An innovative new program to finance renewable energy retrofits for homes and businesses is in development in New Mexico. Called Property-Assessed Clean Energy or PACE, the program gives people the opportunity to install Solar Thermal, Solar Photovoltaic, geothermal systems or wind generators with little or no upfront costs and at a low interest rate. PACE has been successfully implemented in many areas of the United States.
In 2009, the New Mexico state legislature passed two laws to enable county governments to raise money through the issuance of bonds to fund clean energy projects for their residents.
The loan is paid over a set number of years through a special tax or assessment on the
property tax bill of those home or business owners who chose to enroll in the program. The
lien is actually on the property and not the individual. If the property is sold before the
loan is satisfied, the new property owner inherits the payments as well as the system.
PACE has many advantages for the State of New Mexico.
Implementing PACE will:
• Finance clean energy systems for everyone including low-income home owners.
• Decrease carbon pollution in our state.
• Lower energy bills for New Mexicans especially those who heat with expensive propane.
• Encourage job growth and economic stimulus for New Mexico.
To date, the PACE programs have been stalled nation-wide due to objections made by Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac. Many high-powered people are fighting for Pace but they need our help.
We encourage you to call your legislatures on the federal, state and county levels to ask
them to support PACE.
For more information about PACE, go to:
NM Dept. of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources:
http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/ECMD/CleanEnergyTaxIncentives/CleanEnergyFinancing.htm
Renew Santa Fe: https://renewsantafe.com/systems/energy
PACE NOW: http://pacenow.org/blog/
Vote Solar: http://votesolar.org/
Solar Energy Industries Association: http://www.seia.org/
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Solar 101 for Women
OIL SPILL HAS WOMEN THINKING ABOUT ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
The BP oil spill in the Gulf brings to mind an old Cuban saying that goes: "The good thing about this situation is how bad it is." The oil spill disaster has got a lot more people thinking the way we have all along, which is that we need to reduce our usage of fossil fuels. They are dangerous! We are getting more calls for information about solar from women! As a woman who has worked most of her life in the high-tech, male-dominated field of telecommunications, I am thrilled with the calls from women.
When I designed our new website, two of my goals were to make the website warm and inviting and to help people learn a little bit about solar technology. Solar is much like computers were 25 years--only the geeks really understood it all.
SOLAR JUST MAKES ELECTRICITY, DOESN'T IT?
Solar is not that difficult to understand. It is basically just this--energy from the sun is collected to produce either heat (Solar Thermal) to directly heat the space or domestic water in our homes, or, with different equipment, make electricity (Solar Photovoltaics). The sun has been successfully making heat for over 5 million years. There is a good chance it won't stop any time soon. All we have to do is harvest its energy!
So how do you know which solar system you need in your home? Think in terms of heat and power. Nearly half of your energy dollars are spent for heat. Solar Thermal gives you more energy for a lot less money. Whether your furnace and hot water heater use gas or electricity, always use a Solar Thermal system to make the heat. For lights and most other appliances, use a Photovoltaic system. It is just that easy.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Solar is an investment. You can compare it to the investment you would make for a new car or remodeling your kitchen. Every woman knows that you will never be able to sell a car for the same price you paid for it, but, a remodeled kitchen will increase the value of your home. If you sell your home, you can usually recoup the cost of the kitchen upgrade. Adding a solar system to your home will also increase the value of your home. You will also recoup the cost of the system if you sell your home. However, the solar system will make its own payments by the money you save on your utility bills! There is no other investment that you can make that will actually pay for itself!
HOW DO I KNOW THAT MIRASOL SOLAR WILL GIVE ME THE BEST VALUE
All of our thermal systems are designed according to ASHRAE standards. We use SRCC rated equipment. We follow all the state laws. We guarantee that a Mirasol Thermal system will produce more energy for you than a system from any of our competitors at the least cost per BTU. If you get a less expensive quote from another company, bring it to us. We will go over it with you and tell you what they left out to make the system cheaper and if we can also take out those parts and still make your system function the way you want it.
Check out our rating with the BBB.
The BP oil spill in the Gulf brings to mind an old Cuban saying that goes: "The good thing about this situation is how bad it is." The oil spill disaster has got a lot more people thinking the way we have all along, which is that we need to reduce our usage of fossil fuels. They are dangerous! We are getting more calls for information about solar from women! As a woman who has worked most of her life in the high-tech, male-dominated field of telecommunications, I am thrilled with the calls from women.
