There is no urgency to go solar, except …

It happens too many times each week: Homeowners relay stories about aggravating and misleading solar sales tactics. Three common examples:

1. I was told I have to go solar now because the tax credit’s gonna expire.

Erroneous. Next time you flip on the radio, there’s a good chance you’ll hear an ad exerting that Uncle Sam’s gonna stop giving away free money. First, not true. Second, nothing’s free. Importantly, the 30% solar tax credit was extended through 2021. The tax credit’s not going away.

2. Sam the solar sales guy said PG&E’s net-metering program is about to go away.

Rubbish. As we’ve shared, on January 28, 2016, the California Public Utilities Commission — against the wish of PG&E — expanded the solar net-metering program. The cap was doubled from 5% (of PG&E’s peak demand energy coming from net-metered solar) to 10%. Net metering is not going away.

3. If I go solar by (fill in the blank with a date), I will get a (fill in the blank with a dollar amount) discount.

Insulting. The money has to come from somewhere — the customer, ya think? — and it’s a common psychological sales tactic to employ discounts (buried in the price you pay) to create urgency. Don’t buy in to it.

RepowerYolo has had the fortune of helping more homeowners in our community invest in solar than any other solar company over the past few years. In so doing, we have not spent a dime on sales, marketing, advertising, etcetera … instead, the savings are passed on to homeowners via our group buy program.

So, there’s no urgency — i.e., soon-to-perish financial incentives -- to go solar? Not necessarily. The urgency we see is very straightforward: Once a homeowner is comfortable with the efficacy and reliability of the solar system, the quality of the installation contractor and their workmanship warranty, and the economics (investment and future energy savings), they proceed. After all — to quote many Repower homeowners — why continue writing checks to PG&E when solar is the right and prudent thing to do?

YoloShines: Progress Ranch

Want to learn more about your community? Look beyond the obvious and tangible roadside attractions; look inside. Sharpen your lens on the myriad behind-the-scenes, little-engines-that-could nonprofit organizations that weave the fabric of our community. We are who we are because of these groups.

And, we all have favorites: Some care about the environment or economic justice; others lean toward education and athletics; the arts and combatting hunger strike emotive strings; healthcare, childcare and animal welfare do it for others. Regardless of our individual ability to give — personally and financially — we all care.

Since 1976, Progress Ranch has provided an East Davis home to a half-dozen six-to-15-year old boys. Beyond sharing a roof, Progress Ranch helps kids build a life. Here’s their mission:

We strive for the following outcomes for our boys:

- Health and well-being

- Confidence and social skills

- An optimistic and hopeful outlook

- A capacity for meaningful relationships

We work to achieve these outcomes by:

- Providing a nurturing home environment

- Being involved in a supportive community

- Emphasizing education

- Offering individual and family therapy

We visited Progress Ranch’s home last week. Amazing. On behalf of Repower homeowners Jonathan and Jeanette Lewis, we are pleased to donate $500 to Progress Ranch. Thank you to Jonathan and Jeanette for the suggestion and introduction.

Please join us in supporting Progress Ranch. If you can’t donate money, they can always use household staples and volunteer services. Or, if golf’s your fancy, join us July 23 for the 18th Annual Villanueva Memorial Golf Tournament benefiting Progress Ranch. Your contribution will make a difference in the lives of young boys.

Mi casa es su casa

Last October we relocated our practice to 909 Fifth Street, contiguous to Indigo Architects’ office (aka, the old Dairy Queen; click here for a few pics). It’s a terrific place to hang our hats: 20-foot ceilings, abundant natural light, radiant heating and cooling, and an occasional symphonic greeting from a passing train. We love it.

In addition to be enamored with the workspace, there’s an unforeseen virtue: After-hours, our office hosts numerous nonprofits and their events. To date, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting meetings, educational sessions and social events for Toastmasters, Cool Davis (and its myriad tentacles), Valley Climate Action Center and the Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy, among others.

