Solar Equipment

Page Contents
Solar Equipment
The Attic Breeze
Do-It-Yourself-ers
Solar Ovens

Starfire Energy carries a broad range of solar energy equipment, which we sell both to contractors and the general public. We are dealers for AEE Solar, Sunwize, and Attic Breeze products. We provide solar electric panels manufactured by Sanyo, Kyocera, Mitsubishi Electric, Evergreen Solar, and Kaneka. We provide inverters manufactured by SMA, Fronius, Xantrex, and Outback. We also supply a great deal of other hardware from a variety of manufacturers.

The Attic Breeze

The Attic Breeze is an outstanding new product to help keep your home or business cool. The Attic Breeze is a solar powered ventilation fan that mounts on the roof of your building. When the sun is shining and the temperature is over 85 F, the solar panel runs the fan, creating up to a 1550 cubic feet per minute air flow in your attic that helps keep it cooler in the summer. The Home Ventilating Institute recommended air flow for powered attic ventilators is to have 10 attic air changes per hour, which for typical attics equates to 0.7 cubic feet per minute for each square foot of attic floor. That air flow can reduce attic summer attic temperatures from 140-160 F down to 95-115 F. With a solar powered attic ventilator, you get the benefits of a powered attic ventilation fan without having to hire an electrician to run extra wiring to it. The manufacturers of the Attic Breeze have found that in a typical installation on a home with air conditioning, the Attic Breeze will pay for itself in reduced air conditioning costs in 1-2 years.

The Attic Breeze units come in both self-flashing models for installation on a sloped roof (shown above at right, click for a larger photo) and curb-mount models for installation on a flat roof (shown to the right, click for a larger photo). They are built to last. All of the parts have a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. The vent housing is made from zincalume metal, which is highly resistant to corrosion. The solar panel is the same type as are used in most home solar electric system installations. The motor is attached with stainless steel mounts, and the 14 inch diameter fan blade is aluminum. They can be ordered with the bare zincalume metal finish or a gray, brown, or black paint finish. They can also be ordered either with the solar module attached to the top of the vent housing or with the panel connected to the unit by an electric cord so it can be placed up to 14 feet away from the vent.

For the Attic Breeze to perform optimally, it should be installed near the top of the attic and the lower portion of the attic must have adequately sized vents for air intake. It is recommended to have 1600 square inches (11.1 sq. ft.) of inlet attic vent for each Attic Breeze. This corresponds to 12 or 13 standard (16"x8") soffet vents per Attic Breeze. Available Attic Breeze models are:

Model #	Style	Solar Panel	Finish	Price
AB-251A	self-flashing	attached	zincalume	$600
AB-252A	self-flashing	attached	powder coated (brown, gray, or black)	$630
AB-253A	curb-mounted	attached	zincalume	$620
AB-254A	curb-mounted	attached	powder coated (brown, gray, or black)	$650
AB-251D	self-flashing	detached	zincalume	$615
AB-252D	self-flashing	detached	powder coated (brown, gray, or black)	$645
AB-253D	curb-mounted	detached	zincalume	$635
AB-254D	curb-mounted	detached	powder coated (brown, gray, or black)	$665

Separate universal mounting brackets are also available for models with detached solar panels, which allow the panel to be mounted to a pole, wall, or rooftop ($39). Please call Starfire Energy to place your order.

Do-It-Yourself-ers

Starfire Energy can provide modules, rack materials, inverters, multi-contact connectors, and other hardware to people installing their own solar electric systems. We do encourage people doing their own installations to do extensive reading about system design and installation before they start ordering parts or installing the system. There are books available on the subject, and Home Power Magazine is a wealth of do-it-yourself knowledge. An even better option would be to take courses in photovoltaic system design and installation from a good school such as Solar Energy International. Please call us for more information about the products we carry and the training that is available.

Solar Ovens

Although we don't sell them ourselves, we promote interest in solar ovens. Modern solar ovens can reach temperatures of 300-400 degrees F and can even work on partly cloudy days. In the "developed world", they can be a relaxing way to cook anything from hot dogs to bread to roasts on the weekend. In the "developing world", they can be a fantastic alternative to cooking with wood or dung fires. To learn more about solar ovens, purchase one for yourself, or donate to fund their use in developing countries, see web sites for organizations such as Solar Oven Society and Sun Ovens International.

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