According to Elsie Whitman, once she got the initial idea to go solar, it was a swift process from research to installation. She and her husband Bill, a Maryland realtor with Long and Foster, recognized the need to invest in renewable energy and found solar hot water to be an easy choice.

Using a company based in Columbia, they chose a Mazdon Thermomax evacuated tube system and had it mounted on the roof in January of 2006. The Whitman’s were aware of some government assistance up front—specifically the Maryland solar grant program—but found out more tax credits were available to them through federal and county tax credits after the install. In all, Bill Whitman estimates that tax credits and grant covered well over 50% of the cost of the system. Pinpointing savings on the monthly BG&E bill has been more difficult due to regular rate hikes. However, the Whitman’s see savings of about $50-$75 each month and have placed their payback period around 4 years.

The Whitman’s have an overall interest in environmental conservation. After a flight into Miami, they were impressed by the lack of solar on the vast array of accommodating roofs in the area. Bill researched solar incentives for Florida residents and was surprised to find that the state was very cooperative. That being the case, he wonders why, in places like Florida and Maryland where the financial support is available, more people haven’t already invested in solar energy.

Some people focus on the financial benefits which can sometimes be years in the future. But for Bill and Elsie, they “felt the payback immediately, as soon as we turned on the tap and felt the water that had been heated with solar.”