When I designed our new website, two of my goals were to make the website warm and inviting and to help people learn a little bit about solar technology. Solar is much like computers were 25 years--only the geeks really understood it all.
SOLAR JUST MAKES ELECTRICITY, DOESN'T IT?
Solar is not that difficult to understand. It is basically just this--energy from the sun is collected to produce either heat (Solar Thermal) to directly heat the space or domestic water in our homes, or, with different equipment, make electricity (Solar Photovoltaics). The sun has been successfully making heat for over 5 million years. There is a good chance it won't stop any time soon. All we have to do is harvest its energy!
So how do you know which solar system you need in your home? Think in terms of heat and power. Nearly half of your energy dollars are spent for heat. Solar Thermal gives you more energy for a lot less money. Whether your furnace and hot water heater use gas or electricity, always use a Solar Thermal system to make the heat. For lights and most other appliances, use a Photovoltaic system. It is just that easy.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Solar is an investment. You can compare it to the investment you would make for a new car or remodeling your kitchen. Every woman knows that you will never be able to sell a car for the same price you paid for it, but, a remodeled kitchen will increase the value of your home. If you sell your home, you can usually recoup the cost of the kitchen upgrade. Adding a solar system to your home will also increase the value of your home. You will also recoup the cost of the system if you sell your home. However, the solar system will make its own payments by the money you save on your utility bills! There is no other investment that you can make that will actually pay for itself!
HOW DO I KNOW THAT MIRASOL SOLAR WILL GIVE ME THE BEST VALUE
All of our thermal systems are designed according to ASHRAE standards. We use SRCC rated equipment. We follow all the state laws. We guarantee that a Mirasol Thermal system will produce more energy for you than a system from any of our competitors at the least cost per BTU. If you get a less expensive quote from another company, bring it to us. We will go over it with you and tell you what they left out to make the system cheaper and if we can also take out those parts and still make your system function the way you want it.
Check out our rating with the BBB.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Mirasol Integrated System Design Update
Barbara from Los Cerrillos, NM contacted us in January with a request to purchase 4 Evacuated Tube Collectors to assist with heating her 2000 square foot, radiant heated home and her indoor swimming pool. She is using propane to heat both her home and the swimming pool and her heating costs are huge! Barbara had some of her own ideas on how to make only 4 solar collectors work for her--she is an experienced construction contractor herself and very savvy. Luis went over her plans with her and found that in order to achieve her goals of 60% efficiency with solar, she would need to add more collectors and a huge, custom-made water storage tank. Integrated systems--providing energy for more than one purpose with the same system--is very tricky. She would have to double the budget she had planned for the project.
Luis was up for the challenge and decided he would design the system for her to do what she needed with the budget she had planned. He spent days of his own time consulting with solar engineers and manufacturers of solar products to come up with the perfectly designed, integrated, pressurized 50 gallon storage tank drain-back solar thermal system. New products & new discoveries in solar engineering have made this kind of system possible. It takes a gifted mechanical designer who is willing to learn new things, like Luis, to design a system with this kind of complexity and build it for half the money than our competitors charge for the standard glycol systems.
In Barbara's new solar system, Luis installed a customized Mirasol Energy Controller. The controller is also a Mirasol proprietary design that will reduce the cost of installing a solar system.
Mirasol Solar Energy Systems goal is to find ways for solar to be affordable for everyone. If you would like to install solar in your home, give us a call. A custom-designed solar system by Mirasol Solar Energy Systems is affordable!
We will post photos of Barbara's system at a later date.
Luis was up for the challenge and decided he would design the system for her to do what she needed with the budget she had planned. He spent days of his own time consulting with solar engineers and manufacturers of solar products to come up with the perfectly designed, integrated, pressurized 50 gallon storage tank drain-back solar thermal system. New products & new discoveries in solar engineering have made this kind of system possible. It takes a gifted mechanical designer who is willing to learn new things, like Luis, to design a system with this kind of complexity and build it for half the money than our competitors charge for the standard glycol systems.
In Barbara's new solar system, Luis installed a customized Mirasol Energy Controller. The controller is also a Mirasol proprietary design that will reduce the cost of installing a solar system.
Mirasol Solar Energy Systems goal is to find ways for solar to be affordable for everyone. If you would like to install solar in your home, give us a call. A custom-designed solar system by Mirasol Solar Energy Systems is affordable!
We will post photos of Barbara's system at a later date.
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