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October is Energy Awareness Month

A presidential proclamation, in 1991, made October Energy Awareness Month. For 19 years, non-profit organizations, large and small businesses, government organizations, and concerned citizens have celebrated this month with activities and actions to promote public understanding of our energy needs and simple ways to reduce the amount of energy we consume in our everyday lives. According to a nationwide poll conducted by RESNET, only 33% of Americans believe their own home is energy efficient, although 90% are concerned with energy efficiency.  What this tells us is that most Americans care about energy efficiency and know their home is wasting energy, but don’t know what to do about it.

Since October is Energy Awareness Month, this is a great time to get started on the path toward energy savings. The average home spends about $1,900 a year on energy costs. Supporting renewable energy goes hand in hand with energy awareness, conservation, and efficiency. That’s why we’ve compiled 10 easy ways you can save energy to help you celebrate your energy awareness this October.

Turn Off  Lights:

We all remember our parents fussing at us for leaving the light on after leaving a room, when we were kids. What we didn’t think about as kids is that household lighting is responsible for about 11 percent of a home’s energy bill. By turning off the lights you don’t need, you start to save right away and you will extend the lifetime of the bulbs.

Switch Out Your Lighting:

CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) are well known for substantial energy savings. Not only do these bulbs last much longer than standard incandescent bulbs, they use about 75% less energy.  CFLs  work with all lamp shades and come in many different colors. CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury, so please remember to dispose of them properly.

Get a Clothesline

Clothes dryers are among the biggest energy hogs in a typical home. By line drying your clothes instead of using your dryer, you can save 5% off your energy bill. Dryer energy use is typically 900 to 1000 kWh per year for an electric dryer. Not only do you get the fresh laundry smell that many chemical laden dryer sheets try to emulate, but line drying is gentler on clothes.

For more about the advantages of line drying, check out Project Laundry List , a non-profit dedicated to promoting simple ways of saving energy--such as line drying.

Install Motion Sensors:

Installing motion sensors on lights allows lights to turn on only when movement is detected and then turn off automatically when not needed. These work particularly well for outdoor lamps, which can also boost security. Leaving lighting on all night can be disruptive to wildlife, and sucks up unnecessary amount of energy, especially when it comes to flood lights.

Turn Off Your Computer at Night:

Many of us spend so much time on our computers checking e-mail, spending countless hours on Facebook, and searching on Google that we never turn the thing off.  Although it may occasionally take you a few more seconds to get to work, you'll save energy and money if you turn your computer off at the end of each day. It will also reduce wear and tear on your hardware extending its life. According to the Department of Energy you can save an average of $90 of electricity a year, which is a nice incentive to push that power button.

Get Rid of Vampires:

Vampire energy is one of the biggest culprits in energy waste.  Your electrical appliances and devices use vampire energy when they are turned off but still plugged in (e.g. computers, televisions, cell phone chargers). Some sources say vampires are responsible for 20% of our household energy use. Unplug electronics and chargers when you are not using them and plug larger devices into power strips so you can easily switch them on or off as needed.

Use a Laptop Instead of a Desktop:

If you have the choice between powering up your desktop or a laptop, choose the latter. Also, when it's time to upgrade to a new computer, think about a laptop. Laptop computers draw only 15 to 25 watts during regular use, as compared to the 150 watts used by a conventional desktop computer and monitor. Plus, laptops also draw just a fraction of a watt when in sleep mode.

Get an Energy Monitor:

It's really quite simple: If you can measure it, you can manage it. Get a solid idea of your home energy use with an energy monitoring device. You can make small adjustments through the day and see how the savings add up.

One good example is The Energy Detective (TED), which starts at $139. TED is a small display that indicates household electrical usage in real time and projects your monthly bill -- all without using batteries. Research has found that real-time energy feedback leads consumers to reduce their electricity consumption. According to the company you'll save 15 - 20% on each bill, which would amount to hundreds of dollars a year.

Get an Energy Audit:

Now that you've been making some small changes around the house to save energy, you may want to consider a home energy audit. Many people think of them only when it starts getting cold, and heating season begins. But as Arizonans we understand that summer cooling is also one of our largest energy users.