John and I serve and have served on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations. All share two characteristics: they have a great purpose, and they scrap to stay afloat. Nonprofits need help, be it contributions of money, time, or space. Through YoloShines, we help local nonprofits raise money; as volunteers, we contribute our time; and, with our office, nonprofits have a place to host membership events, retreats, board meetings and fundraisers.

Importantly, there’s no cost for nonprofits to utilize our space -- we can host up to 40 seated folks and 80 or so standing people, or employ our conference room for a small gathering. If you’d like to learn more, please contact us today.

A clean solar panel is a happy solar panel. (But, what’s the cost of happiness?)

One of the beauties of solar panels is their simplicity: They’re static, energy generation systems ... No moving parts, content as a sloth on your roof. Like sloths, they get dirty.

It rained -- barely -- last week. Not enough to even flinch the drought, but a decent amount of wet stuff to clean solar panels. Rain is like exercise for solar panels: Painful during (our production drops because of the clouds!), but fruitful thereafter (we're clean and powerful!).

The sole redeeming residue of climate change/weird weather/drastic drought is that solar systems are generating more energy than anticipated. For example, Repower homeowners' systems over the past two years are pumping out 6-15% more electricity than we had modeled. Little moisture in the ground (read: no fog), fewer clouds, more sunshine. A great potion for solar.

As rains diminish, should I clean (my solar panels) of should I chill? Stock answer for Yolo County homeowners: Clean them -- simply spray with a low-pressure nozzle; no soap or brushes are necessary -- three or four times a year, commencing a month after the last rains. There’s a lot of dirt in the air of our agricultural community. But, upon further review ...

... A 2013 UC San Diego study revealed it's not cost-effective -- and this was pre-drought, pre-water rate hikes -- to clean your solar panels. Synopsis:

Researchers found panels that hadn’t been cleaned, or rained on, for 145 days during a summer drought in California, lost only 7.4 percent of their efficiency. Overall, for a typical residential solar system of 5 kilowatts, washing panels halfway through the summer would translate into a mere $20 gain in electricity production until the summer drought ends—in about 2 ½ months.

Let them rest like a sloth? Perhaps. Sloths are quite happy in the sun.

P.S. - If/when you clean your solar panels, here are a few tips:

- DO NOT use high pressure sprayers as they can damage the seals around the frame. 

- Wash the panels in the morning to reduce drastic temperature changes. 

- Do not scrub the panels with any harsh materials. 

- If a brush is needed, make sure it has soft bristles. 

- If you notice rapid dirt build up—or bird droppings—then more frequent cleanings are warranted.

EV+PV: My Leaf Hits 30,000 Miles

The odometer on my 2013 Nissan Leaf rolled past 30,000 miles this morning in-transit to our shop. Over the past 26 months, my affinity for the Leaf has wavered: Fun to drive, great for the environment, and (beyond) cheap to operate; major range and charging anxiety, less-than-cool design, safe as an aluminum can. For $200 a month (thanks to Hanlee's lease) with minimal operating costs, I can't complain.

We've opined about the PB&J beauty of EVs + PV: The ecological and economic benefits can't be beat. At 25 miles/gallon for a gas-fueled car, I have avoided purchasing 1,200 gallons of gasoline.

First, here are the GHG equivalents of 30,000 miles of electric driving (click here for a super-cool EPA GHG calculator):

- 10.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide

- 267 tree seedlings grown for 10 years

- 3.4 tons of waste sent to a landfill

A dent, but certainly meaningful (at least to me). Enter the economic side of the equation and the Leaf truly sparkles:

- Of the 30,000 miles, approximately half were charged for free (primarily at downtown Davis charging stations) and half at home.

- My cost of solar-generated electricity (produced on my roof) is ~ 7 cents per kWh.

- Every kWh of electricity fuels (hah!) four miles of electric vehicle transport.

