Honest, I have heard every one of these statements with a snide attitude!

1. It will never pay for itself.

Sure they will. These devices are built to last beyond 40 years, and if my hunch is correct, fuel prices are about to increase on average faster than they have in the past. Please give some thought to the fact that demand has increased steadily for decades, and at the same time, the fossil fuels we now rely on are becoming increasing difficult to produce. We may experience a scenario where one year of solar heating fuel savings will pay for this device at today's level of investment.

2. It is too expensive.

For less than $10,000, and most times around $5000, one can install a solar heating device that will add to your comfort and pay for itself. I do freely admit that sometime in the future this objection may well become truthful.

3. We don't need to plan for the future. There is plenty of oil in the United States.

This is just not true, the Energy Information Administration clearly shows the United States only as having 2 percent of the world's oil reserves, yet our country, alone, is consuming over 20 percent of the world's oil production. This should scare you.

4. We don't need to plan for the future, There is 250 years worth of coal in this country and we should burn it.

This is just not true. There are mining collapses now. How do we expect to open and operate mines in even more risky situations? And of the remaining coal in this country, a majority has a high sulfur content and burning more of this type coal will cause much higher levels of toxic pollutants to be released into our environment.

5. Natural gas is cheap, we don't need solar heating.

Right. Read my story posted here.

6. Wisconsin doesn't have enough sun.

There are an average of 240 days having sunny conditions in Wisconsin annually. Even those lighter cloud days will provide some solar heating. With a solar domestic water heater, we can take advantage of every one of them (sunny days). Scroll to the last page in this link for a nice color sun map. 4 hours of sun per day is all that is required to heat enough water for a full day's use!

7. They are ugly and shouldn't be allowed.

Sorry, I can not help you tap into the sun's energy. Don't complain when the cost to heat your home increases, you are paying extra for your perception.