HelioPower

What You Need To Know When Shopping For a Home Solar System

By Scott Gordon
SVP, Sales, HelioPower

I consider myself among the lucky. I had the good fortune to land a job in solar sales way back in 2007. Back then, times were simpler. The majority of my customers paid for their systems with cash or HELOCS (home equity lines of credit). PPAs (power purchase agreements) and leases were the realm of multi-megawatt commercial and utility installations and nothing of the sort was available for residential consumers.

In the “earlier” days of solar savvy customers compared solar purchases by comparing price per watt. Price per what?

Price Per Watt
Price per watt simply tells you how many dollars you are spending to buy a “watt” of solar power. Think of it this way: if your home requires a 6 kilowatt (KW) solar power system (6000 watts) and you pay $42,000 to have one installed, you’ve paid $7/watt. If on the other hand, if you spent $12/watt the same system would’ve cost you a whopping $72,000! Yes, the same system! Today’s solar leasing products allow some dealers to mask dramatic price differences, such as these, behind “low monthly payments.”

The chart here illustrates the range of prices paid by customers in Southern California Edison (SCE) territory according to CSI (California Solar Initiative).  This data was compiled by a third party, RunOnSun in Pasadena, CA.

In 2007 charts like this weren’t publicly available, so homeowners really had no way to verify whether they were getting a bad, good, or great deal on a solar system unless they compared 4 to 6 bids. Still price/watt held an important place in the conversation between solar buyer and solar dealer. By 2009, “What’s your price/watt?” was often one of the first questions my customers would ask me. By then, price/watt was solar’s APR (annual percentage rate used to compare bank loans).  It’s how you knew you were getting a good deal after you settled on equipment and installation.

Today, the subject of price/watt has all but vanished from the dialog. Why? The advent of now readily available leasing and residential PPA programs allow for the selling of solar systems using ‘savings per month’ in place of price per watt. This approach allows unscrupulous dealers to mask high, some might say, outrageous prices from their customers. Does it matter what your paying if you’re saving money every month? Of course it does.

Don’t get me wrong. There are many reputable dealers who help their customers to go solar through leasing and PPAs, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with either choice, but when dealers mask high prices in leases, consumers end up holding the bag.

This type of thing may have already happened to you if you’ve ever leased a car. Savvy buyers know to negotiate the price of the car before they choose how to finance it and then check the contract numbers carefully to make sure there’s nothing funny going on. Naïve buyers walk into a car dealership and fall for the “What kinda payment are you looking for on this baby?” line. If that’s you, keep reading.

Today, we see the similar tactics infiltrating the solar industry. You go online, get a quote, and you get excited because the solar company you contacted can save you $50/month on your electric bill with their exciting new lease! So you call them up, they dispatch a salesman, and just like that you’ve gone solar. Does it really matter what you paid? After all, you’re saving $50/month, right?

Let’s say the system that saves you $50 cost you $12/watt. If you leased a 6KW system you’re on the hook for $72,000. That same system for $6/watt would’ve saved you $100/month and cost $36,000. Big difference! Which system would you lease? The savvy buyer would’ve asked how much the system cost; how much power they were getting; and compared multiple bids. Such a buyer would by enjoying both significantly higher savings and a much faster ROI (if he put money down).

Questions for Your Solar Contractor
As I mentioned, price/watt is solar’s APR. When considering solar for your home, you need to ask your solar contractor two questions:

1. What is the cost of the system?
2. How many watts am I getting for that cost?

After you have your answer, you take the cost; divide by watts; and just like that you’ve mastered the art of price/watt and are a master solar shopper (well almost, look for my upcoming article Solar Lease Red Flags to become an even savvier solar shopper).

With price/watt in hand, you now know whether you’re getting a good value or being taken to the cleaners. Savings per month is a great way to determine the impact solar will have on your bank account, but a terrible way to shop for it. Price per watt is the great equalizer. Now that you have the power of price/watt to guide your decision, you can shop more confidently for your new home solar  system.

You can reach Scott Gordon directly at SGordon@HelioPower.com.

The Maplewood Homes Community, a development of The Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB), has received this year’s Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits “Development of Distinction” award for outstanding achievement in the Renewable Energy category.  The project was designed and constructed by HelioPower, an integrated energy solutions company based in California.

The Developments of Distinction Awards were established as an annual event to recognize excellence and outstanding achievement in the development of tax credit projects using the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC), historic tax credit (HTC), renewable energy tax credit (RETC), Section 1602 Exchange Program grant funds and/or tax credit projects using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program financing.

Past winners in the category include the Coastal Community Action Program of Aberdeen, Washington, and its Coastal Energy Project, a 6 megawatt wind development near the Washington coastline in Grayland, Washington.  Honorable mention in 2010 went to Make It Right – SOLAR, a subsidiary of the Make It Right Foundation, founded by actor Brad Pitt, which serves as a renewable energy developer focused on affordable housing. MIR-Solar has completed more than 40 residential solar panel installations in New Orleans’ historic Lower 9^th Ward.

Maplewood Homes, an almost 70 year old affordable housing site with 296 units in the city of San Bernardino, California, is being honored for

View of Rooftops with Solar Panels installed by HelioPower at Maplewood Homes

HACSB’s use of the U.S. renewable energy 1603 tax credit. The Housing Authority’s collaborated with HelioPower to apply the credit and California Solar Initiative grant money to reduce the community’s energy costs, create jobs, educate tenants, and foster an environmentally green community.

In 2010, the HACSB received a $1.84 million grant from Southern California Edison’s Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) Track 2 program – the largest program grant awarded. The Housing Authority worked with HelioPower to design, develop, engineer, and construct a 302 kilowatt solar photovoltaic facility, a system that is among the largest and most innovative roof mounted solar projects in San Bernardino. The project consisted of 1,288 solar panels atop 100 units. 85% of its production will benefit residents directly and 15% will offset common area energy load, with the savings directed to help fund on-site employment. The solar facility will offset over 1500 kilowatt hours (kWh) per unit annually, reducing resident’s energy bills on average by 30% or $166/unit/year.

HACSB is monetizing the savings from the green energy generated on the common area meters and channeling those funds into the green job

HelioPower solar crew at Maplewood Homes, San Bernardino, CA

training programs now underway. HelioPower trained and hired two residents and one community member giving them the opportunity to learn a new trade and gain solar industry expertise. HelioPower also conducted workshops for residents of Maplewood Homes about the benefits of solar and energy efficiency, how it works, what it means for them, and other tips on reducing wasteful energy and water consumption.

“This project is the first of many that the Housing Authority is pursuing to show commitment to implementing green initiatives to increase sustainability and save energy, and provide on-going employment opportunities for its residents in the growing green-building industry,” states Susan Benner, HACSB’s President/CEO.

The renewable energy honorable mention 2011 winner was the BioFuels Energy LLC project, which took a wasted, environmentally damaging resource, in this case methane gas being flared at the City of San Diego Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Facility, and built a system to convert it to renewable energy.

“Each year we gather to honor the best and the brightest in the tax credit industry, and each year I’m amazed at the caliber of so many deserving projects; this year’s winners truly are members of an elite group,” said Michael J. Novogradac, managing partner of Novogradac & Company LLP. “It is heartening that there are so many deserving housing, historic and renewable energy tax credit developments being built to serve residents in need and, more broadly, serve communities in which they are located. I congratulate this year’s winners and invite all with a housing, historic and renewable energy development to enter next year.”

Full descriptions of the 13 projects winning Developments of Distinction Awards are available at http://www.novoco.com/low_income_housing/dod_awards/2011/index.php.  A video presentation of the renewable energy winners is available at http://www.novoco.com/low_income_housing/dod_awards/2011/renewable_energy.php.

Source:  EcoOutfitters.net
Reporter:  Dawn Allcot

Final post in this series on Smart Meters and Solar by EcoOutfitters featuring Scott Gordon, Vice President of  Residential Sales for HelioPower.

In this, the final of our four-part series on smart meters and solar PV arrays (start here), we’re going to address one of three dangers HelioPower CEO Scott Gordon revealed to us about smart meters: How they are infringing on our privacy.

We’re going to assume that no one reading this is doing anything illegal in their homes that they want to hide. But Americans view privacy as one of our basic rights. While the right to privacy is not expressly outlined in the U.S. Constitution, the fourth amendment does guarantee us “privacy of the person and possessions as against unreasonable searches.”

Of course, our founding fathers never could have envisioned digital meters that can record and share every detail of our electric usage. (Mostly because they didn’t envision electricity!) But this is exactly what smart meters do. Why does the electric company want that information? On the surface, the utilities claim that they’re collecting this data in order to make us smarter consumers and conservationists. Armed with the knowledge of when, where, and how we use electricity, we are better able to reduce our usage and lower our electric bills.

In reality, there is a lot more they can do with the information. As Gordon explains: “Every time you use an electrical device, it draws a specific amount of power, different from other devices. The smart meter sees your life and the way you use electricity in 15-minute increments. It can see how many loads of laundry you do each week, when you’re home, when you leave, if you work from home, if you have a pool, how many refrigerators you have … I can literally build a profile of you and your life.”

Laws prohibit the electric company from sharing this information without your permission. But what if they offered you 20 percent off your bill to permit them to share the information with marketing partners? “Many people, in this economy, would take them up on it,” Gordon notes.

If you thought targeted Facebook ads were scary in a sort of “Big Brother is watching” sense, imagine this type of marketing going on across your home, through mail, email, cell phone — any avenue advertisers choose to reach you.

Protect Your Privacy with Solar
When you’re connected to a home solar PV array, your solar system is the only power signature the smart meter can read. All your other devices draw their power from the solar system. “Everything else is literally hiding behind a smokescreen that is your solar system,” Gordon explains.

For years, Gordon said, the driving factor behind installing a solar array has been to save money. “Saving the environment and being eco-conscious is nice, but for the most part, people are concerned about lowering their electric bills.”

Now, smart meters introduce a whole new reason to go solar. For 10 to 16 hours of the day, depending on the time of year, your solar PV array is supporting your right to privacy. (Read more in HelioPower’s 10 Things About Smart Meters and Solar.)

Who is it Really Smart For?

Source:  EcoOutfitters.net
Reporter:  Dawn Allcot

First in a series of four posts on Smart Meters and Solar featuring Scott Gordon, Vice President of  Residential Sales for HelioPower.

If you’ve heard a lot about “smart meters” lately, here’s the deal… A smart meter is a digital device that replaces your analog (dial) electric meter. A technician doesn’t need to come to your house to read your meter: the information about how much electric you’ve used is reported directly back to the electric company for billing. A smart meter also permits the electric company to activate or deactivate service without dispatching a technician, which saves time and money (for the electric company, of course).

A smart meter also tells the electric company when you’re using power, for how long, and exactly how you’re using it. Every appliance or electrical device, from your refrigerator to your cell phone charger to your laptop, gives off a different power signature that permits the electric company to identify it.

This can be handy when it comes to detecting crimes — everything from running a meth lab out of your basement to running a business web server without proper permits. It could also, theoretically, be used for marketing purposes. Imagine a world where your electric company, just like your bank and Facebook, gathers information about your daily habits to sell to its marketing partners who can then bombard you with sales messages.

We’re not there yet, but Scott Gordon, CEO of leading California-based solar installer, HelioPower, mentions three ways smart meters affect us: our privacy, our freedom, and our finances.

Based on the examples above, it’s easy to see how smart meters can infringe on our privacy. Let’s look at the last two, which are very closely linked.

Time-of-Use Billing and Your Freedom to Use Electricity

With information about when people use electricity, utilities can move to a form of billing called “time-of-use.” In this scenario, you would pay more (between two to four times more) for electricity purchased during daytime hours, and less at night and on weekends. Even higher peak rates could apply during the summer, which utility companies say will help prevent brown-outs by limiting use.

This could mean a shift in lifestyle, as people opt to do laundry and run dishwashers and pool filters at night instead of during the day. But for appliances like your air conditioner, picture this: on a hot summer day, the only choice you’ll have is to live in uncomfortable, possibly dangerous, conditions, or pay more for your electric. Gordon provides a graphic example: “Imagine somebody living in Palm Springs, and they’re 79 years old, and it’s 123 degrees outside. Now they’re deciding whether they’re going to turn their AC on or they’re going to eat.”

Should You Say No to Smart Meters?
“When I give presentations and ask people who smart meters are smart for,” Gordon continues, “they get it right away. The utility companies.”

Provided you are given a choice, refusing a smart meter is the “smart” decision to protect your privacy, your freedom and your wallet. Find out 10 Things About Smart Meters and Solar for more tips from HelioPower on how to legally beat the system.

Source:  GetSolar.com
Thursday, December 8th 2011 2:01 PM

There are a lot of ways for electricity bills to run high in a place like southern California. With high temperatures year round and blistering summers, almost every home features at least some kind of air conditioning. Many homes also have pools that must be filtered. This only adds on top of all the televisions, computers and countless other consumer electronics that ring up the kilowatt-hours each month. Sam Spagnolo of Rancho Cucamonga, east of Los Angeles, paid for all of these with the added expense of having grandchildren who were all to happy to make use of them.