If you would like to conduct a DIY energy audit, click here for a check list . An energy audit will help you determine exactly how much energy you are using, and will identify ways you can reduce energy use through better insulation and other simple techniques.

Turn Up Your Thermostat When cooling a house, set your thermostat to 78 degrees when you are home and 85 degrees or off when you are away. Using ceiling or room fans allows you to set the thermostat higher because the air movement will cool your skin, making the air feel cooler. By taking this simple action, you’ll reduce your energy bill 1-3% per degree, for each degree the thermostat is set above 72 degrees.

Energy Efficiency: Are you missing the mark?

An interesting paper has recently been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences entitled “Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings”, which suggests that when it comes to conserving energy, many people seem to be missing the mark. In a national online survey, 505 participants reported their perceptions of energy consumption and savings for a variety of household, transportation and recycling activities. When asked for the most effective strategy they could implement to conserve energy, most participants (19.6%) mentioned curtailment (e.g., turning off lights, driving less) while only 3.2% of those surveyed suggested efficiency improvements (e.g., replacing old appliances and light bulbs with more efficient models).

Most people think of conserving energy as they would conserve money: use less, spend less. But the reality is that turning off lights, though a noble habit, is not going to save much energy or money. More noteworthy savings can be obtained from replacing bulbs with more efficient CFLs or by purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

According to the authors of the study, a reason people are overly focused on curtailment rather than efficiency, may be due to the fact that efficiency improvements almost always involved research, effort and out-of-pocket costs (e.g. buying a new energy-efficient appliance), whereas curtailment may be easier to imagine and incorporate into one's daily behaviors without any upfront costs.

Installing a solar energy system is one effective change you can make that will go a long way in saving energy while reducing costs, especially when used in conjunction with your own energy conservation habits.

Watts & Kilowatts & kWh... Oh My!

We have all looked at a lightbulb and noticed that it says, “100 Watts,” but what does that mean? We’ve also looked at our utility bill and seen that we’ve been charged for the amount of kilowatt-hours (kWh) we’ve used. But, again, what does this all mean? These terms are often used incorrectly and interchangeably, so we thought it was time for a clear explanation of what these units are and what they mean. Let’s start with the basics. A watt (W) is a measure of POWER (or one joule per second). Power is the rate at which energy is used per unit time (an indicator of how fast an item uses energy). A kilowatt (kW) is, simply, one thousand watts, just as a megawatt (mW) is one million watts. When we’re talking about electricity, power is voltage times amperage or 1 watt = 1 volt x 1 ampere.

True, this may sound a bit like your high school physics class, but don’t panic. Read on and you’ll see it’s a simple concept to grasp…

One of the easiest ways to think about all of this is to think of electricity as water coming out of a hose. Voltage is the water pressure and the amperage is the flow. When there’s a kink in your garden hose, there’s a lot of pressure (voltage), but the water is not flowing anywhere (no amperage), which means there’s no power (i.e. a lot of volts x zero amps = zero watts).

Now let’s take this understanding and apply it to what happens when we un-kink the hose, and the water comes rushing out of it. The result is, a lot of volts x a lot of amps = huge POWER.

Okay, so you’ve got the concept POWER down, let’s go back to watts (W). A watt (W) is energy burned per second. A 100-watt light bulb eats up 100 joules of energy every second. Since “watts per hour” doesn’t make sense, because it’s already measuring “joules per second” and thinking of  “joules per second per hour” is enough to make most people’s eyes glaze over, our utility companies use a watt-hour to charge us for the electricity we use. It’s a way of removing “per second” from watts.

Now let’s use one more analogy to wrap up this explanation - pretend you're running a marathon. Think of watts as the speed you’re running (i.e. the rate of energy used in that instant), and watt-hours as the total amount of energy you’ve used while running at a certain rate over an hour.

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the amount of energy equivalent to powering one kilowatt (kW)  for one hour. A kilowatt hour (kWh) is a unit of ENERGY that is a much more convenient unit to use rather than the kilo-joule. It represents the power used by the appliance multiplied by the hours in use. In other words, when you leave a 100-watt lightbulb on for 10 hours you’ve used a kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy and TEP will bill you accordingly.

