Dan's Papers - October 13, 2006

As sunshine washed over the East End last Saturday, residents learned how to tap into this never-ending resource with a tour of solar houses and businesses from Westhampton to Amagansett and on the North Fork. This was part of an island-wide tour of about 100 homes and businesses that use solar energy for electricity or heat. This event was part of the National Solar Tour & Green Buildings Open House on Long Island, and it was organized by The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI).

Kathy Cunningham Faraone, of RELI and an organizer of this event, said, "We wanted to invite the public to take a self-guided tour of these homes and businesses for free, to gain insight as to how they can save money and also save the planet, from the overuse of fossil fuels." She said all the solar home owners had volunteered to be on hand to talk about their home conversions, and to hand out literature on solar power, at this fourth annual event.

"There are now about 750 homes across Long Island that are using solar power, and getting rebates from LIPA," Cunningham commented. She explained that LIPA currently offers substantial, upfront cash rebates (up to $37,500) for the installation of solar electric systems. Combined with new income tax credits, these incentives can reduce the cost by 2/3.

With rising fuel costs eating into our own budgets, my friends and I decided to take this tour of four solar homes and one business within the Town of East Hampton. We started at Amaden Gay Insurance, which is located near the East Hampton Post Office, and is the first business in the local area to have converted to solar energy, which it did last June. We were instructed to go around to the parking lot behind this insurance building, where we could view the large solar panels on two roofs of the connected buildings. Since they faced south, these huge glass panels glistened in the afternoon sun, reflecting its rays off the high-pitched roofs.

We were greeted by Nick Albukrek, owner of Green Logic Energy, of East Hampton, who installed these solar panels. He was explaining his panels to groups of people who were on the tour. He explained how they could run the electricity and heat for these two buildings, housing 35 employees at Gay Amaden Insurance. He went inside and showed us how a little "inverter" box did all the work of harnessing the power from the sun, and running the building on it.

"This agency is one of the first on the End End to try solar power in a commercial building," he said. "So far, they feel they have saved money, and that it's worth the investment."

From here, we drove over to the Napeague section of Amagansett, which is an ideal setting for solar energy, with its wide, open spaces unencumbered by trees. On the way to Lazy Point, we toured the home of Neal and Eileen Klar, with its magnificent water views. The Klars were inspired to switch to solar energy when they built their home about five years ago, by their 29 year-old son.

"Our son is very concerned about the environment, and since we are in a fragile, beachfront area to begin with, he encouraged us to go as "green" as possible, using sustainable woods in the floors, recycled tiles and countertops, and using solar energy," said Eileen Klar. As guests toured their home and pool, also powered by solar energy, Neal Klar pointed to the solar panels on the rooftop. "Our panels are up high, and they're very flat, so you don't really notice them too much," he said. "They are really cost-effective so far, saving us money. We can now watch our electric meter run backwards."

Inside their lovely, two-story home, Eileen Klar pointed out the use of bamboo in the floors. "Regular trees take about 50 to 100 years to grow back after you cut them down, but bamboo grows very quickly, so this isn't as big an impact on the environment," she said. "And we have used recycled glass and concrete in our kitchen countertops and recycled glass in our bathroom floor tiles."

We left the sandy dunes of Napeague, and drove back toward the Village of East Hampton, in the nearby woods, to the custom-designed home of architect Bill Chaleff. As one of the original pioneers and promoters of solar energy and "green building," Chaleff designed and built his partly-underground, solar house in 1999.

Chaleff was not only giving tours of his modern, airy, and sunny home, complete with floor to ceiling windows, but he was also giving lectures on solar energy to small groups who gathered throughout the day in his living room. "I'm excited to see so many people who have come by and shown a serious interest in renewable energy," said Chaleff. "I think people are really looking at this as a viable alternative to fossil fuels."

Further up the road, in the hamlet of Springs, we came to the home of another architect, Edvin Stromsten. He designed and built a magnificent, modern home filled with solar panels in a sort of geometric design, slanted toward the sun in a 90-degree angle. His home is like a triangle shape, and he saves quite a lot on his energy bills. Stromsten, a noted architect, said he also sees an increased interest in solar homes among his clients.

Also in Springs, is the solar-heated, natural wood home of Susan Carlo, an art teacher who divides her time between New York City and her home here. "My home is an example of a modest dwelling, which has been converted to solar power," she said. "It has created lots of interest, since I'm not an architect or a celebrity, but just a working class person who has chosen this for my home, to save energy and money." She said since there are many tall trees in Springs, she mostly gets sunshine in the morning, and its starts to fade later in the day. "When you build a solar home, location is important," she said. "It really should face south for the best sunlight, and not be too overshadowed by tall trees which obstruct the sun."

Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of RELI, said, "We appreciate all these homeowners opening their solar and green homes to share their cost- and energy-saving ideas with their neighbors, and we hope to do this tour again next year with even more homes." For more information, check the website at www.RenewableEnergyLongIsland.org or call their office at 631-537-8282.