"My electric bills were averaging over $400 per month," Sam explained to California solar installer HelioPower when he first visited them about the possibility of adding a rooftop solar installation.

Four hundred dollars per month is fairly high for California, where the average bill was $82.85 per month in 2009, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but this includes the entire state, even the far cooler climes in the north. By comparison, nearby Arizona paid an average of $116.09 per month, despite seeing average electricity rates more than 25 percent lower. At California's excessive electricity prices, the sunny state could have been paying monthly bills of more than $156 on average.

Indeed, the state as a whole saw the second-lowest average monthly electricity usage in the entire country at 562 kilowatt-hours, behind only Maine. Tennessee, the state with the highest monthly usage in the country, would have faced average electricity bills of more than $205 per month at California's rates, though much of this disparity can be attributed to California's efforts at energy efficiency.

Nevertheless, the National Weather Service illustrates how much warmer it can get in the southern reaches of the state. Meanwhile, the state's tenth-highest residential electricity rates make clear how much of an impact this difference could have on residents bills.

After a long talk with a representative from HelioPower, Sam was certainly interested in the potential savings a residential solar installation could offer him under these circumstances. But at the end of the day, he decided he simply could not afford it.

"Quite frankly, although I could clearly see the returns, I wasn’t ready to make that big a commitment by buying a system," Sam told them.

That problem quickly solved itself, however, when California-based SunRun struck an agreement to work with HelioPower. SunRun's residential solar financing program offers homeowners the opportunity to add a solar installation and to cut down on their electricity bills simply by paying a fixed monthly bill or fixed rate for the electricity produced by the system.

Solar power purchase agreements arrangements can generally be made with little money down, and sometimes none at all. In Sam's case it cost only $1,000 and work started on his roof within only a few weeks of having HelioPower put through paperwork for the various permits and federal and state solar incentives.

Now, a 33-panel photovoltaic solar installation sits on the back roof of Sam's house. At 230 watts each, the solar panels combine for a peak

Solar in Rancho Cucamonga at Sam Spagnola's residence

capacity of 7.59 kilowatts and can produce more than 11,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's PVWATT Calculator. That represents more than one-and-a-half times the average Californian's annual energy needs. At California's average electricity price of 14.74 cents per kilowatt-hour, that amounts to more than $1,600 per year. Between a good first month that saw Sam's solar system produce enough to give him a $300 credit from his electricity company and a $500 rebate from the City of Rancho Cucamonga, it took only two months for Sam to earn back the $1,000 he paid in up-front costs, and he only expects to save more over the years.

Source:  Murrieta Patch
Writer:  Maggie Avants

For every new residential solar installation contract through Jan. 31, HelioPower will donate to Power to the People, a nonprofit bringing solar lighting to Nicaragua.

A Murrieta-based solar power company is teaming up with a nonprofit to bring solar power to those without lights in Nicaragua.

Photo by James Richard-Kao

This week, HelioPower and Power to the People launched “Help for the Holidays," a joint campaign to help households in California and Nicaragua secure affordable solar energy.

There are a number of moving parts, according to Glenna Wiseman, vice president of marketing for HelioPower.

"We want to help homeowners in California go solar with no installation cost and $500 cash back. They can also enter a $150 gift card giveaway," Wiseman said. "And we want to help families in Nicaragua have lighting through an established nonprofit."

The cash-back program and gift-card giveaway are being sponsored by Canadian Solar Inc., the panel manufacturer for HelioPower.

“We are very happy to sponsor a worthy program with industry-leading partners to bring clean energy to people around the world,” said Alan King, general manager of Canadian Solar USA, in a news release.

“Helping California consumers save money during the holiday season while also providing an important daily resource to people who otherwise might not have it is an ideal example of the power and reach of solar energy," King said.

For every home solar system installed through the campaign, which ends Jan. 31, 2012, HelioPower will donate to Power to the People's Solar Lighting program, Wiseman said.

"So many people around the world have no lights to see by at night," said Jenean Smith, executive director, Power to the People, and marketing director for Trojan Battery, in a news release.

"We're excited to work with HelioPower as we launch our Solar Lighting program in order to bring affordable solar lights to families in Nicaragua this winter," Smith said.

"It is difficult for us to imagine living without electricity when so much of our daily lives depend on it. Yet people in other parts of the world live without this resource."

