Solar Panel User Doesn't Sweat The Heat

Ashli Sims, News On 6

TULSA -- The sun's blazing, the air conditioners are blowing full blast, but Pat Graham isn't sweating it.

"Well I know that I'm getting a little bit of a benefit, because my air conditioners are running for free," he said.

Graham's home is outfitted with almost six dozen solar panels. He got started a couple of years ago and got hooked.

"Man, it's working so well. I said, 'Man, let's put some more on."

He says the panels alone shade the roof enough to knock five percent off his power bill and that's even before they generate any energy.

"I really like ‘em," he said. "I really like ‘em. And I can see a real reduction in my electric bills. I mean serious reduction… way more than half."

With these triple digit temperatures, even your pool isn't necessarily a cool zone. This one is in direct sunlight, but it's only 87 degrees. That's because the Grahams are using the sun to cool the pool.

Seth Christ, with Ion Solar, installed the system. He says the pool water runs through a series of pipes to the panels on the roof. At night, the water cools to the air temperature before being pumped back into the pool.

Graham said the results are remarkable.

"The year before we put it on my pool got within four degrees of being the same temperature as my hot tub which 101 degrees."

The Grahams are still on the grid, but Pat Graham says he's trying to get that down to the bare minimum.

So, there may be more panels in his future.