix division. The solar array is the company’s third installation, including a panel in San Francisco and La Mirada, and one of the largest rooftop installations in Phoenix. It is expected to provide 15 percent of the division’s power needs annually. At its peak, the solar panel array will generate more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours annually, enough energy to power approximately 140 homes.”

That’s the kind of solar energy growth we in in Phoenix can be proud of, and need to be doing more of as well. As a local Arizona solar company, Adair Solar is proud to provide installations for local homeowners and other residents all across the Valley Metro Area. It’s important that we see all kinds of businesses in all sectors doing the same–it helps consumers keep the faith that solar energy is a viable option for them too.

And this isn’t just good news for Arizona’s burgeoning solar industry, it’s also great news for the foods we produce here. MarketWatch goes on to tell us, “With nearly 600 employees, the Phoenix Division supplies the highest quality food and related products to more than 4,000 customers throughout Arizona.” It is here that we begin to understand the outreaching effect and synergy that Arizona solar power has. With statistics like these, we start to understand that solar energy has a positive compound effect across multiple industries while also lowering the cost of living, the cost of buying, and the cost to do business in Arizona as well.

Solar energy provides the kind of win-win scenario that other more conventional energy sources can only dream of. If it makes foods cheaper and better for us, lowers our utilities bills, increases the value of our homes when we add solar installations to houses in Phoenix, and makes our world a progressively safer place to live in, why should we not worship the sun? Cleaner air is definitely something Phoenix can stand more of, so we at Adair Solar Company in Mesa are happy to be part of the family of local solar companies that offers homeowners alternatives in energy. And with Arizona state solar tax credits and federal tax rebates, the choice becomes an easy one for homeowners.

What are you waiting for? Call us for a FREE in-home consultation for rooftop solar panels and a solar water heater for your Phoenix home today!

(480) 827-1162

Going green can be rejuvenating!

According to MediaMatters.org, ”

Bill O’Reilly has apparently hit a roadblock in his quest to go green: he can’t find anyone to install a residential wind or solar system at his home on Long Island.

“No one will do that,” he told Alan Colmes on last night’s edition of The O’Reilly Factor.

When Colmes suggested O’Reilly look online for installers, O’Reilly insisted “there’s nowhere, no one.” Which is pretty surprising, he pointed out, because Long Island “is a big place.”

MediaMatters goes on to suggest the names of several solar companies in the area where O’Reilly lives. Other news sources suggest that there are 60+ solar companies in the state of Long Island, all of which would be more than happy to help Bill get going on his long standing desire to go solar.

Given that Long Island is a relatively small place, we liken it to Adair Solar Company in Mesa being able to serve the entire Phoenix metro area. We’re not big, but we’re the best

So what do you think about Bill O’Reilly going solar? Do you think he’ll do it? Do you think he should? You can imagine we’re rooting for local solar companies in his area to get the contract, and you can bet that if Bill lived here in the Valley of the Sun we would gladly outfit him with some rooftop solar panels in Phoenix and the sweetest solar water heater in town. We’d also recommend some radiant barrier insulation in Phoenix, and obviously, for a desert home, we’d also tell Bill to make sure his a/c is maintained every six months so it operates at the top of its game.

If you talk to Bill, let him know we offer FREE in-home consultations for solar panels, solar water heaters, radiant barrier insulation and much, much more. Just have him dial (480) 827-1162

Jusst Sooup Ranch after the Extreme Makeover, courtesy of DelawareOnline.com

Well, we’ve always loved this great show. All the Ty Pennington the eye can take in, families in need, and yes, we cry every episode. But when we saw this week’s episode featuring a solar installation on a home, well, there just weren’t enough tissues in the house! Tears of joy and yes–we see this as a sign that solar installations in Phoenix and beyond are going mainstream. And that’s great news!

According to PRNewswire, the sleek rooftop solar panels were given by SunPower Corp, a Silicon Valley solar power company. PRNewswire also noted that this was no ordinary makeover, even by the standards of the show. That is to say, this was a two-hour-long special edition of Extreme Makeover in which a home outfitted with a soup kitchen will now have the predominance of the energy it needs to run by way of the sun.

The soup kitchen, operated by Reverend Dale Dunning, and her family. The kitchen serves the local community in Lewes, Delaware. Lovingly and fittingly named the “Jusst Sooup Ranch,” this operation is inspirational and will now be powered by 25 kilowatts of sunshine from good ol’ Mother Nature herself. According to PRNewswire, SunPower CEO Tom Werner was delighted to contribute to the ranch, stating, “We applaud the work being done by the Dunning family and hope that the expected savings on their electricity bill will help to feed more people in need.”

If you didn’t catch the episode of Extreme Makeover on Friday, surf around your internet for it today or look for it on ABC’s OnDemand.

If you’re ready to make a difference with solar as a homeowner or small business, give Adair Solar Company in Mesa a call today for your FREE solar consultation! (480) 827-1162

Solar energy is the new beef!

