Steve Smith, of the Farnsworth Group, explained the effectiveness of solar power at the Eureka Rotary meeting on June 23.

Steve Smith, from the Farnsworth Group, has recently assisted with a project at Farmington High School that will provide solar energy from over 2,500 panels arrayed on the roof of the new building. He said that the high school building is nearly a perfect match for the needs of solar panels. It is oriented east-west and has a raised-seam metal roof with a 30% slope. The project was funded largely by a grant that the Farnsworth Group helped them get.

Asked whether Central Illinois has enough days of sunshine to make solar panels profitable, he replied that, believe it or not, we have as much sunshine here as Miami, FL. Depending on a home’s usage, insulation, and design, solar panels might cut energy bills by half.

Private windmills are an option, but the cost is about $70K up front. In many cases they provide all the electrical energy a home would need.

To reduce the amount of electric energy residents use, there are three things you can do right now:

1. In the summer, raise the thermostat 3 – 4 degrees from 3 – 6 p.m. In the winter, lower the thermostat by the same amount.
2. Smith stated that you will notice a reduction in your electrical bill immediately if you replace all of your bulbs with LEDs. There are even fluorescent tubes powered by LED.
3.    To see a video about the Farmington High School project, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=29&v=UBuUAx17FU8.