So, as you can see, the kW and kWh are fundamentally different. Appliances show their power ratings (kW) on the nameplate to give you an idea of how much energy is used per second by the item. At TFS, we look at the amount of kWh on your utility bill to find out how much energy your home or business uses so that we can recommend the size solar PV system that would best suit your needs.

Survey Shows More Americans Support Solar Energy

Solar energy is getting the positive attention and widespread acceptance it deserves. A recent study from Rasmussen Reports (a comprehensive public opinion poll) showed that 44% of Americans believe in investing in solar for their home. According to the survey, nearly one out of three adults (31%) say they are at least somewhat likely to use solar power in their homes in the next five years, including 13% who say they are very likely to do so. Interestingly, the survey also found that 55% of voters believe finding new sources of energy is more important than reducing the amount of energy Americans now consume. Also notable, is the age of those who are willing to forge a solar path.  Supporters in the 18 to 40 age brackets feel solar energy will become a standard method of powering their homes. Moreover, those in this younger age group are also roughly twice as likely to say they are very likely to use solar power in their homes in the next five years.

The survey also made it clear that there is still the misconception that solar is financially out of reach for the mainstream. For example, 25% of those making more than $100,000 per year said they are very likely to install solar power at home in the next five years, compared to only 6 percent of those making between $20,000 and $40,000 per year.

There also seems to be a perception that the payback needs to be faster (in the three to five year range), before solar technology is widely adopted by the mainstream.  It will be fantastic when prices get down to that level, but when looked at honestly, anything less than a twenty year simple payback provides a good investment. But, the great news is that the average payback for a residential solar PV system is about seven to nine years. However, for the sake of making a point, a solar system that provides a twenty year simple payback is like buying a solar bond that pays 5% (tax-free) interest year after year without ANY risk.

Think of it as buying your own dividend-paying utility company, but one with a long operating history and no competition. Current tax credits and utility rebates cover up to 70% of the total cost of the solar PV system. Also, there are financing programs (or call 1-800-SUNPOWER) to help southern Arizona’s homeowners make the switch to clean energy.

It is nice to see evidence that American support for solar energy is continuing its upward swing. This new survey provides credible proof of the positive trend among the American people, in considering the switch from coal to clean energy from the sun.

Solar Continues to Shine Bright

Solar continues to Shine Bright in SEIA’s 2009 Year in Review Once again, we are seeing proof that an economic recession can’t stop the sun from shining in, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). They recently released the 2009 U.S. Solar Industry Year in Review, which reports on the health of the solar industry. They found that the U.S. solar industry experienced significant growth last year. Overall, the U.S. experienced a 36% improvement over last year. We are ranked 4th in new solar capacity worldwide with industry growth totaling nearly $4 billion. This 37% increase was mainly the result of an ever increasing demand for residential PV installation and utility-scale installations

"Building off the successes of 2009, we expect 2010 to be a breakout year for the U.S. solar industry," said Rhone Resch, SEIA president and CEO. "The right policies and industry innovation continue to drive solar's growth across America. Now we're talking gigawatts of solar, not megawatts."

Highlights for 2009 include:

Growth in added solar electric and solar thermal capacity

· Solar electric capacity growth (including both photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies) for 2009 was 37 % more than 2008.

· Solar water heating grew by 10 % over 2008.

Jobs and revenue

· The solar industry contributed to the overall economy by adding 17,000 new jobs.

· Solar industry today supports 46,000 U.S. jobs and supports an additional 33,000 jobs in other sectors.

· Growth in the industry resulted in a 36 % increase in overall revenue, totaling nearly $4 billion.

Capacity by market segment

· Residential grid-tied PV solar installations showed particularly strong growth, doubling from 78 megawatts to 156 megawatts.

· Non-residential grid-tied PV solar installations grew 2 percent less than in 2008.

· The utility market saw notable growth, with utilities tripling their rate of grid-tied PV capacity additions from 22 megawatts to 66 megawatts.

· California has continued to lead the way using 220 mW in solar energy capacity, with Arizona  ranked 4th using 23 mW, behind New Jersey (57 mW), and Florida (36 mW).

