Big Solar Legislation/Are you getting a rain barrel?/Cash for Clunker Appliances November 2009

Dear friends-

1) First, a big thanks to solar customer Dave McArthur for being the first to update us on monumental legislation signed into law last week by the Guv’na! This may be a sign that the stranglehold that our powerful utilities have had on the system may be weakening, if only slightly. Last Tuesday evening Bill AB 920 was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger. This legislation requires utilities in the state to compensate customers that generate excess electricity each calendar year, and should be sorted out by January 1/2011. Just in time for you to go solar and have a big surplus! Yes, that means that according to the legislation, you will be entitled to receive an actual check for any extra energy you have produced from your solar system. It is also looking like the rate of compensation, set by the PUC, will be quite favorable. Wow! Up until this time, if you happened to produce more electricity than you used, state utilities kept a credit for you up to one year, but if that surplus was not used they would simply take it and sell it for their own profit. What a move in the right direction. Our state legislators also approved a bill that would increase the commercial rate of compensation for solar energy, further incentivizing businesses toward building solar energy capabilities.

2) Thanks to everyone who let us know that they signed up for a 55 gallon rain barrel. The response was fantastic, so we hope you all receive one. If you do in fact get scheduled for installation, can you please let us know? We’d love to film the easy installation to show more people how its done. Rainwater collection is so easy and really makes a measurable contribution to saving water and reducing runoff.

3) The Federal Appliance Rebate Program is coming soon. It looks like it will be launched by November 1 or so. Allocations for the program are based on state population, so California will receive about $35 million to allocate for $50-$200 cash rebates for Energy Efficient Appliances. This is on top of the rebates already available by LADWP, SoCal Gas, and SoCal Watersmart program. This is huge! That $900 front loader washer could actually cost you just $370 after the federal rebate is applied. A front loading washer uses as much as 85% less water and energy than a top loader. BUT, it is important that you wait until the program starts. We’ve noticed that when rebate programs are funded, they most often require that the appliance be purchased after the program has launched. (probably to measure the very temporary stimulus the programs are creating) A purchase even the day before does not qualify. We’ll keep you posted as to the exact launch of the federal program.

Thanks for reading!

Matt