It's a Great Time to Incorporate Solar Energy

• You can plan for optimum roof layout and minimize obstructions during the planning phase.
• The solar contractor can work with your building or roofing contractor to ensure an efficient and timely installation.
• A home incorporating energy efficient products like solar adds to the resale value and is perceived to be a higher quality home.

Just another reason to consider solar energy:

From the article located at The Seattle Times by Emily Heffter on March 4, 2010:

Low Snowpack Means City Light May Seek Higher Rates

The Seattle City Council is considering a temporary electricity-rate increase to shore up Seattle City Light's reserves as the utility faces its second revenue shortfall in two years.

Low snowfall this winter means Seattle City Light will likely be at least $70 million short of its projected revenue from energy sales. The utility relies on selling millions of dollars worth of hydroelectric power every year, one reason it says its rates are low.

"The disadvantage to hydro is that when you have bad water years, you're short on power," City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said at a news conference Thursday. "In the last 10 years, we've had three normal water years. ... It isn't predictable."

The City Council will decide about a temporary rate increase this month, said Councilmember Bruce Harrell. The utility hopes to cover the shortfall through budget cuts. An increase is "a last resort," he said.

A 1 percent increase in rates would mean about $6 million in annual revenue, he said.

The utility also will sell surplus property, cut back on maintenance and capital projects and refinance its bond debt to try to scrape together a $100 million "rainy-day fund" to better insulate itself from future shortfalls.

The City Council late last year approved a 13.8 percent increase in this year's utility rates. The average monthly residential bill of about $44 increased $6.27.

That increase was the first since 2001, and it helped close a $70 million shortfall the utility faced because of lower-than-expected wholesale revenue.

Last year's snowpack was fine, but low natural-gas prices drove down the selling price of power.

In the past 50 years, only eight winters have had less snowfall than this year, according to Seattle City Light data. A snowy March could improve the snowpack, but at this point the utility is forecasting low flow through the dams it depends on for most of its power.

To avoid this kind of emergency in the future, council members want the utility to come up with a plan by the end of the month to cut its spending and build the $100 million rainy-day fund.

City Light has only about $25 million in savings now — small enough to make Carrasco concerned City Light could lose its good credit rating.

Building such a large cash reserve during already hard economic times won't be easy, said Harrell, but it will be a long-term response to the utility's unpredictable revenues.

Other regional utilities — Puget Sound Energy and Snohomish County PUD — say this year's low snowpack is not forcing rate increases. They depend less than Seattle on hydroelectric power and wholesale sales revenue.

Harrell and the other members of the council's utility committee wrote a strongly worded letter this week to Carrasco, telling him the utility had to develop a plan to keep its spending in line with its actual revenues.

"We believe it is prudent for you and the executive to develop a specific spending plan with actual targets that demonstrate such plan is in alignment with the actual revenue," the letter said. "While we have been sharing these policy directives at the last several meetings, we thought requesting a written work plan would prevent the utility from walking down a road of inadvertent and unmonitored spending into the next budget cycle."

In an interview, Harrell said it should have been up to Mayor Mike McGinn to tell the utility to spend less. "McGinn's going to have to step it up," he said.

McGinn, in response, said budget problems at City Light and other city departments are the result of decisions made by Harrell and the rest of the council.

"We've been in office two months," he said. "This budget and the Seattle City Light policies are a legacy of past decisions."

This year Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is broadening the scope of its Renewable Energy Education program that allows local schools and other institutions that educate the public about renewable energy to apply for small solar or wind demonstration projects.  PSE has funded over 20 such projects since 2004, allowing students and other interested members of the community to experience the benefits of renewable energy.  Read the press release.

It's still technically winter but it certainly looks and feels a lot more like spring lately here in the Northwest.  A great time to start thinking about harvesting that solar energy!  There are some important, yet simple, things you can do before you install solar that will make your solar investment even more productive.  Find out how.

Putting Energy into Perspective

Making Solar Shine in Cloudy Times

A recent article published by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) reports that in 2009, more PSE customers than ever installed solar systems on their homes and businesses.  The removal of the $2000 cap on the 30% federal tax credit, and the Washington State 5101 production incentive program are two examples of why consumers in our state are moving toward renewable energy.  To learn more, read the full article.

SunPower Modules are Now Available from Sunergy Systems

Sunergy Systems is proud to be the latest authorized dealer, and only authorized commercial dealer, of SunPower solar modules in Washington.  Why is this big news?  Because SunPower makes the highest efficiency and most asthetically pleasing modules available.  Plus their product and performance warranties are the best in the industry.  Do you want to know what your system is doing right now?  The SunPower system incorporates a monitoring system that allows you to view your system online, on a wall-mounted device in your home, or with a free application on your iPhone or iTouch.  Talk to one of our solar design consultants today and find out how you can benefit from this latest development.  Learn more about the SunPower module.

Does Solar Work in the Winter?

Speaking of winter, many people wonder “Does solar really work in the winter”? The answer is absolutely YES!

Although sunny days result in more production for your solar system, cooler temperatures are actually better for solar electric panels to operate. In general, solar systems will produce energy even under cloudy skies, although production is understandably less than in full sunlight.  Thanks to net metering, during the summer months when your solar electric system generates more than you consume and spins your meter backwards, the “credits” that you earn from the utility company will be available to meet your needs during periods of low sunlight in the winter. And on cloudy days solar hot water collectors actually harvest more solar energy than solar electric modules do.

Here's a helpful link on more about how solar works in the winter:

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4910562_solar-panels-work-winter.html

Winter Energy Saving Tips

In case the recent rain showers haven’t made it apparent, winter in Seattle is fast approaching, which usually means higher energy bills. There are a lot of easy ways to save your hard-earned cash (maybe for the holidays?), and it won’t cost you anything:

• Open up your drapes and blinds during the day to let in the sun (when it does shine), then close them when it gets dark to keep in the warmth.
• Rearrange your furniture so you aren’t sitting near exterior walls or drafty windows.
• If you have a traditional fireplace, use it wisely – it’s a big energy loser. It pulls the heated air out of your house and up the chimney. When you’re not using it, make sure the damper is closed tight (after you ensure there are no smoldering embers).
• Turn off the lights! If you’re not using a room, make sure the lights are out. And turn off kitchen and bathroom fans when you’re done, and unplug that spare refrigerator (it can add 10-25% to your electric bill).
• Shorten your shower. Simply cutting your shower time in half can reduce your water heating costs by 33%.
• Use your appliances smartly – only run full loads in your dishwasher and clothes washer (using cold water when possible), and make sure to clean the dryer’s lint trap after each use.