Good news for solar means good news for the economy, as well. As more homeowners install solar power, more jobs are created. For every six homes that go solar, one local green job is created. By the end of the year, the U.S. is expected to have 60,000 solar supported jobs. The growth of the solar power market is closely connected to our economic health as a country.

TFS Visits Local Schools to Teach Solar Facts

These days, elementary students have heard of the impacts of climate change, greenhouse gases, and conservation.  Also, as the need for clean, renewable energy becomes more pressing, the topic of solar energy is increasingly integrated into school curriculum and lesson plans.

Solar power is not a topic of discussion for the future, but a lesson of today. Or so we discovered when we visited two Tucson elementary schools, Holladay and Borton, to speak to students about solar energy, resource conservation and the importance of living in line with nature.

We discussed the different sources of energy, solar power, and rainwater harvesting. The students also came up with different ways to conserve energy in their own homes and simple ways to take action against climate change.  The students were curious and excited and had many great questions and comments for us.  Many of them had studied solar energy in their classes.  Our visit at Holladay Elementary ended with the students asking their teachers, “Why can’t we get solar panels on our building?”

For this generation of students, the idea of turning away from unhealthy fossil fuels, like coal, and toward solar energy is a no-brainer.  It’s this kind of attitude we all need to adopt if we are serious about taking action for the betterment of our planet.  How can we secure a sustainable future for our children?  Just ask our children.

In the photos:

Top - TFS's Mark asks the students at Halloway some questions about solar energy.

Bottom - TFS's Leona explains to students at Borton Elementary the importance of planting in a basin and simple techniques to insure your plants survive in the desert.

The Open PV Project: See Solar Grow

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually watch the solar movement grow right in front of your eyes? If the answer is yes, then have we got a tool for you! The solar industry now has eye-popping, interactive maps and charts that show where PV systems are being installed, how big they are, how much they cost and how fast the industry is booming. All of this information is publicly available thanks to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s new Open PV Project, which tracks the solar industry data from 1998 to present. So far, Open PV has catalogued more than 67,000 systems.

"We're building a community of users who are willing to share information about PV installations," said Christopher Helm, a Geographic Information System (GIS) developer and project manager for the Open PV project. "The project is a living, breathing and dynamic database that people can use to explore the U.S. PV market in essentially real-time."

Want to know how fast solar is growing in Arizona? Click "Explore" on the website to open the PV Market Mapper application and look up any state in the U.S. to see graphs showing the number of PV installations, cost and capacity over time.

Unfortunately, there has not been enough information provided for solar installations in Tucson, so if you have a solar PV system and would like to enter your information into the database, you can do so by clicking this link and contributing. The PV Project is a collaboration between the government, industry, and the public. Users are able to add their own PV installation data if they would like to participate in the project.  It’s a great way to share and contribute to the spreading of solar knowledge.

Solar Can Meet 10% of U.S. Energy Needs by 2030

The solar energy report, “Building a Solar Future: Repowering America’s Homes, Businesses and Industry with Solar Energy,” was released recently, which outlines a plan for using solar power to meet 10% of the United States’ total energy needs by 2030. The report explains how solar energy can be incorporated into our homes, businesses, farms, and neighborhoods, while also detailing the role solar can play in energy security and the reduction of environmental pollution. “The sun provides more energy in an hour than all the coal mines and oil wells do in a year,” said Bret Fanshaw of Environment Arizona. “This solar energy is limitless and pollution free. America can and must figure out how to tap the heat and power of the sun. Solar power is also increasingly cost competitive with older, dirtier sources of energy.”

According to Gabrielle Giffords, one of Congress’ leading solar proponents, “This report shows the possibilities of solar energy and how solar is an achievable path to our energy security. We still have work to do before solar energy can make up a large percentage of America’s energy needs, but we are moving in the right direction.”

The report also identifies obstacles to wider use of solar in the U.S. and discusses a combination of policies that could allow solar to meet 10% of America’s energy needs. According to Environment America, Arizona, with 300 days of sunshine each year, has the largest capacity of any state for solar energy. However, less than 3% of the energy used in the state comes from the sun. The majority – roughly 90% – comes from burning coal, oil and natural gas.

