HES Blog
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San Diego is California’s #1 Solar City
San Diego was named California’s number one solar city in a press conference yesterday at Point Loma Nazarene University in Point Loma. According to a report by Environment California, it ranked first in number of rooftop systems with 4,507 systems installed and also ranked number one in terms of kilowatts with 36, 775. Los Angeles came in second with a little over 4,000 systems in place. Mayor Jerry Sanders was at the conference and he hailed the local policy and programs that are in place as the reason why San Diego is number...
read moreSDG&E’s Proposed “Network Use Charge” Nixed!
Just yesterday the CPUC ruled against the proposed Network Use Charge we have been fighting so diligently to abolish. Commissioner Ferron ruled that the network use charge is not to be accepted in this rate case and SDG&E must resubmit without a Network Use Charge. There is an article on the front page of today’s UT, you can also view that article here. This is a HUGE win for solar and extends the promise of many more sunny days for our beloved industry. This ruling was unprecedented as we weren’t expecting a final...
read moreSDG&E Seeks To Destroy Solar Industry – ACT NOW
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) recently submitted a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requesting to change the current rate structure and charge solar producers for using the utility’s power lines to transport electricity – called a “network use charge.” The newly proposed rate increase will restructure your current Net Energy Metering Agreement with SDG&E and make owning and operating your solar system more expensive. Also increasing electricity costs for non-solar utility customers,...
read moreWhats my Solar System Worth?
A recent study was done by UC San Diego and UCLA to try to pinpoint the property value of an installed solar system. The report, released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, studied homes in San Diego and Sacramento. Using both hedonics and a repeat sales index approach, the researchers where able to determine the average increase in the selling price of a home with solar was 4% greater than that of a home without solar. The numbers where better in neighborhoods with a higher ratio of college educated residents. If you are...
read moreThe Solar Loan is Here
Yesterday, Home Energy Systems received access to the Solar Loan through Addison Avenue Federal Credit Union. This loan is designed specifically for residential solar projects. We love this financial vehicle for many reasons: Simple interest, unsecured financing, which means there are no hidden escalators or fees. We can show you exactly what your payments will be for the life of the loan and guarantee they will not change, very much unlike your electric bill. Ease of Application. It only takes a 10 –...
read moreHome Energy Systems is Celebrating its 10 Year Anniversary!!
Come join us as we celebrate 10 years of doing business in San Diego! We are very excited to invite all of our beloved customers as well as anyone who wants to come learn about solar PV. The days activities will include: • Discussion on the Scottish Rite Solar Electric System – Whats that thing on my roof and how does it work? • Discussion with 100 solar families – Come meet people who have been solar customers for up to 10 years. • Discussion on Solar and Electric cars - How to think beyond expensive and dirty...
read moreHES Adds Solar Financing Options
With new financing options from Home Energy Systems almost anyone with a roof can afford to go solar! We are pleased to announce new financing options that really open up the market. Solar is a wise investment for folks who have the cash, but with the new financing options just released by HES you too can afford this great technology – without the large upfront costs! Lease The lease is a 20 year term option that should get a lot of folks excited. This option allows you to go solar for zero money down. That means...
read moreYou Can’t Produce Your Own Gasoline, But You Can Produce Your Own Electricity
Todays Topic: Electric Vehicles and Solar Many people will argue that electric vehicles are nothing more than displacing the issue of green house gas emissions (GHGs). We’ve heard it a hundred times; “It doesn’t fix anything, you plug your car into the wall and the electricity comes from an plant that burns coal, oil, whatever…… We’ve even seen some cartoons regarding the issue. We get it and we agree it doesn’t fix the problem but it does put a pretty large band-aid on it. It takes...
read moreFederal Renewable Energy Grant Extended
It’s official: A beloved federal grant program for renewable energy generation projects gets to live for another year. President Obama signed a tax package on Friday that extended a grant program, which provides 30 percent of the cost of a clean power project. The signing capped a flurry of lobbying efforts by renewable energy trade groups to keep the program going beyond its original sunset date of Dec. 31, 2010. The program was born out of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and was meant to help sustain an emerging industry...
read moreKeeping California’s Future Green
Last Tuesday, voters rejected Proposition 23, which would have basically suspended AB 32 — California’s climate change law — and also voted in Jerry Brown for Governor, a candidate with a much more environmentally-friendly record than his opponent former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Characterized as an attempt by Texas oil companies to block Governor Schwarzenegger’s climate change legislation AB32, Prop 23 sparked an extremely successful campaign from the green lobby, resulting in the proposition being defeated. Over sixty per cent of...
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