You can live better - we can help. Named for the physical source that sustains life on Earth, the Solar Institute is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that conducts research and offers a broad range of information, consulting and referral services for effectively applying sustainability on a practical and cost-effective basis for individuals, communities, businesses and governments. SI services cover planning, design, construction, renovation and improvement of homes, buildings, communities, landscapes and ecosystems. Our focus is to create healthy, economical and satisfying living environments that fit in better with nature, so you and your world can thrive.

In the news
Sustainability and you. Just as "environment" was in the 1970s, Sustainability is now the crucial concept of our times. Soaring population growth and competition for resources is outstripping local resources all over the planet, causing ever greater social, economic and environmental disruption. Living in harmony with nature is no longer a luxury, it's a matter of survival. Click above for more on what you can do to protect yourself – and your world.
"Solar and Sustainability Month". In recognition of the importance of solar energy and related sustainable measures to the people of Arizona, and in support of the contribution made by the Tucson Innovative Home Tour and Tucson Solar Tour and associated events in Arizona to progress in these fields, the Governor has designated October to be “Solar and Sustainability Month” in Arizona. You can see the text and news release by clicking above. The Solar Institute is your source for help in putting sustainability to work in sustaining your life in better ways.
Living sustainably in the desert. Click here to see the Arizona Daily Daily Star's great Sunday Home feature on one of the fascinating homes on last year's Tucson Innovative Home Tour, a chance to see homes with "practical and cost-effective ways to exist better in Southern Arizona's climate." The feature home is a "... treasure trove of items that reduce environmental impact ... 70 percent of exterior irrigation comes from gray water or rainwater ... By the kitchen sink, a tap dispenses water from the rooftop solar water still ..." and much more,
"Home Sustainable Home: A tour of eco-friendly Tucson houses shows the possibilities for a brighter future." Click here to see the fine article in the Tucson Weekly about one of the homes on the 2006 tour, that of an expert on permaculture and rainwater harvesting. "There's an insurgent joy to the clipped power cables ... a defiant beauty to the lush enclave that surrounds his old adobe ... his world thrives on a fraction of the energy and water used by most Tucsonans." Total utility bills? "Right now, it's about $20 a month," he says with a big smile. "This gives people a chance to find out how to live better in the desert."
Passive solar design is the “hot building technology” of our times, according to renowned building scientist, J. Douglas Balcomb. "I see two reasons for it to lead architectural design in coming years: It is a critical technology for the 21st century, and it works." Read this article and others in Solar Today, the journal of the American Solar Energy Society, including coverage of the National Solar Tour.

The latest help for you from the Solar Institute
Information, consulting and referral services. The Solar Institute's family of community organizations and programs offer expert help for a wide range of services and products for your home and business. It's an independent, non-profit, non-commercial, community sharing program that helps you get the best unbiased expert information and advise to satisfy your needs and the best value for your money. Join the Tucson Solar Alliance or the Tucson Homeowners Alliance and you can get simple questions answered at no charge, as well as professional consulting at greatly reduced rates. This works like Consumer Reports: these organizations are not affiliated in any way with any business and do not receive money or other considerations from any commercial enterprise. Click here for information on how to get in touch with us."

Next Generation Building Institute. A broad network of professionals and organizations are leading a quantum leap forward in building design and construction: high performance homes and buildings that function much better but cost a lot less to operate and maintain, buildings that fit in with the natural environment and contribute to a sustaining and sustainable built environment, buildings as if people mattered. Tucson is recognized nationally for being at the forefront of this work. Now owners, designers and builders have a central resource to make their buildings the best they can be. Through the Institute you can access some of the most knowedgeable and experienced professionals in the country, as well as the unique Next Generation planning and design methodology that brings it all together. Click here for information on how to get in touch with us.

Now is the time to build your dream home. The news gets worse every day for home owners: the costs of houses, materials, products, utilities, taxes and everything associated with homes are not just going up, they are increasing at alarming rates. However, those who are interested in pioneering a new approach to designing and building a higher quality home that will cost a lot less over the long term now have a unique opportunity to fuflfill that dream.
  For years, Tucson's officially recognized Next Generation Home Project has analyzed not only all the functions and values of a home and how to improve them, but also all of the major costs of a home and how to reduce them as much as possible. Designing and building a new home the right way can result in total savings of up to 50% for the long-term cost of home ownership. This includes reductions 75 and more for utility bills and other operations, maintenance and repair costs. Think of what it would mean to cut your costs of home ownership in half.
  The Alliance is now ready to make the results of all this effort available to a few aspiring homeowners who are willing to be the first pioneers to put this new approach to designing and building a home to the test.
  The Next Generation Home Project is accepting applications for the first pioneers of Next Generation Homes. Applicants must understand that this is a new approach to designing and building a home that has never been attempted before. Like any new pioneering development, it will encounter new challenges and problems, and, of course, has risks associated with that. Applicants should be highly interested, willling and able to work together cooperatively with architects, engineers, scientists, builders and others to faithfully follow this method through to satisfactory completion, test the results and share their experience with the community. Because this is a test of real-world conditions, applicants must also be financially sound and have their own financing. The project will take advantage of available tax credits, rebates and other measures to minimize costs, but no grants are available for the project. It should be anticipated that the initial price of the house will be higher than comparable standard homes to achieve the quality necessary to reduce costs over the longer term. Click here for information on how to get in touch with us.

