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The warm air pumping into the garage comes from a solar-powered heating system recently installed at Cochrane Auto Service. Dworschack, the owner, believes the system will be more environmentally friendly and economical than his propane heater. The project is his latest effort to “go green,” and it’s an effort that many village residents are watching closely.
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Dallas Dworschack traces the path of the sun across the afternoon sky Monday at his auto service center in Cochrane, Wis. Dworschack installed an 8-foot by 8-foot solar panel earlier this fall on the southwest wall of the metal building to obtain the most exposure to winter sun.
(Photo by Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News)
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Dworschack’s interest in efficiency spurred a two-part plan. He first focused on further insulating the two-car garage that serves as one of his work areas, making the shop much easier to heat.
He then installed the $3,000 solar system this fall. He ordered two large solar panels and, after studying the path of the sun, bolted them to one of the shop’s exterior walls.
Inside the shop, an air intake pipe sucks in cool air, which is heated by solar energy and then sent back into the shop by a blower also powered by the panels. Like any heating system, Dworschack can control the temperature with a digital thermostat. However, the sun drives the entire process, and the heater shut off when the clouds moved back in Monday morning.
The system will pay for itself in two to three years in heating cost reductions if it works as well as expected, he said. The system is designed to heat an area up to 1,600 square feet, while the shop is only 1,200. Dworschack’s been pleased with the results so far, though he knows the real test will be in the months ahead.
“We’ll see what happens when it’s 30 below,” he said.
The solar system is Dworschack’s latest foray into going green. He installed a pellet furnace in his home last winter, a move he said saved him hundreds of dollars.
The solar project has caught the interest of many other Cochrane residents, as well.
“I think everyone is watching to see how this goes,” he said. “This is going to be the test — this season.”
bartski wrote on Nov 18, 2008 9:45 AM: