Category Archives: energy retrofitting

Solar Industry Employment Up in 20% in 2013

Posted on February 19, 2014 | Leave a comment

The number of jobs tied to the U.S. solar energy sector increased by nearly 20 percent in 2013, according to an annual survey by the Solar Foundation released Monday.

The foundation, a nonprofit educational and statistical arm of the industry, found an estimated 142,628 solar workers in the U.S. economy — defined as those who spend 50 percent or more of their time supporting solar-related activities — as of November 2013. It was the fastest job growth in the survey’s four-year history.

California’s booming solar market should figure prominently when state and local data are released next month.

Of 23,682 estimated new U.S. solar jobs, about half were devoted to the installation of solar equipment.

The average solar installer earned about $23 an hour, comparable to some skilled electricians and plumbers, and higher than the average rate for roofers and construction laborers.

Jobs in project development grew at the fastest rate, more than doubling to 12,169, followed by sales and distribution jobs that grew by about 24 percent to more than 22,500.

Jobs in solar equipment manufacturing were virtually unchanged, at 29,851.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment only

Low-Tier Utility Rates to Jump

Posted on February 7, 2014 | Leave a comment

The California Public Utilities Commission is considering a proposal to shift charges away from heavy users of home electricity toward low-use customers. San Diego Gas & Electric, the author of the proposal, says its low-use customers have been paying far less than it costs to serve them.

Will high utilities bills effect the value of your home? Will solar add value to your home? Contact the real estate appraisers at www,scappraisals.com for your home value questions.

The changes, if approved, would increase kilowatt-hours charges on everyone’s initial allotment of electricity by an estimated 24 percent come July 1, according to recent filings by SDG&E with the California Public Utilities Commission. The largest home-electricity users would avoid a major bill hike, and could see some reductions.

The proposal is only a prelude to a major restructuring of residential utility bills in early 2015, as mandated by the state legislature last year. Assembly Bill 327, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October, allows the utility commission to raise fixed fees to as much as $120 a year and reconfigure the current “tiered” rate structure that steps up charges in four steps according to how much electricity is used by the end of each month.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Thinking of Leasing a Solar PV System for your Home?

Posted on February 4, 2014 | Leave a comment

Data from the California Solar Initiative (CSI) program, the largest and longest-running residential and commercial solar incentive program in the United States, show that third-party-owned residential installations grew rapidly as the solar industry created and refined the third-party ownership model. In 2012 and 2013, more than two-thirds of residential installations in the CSI program were third-party owned. Industry reports have indicated that the growth in popularity of third-party-owned residential solar PV systems is occurring in other states as well.

Will a leased PV solar system add value to your home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your value questions. They are the forerunners in green property appraisals.

How the Third-Party Ownership Model Works

Homeowners can contract with a company—sometimes called a solar leasing company, solar finance company, or third-party ownership company—to have a solar PV system installed on their rooftop (or elsewhere on their property). Depending on the agreement, the solar leasing company will often be responsible for financing, permitting, designing, installing, and maintaining the PV system. The contract between the homeowner and solar leasing company is typically structured in one of two ways:

PPA option: the homeowner buys all of the electricity produced by the solar PV system at an agreed-upon price (or set of prices) through what is known as a power purchase agreement (PPA). The PPA prices are usually lower than or competitive with the homeowner’s local electric utility rate. PPAs are usually longer-term contracts with terms of up to 20 years.
Lease option: the homeowner makes pre-established monthly payments to the solar leasing company. The payment amount is not tied to the PV system’s actual output, but it is calculated to be competitive with the homeowner’s existing electric bill.

Both of these contract options will usually offer a buyout option at the end of the contract term or during certain points over the contract period that would allow the homeowner to purchase and own the PV system.

Benefits: The homeowner:

Can install a PV system without paying large upfront costs or expending time and effort to knowledgeably purchase and arrange installation of the system.
Will not have to operate or maintain the PV system if these responsibilities are included in the service agreement.
Can lock in long-term costs for electricity, which could be a major benefit if the homeowner expects electricity prices to rise in the future.

Challenges and Limitations

The homeowner may pay for the convenience of having someone else build and maintain the system by having to share some of the available incentives with the solar leasing company, although this may be offset by the convenience of the arrangement and the potential reduced cost structure offered by the solar leasing company.
The third-party ownership option is not consistently available throughout the country. According to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE), third-party solar PV PPAs are currently allowed or in use in all or portions of at least 22 states and the District of Columbia.

read more at: http://www.homeenergy.org/show/blog/id/519/nav/blog