HelioPower selected the $150 gift card amount because that is how much the average homeowner pays each month for electricity, Wiseman said, adding that anyone–even those who don't have a home–can enter to win.

The gift-card giveaway contest ends Dec. 21 and 10 winners will be announced Dec. 22.

"…We are very pleased that the campaign empowers California homeowners to assist families in Nicaragua in lighting their homes affordably as well," said Scott Gordon, vice president of residential sales for HelioPower.

To learn more about the "Help for the Holidays" campaign, click here.

Source: Run On Sun, September 9, 2011

From "State of Solar California" post by Jim Jenal:  In the first two installments in this series (Part 1 and Part 2) we looked at the most recent data from the California Solar Initiative (CSI) covering the first half of 2011 in Southern California Edison's (SCE) service area. Using that data we identified trends in cost, equipment and system efficiency.

Who Charges What?
Here is a chart of the Cost per Watt for the largest installation companies in the SCE service area (you can click on the chart to see it full size):

First, let us give credit where it is due.  The low end outlier is HelioPower, Inc., at $6.56/Watt, and they did it with an efficiency factor of 87% – second best of anyone on that chart. Nice.

But who is that way off in left field?  Coming in at a staggering $13.32/Watt – a full $1.40 higher than their nearest competitor and more that twice what HelioPower is charging – is Galkos Construction, Inc., also known as GCI Energy, out of Huntington Beach.  For that money, they must surely be offering only the most efficient and sophisticated technology, right?  Not so much.  To the contrary, the average installation efficiency for Galkos is only 84.9% – the second worst on the chart and well below the average of 86.11%.  In fact, 99% of the time Galkos appears to use Sharp panels – not exactly an exotic solar panel brand – and in particular the Sharp ND-224UC1 panel (66.5%). A quick Google search reveals that the Sharp ND-224UC1 can be purchased, at retail, for $2.65/Watt or less.  Given that Galkos handled 400 projects in this data set, it is hard to believe that their price for all of their equipment, particularly the Sharp panels, would not be not heavily discounted.

Quality Counts

Quality, of course, is important, and the data does not reveal – though the Internet hints at – the quality of installations from Galkos.  Here is how the company describes its own product offerings (from the “Services” page of their website):

Solar by GCI [Galkos Construction, Inc.] Energy
GCI Energy is the largest solar company in Southern California with over 30,000 customers. So you get the most knowledgeable professionals, excellent customer service and a better price.GCI Energy solar offers the highest efficiency solar panels on the market – those manufactured by Sharp. With Sharp Solar Panels, GCI Energy can tailor a solar panel installation to your specific needs and lifestyle, so you get maximum performance without a maximum investment.
(Emphasis added.)

Does Galkos actually have 30,000 solar customers?  Certainly not (nobody does).  Are they providing “a better price"?  It is not clear what their standard of comparison might be – but their price is not better than any of their major competitors in that chart.  And of course, the statement does not define what they mean by “the highest efficiency solar panels on the market,” but it seems unlikely that Sharp would make that claim.  Here’s one chart that concludes that they couldn’t (note the efficiency of the SunPower and Sanyo panels first, then search for Sharp).

All we can say in response is, caveat emptor.

Oddities – SolarCity

Now we turn to the Oddities section of this post.  Unlike the outliers, which were always of interest to us, we were not looking for the oddity we report here – it literally just jumped out at us.

Sold versus Leased

Question: What is the difference in reported cost between systems sold directly to the end customer and those that are leased (i.e., have a third-party owner in CSI parlance)?

The initial difference that we stumbled upon was so startling that we knew we needed to narrow our focus and control for as many variables as possible to isolate that one factor.  To achieve that end we restricted the data to those residential systems (i.e., between 1 and 10 kW) that were “pending” in the CSI/SCE data (thus, the newest proposed systems in the data which, based on our Part 1 analysis should mean the lowest cost systems). That way our project sample would be as homogenous as possible, eliminating cost variations based on system size and timing.

Given those restrictions, the top 5 installation companies in which the system is owned by a third party are: Verengo (482 systems), SolarCity (468), American Solar Direct (124), Sungevity (99), and HelioPower (63).  Of those five, only two also have direct sales projects pending: Verengo (7) and SolarCity (9).  Let’s see how they compare:

What is going on here?  For Verengo, as the number of systems increases – which it does in going from sold systems to leased systems – their cost per Watt decreases – which is what we would expect.  But not so for SolarCity – even though they are leasing 50 times as many systems as they are selling, their cost for the leased systems went up – way up – as in up by $3.12/Watt!