Despite this fact, there are many examples of solar taking big steps in Arizona. In 2007, Tucson was selected as a Solar America City and currently has around 1.1 megawatts of solar power on City of Tucson buildings – including the 120 panels at the Clements Recreation Center. This site alone reduces approximately 9.1 tons of CO2 each year.

Environment Arizona called on local, state and federal governments to remove the barriers currently impeding the spread of solar energy. This can be accomplished by investing in solar and adopting strong policies to make solar energy an important part of America’s energy future. Such policies include financial incentives, advanced building codes, public education, workforce development, research and development, and a strong renewable electricity standard requiring utilities to get a percentage of their electricity from renewable energy, like solar.

“Americans today need barrels of oil from a desert half a world away, in the most unsettled and dangerous region of the earth, just to power a trip to the grocery store in Tucson,” said Fanshaw. “How much easier and more secure would it be to harness the heat and light that strike our rooftops every day?”

Increased Incentives Help Tucson Businesses Tap the Sun

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC)  approved Tucson Electric Power (TEP) Company’s 2010 application for its renewable energy standard tariff (REST) implementation plan. The REST plan, which became effective February 1, 2010, will increase the utility rebates for businesses that install commercial solar electricity and/or small commercial solar hot water systems. The 2010 implementation plan will have a major impact on reducing the upfront cost of solar for small businesses. The commission has sent a strong message that they want to see more widespread adoption of distributed generation capacity in TEP's service territory.

In regard to commercial solar electricity, TEP is increasing the cap for system sizes that qualify for upfront utility rebates. Not only do these rebates help businesses dramatically reduce the upfront costs associated with implementing solar electricity, but the increased utility rebate provides a favorable option for small commercial customers who may not qualify for or choose not to go with solar leasing.

The cap for the commercial solar electricity rebates, previously set at 20 kW, will now include systems sizes up to 100 kW. The 30% federal tax grant and the Arizona state tax credit are also still available. Combining the newly increased utility rebate and tax credits often reduces the cost of a new system by 75%.

Commercial Solar Electric Example

A commercial customer with a $1,000 monthly utility bill would install a 60 kW system, which will cost approximately $330,000 before incentives. Now that TEP has increased the cap to include systems up to 100 kW, this 60 kW system receives a TEP rebate of $150,000, and the federal tax credit provides $99,000 sixty days after installation is complete. The out-of-pocket cost for this system is reduced to $81,000. In addition to the utility rebate and federal tax grant, after one year a $25,000 Arizona state tax credit is available.

 

All of the available incentives reduce the total system cost to less than $56,000, which translates into a savings of over $274,000. Moreover, the system will pay for itself in five years. Before TEP lifted the cap, commercial customers were paying $156,000 after all financial incentives were accounted for, which is $100,000 more than they will pay now with TEP’s cap increase.

Commercial Solar Hot Water Example

TEP’s new small commercial solar hot water program will reduce the upfront cost of these systems and save businesses 85% on the system’s total cost.  This is ideal for businesses with consistent hot water needs throughout the year, such as restaurants, laundry, elderly care and hospitality facilities. A commercial customer with a $100 monthly gas bill from water heating, would install a hot water system with 8 solar collectors at a cost of approximately $32,000.

TEP’s rebate will cover $14,500 of the solar hot water system’s cost, and the federal tax grant will provide $9,600. Therefore, the out-of-pocket cost for this system will be reduced to $7,900. After a year, a $3,200 Arizona state tax credit can be taken in addition to the other incentives. When rebates, tax credits, and depreciation are taken into consideration, commercial customers can expect the solar hot water system to pay for itself in less than five years.

With more incentives available than ever before for businesses to go solar, Tucson will see an increase of financially savvy companies turning an eye to the sun in order to reduce operating costs and generate their own clean, renewable electricity.

Coal’s Assault on Human Health

Recently Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) released a medical report, “Coal’s Assault on Human Health,” which takes a new look at coal’s effect on public health. The report examines the impact of coal pollution on the major organ systems from the lungs to the brain. This report caught our attention since nearly 95% of our electricity in Tucson is generated from coal. According to the report, coal emissions contribute to four of the top five causes of mortality in the U.S. and are responsible for increasing the incidence of major diseases already affecting large portions of the U.S. population.