The Next Generation Affordable Housing Project is looking for volunteers to help non-profit housing providers design and build a new generation of much better, much more affordable homes for those who need them most. You too can help! There are many ways you can help and no experience is necessary. Click here for more information.

It's a good time to solve your energy crisis. The many costs of the continuing energy crisis become more serious every year. To address this, starting in January, 2009, new federal tax credits, offer owners and builders of home and commercial buildings a variety of incentives for putting energy efficiency measures and renewable energy to good use, including a 30% tax credit for solar energy equipment. In addition, the State of Arizona offers a $1,000 tax credit, and Tucson Electric Power offers up to $3,000 in rebates on solar systems. For expert, unbiased, non-commercial information and advice on getting the best deal without getting burned ...
  The Tucson Solar Alliance can help you. It's a non-profit, non-commercial community program that does not sell anything - it just helps you get the best and most appropriate system for you at the best price, with the best unbiased expert information and advise in town. It is not affiliated in any way with any companies or sales programs. Considering what happened the last time such high tax credits were available, things are going to get wild in the solar marketplace. You will want to choose the right equipment, the right manufacturer and the right installer very carefully to avoid disappointments. With demand spiking, the prices are likely to go up soon too. Click here for more information.

More help for you

The Solar Institute has solutions for you.
  Not many people realize that it is possible to substantially reduce the costs of home ownership. Studies by the Next Generation Home Alliance analyzed all of the major costs of home ownership in Tucson and then determined how to reduce them. Designing and building a new home the right way can result in total savings of up to 50% for all costs and savings as much as 75-80% for things like gas and electric costs, and other operations, maintenance and repair costs. Think of what it would mean to cut your costs of home ownership in half. Savings for existing homes can also be substantial.
  One of the main focuses of the Tucson Innovative Home Tour and the Next Generation Home Seminar is to show you how you can do that. You may be surprised at how much better you can live at much lower costs.
  To help you do that, the Solar Institute now offers information, consulting and referral services for members of any of its family of community organizations, generally at very good discounts. Others have done this - we can show you how.
  Click here for information on how to get in touch with us.

Additional help from the Tucson Homeowners Alliance
Fall Home Tips. Now that cooler weather is back, our compilation of practical information and ideas can help you complete important home priorities and prepare for winter.

Tips for Hiring a Contractor The government reports that the number one source of complaints from homeowners is problems with contractors. This Homeowners Alliance compilation can help you learn from other people's experience and avoid pitfalls.

Property Tax shock. The average valuation of homes for tax purposes jumped 30% this year according to the Pima County Assessor's Office in Tucson. For some, the increase was even more. That's on top of an average increase of 30% in 2006, 19% in 2005 and 11% in 2004. Click on the link to learn more about why this is happening and what you can do about it.

"Mold stirs worry in homes." - Read the Arizona Daily Star's report on mold problems in local homes and learn what you can do to avoid such a disaster.

Solar Institute sets record straight on summer comfort. The front page of the Arizona Daily Star featured advice from the Solar Institute on how to stay comfortable at low cost. Click here to see the article and get more information under "News You Can Use."

Homeowners unite! Join the Tucson Homeowners Alliance to share and obtain information, ideas and experience in owning, operating and maintaining your home. In the immortal words of Benjamin Franklin, we can hang together or we will most assuredly hang separately.

Additional news and information
Popular press discovers value of next generation of homes.
  "We are building the wrong kinds of houses. Last month, while researching a story on energy-efficient home building ... dozens of experts convinced me we can change the way we build houses. The new methods range from subtle, such as passive solar design and framing with structural insulated panels, to advanced, such as using rooftop photovoltaic modules for converting the sun's rays to electricity and constructing exterior walls with insulated concrete forms." - Newsday, February 17, 2005. For more information and to read more of the article, click on the title above.

"The Power is theirs" - it can be yours too! - Read the Arizona Daily Star's Sunday feature article about homeowners who power their homes from the sun. You have seen some of these homes on the Tucson Innovative Home Tour. Click here for more information on how you can do this yourself.

Universal design is an important new concept for anyone planning to build or buy a new home. It's about designing homes as if people mattered. It means greater functionality, adaptability, flexibility and much lower long-term costs in a home to meet our curent and changing needs. Thanks to the leadership of the Tucson Commission on Disability Issues, our community is also at the forefront of advances in this field. Click above to learn more about why this is important to you.

DIY Rammed Earth workshops. "Rammit Yourself!" A comprehensive full-day workshop where you can learn rammed earth construction "hands on," both theory and practice, through actual construction. Bring a sample of your soil if you would like it tested. Plan on getting dirty. A rare opportunity to learn from one of the top experts and pioneers in the field: Quentin Branch. For information, call (520) 896-3393.