Guess what? There are no cons! Unless you take issue with some shiny things on your roof, or you simply can’t stand saving money, or your stomach just turns at the very idea of increasing the value of your home, there are nothing but advantages to installing solar panels on your Phoenix home.

Some may suggest that solar panels can give off a disturbing “not in my backyard” kind of vibe. Well, good news: they’re not in your backyard! In some very rare circumstances, solar panels may have to be set up in an array style in a backyard, but like we just said, this is very rare.

We think solar panels look kinda cool All the cool kids are doing it now anyway. It’s sort of like in the 1980s when everyone was wearing a “Where’s the Beef?” t-shirt. If you were out of the loop, you weren’t wearing one and didn’t get it. As soon as you got it, you got the shirt, and donned it proudly! The difference with solar energy is, it’s not a fad like “Where’s the Beef” was. Solar energy IS the beef, and it’s here to stay (more like blue jeans than slogan-laden t-shirts.)

We have Valley residents whose electricity bills have gone down to nearly zero dollars per month with the use of solar panels and a solar water heater in Phoenix. So what the heck are you waiting for? A Where’s the Beef t-shirt? Don’t hold your breath. And while you’re breathing regularly, give Adair Solar Company in Mesa a call for a FREE in-home consultation for your solar installation (all rhymes intended.)

(480) 827-1162

Here’s an interesting question recently posed by WCVB, Boston about residential solar energy:

“What if you could install solar power in your home with no upfront costs and pay less for the electricity it generates than you do to your utility company?”

The piece goes on to discuss the fact that solar installations on residential properties has doubled in the past year. And we at Adair Solar Company in Mesa say, rightfully so! We’ve certainly been in high demand by Phoenix area residents as they learn more and more from our solar energy blog and elsewhere about the fact that the cost of installing solar panels and solar water heaters in Phoenix drops dramatically with each passing day–and also with the help of both state and federal tax credits and solar tax rebates.

It’s not a secret, yet still millions of American home owners are not aware that a solar installation does not have to be costly. In addition, it can dramatically increase the value of your home, lower your monthly utilities bills by leaps and bounds, and perhaps most importantly for the long haul, reduce your carbon footprint so future generations can worry that much less about the state of the planet.

So, to answer WCVB’s rhetorical question, what would you do, how about what WILL you do with all those immediate and later, monthly savings? Put money away for your children’s education, save up for retirement, invest in medical savings accounts–the choice is yours–and you WILL notice the almost absurd amount of money you will save every month when you have rooftop solar panels in Phoenix, that’s for sure!

Call Adair Solar Company in Mesa today for your FREE in-home consultation–you can be outfitted with solar panels and a solar water heater in Phoenix before Turkey Day!

(480) 827-1162

There's no stopping the sun!

We all know the advantages of a solar water heater in Phoenix. But there are a lot of misconceptions about how the good old sun works. Many Phoenicians have fears that a solar water heater installed on their home just won’t have that much value during the colder, and perhaps less sunny months of the year. Not so!

As a matter of fact, solar energy in and of itself works a lot differently than most people think it does. That is to say, just because it happens to be cold out, or it might be raining, or we’re having a dreary day, the sun is still doing its job! So what does that mean for Joe and Jane homeowner who have a solar water heater in Phoenix or the surrounding area? It means you’ll still be getting all the help you need from the sun to heat your water and more.

Do you remember being a kid on the beach or at the lake and having an adult tell you that just because the sun doesn’t “look” like it’s out you can still get a sunburn? The same is true for how the sun powers your home. Just because things might look a little like Seattle, the sun is still peaking through the clouds and the stratosphere, reaching your home, and yes, giving your solar water heater in Phoenix all the juice it needs to provide you with all the hot water you were looking forward to for that bath, that load of laundry, and more.

After 35 years of serving the Phoenix area in solar energy, Adair Solar Company in Mesa is here to tell you, the Arizona sun isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Use the sun to lower your bills AND your carbon footprint! Call Adair Solar Company in Phoenix today for your FREE in-home consultation. Simply dial (480) 827-1162.

Well, we knew we were popular (blushing) but we didn’t know we were the prom queen among the popular majority in the United States! According to The Clean Energy Authority, 90 percent of Americans agree that solar energy is an important source to draw from and continue working toward. Writer Chris Meehan had this to share about how “in” solar energy is among Americans:

“The 2011 SCHOTT Solar Barometer found that nine out of 10 people in the U.S are in support of developing and using more solar in the country. The poll, now in its fourth year, was conducted for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and SCHOTT Solar by Kelton Research.

Support for solar among U.S. residents has been high throughout the history of the poll, according to SEIA President Rhone Resch. For the fourth consecutive year, the survey found that 9 out of 10 Americans think it’s important to use and develop solar power.”