- 15,000 charge-at-home miles divided by 4 = 3,750 kWh

- 3,750 kWh @ $0.07/kWh = $262.50

Pretty cool and, importantly, not unique to my situation: Two-plus years of heavy driving at a cost (sans the lease payments) of $262.50 with nary a naughty emission. Electric vehicles powered by solar-generated electricity can't be beat.

YoloShines: Yolo Food Bank

The next time you have some spare change, consider this: A $1 donation to the Yolo Food Bank will fund three meals for a hungry Yolo County neighbor. Or, the $1 will magnify to $5.50 in wholesale food purchases. Like fresh produce? Your $1 will buy seven pounds of fruits and veggies.

Not to lay on the guilt, but here are two sobering facts to ponder:

- More than 20% (44,000) of Yolo County residents do not have enough to eat.

- One in four children do not know where their next meal will come from.

Enter Yolo Food Bank, one of our favorite community organizations. We have had the fortune of working with the Food Bank over the past year. On behalf of RepowerYolo homeowners, we have donated more than $5,000 to the Food Bank.

The latest: In the name of Repower homeowners Matt and Holly Bishop, Ron and Andrea Forrest, Elaine Lau and Carlton Larson, and Kathleen and Michael Rockwell, we donated $2,000 last week to the Food Bank. That’s 6,000 meals for hungry neighbors thanks to the YoloShines program.

Every dollar makes a difference, and we’re endeavoring to elevate our support for the Food Bank in 2016. Please join us in working to reduce hunger in Yolo County: Click here to donate, or you can learn more about volunteering here.

YoloShines: River City Rowing Club

Yesterday we gave thanks to the Oshima family for their suggestion to donate $500 to the Davis Schools Foundation. It hit home, which made the gift even more special. Today’s recipient of $500 through our YoloShines program strikes a similar family chord.

On behalf of Repower homeowners Don Mooney and Samantha McCarthy, we are pleased to gift $500 to the River City Rowing Club. Here’s the (my) family connection: RCRC’s boat house in West Sac is named after my wife’s late grandfather, Curt Rocca. Grandpa Curt was big into crew in his days at UC Berkeley, and his affinity rippled (perhaps through his myriad business interests in Japan, and hence the Port of Sacramento) to our local crew organization. Very cool.

I have known Don and Samantha’s daughter, Morgan, since she was shorter than a small oar; she and my oldest son, Scott, went through Spanish Immersion together at Montgomery and Chavez. Here’s Don and Samantha’s rationale for supporting RCRC:

We support River City Rowing Club because the coaches work with the teen rowers to inspire them to try their individual best and then beyond while building  a true sense of dedication to the team and sportsmanship. The rowers also learn to set goals and priorities so that they can continue to do well do well in school, crew and life.

Very cool, take two, and it mirrors my family’s support of Davis Water Polo Club (for our oldest son) and Davis Little League (for our youngest).

With the Big Day of Giving nearing, we encourage you to support RCRC. The sun always rises, and so too do committed and aspiring crew athletes.

Solar on a wood-shake roof? Ask Nextdoor

Since its inception a few years ago, my wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed the utility, efficiency and candor of Nextdoor. If you're not familiar with the web site, it's a community, neighborhood-specific forum, a virtual over-the-fence, at-the-mailbox medium for neighbors to communicate. Garage sale? Lost pet? Furniture to sell or giveaway? Break-in to report? Recommendation for a fence-building contractor? 

Nextdoor is terrific. It enables neighbors to earnestly communicate. And, it's a darn good neighborhood watchdog.

Yesterday, my mom, who lives in El Macero, called. Three times. (I was in a meeting.) Then texted, in caps: DID YOU SEE NEXTDOOR?????

I logged in, fearful Maxwell, our labrador, was roaming the mean streets of Willowbank. Fortunately, no lost pet ... simply a solar question from a neighbor:

We are hoping to get solar panels installed to alleviate some of the cost of PG&E. However, we have a wood shake roof. So far, I have not found any company that will put solar on that type of roof. Does anyone know if this is possible, or know of a company that does it? Would appreciate any insight.

