Shutters that save money? That’s not a hard one to figure out. Close the shutters in the summer to cut down on heat gain and reduce cooling costs. Open them in the winter to do the opposite.
Ah, but wait. The PV Solar Shutters from Plug n’ Save Energy Products are no ordinary shutters. Featured in the upcoming IBS 2011’s nextBUILD home, these stylish window accessories have solar cells built in that convert sunlight to electricity.
Not only will the shutters be keeping the sun out on hot days, they will be producing electricity to help cool the home.
One of the coolest aspects to the Solar Shutters is the fact that the average homeowner can install them. The shutters themselves connect to a “grid tie inverter” which plugs into any wall outlet, changing the current from DC to AC and matching the buildings existing electrical system.
One 2′ x 3′ Solar Shutter goes for $400, which isn’t cheap, but considering a shutter can conceivably produce 500 Watts/hr on a sunny day (or 21,000 Watts/week, which becomes a $336 savings per year if energy costs are $.30/kwh), you’re talking about potential payback in a little over a year.
No wonder it’s a feature in nextBUILD.
Would you buy the Solar Shutter?
