So being the greenie that I am, I looked into the Austin Energy rebate program for solar power.  They offer a compelling rebate of $13,500 a year for every solar system you install on your residence.  The cool part is that their fiscal year ends September 31st, so you can apply for the 2008 and 2009 rebates within a 60 day time span and do 2 installs to get both rebates.  I'm working with a vendor called Solar Community.  They're local to Austin and have installed nearly 100 systems so far.  The remaining balance for the install after rebate can be paid for by a 5 year loan who's payments are about equal to the energy savings provided each month by the solar panels.  So it should pay for itself, and after the loan is gone, you're making money.

I will post images as the install occurs.  They should start work on it in the second week of September.

I just found this great new blog for efficient and power concious living.  Check it out.

http://www.metaefficient.com/