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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Calculations of energy use and cost in a national program investing $100 billion in solar heating systems

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OSTI ID:5317651
An estimate is made of the potential impact of the investment of $100 billion in single-family dwellings and commercial solar space heaters on the amount of energy used and on the cost of heat to consumers. The basic approach used was that in 1980 the $100 billion would be loaned by the U.S. government to homeowners and commercial establishments on an interest-free basis. In return, the latter would pay each year, for a ten-year period, the amount of money saved in fuel costs by using solar energy into a rotating fund to be used to pay for further solar installations. At the end of ten years all of the solar heating systems would still be saving fuel costs and this money would be returned to the government, in subsequent annual payments, until all of the original $100 billion is recovered. Thus, the energy users would be assured that there would be no increase in their present heating bills, and the nation would reduce its energy consumption by the amount supplied by the newly installed solar heaters. The calculations were based on a feasibility model of a solar space heating system developed by the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems. The southern U.S. was not included.
OSTI ID:
5317651
Report Number(s):
NP-22481
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English