Case Study: Sun Shines on a Green Home

Take Ben and Aviva Saitz, who live in a 30-year- old split-level in Englewood with their sons, Mack, 9, and Miles, 6, two dogs and a turtle. In October, they installed a 24-panel, state-of-the-art solar electric system on the roof of a bedroom, joining a small but growing club of about 1,000 residential solar users in the state.The price tag on the Saitzes' system was $38,000. It's a thrill to witness the house to produce more energy than it's consuming, solar owners say. The system doesn't require batteries in the basement. The panels require little or no maintenance. Appliances run just the same. The system's frame is visible from the street. Saitz has high praise for the Boulder Company that has installed more than 350 photovoltaic systems in Colorado, including more than 20 at Nyland, a co-housing project in Lafayette. The employee- owned company has 30 workers. All of them get the same salary, and "our organizational chart is a circle," says spokeswoman Heather Leanne Nangle. Solar buyers are "environmentally focused," he said, and they have disposable income.We picked up $22,000 of the Saitzes' $38,000 bill. In 2004, Coloradans passed Amendment 37, committing the state to developing renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. Now, Xcel Energy tacks on an average $1.12 fee to each customer's monthly bill to help make it happen. Xcel has paid out $19.5 million to homeowners who install solar units. Typically, the home systems cost $18,000 to $26,000, and the upfront rebate from Xcel is $9,000 to $13,000, figured in part on a $2.50-per-watt refund, called a renewable-energy credit, Henley said. However, there are some homeowners in Colorado who don't have to pay Xcel every month but rather get paid by Xcel because their panels are feeding more energy into the grid than the home is consuming, Henley said.