Solar system that heats home through air circulation doesn't qualify for tax credits

From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - by Staci Matlock - Using an old technology that's gaining new attention, Alex Avery is partially heating her home with help from the sun. She's hoping the solar hot air circulating system she had installed in October will reduce her electric bill considerably. A duct system equipped with a small fan draws air from inside Avery's home near Santa Fe and funnels it up to a solar collector on her roof. The air flows through the collector, passing between a black-painted aluminum sheet and a special thermal glass, and is warmed by the sun. Then the air is blown by the system back into the house. Dampers control the air flow and a thermostat controls the temperature. So far, Avery's been pleased. "It can be 16 degrees outside, and inside it will by a steady 68 degrees [with no additional heat source]," she said. It only works during the day, and is best, of course, when the sun is shining. At night and on New Mexico's rare cloudy days, Avery uses a wood stove and electric heaters to boost the temperature. Read more

Solar system that heats home through air circulation doesn't qualify for tax credits