By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – For the third straight year, a Niles home will be featured in the Michigan Solar Tour, which will be taking place this Saturday.
Dan and Jodie VandenHeede and their three children, Elizabeth, Sam and Kate, will again open their energy-efficient, solar energy-powered home at 639 N. 13th St., Niles, to show area residents how to incorporate energy saving technologies into their own lives.
VandenHeede, a teacher at Dowagiac Union High School and a Niles city councilman, said he went on the tour for a couple of years and thought the whole idea of a solar-powered home was a great way to not only save money, but energy as well.
"We have a family of five, so you can imagine what a heating, electric and water bill would cost, especially with three teenagers in the house. I've always been interested in ways to save energy and what better way than to start in your own home," VandenHeede said.
He added that a lot of the homes on the tour are newer homes and were built with solar energy powered equipment. For the Vandenheede's that wasn't the case.
"Our home was built in 1896. A lot of people are a little surprised when they see that this can be done to any home, no matter what the age."
VandenHeede's home features panels on the side of the house and on the roof.
The side panels are used to heat the home and allows warm air to circulate into the house through the use of solar operated electric fans. The panels are made of 2×4's and black metal press plates.
"I would say about 20 to 25 percent of the heat in our home comes from that with decent sun," he said.
The roof panels are used for the water heater. VandenHeede uses anti-freeze and water, which is heated by the sun and circulates down to the 120-gallon water tank, which warms the water. At times, VandenHeede said he sees the temperature of the water around 185 degrees.
"That's when you have to be careful," he said.
VandenHeede said since installing the solar-powered panels, he has saved on his gas and utility bills.
Along with showing off his home for the tour, VandenHeede will have a few other energy-efficient items on display.
"The hybrid (Toyota Prius) and my two mowers, one which is a plug in and the other that has a rechargable battery. Whatever I can do to not buy gas I will," he said.
VandenHeede will also show people his rain barrels, which are placed underneath the gutters and collect rain water to be used for watering the garden.
VandenHeede encourages anyone curious about solar-powered homes to take the tour this Saturday. You can learn from very interesting information on saving energy," VandenHeede added.
The Michiana area tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will take people to South Bend, Goshen and Topeka, Ind., as well as VandenHeede's home in Niles. The tour will also take place in other parts of the country throughout the day.
This is a great chance to find out how people are trimming their energy bills, increasing their energy independence and taking steps to address global warming here in Michiana.
For more information on the tour and the homes involved, visit www.nationalsolartour.org.