Wow. Now those are some impressive stats! We’re proud of all 35 years we’ve been bringing rooftop solar panels and solar water heaters in Phoenix to homeowners who’ve asked. The fact that 90 percent of us agree it’s important reflects in how busy we’ve been over the past several years. But we still think it’s important to spread the word to those other 10 percent who still don’t agree with solar energy. Our hunch is that they probably don’t know much about it, or are fearful that solar energy might have a prohibitive cost associated with it.

Well, if you are among that 10 percent, we at Adair Solar Company in Mesa are here to tell you–there’s nothing prohibitive about the cost of a solar installation in Phoenix whatsoever. First of all, you can get solar tax credits and solar rebates for your installation, and you may actually qualify for enough of those to bring your cost of installation down to zero or at least down to a cost that will no doubt be a happy surprise to you.

But the only way you will find out is if you try. Adair Solar Company in Mesa offers FREE in-home consultations with expert installers and agents who can tell you exactly what you qualify for and get you on the road to greening up your home. What you don’t know could be hurting you–why pay $400 a month in July for a/c when you could be paying $25?

Did we get your wheels turning? Hope so. Call us today to set up your free consultation. Just dial (480) 827-1162 and let the agent you speak to know you read all about it right here on the Adair Solar Blog

Looking sunny and smart!

Well, we know it’s still a few weeks off, but we look forward to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade around here. Even more so this year once we heard that Planter’s had a special ray of sunshine it would be spreading across midtown on the big day. According to MarketWatch, “Mr. Peanut is getting back to his roots as he returns to the parade in his Naturally Remarkable Nutmobile. The new Nutmobile runs on biodiesel and harnesses the power of wind and solar energy. Always a perfect holiday host, Mr. Peanut will wave to his adoring fans from atop his new eco-friendly ride.”

How cool is that!? Come on, a peanut wearing a top hat and a monocle, and sporting a cane already had Planter’s at VIP status in our book, but this is the kind of cool that catches on. It’s not just that the Nutmobile is making use of all kinds of renewable energy and other better-than-oil energy sources, it’s actually–when you think about it–a company effort to rebrand itself. Planter’s is telling consumers, “Yeah, we’re on the green bandwagon!”

We’ve said it a million times, but we find it so inspiring when big companies do this kind of thing to move in the right direction. For starters, it shows they’re thinking about greening up. Secondly, it sets an example for the company’s consumers–if we’re solar, why can’t you be?

And the answer is, you can be. And it doesn’t have to hurt the pocketbook, and it doesn’t have to mean a remodel of your home, and it doesn’t have to be time consuming or difficult to figure out whether or not you will qualify for the kinds of solar tax credits and solar rebates it takes to dramatically lower the cost of a solar installation in Phoenix or anywhere else.

If you’re ready to take the solar plunge and get acquainted with how rooftop solar panels in Phoenix can save you boatloads of cash every single month of the year, just give us a call. We’ll come right to your front door and explain how it all works, and how a Phoenix solar installation can be done on your home for little to no out of pocket cost.

So go nuts! Call us today at (480) 827-1162 and ask for a FREE in-home consultation.

Greenpeace's "Rolling Sunlight"

According to one of the best managed blogs for the people about energy and more, the great folks at the Ecocentric Blog have done it once again with an awesome story about the Greenpeace vehicle that hauls solar energy around and plugs it in where it’s needed most–where the people are! (We, The People, that is!)

Here’s some of what Ecocentric had to say about this story:

“On a late night in early October, ‘Rolling Sunlight,’ Greenpeace’s mobile solar power center, pulled up to the curb near Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan and hooked up its power to Occupy Wall Street. Off went the gasoline-powered generators to huge applause. The ten-year old bio-diesel -powered truck, driven by Robert Gardner and Jesse Coleman of Greenpeace, weighs in at a hefty 9 tons thanks to a 2 kilowatt solar array and numerous batteries that store 50 kilowatt megawatt hours of sun-generated electricity; enough to power entire homes.  Rolling Sunlight managed to stand out even in a crowd of news vans, police squads, and, oh yes, a thousands-strong protest.”

The message of Rolling Sunlight is many-layered, much like the message of the Occupy movement itself. There are many reasons to be “Occupying,” and there are many great ways to use the sun. You can use energy from the sun to save money, increase the value of your home, brighten the future of generations to come, and now, to power a movement that looks like it is indeed becoming a revolutionary part of our American history.

We’re glad solar energy can play a role in this important time of change, and we’re glad that Greenpeace brought Rolling Sunlight to Wall Street–because it helps spread the word to more people that they do have alternatives when it comes to powering their homes, businesses, cars, and much more.

If you’re ready for some solar energy to occupy your home, call Adair Solar Company in Mesa for a FREE in-home consultation. Get your Phoenix rooftop solar panels before winter: Just dial (480) 827-1162 and tell your agent you’re ready to walk on the sunny side of the street!