Old Pop Cans And Sunshine Can Reduce Heating Bills

February 2009

Aurora, CO, CBS4

Old pop cans heated by sunshine are helping reduce the home heating bills of one family in Aurora.

"I have no idea what's going to happen to natural gas prices in the future," Andrew Ehrnstein said. "But I'm pretty sure the sun is going to keep shining."

Even on the coldest days, the family doesn't fire up the furnace. Still, Andrew's wife Cynthia and their two kids stay comfortably warm.

"I just like the idea we're using the free energy from the sun." Cynthia said.

On their roof -- facing south -- is a solar panel crammed with recycled pop cans lying side by side. It is believed to be one of the first installations in Colorado of a product called Cansolair Solar Max.

"It's literally using cans and solar to heat air." explained Lucas Schiff with a company called Solargreen.

Solargreen sells and installs the system. It's the brainchild of a Canadian inventor.
Recycled aluminum cans are cut open and fitted on the inside with small fins. They move the air so it contacts the aluminum thereby extracting heat from the can.

Inside the Ehrnstein home, there's an intake duct which includes a small electric fan. Cool air is drawn into the duct, purified by filters, then pushed up to the Solar Max where it gets heated. Another duct carries the heated air down to what used to be the coldest room in the house, the master bedroom.

CBS4 used a thermometer and checked the warm air entering the room. It was 140 degrees. The family has found the air quickly moves throughout the house, offsetting the need to turn on the furnace.

"The air must be circulating better," concluded Cynthia.

The family invested about $4,000 purchasing and installing the Solar Max. It's too early to know just how much of their home heating bill they've eliminated, but Andrew has made what he calls a conservative calculation.

"I figure if it only does 30 percent, the system will pay for itself in less than five years."

Additional Information

To learn more about the Cansolair Solar Max, visit http://www.solargreen.us/.