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They did it last year, and they’re doing it again: The organizers of Intersolar North America are offering free registration to visitors until April 12.
For those not familiar with Intersolar, it’s perhaps the second most prestigious international solar conference in the U.S. Solar Power International gets top prestige honors for U.S. solar conferences, but unlike Solar Power International, Intersolar is very predictable. It stays in one place and time.
That is, Insterolar is always in San Francisco at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and it always happens in the second week of July. This year, it’s scheduled for July 10 – 12, 2012.
Other facts and figures about Intersolar 2102:
950 exhibitors from 25 countries (Including Free Hot Water)
22,000+ international trade visitors representing 80 countries
More than 300 U.S. and international media representatives
Focuses: Solar PV & Solar Heating & Cooling
Free practical workshops & seminars on the exhibit floor
PV Production and Technology Hall (North Hall) with dedicated upstream focus
Special exhibit on energy storage and grid integration: PV ENERGY WORLD
Job & Career Forum
Intersolar AWARD Ceremony & Hall of Fame
Numerous networking events: Don’t miss the 2012 Solar Summerfest
More information on Intersolar North America as well as discounts on hotel rooms and air fair for Intersolar visitors can be found at www.intersolar.us.
Free Hot Water also plans to be there, plus it’s a great time of year to get away to San Francisco. After you get your free registration, be sure to contact us and set up a time to meet the Free Hot Water team and see the latest in solar thermal heating and engineering.
If you’ve ever wanted to see the potential of solar thermal energy, watch this video below. Or better yet, go to Okotoks, Alberta, and see The Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC), a unique solar water heating AND solar space heating housing development in Canada.
According to the DLSC website, this solar development of 52 homes is the first of its kind in North America. What’s so solar “gee-whiz’ about the development is that every home is heated by a huge central solar heating system that stores solar thermal heat underground during the summer months and distributes the energy to each home for space heating needs during winter months.
(Click to enlarge)
The solar storage technology is called Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES). On first glance, the concept seems similar to a geothermal heating system, but it’s not. Of course, the main difference is that the thermal power source is coming from the sun, not from the earth’s crust.
According to the developers, this BTES system heats 90% of each home’s space heating requirements. And yes, that includes Canadian winters. The remaining 10% is backed by a natural gas heater. In addition to solar space heating, each home has its own flat plate solar water heating system on top of the garage. As for the homeowner’s energy costs, it’s structured as a flat monthly fee that is less expensive than gas or oil heating.
(click to enlarge)
Other solar details:
The Development’s system consists of 800 flat-plate glazed collectors.
50% propylene glycol antifreeze
Mounted on four rows of garages, with two rows of collectors per garage
Azimuth – south; tilt – 45°
All 52 houses are serviced by direct-buried, pre-insulated piping.
Short-term thermal storage (STTS) tanks are central hub for heat movement between collectors, district loop (DL)/houses, and (BTES)
The District Loop moves heat from the STTS to the houses
BTES is connected to the STTS through a heat exchanger, all located within the Energy Center, a separate building. (See video).
There are 4 individual home-run loops off a manifold in the Energy Center.
Water temperature is modulated based on outdoor temperature.
Flow is modulated based on the number of houses calling.
Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) Details
Above ground, it looks like a wide open park. But below ground….
There are 144 – 150mm dia x 35m deep boreholes spaced 2.25m on center.
Single 25mm PEX U-tube with 40mm grout tube.
High solids grout – 9% Blast Furnace Cement, 9% Portland cement, 32% fine silica sand, 50% water
24 strings of 6 boreholes in series.
Divided into four circuits and distributed through four quadrants so that the loss of any single string or circuit has minimal impact on the heat capacity on the entire system
All circuits and strings start from center of the BTES and move toward the outside to maximize stratification.
Here’s an abbreviated promotional video from DLSC. The section shows how the BTES works:
It’s very exciting to see innovative solar thermal developments like this. We sincerely wish the developers of The Drake Landing Solar Community great success.
The Tradewinds Aparment Complex with Solar Hot Water
#1. Rental Apartment Buildings. Most apartment buildings in the U.S. have central natural gas water heating systems. Between tenant showers, washing machines, and dish washers, building owners are flushing a large portion of their rental income down the proverbial drain. If they have the roof space, insolation, and room for a solar storage tank, solar hot water is a no brainer.
Hotel in Spain with Solar Hot Water by Flickr/hola-amic.com
#2 Hotels. When you think of hotel hot water needs, you think of sheets, towels, table cloths, dish washing from room service, and restaurants, not to mention a pool. Margins are that much thinner without a solar thermal system that lasts 20 or more years. In addition, the hotel can promote their environmental stewardship by going solar thermal. Call a manager today and mention the benefits of Free Hot Water.
Laundromats- no-brainer for commercial solar hot water. Photo: Flickr/Kristine Paulus
#3 Laundry Mats. Laundry facilities are an obvious choice for installing solar hot water. Their business is based on hot water … and their water heating bills. A properly sized solar hot water system can reduce water heating bills by an average of 70% over the course of the year. And don’t forget, Free Hot Water’s new pre-engineered systems with multiple collector and tank option make proposals simple.
A nursing home waiting for Solar Hot Water. Photo: Flickr/PhoTones_TAKUMA
#4 Nursing Homes. Like hotels, nursing homes have diverse needs for solar hot water. It’s a combination hotel, hospital, and restaurant, serving the food, sterilization, and bathing hot water needs of its elderly clients, 24/7. Typically, nursing homes are built on a single floor, allowing for significant area on the roof for a solar thermal system. As Medicare reimbursements continue to decrease, solar hot water savings will enable these businesses to save more of their slimming margins.
A hospital waiting for some Solar Thermal Medicine. Photo: Flickr/Mr. T in DC
#5 Hospitals. Hospitals have the same solar water heating needs as a nursing homes, but their needs are greater in every way. The good news is that their size typically allows for a huge roof area on multiple buildings, so the logistics for installing solar thermal systems on a hospital may not have the space constraints of a tall apartment complex. While non-profit hospitals may not be eligible for solar thermal tax credits, the good news is that their boards may have a green-minded benefactor who can fund the upgrade along with other energy efficiency projects.
***
All of these venues–and more–are ripe for solar thermal. It’s not complicated. In fact, Free Hot Water even has pre-engineered commercial systems that can be installed in under a week’s time. Yes, it takes time to get to the decision makers to make the case, and not all will qualify. But show them the numbers first, and take it step by step. Free Hot Water is always here to help.
Boulder's Recreation Center - Powered by Solar Hot Water
Boulder, Colorado may have four seasons, including a full winter, but that hasn’t stopped this city of 100,000 from embracing solar energy in a big way—including solar hot water.
Home of the University of Colorado and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), it’s not surprising that Boulder citizens would be very open to solar, but openness doesn’t install solar. Incentives and competition do.
Boulder’s incentives for solar PV systems have been quite generous until recently. Not too long ago, Xcel Energy, the city’s former utility, was offering a $3/watt rebate, knocking off thousands off the upfront cost. (Today, they’re under $1/watt.)
Aside from solar PV, solar water heating is also thriving in Boulder due to several local incentives and the 30% Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC).
The specific Boulder and applicable state solar water heating incentives include:
The Solar Grant Program, which provides grants for solar water heating installations on housing enrolled in the city’s affordable housing program. Non-profit organizations and low-to moderate-income housing owned by non-profits are also eligible for the grants of up to 50% of the total out-of-pocket costs for the project –after all rebates, tax credits, and other incentives are subtracted.
PACE Financing: Although the program is currently suspended, Boulder’s PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program was reportedly very popular while it lasted. Locally known as the “ClimateSmart Loan Program,” homeowners could install solar water heaters for almost no money down and receive a market rate 15-year loan with an added benefit: Because the loan was backed by a municipal bond, a tax lien was placed on the home. Why is that a benefit? Because it meant that if the homeowner sold the home before 15 years, the balance of the loan (and the solar system) would automatically transfer to the new homeowner. Normally, home improvement loans have to be paid in full when the property is sold. Unfortunately, the program conflicted with mortgage loans backed by Fannie Mae, and now PACE programs across the country are suspended…for now.
Sales Tax Incentives: The City of Boulder established a solar thermal rebate that gives a 15% refund on the sales tax paid for residential or commercial solar installation. In addition, the state of Colorado gives commercial, government, and nonprofits a 100% sales tax exemption for any solar system purchase, including solar hot water.
As a result of the above (and a solar supportive City government and community), I drove by many solar water heating installations in Boulder, including the flat plate installation (pictured above) installed on top of Boulder’s Recreation Center.
Free Hot Water is growing and we’re looking for qualified motivated solar pros to grow with us. With our new solar thermal financing partnership, we’re looking for several new team members to support our expansion.
