Pooling Resources: North Rim HOA

Commercial Case Study

North Rim HOA
Mission Valley, cA

Challenge

The North Rim community leaders were looking for a way to save energy costs for their community center, which includes a large swimming pool. They were also interested in offsetting energy costs to light for the community’s tennis courts.

Solution

A 60-panel ground mount solar panel array was built on a nearby hillside. The solar system was designed and installed to deliver electricity through two separate meters. The commercial solar system turns Southern California sunshine into renewable energy that benefits all the residents of the multi-family North Rim community. The energy needs of the large pool facility now draws the bulk of its power needs directly from San Diego sunshine. The tennis courts’ energy costs are completely covered by selling energy back to the utility during the day.

Customer Benefit

The energy meter for the community pool now consumes 75% solar energy. The tennis courts take advantage of net metering to offset 100% of their energy costs to light the courts. After the success of the community-shared solar system, the community HOA leaders established HES Solar as the association’s preferred solar company. HES Solar could then offer home solar systems to each individual unit in the community. The growing solar partnership allows San Diegans to benefit directly and indirectly from the cost savings brought by solar energy production

The North Rim HOA made the decision to install a common-area solar array, yielding energy savings of approximately $12,000 to $18,000 per year. These cost savings will expand as electricity rates rise. The savings allowed the Association to offset other increasing expenses, such as water, insurance, and services. The HES Solar array provided an effective and reliable means to mitigate one of our community’s large, recurring expenses.

Ben Davis, Chair, North Rim Solar Committee

Quick Facts

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NET ENERGY METERING 3.0 INFORMATION

Net Energy Metering 3.0 (NEM 3.0) is the incoming law created by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The new tariffs and fees will impact both residential and commercial solar systems built in California. 

As this notice is posted in November of 2022, the Proposed Decision from the CPUC outlining the proposed NEM 3.0 terms is expected soon. This comes after a year’s delay. Once the new agreement is finalized and passed into law, there will exist a designation of the deadline under which new systems will continue to qualify for NEM 2.0 rates. 

The new NEM 3.0 rates will be designed to lower the value of electricity during the daytime hours, when solar is producing, and increase the value of electricity during the evening hours, when solar homes and businesses purchase electricity. In short, NEM 3.0 will create a “sell low, buy high” proposition to new solar system owners. 

To Californians looking to install a solar system on their home or commercial building, the NEM 2.0 rates will be preferred. As of this post, the solar industry does not know the details of how different the NEM 3.0 rates will be from the NEM 2.0 rates. 

Please use the HES Solar website as a resource to learn more, and please take our offer to speak with an HES Solar Energy Consultant at no obligation.

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Robert Laverty

Senior Energy Consultant, Residential

Robert Laverty joined the HES team in the summer of 2018, bringing his ten years of solar design experience and his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound with him. Robert is dedicated to finding solutions to help families produce and store electricity in order to reduce their reliance on grid power as well as help reduce their household’s carbon footprint. Robert’s experience as a newspaper editor as well as his involvement with the sustainability-focused Rocky Mountain Institute drives him to constantly seek out innovative ways to meet energy needs through renewable resources as well as helps him share those ideas with Southern California homeowners. When not at work or volunteering time with his church or community, Robert spends time with his wife and two sons or pursues his passion of fly fishing.
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