Nearly a year ago, the St. Petersburg City Council approved a proposal pushed by Councilman Karl Nurse to help people install solar hot water on their properties at a significant savings. Following the example of programs in Portland and Beaverton, Oregon, the city has created a purchasing co-op that would bundle 50 customers at a time who want to purchase solar hot water and then bid out the installations.
Meanwhile, it was announced last week that the Largo-based company Solar Source had recently installed 21 active solar hot water systems at various municipal buildings in St. Pete, purchased through a grant from the 2009 stimulus bill. Officials say the solar water heaters are expected to save the city approximately $20,000 per year on operating expenses through reduced electricity bills.
This article appears in May 3-9, 2012.