If interested in any of the solar thermal job opportunities below, please send your resume and cover letter to paul@freehotwater.com.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT MANAGER
Location: San Jose, CA
We are currently seeking a qualified Technical Support Manager who will lendtechnical support to sales, sales channels, technical teams, and clients (internally and externally).
This position requires an individual who is analytical and detail-oriented with excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities. They must have strong communication, leadership and management skills, in addition to excellent customer service skills and the ability to assist clients in the customized installations of the products. Required are strong communication, technical, and computer skills including a high proficiency with technical concepts.
Technical Support Manager Responsibilities:
Manage the overall support relationship with the ‘clients’, which includes, but not limited to interaction/meetings, presentations, escalations, incident management, service level reporting, and release coordination.
Host regular operational meetings with clients to review issues, release activity, metric reports, and other support requests.
Collaboratively manage client issues with all support tiers, ensuring investigation and timely response to customer queries and issues.
Creates and executes project work plans and revises as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements including release planning and coordination both internal and external for scheduled and emergency maintenance events.
Ensures project documentation is complete and stored properly.
Coordinate with operations, customer support and product engineering teams to document Incident Findings including root cause of service impacting events.
Drive Incident Response Team resolutions.
Drive problem management and provide leadership in collating, coordinating, and resolving problems across clients.
Create technical or process documentation including flow charts, definitions, and technical narratives.
Ensure all work is dealt with accurately and followed up daily.
Play an active role in the development of new ideas and procedures.
Attend regular team meetings and make a positive contribution, ensuring that communication is two-way.
Be receptive to feedback, new ideas and changes.
Technical Support Manager Qualifications:
Excellent verbal, written, and oral skills including ability to present complex information.
Ability to manage time effectively and consistently meet deadlines.
Ability to review and understand process flow analysis and methodology.
Must be organized and methodical in approach to workload,
Ability to establish rapport with customers and stakeholders.
Ability to multitask or balance workload with multiple clients and issues.
Ability to communicate openly and contribute in a team environment.
Capacity to assimilate newly learned, technical information quickly.
Must be able to work independently with minimum supervision.
Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite; primarily Outlook, Word, Power Point, Excel, MS Project, and Visio.
Understands and can communicate information about complex technical concepts related to software, infrastructure, and other elements of the solutions.
Possesses demonstrated work experience with at least one relational database management system.
Possesses general understanding in the areas of application programming, database and system design,
Technical Support Manager Education/Training:
BS in Mechanical Engineering or a related degree
5+ years of experience in support or project management for a managed application
Solar experience a plus
SALES MANAGER
Location: San Jose, CA
Sales Manager Responsibilities:
Provide ongoing feedback to management regarding forecast, trends and performance.
Plan, organize, direct and control the sales team to meet objectives. Insures that sales meet or exceed all activity standards for prospecting calls, appointments, presentations, proposals and closes.
Maintains contact with all clients in the market area to ensure high levels of client satisfaction.
Assure all leads, prospects, customers data and sales progress is recorded and updated in company database.
Establish and submit sales objective to each dealer on a quarterly basis.
Develop a business plan and sales strategy for the market that ensures attainment of company sales goals and profitability.
Prepare action plans for effective search of sales leads and prospects.
Initiates and coordinates development of action plans to penetrate new markets.
Conducts one-on-one review with all sales to build an effective communications, to understand training and development needs, and to provide insight for the improvement of sales.
Provide timely, accurate, competitive pricing on all completed prospect applications submitted for pricing and approval, while striving to maintain maximum profit margin.
Maintains accurate records of all pricings, sales, and activity reports submitted by sales.
Work with marketing dept to create sales tools and presentations.
Work with marketing dept to create and conducts proposal presentations.
Assists sales in preparation of proposals and presentations.
Control expenses to meet budget guidelines.
Conduct regular coaching and counseling with sales to build motivation and selling skills.
Demonstrate ability to interact and cooperate with all company employees.
Sales Manager Qualifications:
5-7 years of experience in sales management in the solar industry.
Strong understanding of customer and market dynamics and requirements.
Proven leadership and ability to drive sales teams, agents and distribution channels.
DESIGNER/DRAFTER
Location: San Jose, CA
Designer/Drafter Responsibilities:
Timely generation of all technical drawings required by salespeople, customers, and contractors for use in the proposal, submittal, quotation, and permitting of solar products (roof layouts and other basic diagrams, etc).
Creating and maintaining a robust design library in support of projects nationwide.
Playing an important role in defining and shaping the look and feel of submittals to all of our customers nationwide.
