He watched last week at his East Side home as a crew installed a solar water heating system, which will include solar panels on the roof and a new water heater in the basement. The system will heat some of the hot water used in Pourchot's home.

The cost of the $6,000 system installed by Solar Mining Co. of Green Bay will be offset by a rebate of up to 30 percent from Wisconsin Focus on Energy and a 30 percent federal tax credit that kicks in Jan. 1.

"The payback depends on how much hot water you use," Pourchot said. "It's probably five or six years. I'll be paying some (for conventional water heating) in the winter, but nothing in the summer."

Pourchot said he's long been interested in alternative energy and decided to invest in solar water heating after hearing a presentation by the Citizens Energy Cooperative of Wisconsin, which shares offices with Solar Mining Co.

The winter's rising heat bills have caused many people like Pourchot to think about going solar. Some like Don Spencer of the town of Westport are investing in more expensive solar electricity systems.

Lisa Stefanik, marketing manager of the Focus on Energy's renewable energy program, said interest in solar clearly is growing.

"We certainly are getting more inquiries with people really starting to feel the shock of the season's heating bills," she said. "The federal energy bill also has sparked interest."

Andrew Bangert, who installs solar electricity systems for H&H Electric Co. of Madison, was working last Thursday on a Milwaukee project.

"I'm about 20 jobs deep right now," he said. "More people are dumping money into solar and getting more back for it."

Besides Focus on Energy rebates and the federal tax credit, homeowners could qualify for no-interest loans to install solar heating systems, said Dan Gould of the 2-year-old Citizens Energy Cooperative, which has installed solar heating panels atop Madison high schools and other public buildings in the state.

"Borrowing money for a solar heating system is the best use of borrowed money," he said. "A large family could buy a system for $54 a month and they would save more than the monthly payment."

Spencer installed one of the area's largest residential solar electrical systems last summer. The $28,000 system includes nine solar panels on his roof and nine more on a rotating platform in the yard that tracks the sun. Excess power produced by Spencer's system can be sold back to the power company.

"It's working out fine," Spencer said. "It just feels like it's ecologically responsible. Electricity prices will go up over time and this is something I paid for once."

Despite their advantages, installing solar energy systems isn't without roadblocks. Sunlight must have a clear path to the collectors at least four hours a day - six hours is better.

"A lot of times it just won't work," Gould said. "You need a south-facing roof or a large enough yard. You can't be shading the solar collector with trees or other houses. In some subdivisions, there are covenants and it's difficult to get through those."

Wisconsin lags behind some other states when it comes to promoting solar energy.

In California, the Public Service Commission will take another vote next month on the California Solar Initiative, which would provide $3.2 billion in consumer incentives for a million rooftop solar projects. Part of the program was approved last week. New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities recently proposed a requirement that 20 percent of the state's electricity be produced from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Solar energy is catching on around the world thanks to the Kyoto Protocol, a worldwide treaty the United States hasn't joined to cut greenhouse gases.

In Germany, farmers are planting solar panels instead of crops to take advantage of incentives. China has 50 million solar water heaters installed and Japan's Honda Motor Co. is building a factory for mass production of household solar batteries.

Eager to start sampling his own sun-heated water, Pourchot, 30, who plans to go back to school and study the biological aspects of conservation at UW-Madison, said solar heating systems should become the norm rather than the exception.

"I don't see why they aren't required on all new construction," he said. "It makes so much sense."

Energy savings information Information about cash rebates, federal tax credits and loan programs for both business and residential solar heating and electricity installations is available from

Wisconsin Focus on Energy, 211 S. Paterson St., 3rd floor, Madison, WI 53703. The phone number is 800-762-7077 and the Web site is www.focusonenergy.com.

Citizens Energy Cooperative of Wisconsin, which promotes and assists with solar water heating installations, can be reached at 877-619-4051 or on the Web at www.cecofwi.com. The mailing address is P.O. Box 438, Waupaca, WI 54981.