Key findings:

* The respiratory system is seriously affected by air pollutants associated with coal combustion. Ailments include asthma, lung disease, lung cancer and infant mortality. They also adversely affect normal lung development in children.

* Cardiovascular effects include cardiovascular disease, such as blocked arteries that lead to heart attacks, and tissue death that leads to heart damage. Coal pollutants also contribute to irregular heartbeats and congestive heart failure.

* Studies show a correlation between coal-related pollutants and negative impact on the nervous system, such as stroke. Coal pollutants, primarily mercury, also cause a lifelong loss in intellectual capacity and a reduction in IQ.

* Even people who do not develop illnesses from coal pollutants will find their health and wellbeing impacted due to coal’s contribution to global warming. Burning coal releases carbon dioxide, which is a major contributor to climate change and it has extreme adverse effects on health and wellbeing worldwide, such as heat stroke, malaria, declining food production, scarce water supplies, social conflict and starvation.

These stark conclusions leave no room for doubt or delay. We feel the answer is in education and clean energy sources, like solar electricity. Every month 239,450 pounds of CO2 are not emitted into the atmosphere, thanks to TFS customers choosing to make the switch to solar. It's numbers like those that reinforce the positive impact solar can have on our  environment and our community's well being.

10 good reasons to go solar in 2010!

1. Lock in your electricity rates Investing in a solar electric system is like buying 30 years of electricity at a fixed rate, thereby reducing your exposure to rising utility rates. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration,  Arizona had the third highest utility rate in the western U.S. in 2009 (following California and Oregon).  And, as the prices of coal and natural gas increase, the utility provider will continue to pass on the cost to you through future rate increases.  Solar provides long-term financial benefits by saving you money on electricity costs.

2. Increase the value of your home

Solar homes make their own electricity and therefore have lower operating costs than a comparable home without solar.  The cost of your solar electric system is often offset by the increased property value of homes that make their own electricity. According to the Appraisal Journal of the National Appraiser’s Association, a solar electric system may increase the value of your home by $20 for every $1 saved in annual utility expenses. Even though solar may increase the value of your home, Arizona state law prohibits it from increasing your property taxes.

Also, solar  energy can be one of the best home improvements you make in terms of return on invested dollar. Even in a down economy, the U.S. DOE’s office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy stated that a home that produces its own electricity sells twice as fast as a home without solar. Lennar Homes saw solar homes selling at a rate of 4.6 homes per month, while only 1.9 non-solar homes were being sold per month, during that same time period.

3. Solar is a bright investment

With an average return on investment (ROI) of 10%, you can diversify your investment portfolio with a wise, low-risk investment in solar electricity that pays better than CDs and is safer than the stock market. Also, the more utility rates increase the more your solar system will save you. To read more about individuals who are choosing to invest in solar over the stock market click here.

4.  Be good to Mother Nature & future generations

Help reduce global warming one rooftop at a time. Solar is a renewable, non-polluting energy source. When your home produces its own electricity, you reduce the amount of coal powered electricity you pull from the utility grid. This means fewer emissions, less pollution, and cleaner environment. Coal and natural gas emissions directly contribute to smog, acid rain, and global warming, which affect public health and our society’s future. When you go solar, you can feel good knowing that your household electricity consumption will not contribute to resource scarcity for future generations.

5. Worry Free

TFS provides a 10-year workmanship warranty on all of our solar installations, and our solar panels come with a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty. With no moving parts, solar electricity systems require no maintenance and are designed to operate for 30+ years.

Also, using electricity produced by your own solar electric system is like eating vegetables grown from your own garden. You have the peace of mind of knowing how your power is produced and where it comes from.

6. Solar keeps money and jobs close to home

When you make the decision to go solar it creates jobs and improves the economy. For every six homes that go solar, one new job is created in Tucson. Furthermore, by simply having the solar federal tax credits extended 8 years, the solar energy industry alone could provide almost half a million permanent jobs and $232 billion in investments!