Provide customers with timely system design support up to and including system layout, elevations, details, and other items as necessitated for use in estimating, proposal generation, permitting and quotation.
Interfacing with Technical Support Manager as required to field project-related questions regarding system layout, module positioning, shading assumptions, etc.
Provide administrative support by assembling design related project supporting documents, as well as, assembly of complete design sets for distribution to the field; Manage revisions and prepare as-built drawings.
Develops and maintains submittal drawing templates and MS Visio design library.
Assists with drawing support required for literature and collateral generation.
Performs other duties as required.
Designer/Drafter Qualifications:
Previous design experience, preferably in Solar but not required.
2+ years’ experience related to design/drafting of solar/systems or installations.
College Degree preferred, but not required.
MS Visio, AutoCad, or related design experience required.
Excellent math, proofreading, communication and organizational skills.
Familiar with ANSI – American National Standards Institute and/or ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers and/or CA Building Code (CBC).
Ability to work independently and achieve high throughput; multitask and meet deadlines.
Tolerance for ambiguity within a fast paced work environment.
Ability to support and effectively communicate with sales representatives nationwide over the phone and e-mail.
Flexible schedule and ability to work overtime, nights, and weekends as requested.
Strong organizational skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Strong skills with all MS Office applications.
Efficient time management and ability to multitask.
NABCEP Certification preferred, but not required.
Team Player!
Must be able to pass a background check.
INDEPENDENT SALES PROFESSIONALS
Location: California, Arizona, and other states
Free Hot Water is seeking several sales professionals to present and sell Free Hot Water Solar Water Heating an Solar Thermal Products. This opportunity has potential for six figure income.
We are seeking a number of qualified candidates to our sales force across the Nation who will operate as Independent Sales Representatives. These individuals may already be working within the solar industry, but by taking on this role can and will have the ability to add significant additional income by representing Free Hot Water’s Solar Thermal and material’s product range.
Sales Professional Responsibilities:
Strong closing abilities
Initiate and maintain relationships with Owners, Wholesale Distributors, Developers, Architects, General, Plumbing, and Solar Contractors, Structural Engineers and all other organizations as they relate to the Company’s scope of work
Build and develop a loyal customer base, expanding on current contacts
Articulately and persuasively discuss Free Hot Water’s products and services with prospective customers
Develop relationships with key decision makers, understand and respond to customer needs, track and monitor contact/project activity.
Development and follow up on any leads; qualify leads into “qualified” sales opportunities, and the development of potential projects.
Maintain and cultivate positive long-term customer relationships.
Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively on the phone, in person, and in writing.
Track calls, and mail outs to follow up as client relationships progresses, trying to ultimately make the personal appointment to meet and present Free Hot Water’s products to clients.
Insure that client expectations are met and kept throughout the duration of the project to insure complete customer satisfaction to insure the possibility of reoccurring business.
Set realistic expectations, clearly define project scope of work, and negotiate price on project opportunities to new clients.
Must exhibit strong leadership, excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and listening skills.
Self-motivated and able to work independently.
Strong desire to be successful, a self-starter with the ability to function independently while representing Free Hot Water in a professional manner.
Independent Sales Professional Qualifications:
The individual must have successful professional experience within the construction industry and/or sales industry.
We offer an extremely desirable and aggressive commission-only compensation package.
For all of the above jobs, please submit resumes and cover letters to paul@freehotwater.com.
At long last, it looks like it’s going to be a great year for solar thermal, especially with some exciting announcements that can potentially boost your commerical solar thermal business.
We’ll have more details in the coming weeks, but here are the highlights that Free Hot Water Installers can look forward to in 2012.
New Solar Thermal Financing! In 2012 and 2013, financing will be much easier for Free Hot Water installers. More details soon, but the gist is that we have a new solar thermal financing solution that does not require any customer loans. If you’re a California or Arizona solar thermal installer with prospective customers that own apartment buildings, hospitals, nursing homes, laundry facilities, hotels, condos, or other multi-unit housing, stay tuned for a win-win financing solution that will allow many of these prospects to move forward.
Free Hot Water drainbacks. You asked for it and we have them. Free Hot Water drainback systems have arrived. In the next week, you’ll see the new listings in our Free Hot Water catalogue. In addition to our SRCC OG-300 and closed loop solar water heating systems, we now have a complete line of solar thermal OG-300 drainback systems.
