Solar Epiphany

Solar In Newport, Oregon

Jed — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:57:36 +0000

The Greenstone Inn in Newport, Oregon has taken a bold step and made a big solar statement.

They are letting their customers know that they value natural resources and are willing to act on those values. The view from the street is pretty impressive!

Now you may be saying to yourself “Well solar in Newport, Oregon may be all well and good for a super green hotel for tourists making an infrequent luxury purchase; but an everyday residential dwelling like an apartment complex would never install a solar array like that.” If you will allow me to interrupt that line of thinking, I found an everyday residential apartment complex that did just that. I was also told, by an employee of the Greenstone Inn, that the array on the apartment complex is similar in size to their own system. Interesting, yes?

So congratulations to Newport on welcoming two big solar arrays to their local electrical grid. Also, congratulations to Solar Ki — located in, sort of, nearby Corvallis, Oregon — on installing these good-looking systems.

When you see these big solar investments being made in places not known for year-round sunny weather, does it make you think that solar could work in Seattle? Stick around and I bet we’ll convince you that it can.

Want the best Return On Investment in Washington? Hurry in!

Jed — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:02:14 +0000

A recent customer is an electrical engineer, pretty savvy guy. He did his homework before contacting Solar Epiphany and knew exactly what he wanted; A Made In WA Solar Energy System…and he wants it now. The reason? Time + Production = Payback. The clock is ticking on the WA Renewable Energy Production Incentive. You know, the one that PAYS YOU FOR ALL OF THE ELECTRICITY YOU PRODUCE FOR THE NEXT 8.3 YEARS. I know you know about this right? Because you have attended one of our FREE classes…right?
Solar Education Signup

The catch is, if you don’t install in the next year, you could miss a major boat…the payback boat. Here’s why:

There are four things that help payback the cost of going solar, and they have deadlines:

The 30% Federal Income Tax Credit Deadline: 2016
The WA Production Incentive Deadline: 6/2020
No WA Sales Tax Deadline: 6/2013
The Federal Tax Credit is a great way to recoup 30% of your investment. The electrical savings on your bill are great too, but at todays rates they don’t add tremendously to the payback. The real whopper of an incentive is THE PRODUCTION INCENTIVE for Made in WA equipment!! Look Out. In most cases, it pays for at least 50% of the cost of the system over the next 1o years…oh excuse me…over 8.3 years. As time passes, we edge closer to the end of the production incentive.

What happens in 8.3 years when the WA Production Incentive expires? Instead of an annual check from the utility company helping to payback your investment, you will only have the savings on your electric bill to count on.

The WA Production Incentive is not cheesy little loot either, consider a 3kW Made in Washington system that produces 3000kWh’s/year x $0.54/kWh production incentive= $1620/year, over 8.3 years = $13,446.00 knocked off of a system of~$21k…. before the 30% tax credit.

Now, this is just an overview of solar payback. For a complete picture of how it can play out for you, please come by our new Solar Showroom at 6016 B California Ave. SW in West Seattle…see the Made In Washington PV System….RSVP for one of our free Solar For Home Owners classes…bring a friend.

Add Solar to Your Remodel

Jed — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:33:01 +0000

We recently had an architect colleague of ours approach us about adding a solar energy system to their clients remodel. Upon reviewing the architectural drawings created a variety of system options for the client to choose from. One of the main benefit of incorporating solar during the design phase is FLEXIBILITY. The client had time to learn about each option and to choose the one that best fit their needs. In this case, they chose a Made in WA system using Silicon Energy Cascade series modules and a Made in WA inverter system. The results look great!

The other huge benefit of including solar into your remodel or new construction is that the roof mounting is integrated into the roofing material and covered by the roofer’s warranty.

Going Solar Is Easy

Jed — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:46:56 +0000

Solar technology has come a long way in the last decade. However, public knowledge of solar’s increasing cost competitiveness, power production potential, and system versatility continues to lagging behind. Fortunately for West Seattle, and the rest of Seattle too, Solar Epiphany will help you with every step necessary to going solar:

Educate: We will explain how solar works, and how federal and state incentives help you pay for it;
Design: We will measure your house’s solar resource, and design the best system for your house; and
Install: We will use our skill and expertise to ensure your system will work as intended.

So feel free to contact us and sign up for a class; stop by our hybrid classroom-showroom to talk with a solar expert; or keep reading our blog, following us on Facebook and Twitter. Just don’t wait too long, the Washington State production incentive ends in 2020. Every day that passes is a day that you are passing up some of the best electricity production incentives in the country.

Finally, if cost has been a barrier to installing solar then consider Solar Epiphany’s Expandable Solar option. For around $2,500 Solar Epiphany will install the supporting hardware and electrical wires that your solar array will need and install a solar module. That’s right, you can go solar for around $2,500, and over time you can buy more modules and expand your system gradually. Spreading out the cost of purchasing a system over multiple years virtually eliminates the need to borrow money. By buying the system gradually you are, in effect, self financing.

As solar technology advances, it becomes easier and easier to go solar. With Solar Epiphany it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.