Myth #3: Sustainable Energy (i.e. solar, wind, etc) will solve my problems.
Solar Hot Water Collectors
Truth: I wouldn’t bet on it! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE SOLAR ENERGY! It’s clean, it’s free (almost) and every super-efficient home with good solar exposure should have some. BUT you are wasting your time and $money$ putting solar technology on the roof of an inefficient house.
There is only so much $money$ available for any home improvement project. Spending it wisely means that conserving energy should always be the first priority.
Conserving energy is 5-10 times less expensive than producing energy.
Efficiency first (using less), then solar, wind, etc. can fill in the gaps.