7. Your mini power plant is more efficient than the grid

When there’s a mini power plant on your roof, you can stop wasting energy and money, because you are making energy right where you use it. Solar electricity is produced locally and reduces the need for new transmission infrastructure, huge mining operations, and fossil fuel resources from abroad.  According to the Energy Information Association, when electricity is transferred hundreds of miles through the grid and to your home 10% is lost as heat. Furthermore, when fossil fuels are converted to electricity 67% of the energy is lost. Now that’s not efficient at all.

8. Solar has never been more affordable

With the combination of the $1,000 Arizona state tax credit, a 30% federal tax credit, and utility rebates that offer a cash rebate of up to 60%, the cost of your solar electric system is significantly reduced. It’s important to note that these tax credits will not last forever; the federal tax credit will expire in 2016, while the state tax credit will expire in 2012. Also, utility rebates are structured to decrease steadily over time. As the number of solar installations goes up, the generous utility rebates will go down. A word to the wise… financial incentives have never been better than they are right now.

9. Help reduce the negative health consequences of coal powered electricity.

Coal combustion releases mercury, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and dozens of other substances known to be hazardous to human health. According to a report published by Physicians for Social Responsibility, coal emissions directly contribute to four of the top five causes of mortality in the U.S. These include respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous system illness as well as the hazardous impact of global climate change on health and wellbeing worldwide.

10. Be an inspiration

Being the first on your block to install a solar electric system will inspire your neighbors to make the switch to solar too.  Our customers realize that their efforts are part of a number of steps to a larger goal – living in harmony with our environment. We find that inspiration is a strong reason why many of our customers choose to install PV. They are very excited when they realize that going solar is easy and they can absolutely live in line with their values.

As part of our commitment to community outreach, TFS offers to sponsor an Open House after your system has been installed. We will provide refreshments, a tour of your system, and a presentation detailing many great aspects of your new solar PV system. Our customers enjoy having their system be a source of inspiration and education for their friends, family, and neighbors.

Solar: Creating Both Electricity and Jobs Close to Home

With the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that unemployment in the U.S. has reached over 10%, it is more important than ever to discuss the importance of going solar and creating green jobs. We’ve been hearing a lot of buzz in the media about ‘green jobs’ and many are wondering when we will start seeing them pour into Tucson. However, when exactly this time will come is still somewhat of a mystery. If we had to guess, it seems as though it will take a while to get the ball rolling in regard to the types of new programs the government will implement, the accompanying administrative details, and getting the ‘green’ companies that will be impacted up to speed as well.

However, the government is doing what they can to make the cost of solar affordable for homeowners. Both the federal government and the state offer tax credits. When you combine this with the generous utility rebates and the fact that Arizona gets more high intensity sun than any other state, solar starts to make a lot of financial sense for homeowners.

Although it looks like it may be a while before we start to see the government playing a large role in the creation of green collar jobs, we are seeing everyday homeowners making a big impact in their local economy. By deciding to go solar, this directly increases the number of local jobs in Tucson, and the potential for solar to create jobs is astounding. Unlike the coal industry, which relies on machines, solar relies on labor.  These include installation crews, engineers, salespeople, and administrative positions. As a leading solar installer in southern Arizona, TFS was chosen to install 130 systems in 2009, and was fortunate to grow 100%, thus creating 14 new green jobs in Tucson.

If 10% of Arizona homeowners decided to start receiving the benefits of a solar energy, it would create over 32,000 jobs! To put it another way, in order to create a new green collar job, it only requires that 6 homes go solar. When it comes to the issue of creating local jobs we think there’s one very simple answer - watch your utility expenses drop and help the green economy rise.

Arizona is making the grade and freeing the grid!

The report “Freeing the Grid”, released by solar energy advocates Vote Solar Initiative, Interstate Renewable Energy Council, the Solar Alliance, and the Network for New Energy Choices, gave their 2009 assessment for each states’ net metering practices. Our sun-drenched state earned an A for its net metering policies, which is a nice improvement from the “B” grade it received in 2008. Net metering allows homeowners to earn credits on their utility bill for the excess electricity generated by their solar panels, which helps make going solar viable for many homeowners.

According to Jane Weissman, Executive Director of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, net metering helps to form the backbone of our nation’s rooftop solar markets and they create local jobs. She states if unnecessary hurdles are removed and customers are fairly compensated for delivering clean electricity to the grid, U.S. homes and businesses can and do go solar.