I grinned: We've had the fortune of helping a dozen or so homeowners (who have wood-shake roofs) go solar. It's not as straight forward as installing solar on a tile or composition roof, but certainly doable (if your contractor is experienced).

Scrolling down through the neighborhood commentary, here's where my grin grew to a smile:

You might check with Chris at Repower Yolo in downtown Davis.

We also used Repower Yolo (john@repowered.us). They were wonderful to work with and did a spectacular job! Their installers not only knew the solar system, but were also very experienced with roofing. And they're local!

Talk to Chris or John at Repower. I did two homes, wood shake and copper and was very pleased. 

We also used Chris at RepowerYolo and were very happy with the process, and extremely happy with our non-existent electricity bills.

We also used Chris and John at RepowerYolo.com- they had the best price, impeccable service and attention to detail, and highest quality solar equipment- local company who doesn't advertise and saves homeowners a lot of money- We love our solar panels and besides saving a lot of money we feel we are doing our part!! 

Since we do not advertise, cold-call, or employ commission salespeople, such conversations are invaluable. And, it's a key element of how we are able to reduce the cost of solar for Yolo County residents ... whether you have a wood-shake roof or not.

YoloShines: Davis Schools Foundation

When homeowners in Yolo County go solar, we ask them to identify their favorite local nonprofit organization (aka, YoloShines). On behalf of El Macero residents Alan and Yuki Oshima, we are pleased to donate $500 to the Davis Schools Foundation. Here’s what the Oshimas had to say about DSF:

We realize the local schools can use all the help that they get for enriching the school experience. We were fortunate to have our four daughters attend local Davis schools. Three attended UC Davis, one Sacramento State University. All graduated with degrees. All are married have children and are working. We're very proud of them all.

This donation hits home with me, as the product of DJUSD schools (Birch Lane, Holmes, DHS) and the parent of an Emerson 8th grader and DHS junior. When you're the product of something great, oftentimes you take it for granted; when you're the parent of kids (involved in something great), too often you do not appreciate how good your children have it. I fall in to both camps!

Davis schools are great -- in my opinion -- because our community cares. We prioritize education, we celebrate accomplishment, and we support our schools.

Please join us in supporting Davis Schools Foundation, whether you're a product, parent or beneficiary of Davis schools. Click here to learn how you can support DSF, or contact DSF President Lori Duisenberg: 530-219-9033 info@davisschoolsfoundation.org.

And, thanks again to the Oshimas for making Yolo shine!

A great day, leading up to the Big Day of Giving

We have the fortune of helping homeowners go solar. In so doing, there are three particularly gratifying outcomes: Saving homeowners money, improving the environment (through clean energy), and giving back to our community.

Last Wednesday was a great day: We mailed ten $500 checks — $5,000 in total — to local causes, including Yolo Food Bank, Davis Schools Foundation, River City Rowing Club, Yolo Crisis Nursery, Progress Ranch, Davis High Girls Water Polo, and Make it Happen Yolo County.

The donations were made on behalf of RepowerYolo homeowners through our YoloShines program, aka our 2016 Big Year of Giving. Homeowners are not just repowering their homes and benefiting our planet, they’re also repowering our community. For this we are extremely grateful.

Leading up to the May 3 Big Day of Giving, we will share a bit about these tremendous Yolo nonprofits. In so doing, we invite you to join us in supporting the organizations and strengthening the fabric of our community. When you do so, a great day will be yours too!

Solar solicitations

Dad, this is hilarious, my 16-year-old son chuckled. Check out this voicemail I got today on my iPhone: 

If you're a homeowner you should take advantage of this program. Your new solar panels will cut your electric bill in half. So, my job is just to inform you about the program and see if you meet the qualification. Okay?

Click. Fourteen seconds. No name, no company name, just noise. Hilarious (to my son), but annoying too for anyone on the receiving end. 

Another good solar sales solicitation story: In a two-week period, I had three solar salespeople (from three different companies) knock on my door. Their canvas-the-neighborhood pitch went something like this: Hello, my name is Joe, did you know you have qualified to have solar installed for free and slash your PG&E bill immediately?

