IKEA in Renton, recently completed the largest solar rooftop array in Washington state, with 3,268 panels, proving once again that solar is a smart investment.
Here is an interesting comparison using a great website called Project Sunroof where you can check out your usable sunlight, by entering in your address.
Ikea–
- 1,212 hours of usable sunlight per year –Based on day-to-day analysis of weather patterns
My House–
- 1,468 hours of usable sunlight per year –Based on day-to-day analysis of weather patterns
Obviously, the square footage available for solar panels on Ikea’s roof FAR exceeds anything the average homeowner will ever need, but the comparison of hours of usable sunlight was interesting and worth pointing out. First of all, even with all of the rain in the western part of the state look at their usable hours of sunlight! And secondly, look at the increase here in our area– we have on average 256 hours of more usable sunlight PER YEAR!!
Ikea isn’t the only major business to “go green”, Google began purchasing renewable energy to reduce their carbon footprint and to lessen their impact on the environment starting in 2010 when they were one of the first corporations to commit to large scale and long term contracts to buy renewable energy directly from a producer. Today they are committed to 2.6 gigawatts, of wind and solar energy— take a moment to put that into perspective, it only took 1.21 gigawatts to send Marty McFly Back to the Future.
Now we all know that no company makes that kind of investment UNLESS it benefits them as well. And for most businesses, next to salaries, electricity costs are one of the largest operating expenses. With solar becoming more affordable and accessible today, mainly because the cost of solar systems has dropped, along with a range of financing options EVERYONE, even the “little guy” can utilize solar to lower their long term costs and dependency on power companies.
Solar can save you money by replacing electricity from the grid with solar electricity generated on your roof. The cost of solar plus any remaining electric bill amount may be lower than what it was before solar. At Hot Solar Solutions, we are not only the owners, but we are customers too!! We believe in our product and live out our mission to leave the world in better condition than we found it, by installing Solar Electric and Solar Hot Water Systems in our very own home. Your home is your biggest investment, Call us today to see how you can make it work for you!
