Be A Part Of The National Solar Tour

Oct. 2 is the date for the 2010 National Solar Tour, coordinated by the American Solar Energy Society. The group states that, as of Sept. 7, 658 home and building tours have been registered in 48 states, offering consumers real-world examples of solar energy (thermal and photovoltaic), energy efficiency and sustainable technologies in their own communities.

(Note: Regional tours affiliated with the NST run from May through October, with the bulk of tours taking place on or about Oct 2. Some tours, such as Alaska’s, take place earlier in the year to avoid inclement weather. Others are scheduled on different dates so as not to conflict with perennial local events. To find a tour, click here.)

The tour, now in its 15th year, has branched out from exposing the public to solar technology. The focus has shifted to include energy-saving techniques and sustainability practices such as green building design, installation of energy-saving appliances and the use of green materials during remodeling. Consumers also can find real-world information regarding costs and federal, state and local incentives.

If your company installs solar thermal systems, get involved in a local or state tour. This is a fantastic marketing avenue to get your name and solar services in front of potential customers - people who are extremely interested in renewable energy technology. If there isn’t a tour schedule in your area, see if you can start a tour. Or set up a solar education program in your community - partner with your solar hot water manufacturers. Many have brochures or educational materials available for home and business owners that explain the technology.

If you don’t install solar hot water systems, what’s stopping you? This is the time to start. Have you had to lay-off employees because you don’t have enough work? Diversify into renewable energy technologies such as solar and geothermal or energy-efficient technologies such as radiant floor heating. Attend a solar tour in your area to learn about the technology, and then start on obtaining the necessary training to become a certified solar installer.

ASES expects more than 160,000 visitors to tour 5,500 buildings in 3,200 communities on Oct. 2. From its Web site: “Seventy-six percent of tour attendees surveyed confirm they are definitely or very likely to purchase and install solar or energy-efficient systems after attending the solar tour. Thirty-three percent of tour attendees state that they plan to invest in these technologies within the next year and 51 percent within two years.”

Also, October is National Energy Awareness Month. If you are unable to take advantage of the Oct. 2 tour date, plan events throughout the month to educate customers and potential customers about renewable energy and energy-efficiency products.

Kelly Faloon was a former editor of Plumbing & Mechanical as well as the BNP Media Plumbing Group’s Integrated Content Development Specialist. She also was a former editor of the Radiant Comfort Guide the Radiant & Hydronics Report — both official publications of the Radiant Professionals Alliance — and twice-monthly Radiant & Hydronics eNews, an enewsletter for anyone interested in the world of heating with hot water.

Her editorial specialties included women in plumbing, recruiting for the trades, green construction techniques, water conservation, water treatment, hydronic heating, radiant heating and cooling, snow melt, solar thermal and geothermal.

After a 3½-year stint at sister publication Supply House Times, Faloon joined the PM staff in December 2001 as senior editor. She was named PM’s managing editor in 2006 and editor in 2013.

Previously, she spent nearly 10 years at CCH, a publishing firm specializing in business and tax law, where she wore many hats — proofreader, writer/editor for a daily tax publication, and Internal Revenue Code editor.

A native of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, Faloon is a 1986 journalism graduate of Michigan State University.