Free Hot Water is expanding and hiring. To meet the new demand for our new commercial solar thermal financing, Free Hot Water will be hiring solar thermal sales staff for California and Arizona territories, as well as solar thermal design engineers. If you know of anyone who’d like to join the Free Hot Water team, please contact info@freehotwater.com.
Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be a huge, terrific year for solar water heating. Stay tuned for more details about all of the above in the coming weeks.
It’s not much, but SEIA and its partner, GTM Research, have included some very general solar water heating market information in its 3rd quarter executive summary.
Free Hot Water has talked to GTM researchers before about the lack of solar water heating data in their reports. They explain that there are two problems:
First, not enough solar installers are willing or able to give them enough data to create a report. So, if you’re a solar water heating installer or financier or manufacturer who’d like participate, please contact me at solarfred@freehotwater.com, and I will connect you with the person who collects data.
The second problem is a little more challenging. That is, it costs money to produce these reports, and despite the number of installers and solar thermal distributors and manufacturers in the U.S., few want to shell out the money for the full report.
As our CEO Paul Burrowes commented a few months ago at Intersolar, there’s little need for solar thermal install data. Why? Because there is such huge untapped potential. Every roof is a market opportunity, and, sadly, there are plenty of empty roofs in the U.S. that are ripe for solar heating and cooling.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of press around these reports, and it would benefit the U.S. solar thermal side to be included in those releases. But without data, that’s not going to happen. So, we hope, with your participation, that the industry can receive and process more data for these quarterly reports.
So, what third quarter data was in the latest 2011 3rd quarter executive summary?
It was only about three paragraphs, one of which was summary of previous data. Here’s a link to get the full executive summary.
In any case, the main points:
Solar Thermal PPAs are growing for commercial solar projects.
Massachusetts has a pilot project that is allowing $30,000 construction grants for commercial solar thermal.
European and Chinese solar thermal manufacturers are increasingly showing up at solar trade shows, increasing competition, and….
“The main competitor to SWH, however, is the price of natural gas. For as long as the price of natural gas remains low, it is difficult for many to see the long-term value in installing a system.” (A recent Free Hot Water blog post mentioned this insight too.)
So nothing really new here, but we do believe that the increase in solar thermal PPA financing will indeed make commercial solar thermal competitive for apartment buildings, multifamily homes, hotels, hospitals, etc, and beat low natural gas prices.
And when that happens more often, we look forward to more in-depth coverage about solar water heating in these quarterly reports.
We love to give solar thermal marketing advice at Free Hot Water. We’re a manufacturer and a distributor of solar hot water equipment, so our job isn’t to sell solar thermal jobs, but to support our installers with engineering, equipment, and marketing.
So, your success is our success, and right now, we’re anxious to see solar thermal grow as fast as solar PV has grown. So here are 3 tips that you can use to sell some solar thermal commercial jobs.
1) Go to events where your customers are. And by customers, I mean your apartment building owners, hospital administrators, Laundromat owners, hotel owners, nursing home owners, and all of the other businesses that use a lot of hot water. And where are they?
They’re at their own trade shows, talking about their challenges. Solar thermal is a solution for all of the above businesses. Invest in a booth at their respective trade shows and perhaps even participate in a panel discussion about plumbing, energy efficiency, etc. You’ll be seen as an authority and owners will want more information from you.
2) Do a case study for each of the above market segments. Yes, every solar thermal job is different. (That being said, there are some that are right for pre-engineered commercial systems too.) So, you’ll have to mention in your case study how usage, utility prices, state rebates, existing pipes, different solar collectors and tanks can all make prices go up or down. Nevertheless, show the incentives applied, and perhaps give a range of prices. Do this for a hotel with so many rooms, for example, and an apartment with so many units, etc. A case study for each segment. If you have some type of financing to go along with it, mention that too.
Once put together in a PDF, offer these case studies to prospects by making them available on your web page or as a free download. Don’t hide them! Have a “case study” link to them on your website’s home page.
3) Offer prospects a tour of a similar business that you’ve done. By now, you have happy commercial solar water heating customers, right? You’re a Free Hot Water installer, so of course you do. See if you can’t strike up some kind of co-marketing arrangement to have a tour of the finished installation with new prospects.
People respond to examples. This is an excellent touch-feel moment, where you can not only explain how solar thermal works, but also show it working, while answering real time-live questions.
Bonus, you could even have someone videotape the tour and then post this very visual, educational (edited) video on your website and on YouTube.
