Whidbey Sun & Wind, LLC -- Renewable Energy Systems -- FAQ

What can I do today to reduce my electricity use?
I'm planning to build a new home and incorporate renewable energy. At what point should I contact WSW?
I think I want WSW to design and install a renewable energy system for me. What do I do now?
What are the benefits of a solar PV system?
How do I know if my site would be a good one for a solar PV system?
How much should I budget for a solar PV system?
What are the benefits of a solar hot water system?
How do I know if my site would be a good one for a solar hot water system?
How much for a solar hot water system?
What about solar hot water for hydronic space heating?
Wind?
Do you have demonstration systems on site and may I come for a visit?
Tell me more about the financial incentives for installing a renewable energy system.
What are your rates and service policies?
What is your warranty?
How about some renewable energy fun facts?
Now that I have a grid-tied renewable energy system, how do I read the meters?

What can I do today to reduce my electricity use?

In a word, conserve! By far the most cost effective way to cut your power bill, as well as to leave a smaller footprint on the planet, is to conserve energy. Turn down your thermostat. Change your light bulbs. Eliminate your phantom loads. Purchase energy-efficient appliances. In general, every $1 you spend on conservation will save you $3 to $5 in the cost of a renewable energy system needed to produce that energy.

I'm planning to build a new home and incorporate renewable energy. At what point should I contact WSW?

The earlier the better! Incorporating renewable energy usage in your design plans from the beginning makes everything flow more smoothly in the end.

I think I want WSW to design and install a renewable energy system for me. What do I do now?

Contact us to schedule a Site Evaluation and Consultation. The price is reasonable -- $100 (travel time is extra off-Island) -- and is applied to future purchase.

What are the benefits of a solar PV system?

Hedge against rising energy costs -- purchase 30 -- 40 years of power in advance at today's costs
Clean, renewable, and silent energy source -- no emissions or greenhouse gases
Add value and equity to your home
Reduce your dependency on the grid
Power when the grid is down, if you have a battery back-up system
Offset CO₂, NOX, SO₄

How do I know if my site would be a good one for a solar PV system?

Here are some general criteria:

Southern exposure is best
Southeast and southwest are also viable, but not ideal
Sun for at least 6 hours per day
Open area clear of shading
Roof must be in good condition, unless you are planning a pole mount, of course

How much should I budget for a solar PV system?

Here are some broad figures. The minimum budget for a PV system to generate electricity is about $12K. Battery back-up typically adds about $8K to the system. This figure can be even higher, depending on client needs and wants. The larger the system, the more cost effective it is from a price per watt standpoint. For example, a 1000 watt system is around $12k or $12/watt while a 6000 watt system is around $48K or $8/watt.

What are the benefits of a solar hot water system?

Reduce dependency on fossil fuels
Reduce your household energy bill 15-30%
Add value and equity to your home

How do I know if my site would be a good one for a solar hot water system?

Here are some general criteria:

Uninterrupted roof area of about 7 feet x 5 feet -- clear of shading
Southern exposure best, SE or SW will do
Sun for at least 6 hours per day
2-tank system requires space for an additional solar water tank near current tank
Single tank systems utilize a solar storage tank with internal electric heating element
Roof must be in good condition, unless you are planning a pole mount, of course

How much for a solar hot water system?

Solar hot water systems range from about $8K for a simple domestic hot water system for a small family to $16K for a large home system with hot water use for space heating.

What about solar hot water for hydronic space heating?

Space heating is the biggest energy use in most homes. For a large family or a household with extraordinary hot water use, domestic water heating can also be a large energy use. A single solar water heating system can supply domestic hot water and supplement space heating. However, it is not cost effective to provide most of your space heating with solar in our climate. This is because when you need the most heat is when the solar resource is the least.

If we were to greatly increase the size of the solar collector to provide for space heating needs then there would be too much heat to store in the summer. A heat diversion would be needed to get rid of the excess heat. In addition, for solar heating to supplement hydronic heating, the heating system must operate at a low temperature, with return (from the floor to the boiler) temperatures below 100 degrees. Many heating contractors set the temperatures high so that the floor will respond more quickly to adjustments in the thermostat or to heat loss. These higher temperatures also mean less efficient operation, and less usable input from the solar system. Hybrid solar hot water systems that provide both domestic hot water and space heating are complex and can be costly. When incorporated in new construction, the cost is mitigated somewhat.

So does WSW install such systems? Yes, provided a client has realistic expectations. Kelly's home has extra solar collectors to supplement space heating needs. However, he designed the radiant floor system to run at low temperatures and he and his family are willing to be patient for adjustments in temperature.

Wind?

Information coming soon.

Do you have demonstration systems on site and may I come for a visit?

WSW "borrows" the Keilwitz family systems to show off the joy and wonders of renewable energy systems. Kelly enjoys giving tours, but as he is often out working on installations, it is imperative that anyone wanting to see systems in action call for an appointment.

