I never thought I'd be a greenie," said retired Army Maj. Harold Bower.
But this year, he shelled out about $31,000 -- before government incentives -- for two solar energy systems at his all-electric four-bedroom home in Severn. One provides all the hot water. The other, about 30 percent of the household electricity.
He thinks of himself more as an investor in technology that allows him to gloat now about having electric bills no larger than those he had before the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. rate increase. The savings allow him to better plan his financial future for retirement.
The hot water system should pay for itself in about five years.
The electricity?
"I probably won't be alive that long," said Bower, who is 60.
At today's rates, the expected payback period probably is 20 years, but as utility rates climb, the number of years for both paybacks will shorten.
Meanwhile, he is getting some satisfaction from thumbing his nose at the electric company and receiving between $5,000 and $6,000 in government incentives for his solar systems.
Using the rays of the sun for residential energy has been getting a fresh look by Marylanders, even though the state lacks the regularly long, sunny days that make other locations optimal places for solar.
Most recently, the University of Maryland students' LEAFHouse took second place in last month's solar decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and held on the Mall in Washington.
In the decathlon, college student teams compete to design, build and run the most energy-efficient and entirely solar-powered 800-square-foot house.
The contest, which featured 20 homes, highlights the students' creativity, efficiency and architectural designs, and also shows that solar power doesn't have to mean a dark and ugly space, but rather that these homes can be livable and attractive.
"Residential is about to happen," said David Pratt, a principal in the Lorax Partnership consulting firm and president of the Baltimore chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Solar energy is catching on faster for commercial buildings because it is more cost-effective there, though, he said, if it could be made more cost-effective for houses, it could become mainstream.
Especially with the trendiness of all things green, many homeowners jolted by their electric bills are no longer dismissing solar power as a partial energy-saving solution.