Really, I'd reply, it’s that easy?

Yes. All you have to do is sign here and we take care of everything.

In each of the three cases — for hugs and giggles — I would drill down regarding the type and quality of solar panels and inverters, the term and strength of their installation warranty, the cost per watt, and whether I could own/purchase the system. Blanks stares/no responses to each question. Amazing.

But here’s where the chortling kicked in to full gear: I asked each salesperson to step out toward the street to take a look at the roof (of my one-story home). Clearly visible from Willowbank Road are two arrays of solar panels. We would then turn the corner and walk down Almond to view three solar arrays on our backyard-facing roof.

Oh. I didn’t know (read: take a peek at my roof).

And, the kicker: All three asked me if I was interested in adding more panels to my system. Kudos for their gumption.

Not that we (Repower) are nobel, but we do not spend a dime on sales/marketing/advertising. No cold calls, door knocks, direct mail, or radio advertisements. Instead, we pass the savings along to friends and neighbors in Yolo County. 

The #1 reason homeowners do not go solar

We’ve had the fortune of helping hundreds of homeowners evaluate solar. One of the first things we do is try to talk them out of it. Taken aback — Wait, I contacted you because I want to go solar; help me figure out how to do it — homeowners are puzzled. We walk through the primary reasons to not go solar, including how long a homeowner intends to reside in their residence (if less than five years, it probably does not make sense) and the condition of their roof (age/shading).

Net-net, if a homeowner in our community intends to live in their house for at least the next five years, solar pencils.

But, the number one reason homeowners do not go solar is not obvious: They do not have to. Solar is a choice; nobody has to do it. Paying your PG&E bill is not a choice; you do it or it’s lights out.

Building on the fact that homeowners do not have to go solar is the reality of time: Solar is not a priority, and many homeowners lack time/interest/energy to evaluate whether it makes sense.

Amplifying this, an increasing number of homeowners are tired of solar solicitations: Daily cold calls, propositions when shopping at Home Depot or Costco, direct mail offerings filling their mailboxes, radio ads airing constantly. The sun is abundant, and so too are companies selling solar.

Candid pessimism to the side, solar is booming in our community for one primary reason: economics. The average cost of electricity for homes in Yolo County is $0.24/kilowatt hour. The average amortized cost of solar-generated electricity (for Repower homeowners who own their solar systems) is $0.09/kilowatt hour. 

You do not have to pay PG&E when you can profit from the sun.

Earth Day thanks

Today is Earth Day. It’s a day of mixed emotions in our shop: Pride and anticipation, gratitude and fortune, reflection and fear. Crazy stuff is happening to our planet, but (through our lens) the future is bright … more and more eyes are opening to what’s happening, and people are taking strides to reduce their carbon impact. We are confident it will continue.

Earth Day is a day of thanks for our team. Specifically, we’d like to thank Repower homeowners. Over the past two years, more homeowners in our community have invested in solar via the Repower group purchase program than any other solar company. More than 2,000 gleaming — especially after today’s rains; yeah! — solar panels welcome the sun at Repower homes. We’re proud and thankful so many homeowners have entrusted us. And, thanks to Repower homeowners, we have donated more than $23,000 to local nonprofit organizations. Yolo Shines!

In mid-2013, solar pivoted from an idealistic to a pragmatic decision. It penciled: The cost of solar-generated electricity dropped below PG&E’s rates. And, it has only gotten better as the cost of solar systems has decreased and PG&E’s rates inflate.

However, the ideals and environmental virtues of solar continue to play a part in homeowners’ decision-making. Here’s the punchline, quantifying the impact of Repower homeowners’ solar systems over the next 25 years:

- Carbon dioxide reduction: 10,596 metric tons

- Equivalent trees planted: 292,356

- Equivalent cars taken off the road: 2,436

Muchas gracias, RepowerYolo homeowners, for making a difference.