We’re excited to see an increase in the number of policies supporting solar energy. The 13 states that received an A or B in net metering in 2007 more than doubled to 27 states in 2009! We’re hoping to see this upward trend continue in next year's report.

What exactly is net metering?

One of the exciting aspects of going solar is that your home becomes its own mini power plant. When you make the switch to solar electricity (PV), your utility company will switch out your current meter with a NET meter. The NET meter keeps track of the amount of energy your PV system sends back to the grid, as well any extra energy your home pulls from the grid to meet your home’s additional electricity needs. This is known as “Net Metering” and it allows you to get the full benefits of your solar electric system. There will be times of the year (e.g. during the spring) when your solar electric system is pumping out more energy than your home is using. When this happens, the excess energy is sent back to the utility grid, and the utility company gives you a credit for the electricity it received.

For those times of the year, when your solar electricity system may not cover all of your energy needs (e.g. during the winter when there are shorter days, or when it’s cloudy for several days in a row), you will pull additional electricity from the utility grid. You don’t have to switch anything on or keep track of anything.  No extra steps need to be taken on your part. This electricity you’re using from the grid is sent to your home exactly like it was prior to you installing solar.  You will never notice a difference between electricity produced by your solar panels or utility-produced electricity.

At the end of the monthly billing cycle the utility company will check your meter to determine how much you owe (or don’t owe) them. Throughout the month the NET meter has recorded the amount of excess energy you’ve sent back to the grid and how much energy you have pulled from the grid. If you sent more electricity back to the utility grid than you have received, a credit will appear on your bill that will be applied to your next month’s electricity usage. On the other hand, if you have pulled more electricity from the grid that you have sent back to it, you will owe the utility for the electricity that you used.

What exactly is Net Metering TEP bill_2

Now that you understand the concept of net metering, you still may be wondering why you wouldn’t want to install a system that provides more electricity than you need. After all, you can make money on the excess electricity that you send back to the grid, right? Unfortunately, in Arizona it doesn’t work quite like that.

Once a year at the end of the October billing cycle, TEP will give you a final credit for the balance of any excess energy you sent back to the grid. Although, it’s nice to receive this credit, it’s not exactly ‘apples to apples’. The utility company pays you wholesale (about 3-4 cents per kWh) for your electricity even though you paid retail prices (about 8-10 cents per kWh) for the electricity when you used it. The result is a very small credit that will not increase your return on investment faster than simply sizing your system to meet your household’s energy needs. An appropriately sized system is the best way to get the full financial benefits from your PV system, and the best return on investment.

How Big is Your Water Footprint?

As many of us know carbon (CO2) is one of the leading contributors of global climate change; however, when we talk about energy use and our ‘carbon footprint’ we may also want to think about our ‘water footprint’. Water and energy are not only precious natural resources, they also have an intertwined relationship.

In order to provide electricity, it requires water. On the other hand, if you want water, it will require electricity. Many people don’t realize the tremendous amount of water it takes to create electricity, nor do they know that a great deal of electricity is needed to move water.  With the exception of wind and photovoltaic solar found on rooftops (more on this later), most power plants have a process that turns water into steam, which runs a generator that, in turn, produces electricity. This process comes with a hefty water price tag.

Researchers from Virginia Tech estimate that fossil fuel thermoelectric plants use between 8 -16 gallons of water to illuminate one 60-watt incandescent light bulb for 12 hours per day. When these numbers are taken over the duration of one year, this single light bulb consumes 3,000-6,300 gallons of water!

According to the Arizona Water Institute, different types of power plants require different amounts of water. In Arizona, 785 gallons are used per megawatt-hour (gal/mWhr) for nuclear energy and 548 gal/mWhr for coal. However, less than 1gal/mWhr is used for large scale solar photovoltaic plants.

It’s important to note that not all power plants need to use water. When TFS installs photovoltaic solar panels at your home, school, office building, restaurant, or hotel — this mini power plant creates electricity without the use of water. This is one of the many reasons we at TFS are excited about the impact that widespread solar adoption can have on our community.