Lower Electric Bills - Proof!

Thanks to Brian in Rutland for sharing his energy information for his first year of solar ownership.  New England Breeze Solar installed a 3,690 watt solar electric system on Brian's roof in October 2009.  The system performed exactly as predicted, producing 4,662 kWh in the first year. He saved $650.

Please send me an email to let me know about the improvement to your energy bills. I love data!

What Cold Weather?

Did you know that solar panels perform best when the weather is cold and sunny?  Voltage increases in cold weather versus hot.  It seems that our crew is performing great as well - despite this chilly winter weather!  The New England Breeze crew is still on roofs and preparing pole mounts even this late in the year.  We will take a break over the holidays and then be back at it, weather permitting, in early January.  Check out this recent 9.99 kW installation at Highlands Christmas Tree Farm in Grafton. (click on the image for a larger version.) This system will generate about $1,800 of electricity per year and $3,300 to $6,600 in SREC (Solar Renewable Energy Certificate) revenue per year - about a 10% return on the investment (after grants and tax benefits).

Solar Grant Update

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center announced the revised grant amounts for Block 5 of the Commonwealth Solar II program.  Block 5 will begin accepting applications in January 2011, exact date to be announced. 

Here is a summary of the changes:

• Base Grant: $0.75 per watt (reduced from $1.00 per watt)
• Moderate Income/Home Value Adder: $0.85 per watt (reduced from $1.00 per watt)
• Massachusetts Made component adder: $0.10 per watt (Unchanged)

A reminder, the moderate income adder applies if the household income is below $95,420 per year (120% of the median household income). The moderate home value adder applies if the home's tax assessed value is below $350,000 for Worcester County or below $400,000 for Middlesex County. You can qualify for the moderate income adder OR the moderate home value adder, but not both.

While the grant amounts have been reduced slightly, SRECs have been trading extremely well since July of this year. Our first customers to sell their SRECs earned more than $0.50 per kWh. At that rate, a typical 5 kilowatt PV system will generate about $3,000 per year in income above the savings on your electric bill.

Solar Lighting

We recently installed a pair of solar powered parking lot lights at the Lawerence library in Pepperell. The town made great use of their "Clean Energy Choice " funds. Under the Clean Energy Choice program, residents and businesses generated matching funds for a renewable energy project in their community when they  chose New England GreenStart on their electric bill or joined the New England Wind Fund, (Available to National Grid customers). Effective July 1, 2009 contributions to both New England GreenStart and New England Wind Fund will be 100% tax-deductible through Mass Energy Consumers Alliance. Although the Clean Energy Choice matching funds program has concluded, customers are still able (and encouraged!) to purchase green power. Contact your local utility company to find out how.

Lawrence Library Solar lighting project:  The Solar powered lights use LED bulbs which get very bright but use little energy. They are powered by batteries which are kept charged by two solar panels atop the light pole. The lights have controllers that turn them off a few hours after dark and a few hours before sunrise (adjustable). Do you have a remote lighting need? Are you trying to avoid trenches? Want to keep your long term outdoor lighting costs low? Give us a call.

System Anniversaries

Two Year Anniversary for solar water heating systems

Whitfield Residence in Lexington	Seghal Residence in Southborough	Gallant Residence in Rutland

See photos of our recent installations by visiting www.NewEnglandBreeze.com