P.S. – Wanna make a difference? Go to https://www.cooldavis.org/ to learn how you can reduce your carbon footprint. 

P.P.S. – Another cool stat to share: RepowerYolo homeowners are projected to save an aggregate $5,997,621 in PG&E electricity expenses over the warrantied lives of their solar systems. 

P.P.P.S. – Looking for something to do tonight? Catching the Sun premiers on Netflix. Inspirational, informative, a must see!

Yelp*

I love Yelp. Really do, particularly as a resource to find out-of-town eateries (i.e., this weekend when we’ll be in Clovis for my son’s water polo tournament). There’s great wisdom in the crowds … crowd-sourced opinions/reviews are generally spot on. And, we have been fortunate to have a handful of RepowerYolo homeowners discover us via Yelp.

But, Yelp doesn’t like me. Well, not me personally, but their “algorithm” (according to sources at Yelp) has refused a half-dozen or so RepowerYolo homeowner reviews, much to the chagrin of the homeowners who invested time and thought in reviewing their solar experience.

Having a Yelp page is an ante for small businesses; we created our page about 18 months ago (click here to take a peek). Since then, 10 Repower homeowners have posted reviews (fortunately, they’re all five-star reviews). Of these, only four are clearly visible on the site; the other six reviews “are not currently recommended.” When a service like Yelp is free, I guess you can’t complain.

Over the past 18 months we’ve received numerous calls and pitches from Yelp salespeople, seeking to sell adds and “up our visibility and placement” when homeowners search for solar. (BTW, Yelp’s team is terrific: Thorough, polite, data-driven, motivated.) Here’s how the conversations go:

- Yelp salesperson: You should advertise on Yelp.

- Repower: Ok, but we don’t advertise.

- Yelp: But you should if you want to do more business … all solar companies are doing it.

- Repower: Ok, but we’re not a solar company; we are a community, group purchase program.

- Yelp: It’s really easy and doesn’t cost much.

- Repower: Ok, but no thanks. We would rather keep the cost of solar low for homeowners and support nonprofit organizations in our community.

- Yelp: (Click.)

I’m certain Yelp is a terrific medium to reach prospective solar homeowners. And, right or wrong, we have chosen not to spend a dime on advertising, cold-calling, commission salespeople, etcetera … we instead pass the savings on to homeowners, and we can afford to donate $500 to local nonprofits every time a homeowner goes solar.

A (great) night at the council chambers

I have great admiration for Davis city council members. Incredibly devoted, immensely under appreciated. As individuals and a council, they can’t please everyone with every position/vote, but this group’s solid.

Admiration to the side, I usually loathe attending council meetings. Last night was different. Here’s why:

First my son was Youth Mayor for the Day (actually, for about 10 minutes, but who’s counting?). He crafted a proclamation seeking more sports fields — baseball especially — for our kids. And he learned about the sausage-making, governance process. Pretty cool for a 13-year-old, and kudos to all council members (particularly Mayor Dan) for opening their chamber.

Second, there was a simple proclamation trumpeting the upcoming (May 3) Big Day of Giving. Click here to learn more about this extraordinary, regional event. For us, we’re living a Big YEAR of Giving through our Yolo Shines program.

Third, my comrades at Sierra Energy were honored as the annual Environmental Business of the Year by the City. Grand kudos to CEO Mike Hart, a longtime friend and partner in crime. I had the pleasure of helping Mike start Sierra Energy 14 years ago and it has been a pleasure to witness the company’s emergence … potential game-changing, waste-to-energy technology. Learn more about recent developments here.

A final observation from the peanut gallery: A great quality of our community is the preponderance of smart people who care. A lot. Ours is a deeply-engaged hamlet. Conversely, a not-so-great quality of our community, if/when you want to get something done: A critical mass of intelligent citizens who care. We have a lot of people who “think it” versus “do it.” And, it hamstrings our ability to move forward.

Sierra Energy is doing it, not merely thinking about it. Bravo!