San Diego solar

NEW SDG&E RATES WILL MAKE SOLAR COST MORE--UNLESS YOU HAVE A BATTERY BACKUP

 

 

Hear our interview with Daniel Sullivan, founder of Sullivan Solar, by clicking the audio link

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Battery storage unit on garage wall

December 18, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – Many solar customers are unaware of new time-of-use rates that took effect December 1st. In an interview with ECM on KNSJ Radio, Sullivan Solar founder and president Daniel Sullivan explains that if you bought solar between June 30, 2016 and Dec. 1, 2017, your rates will be going up sharply after a five-year grace period. Rates for use during evening hours are doubling; a typical family will pay 143% more than in the past. If you buy solar in the future, your rates will also be higher, starting immediately.

But there is a solution:  buy a back-up battery, which will not only lower your rates, but also provide backup power to keep your electricity on during future power outages. Back-up batteries, with subsidies, can be financed out for only about $20 a month – and you’ll likely save $100 a month on your electricity bill, says Sullivan. Rebates end in June 2018, so there's a strong incentive to get a battery soon before the rebates run out.

Audio: 

Interview with Daniel Sullivan, Sullivan Solar, on battery back-ups

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HEAR OUR INTERVIEW: EMMA HIGGINS, GRID ALTERNATIVES

 

 

Company seeks donors to bring solar job training and installations for low-income homeowners to East County

December 18, 2017 (San Diego) -- Emma Higgins with Grid Alternatives in San Diego sat down with ECM editor Miriam Raftery on our KNSJ radio show recently to discuss how the nation’s largest nonprofit solar installer is offering solar installations free to low and moderate homeowners, saving 75-100% on their energy bills.

The organization also provides job training to qualified persons in need including veterans and refugees. Participants can earn an income while training and after completing the program, can make $19 an hour. 

Audio: 

interview with Emma Higgins, Grid Alternatives

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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

HERO PROGRAM HELPS HOMEOWNERS SAVE MONEY IN EAST COUNTY, SAN DIEGO

 

 

 

 

 

East County News Service

October 17, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- New, updated HVAC systems offer ways for homeowners to save energy, and therefor money in their wallets. But some homeowners may avoid updating their systems because they are afraid of what seems like a high cost to install.

Now with the new Home Energy Renovation Opportunity (HERO) program, that doesn’t have to be a concern. HERO offers financing for approved energy and water efficient products, as well as renewable energy products, for homeowners in San Diego. With the program, homeowners can get low, fixed-rate financing options and payment plans that can vary from five to 20 years, making it as easy as possible for homeowners to upgrade their heating and air conditioning units and better protect the environment.


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CITY OF SAN DIEGO POWERS UP PARTNERSHIP TO PUT SOLAR ON ROOFS OF LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS

 

Program also benefits East County students learning solar installation

By Nadin Abbott

May 2, 2013 (San Diego)—Mayor Bob Filner, Sullivan Solar owner Daniel Sullivan and Paul Cleary of GRID Alternatives hosted a press conference today at the Martin household in Broadway Heights.  It’s all part of a new partnership between the city, Sullivan and Grid Alternatives to put solar on the rooftop of low-income residents.


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THE NEW GREEN DEAL COMES TO SAN DIEGO

Mayor Filner announces major solar initiatives

By Hugh Moore, Treasurer, San Diego County Green Party

March, 8, 2013(San Diego) -- When Dr. Jill Stein ran on a platform for President of the U.S. calling for the New Green Deal , I doubt that she imagined her platform would be the newest initiative of the Mayor of San Diego or the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. San Diego having a long history of being more than a little to the right on the political spectrum a shift to the left would have seemed unlikely just a few months ago.

However, Mayor Bob Filner just announced his new solar initiative, planning to put solar panels on every city building within five years. And this is not the end of the initiative. Mayor Filner wants the whole County to become the leader in alternative energy production with a goal of ending up with all the power used in the County being produced by solar and other renewable sources. This initiative is being supported by two of the five San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Dianne Jacobs and Dave Roberts).


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PACE PROGRAM LAUNCHES IN SAN DIEGO: BUSINESSES CAN NOW PAY FOR CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENTS SUCH AS SOLAR VIA PROPERTY TAXES-- WITH NO UP FRONT COSTS

September 19, 2012 (San Diego)—A new state program to help business owners invest in solar and other energy-saving projects with zero up-front costs launched yesterday in San Diego County. 

The Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (PACE) enables commercial property owners to use their properties as collateral for energy upgrades—and to pay off those costs through their property tax bills.


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HELIX WATER UNVEILS NEW CLEAN ENERGY SOURCE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY

 

District Partners with Borrego Solar and CCSE to deploy 290 Kw solar system at  Nat L. Eggert Operations Center

 

April 4, 2011 (El Cajon)--Helix Water District has activated a 290 kilowatt (KW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system at the Nat L. Eggert Operations Center (OC) in El Cajon. The zero-emission system was deployed through a partnership with Borrego Solar Systems, Inc. and the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE).

 

To celebrate, the District hosted a ribbon-cutting event for the new system on March 30th.


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STATE REGULATORS APPROVE SDG&E SOLAR POWER INITIATIVE

 

September 3, 2010 (San Diego) – This week, the California Public Utilities Comission approved a San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) solar power initiative that will provide for 100 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy. Under the initiative, 26 MW of utility-owned generation would be slated for construction on existing SDG&E property, with the remaining 74 MW to be purchased from independent power producers.

 

The initiative could more than double the approximately 80 MW of solar power currently generated in the utility's service territory.


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EMPOWERING HOMEOWNERS & BUSINESS OWNERS TO SAVE MONEY WHILE GOING GREEN



Empowered Energy Solutions finds hot market for rapid residential audit program

 

By Dennis Moore

 

March 25, 2010 (San Diego) – Saving money while converting to green energy sources is viewed by many consumers as both desirable and a necessity in this day and age.

At the forefront of this movement is Empowered Energy Solutions, a Solana Beach, California based business that is helping homeowners county-wide save money from day one on sustainable, energy efficient projects for their homes, offices and commercial buildings, from small restaurants to huge factories. One of the company’s diagnostics was on a building that previously had an annual electric bill of $11.5 million a year.

“Right now in San Diego, thousands of homes are running inefficiently, wasting their owners’ money,” Ted Torre-Bueno, president and founder, told East County Magazine. “Dollars spent on energy efficiency have the highest return on investment and in effect, are free for the homeowner and for the community. If we can reduce power use, we save on utility bills and help eliminate the need for new power plants in the future.”


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.