For the complete post by Jim Jenal of Run On Sun, please link here: http://runonsun.com/~runons5/blogs/blog1.php/solecon/state-of-solar-california-part3

HelioPower's Steve LoRusso and the company's solar installation at the Ronald McDonald House Charities in San Diego are featured in this Canadian Solar USA produced video.

From a home in Southern California, to the Ronald McDonald Charities House in San Diego, to a hulling facility in the San Joaquin Valley, watch how 3 individuals weigh the options and chose solar. Gain insights into how solar has impacted their families, their businesses, and their wallets.

SunRun Uncovers California's Highest Electric Bills – Over $2400 of Financial Pain

An Oroville family growing food for veterans' shelters will receive free solar power for 20 years from SunRun after presenting the largest electric bill in California. The family submitted a June electric bill for over $2400 to SunRun's Battle of the Bill's contest.

Family members David Sato and his father and sister were delighted to learn they can take charge of their electricity costs and save money while switching to clean solar power from dirty power sources like coal. SunRun partner HelioPower will perform the Sato's installation.

"When we moved to California we bought 13 acres so we could have a more self-dependent and local lifestyle," said homeowner David Sato. "We have big gardens, we're building an orchard so we can grow our own produce, and we want to support our needs with renewable energy as much as possible. We're hoping to grow enough to be able to donate a large portion of the food to the local veterans' shelter."

Despite the Sato's best efforts to make their home as energy efficient as possible – for example, energy-efficient light bulbs, double-pane windows, new insulation – they struggle to keep electricity costs down. The Sato's noted that increasing rates and volatility with the local electric company are constant financial challenges.

"We're so excited to have SunRun," said Sato. "Even if we didn't win the contest we'd switch to SunRun because you can go solar without paying thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. The fact that this company lets you lock in low rates for clean energy is a huge draw. The first thing we want to do with our savings is invest in more solar!"

"We offered this contest to help educate more homeowners that solar can be a low-cost, smart investment, and that it's a great way to take control of your energy costs," said SunRun President and Co-founder Lynn Jurich. "We're looking forward to helping another home make the switch affordably."

"We were overwhelmed by the number of entries we received, and by the fact that so many people didn't realize solar is an option for them," added Jurich. "Even families with bills as low as $100 can save money with clean solar energy."

SunRun is the nation's leading home solar company and owns, installs, and maintains home solar panels so families don't have to pay $30,000 or more for them. Homeowners lock in low solar electricity rates for 20 years, protected from unpredictable utility rate increases. The company installs more than $1 million in solar every day. Details on Battle of the Bills can be found at: http://www.sunrunhome.com/landing-pages/highest-bill-ca.

Source:  SunRun

HelioPower Launches “Solar Overload” Video to See How Many Appliances it Takes to Spin a Residential Power Meter Forward with a Typically Sized Solar Power System

As summer blazes on and residential electric bills increase, HelioPower, an integrated energy solutions company with over 2000 solar and clean energy systems engineered and installed since 2001, today launched “Solar Overload” a first-of-its-kind video demonstrating how many appliances it takes to overload a typical residential solar installation.

“Solar Overload, How Many Appliances Does It Take to Spin the Meter Forward?” features a 4 kilowatt (kW) residential solar power system in Laguna Niguel, CA.  The system was installed in 2006 on the home of Scott Gordon, now the vice president of residential sales for HelioPower.  Scott and team member, Bret Pursuit, demonstrate how  many appliances it takes in Scott’s 2200 square foot home to incur a utility charge, or “spin the meter” forward.

“As a leading solar installation firm in California, HelioPower is committed to educating consumers on the benefits of solar,” said Scott Gordon, Vice President, Residential Sales, HelioPower, Inc. “In ‘Solar Overload’ I’m able to show just how many appliances it takes to activate a utility cost from my residential solar power system.  Over the five years I’ve had the solar panel system my family has saved $10,000 in utility bills.  We are able to demonstrate how that happens when you see the many appliances it takes to spin the meter forward.”

Filming took place at approximately 2pm on a sunny day last month.  Scott turned on two refrigerators, two DVRs, one laptop and 21” monitor, one cell phone charger, 56 light bulbs, one attic fan and five ceiling fans set on high.  The solar power system still generated enough power to keep the meter running backwards. Find out what happens when he turns on a microwave, electric clothes dryer, energy efficient washing machine and a pool pump!