What’s in it for the existing customer? Marketing and branding, for one. Second, you can offer some kind of referral fee on any closed sale. Up to you how much you want to give, but that fee should be worked into your margins.
Solar thermal works. If you’re a Free Hot Water solar pro, you know that. But we have to continue to get the word out to everyone else. Here are three tips to help do that, and we sincerely hope you’ll use them.
There is no dispute that solar PV has grown faster than solar thermal in the United States. Why? I think there are three basic reasons.
1) More and better financing for PV than solar thermal
Banks and venture capitalists have loved solar PV for quite some time, and the reason is that solar PV projects are profitable with solar power purchase agreements (PPAs).
Solar PPA’s for solar PV are a win-win. They provide low-upfront costs to the customer while also reducing energy costs. At the same time, banks and financiers are able to recoup profits over time by capturing all of the available solar incentives, plus charging the customer a discounted rate for the power that they consume.
What’s odd is that solar thermal applications have not attracted the same win-win attention from banks and finance people. Just as with solar PV, it’s possible to meter and measure solar hot water production and reduce the gas utility bills of large commercial applications, such as hotels, condos, apartment buildings, hospitals, laundromats, nursing homes, and so much more.
The bottom line is that bankers and other financiers need to become better informed about solar thermal applications, economics, and to develop more ways to finance projects.
2) More and better subsidies for PV than solar thermal
Clean solar energy is clean solar energy, and yet governments seem to be more amenable to subsidizing solar electric clean energy than solar water heating applications. If you run down the list of all of the subsidies available on the DSIRE database, you’ll find many more—and richer—solar PV subsidies than for solar thermal.
Once again, I think the reason behind this tilt against solar thermal is the lack of awareness and understanding from legislators about the benefits of solar thermal applications. From hot water and heat, to air conditioning, solar thermal installations could be saving consumers, businesses, and government facilities thousands of dollars over the system’s lifetime. In large installations, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Environmentally, solar thermal can not only reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, but also decrease the currently trend in hydrofracking, a process that may not only damage the environment, but also contaminate drinking water.
The solar industry needs better solar thermal lobbyists. Lobbyists are a dirty word, I know, and yet, they are effective getting in front of legislators and explaining the benefits of solar.
3) Subsidized low gas prices
Subsidizing the exploration of natural gas and other fossil fuels are not helping any consumer or business to consider purchasing renewable solar PV or solar thermal.
It’s hypocritical for the Federal government to say that it wants to move the nation towards clean, renewable, non-polluting energy while encouraging the development of natural gas, enabling natural gas prices to remain artificially low. Meanwhile, utilities are raising their coal-fired electric rates between 3% and 5% a year, making solar PV increasingly competitive.
I’m not saying that gas won’t play a role in our nations near-term energy portfolio, but the sooner our legislators encourage more renewable solar alternatives by leveling the playing field and eliminating gas subsidies, the more solar jobs will be created, and of course, the more energy independent our country will be.
Once again, the solution is better solar thermal lobbying. Solar PV and wind companies all have policy people who are constantly talking to legislators. Solar thermal needs that same face-to-face representation.
We hate to be the bearer of solar bad news…. So, first we’ll be the bearer of solar hot water good news!
In the great state of Idaho, the Questar gas utility has just launched a new residential and multifamily incentives for installing solar water heating systems.
Customers of Questar who have a current gas backup water heating system will receive a maximum $750 rebate. Unlike many solar water heating rebates, the Questar rebate can also be applied to solar pool heating. On top of that, customers can also receive the 30% Federal Investment Tax credit (ITC); however, this Federal incentive will only apply for home water heating, not for the pool heating.
The only other requirement is that the system needs to be SRCC OG-300 rated. As it happens, Free Hot Water’s OG-300 lines are all on the utility’s list of qualifying OG-300 systems. Go figure.
As for Texas, well that’s the bad rebate news. Solar hot water installers have until December 9, 2011 to complete all installations and submit paperwork to be eligible for an Oncor Electric rebate. The program is no longer accepting any more applications and is being discontinued for 2012.
That’s a significant incentive loss for Texas businesses and residents that heat their water through electric water heating tanks. The incentive gave customers between $1,400 and $2,700 for an OG-300 installation, while commercial entities could receive up to $6,500 for larger OG-100 systems.
Federal incentives, such as the 30% Federal ITC, still remain in effect, but once again, this incentive can only be applied to residential or commercial solar water heating applications, not for pool heating.
We urge Oncor to consider refunding this program, since electric water heating is an expensive and inefficient way to heat water.
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