Mountain tale : When the Dear Friend & Conscience bought the mountain retreat nearly three years ago, it had many charms: Situated between a ridgeline that is a flyway for 12 species of raptors and a 38,000-acre wildlife refuge that is home to more species than you can count, the ranch house is Plain Jane on the outside but roomy on the inside and even more so since we've knocked down a wall and installed large energy-efficient casement windows and sliders that let in the stunning views and sunlight year round while keeping out the heat and cold.
The house had another advantage as well: By my crude reckoning, the back of the roof is nearly Solar South, making the house a good candidate for an electricity-generating passive solar power system.
Timing being everything, this summer seemed to be advantageous for taking the solar plunge. Thanks to the Obama administration, the feds are offering extraordinarily generous tax rebates for homeowners who go solar. And thanks to Ed Rendell, an Obama pal and governor of Pennsylvania, the state also is offering extraordinarily generous rebates.
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