A homeowner in Harrisonburg has asked you for help on the economic feasibility of using solar power for hot water heating. Electric power costs $0.07/kW.hr and a single-pane flat plate solar collector system cost about $22 per ft2 of collector area. The daily mean insolation in Harrisonburg is 1250 Btu/ft2 .day.
a) What is the cost of electric power in $/106 Btu?
b) What is the cost of energy saved daily per ft2 by using solar power instead of electric power, if the average collector efficiency is 35%?
c) What is the payback period in years?