Tell me more about the financial incentives for installing a renewable energy system.

Happy to!
First, renewable energy systems rated over 200 Watts are exempt from Washington State sales tax. Design, equipment, and installation costs are all tax-free. On Whidbey Island that's an immediate 8.4% savings!
Second, you can opt for a grid-tie system and sell your excess electricity. Currently the pay-back rate for power sold through this Washington State program (administered locally by PSE) is nearly 4 times the price consumers pay for electricity. Thus, if you want to completely offset your electricity costs with a PV system , it only needs to be sized to produce 1/4 (25%) of the energy you use.!
Third, through 2008 the federal government is giving you a $2000 tax credit for installing solar electric or solar hot water systems -- even more for businesses!
See our our incentives page for a thorough discussion of incentives for both residential and commercial customers.

What are your rates and service policies?

This is a little beyond the scope of a FAQ. Click here for all the fine print.

What is your warranty?

In brief, WSW provides a one-year warranty on installation. Equipment is warranted by the manufacturer. Labor time will be charged for WSW troubleshooting and replacement of components beyond our one-year warranty period. For more warranty detail, click here.

Some renewable energy fun facts ...

If the energy produced by burning gas or oil was instead generated by a 1 kW solar-electric (photovoltaic, or PV) system on Whidbey Island, over a ton of carbon dioxide would be prevented from entering the atmosphere each year. A 1kW PV array on Whidbey Island will displace 8 pounds of CO2 per day, or 1.4 tons per year, otherwise emitted by coal-burning generation.
Solar-electric (PV) modules recoup the energy used to produce them ("embodied energy") in 2 to 4 years. They go onto produce non-polluting energy for another 40 to 50 years.

Meter Reading 101

Now you have not one, but two power meters! Why? What does each measure? How are they read? Here's a short course on reading your net meter and production meter, and more importantly, making sense of what you're reading. First, some definitions:

Net meters vs production meters

Net metering is the difference between the electrical energy in kilowatt-hours (kWh) that has been delivered from the utility to the customer and the excess energy that has been received by the utility from the customer. The amount of excess energy the customer sends back to the utility is equivalent to the total amount of renewable energy generated, minus the amount of renewable energy that is used by the customer.
Digital net meters record the energy delivered to the customer separately from the energy received by the utility. Any energy received by the utility is credited on the customer's bill. The most significant benefit reflected in the power bill from net metering is in offset energy delivered that the customer does not need to buy, because much of the renewable energy is used as it's produced. The excess 'net' energy received by the utility and credited on the power bill is typically a small value.
Production metering is the total AC electrical energy output of the customer's renewable energy system, before any of the energy is used by the customer. Production metering is the basis for WA state incentive payments administered by the utility (for PSE, the Renewable Energy Advantage Program, or REAP). The production meter reading is also the basis for Green Tag (Renewable Energy Credit) sales.
Battery-less renewable energy systems should only record the amount of energy delivered by the system to the customer's electrical panel. Battery-based renewable energy systems will sometimes use grid energy to charge the batteries (such as following a sustained grid outage). Thus, the production meters for battery-based systems will record the amount of energy delivered from the utility, as well as the amount received by the utility from the renewable energy system.

Net and Production meters have a display similar to the one below:

Reading your net meter

Look at the numbers on the right. The meter will scroll through several sets of numbers. The pictured meter reads '888'. This is a display segment check. It's merely so that you can see that all the LCD segments that make up the numbers are displaying properly. All numerals across the entire display will be 8's.
Next the meter will read '002'. This reading is the energy, in kWh, delivered from the utility to the customer.
Some meters will next read '003'. Disregard this reading.
Next the meter will read '006'. This display is the kWh received by the utility from the customer -- the excess net energy produced by the customer's renewable energy system.
There are two sets of arrows on your net meter. Disregard the lower arrow. The upper arrow indicates the present state of your PV system. A left arrow indicates that you are generating more power than you are using and the utility is receiving power from your renewable energy system. This will increase the '006' value on your meter. A right arrow indicates that the utility is delivering power to you, thus increasing the '002' value.

Reading your production meter

As on the net meter, the important readings on your production meter are '002' and '006'.
The display corresponding with '002' on your production meter is the total energy, in kWh, generated, or delivered, by your renewable energy system.
The '006' display on the production meter is the kWh your system has used, or received from the grid. This normally will be zero. For battery-based systems there may be a small number.
Most PSE–installed production meters for battery–based systems have a “X10” multiplier. That is, the displayed readings must be multiplied by 10 to get the actual values. Meter multipliers are noted on the meter faceplates. Production incentive and Green Tag payments are based on the '002' energy values minus the '006' energy values.
We know that's a lot to remember. So here is a pdf document that you can print and take out to your meters with you.