Meg Simone is known for creating timeless wedding films at New England’s most gorgeous destinations. Her home post-production studio is where precious moments come to be – thanks to a fair amount of electricity! Making her operation a little greener this year is a pole-mounted 3.7kw photovoltaic sstem installed be ReVision Energy just in time for the holidays.

Meg shares her enthusiasm for the system in this quick video:

We touched based with Meg to ask her about the process and what she likes about the new system:

When we built our house we put in a evacuated tube solar hot water system with ReVision. We know there are other options out there for solar installers but we love the personal attention, ease of install (thanks Jen for taking care of the paperwork) and customer service that stands behind the product. The vast experience from the team at ReVision is unmatched. You don’t have to take my word for it, you can read their bios!

We had wanted to add solar electricity for a long time, and finally the incentives and rebates afforded us the opportunity. ReVision made my life easy and this process FUN. The guys are so friendly we told them to come in for lunch on the 2nd day of the install! In fact, the team is so friendly and personal it feels like a friend has helped install this not just a business.

We love seeing how much power the system makes each day. It’s a good feeling to know that the sun can power our at-home businesses and reduce our carbon footprint.

See some more photos of the installation on our Facebook page, courtesy of Meg:

The solar hot water system for Bow-based homeowners Gail and Leon Kenison allows them to use their oil boiler for backup only, with a wood stove for primary heating.

We had a chance to speak with Gail Kenison, a homeowner in Bow, New Hampshire who recently had us install a cost-effective solar hot water system that will essentially keep the boiler off from May to October.

Gail and her husband, Leon, had already cut down oil use in their home dramatically by choosing to heat primarily with wood. In the winter, their oil boiler still served as a source for hot water and backup space heat. But with their boiler running throughout the summer for the sole purpose of heating water, they decided to take the next step and invest in solar hot water.

“We’ve tried to stay in tune with all the renewable energy options, and had wanted to do something for a while,” Gail says, “We learned about solar at a continuing education class, and discovered that solar thermal presented a great solution for our home.”

Solar Hot Water Works

The Kenisons had ReVision Energy install two American-made Chromagen 4×8 flat plate solar hot water collectors and an 80G super insulated dual-coil solar storage tank. Whenever the rooftop collector temperature is hotter than the water at the bottom of the 80-gallon storage tank, a differential temperature controller automatically activates the solar circulating pump, which pumps solar-heated propylene glycol (a sugar water antifreeze solution) down from the collectors and through the bottom heat exchange coil in the tank, thereby transferring the heat from the sun to the water in the tank. The system includes automatic hot water backup from the oil boiler for those times of year when the solar resource is not strong enough to meet 100% of domestic hot water demand.

“The experience has been great so far,” Gail says, “The install team was knowledgeable, very professional, and clearly took the time to do the job right. They made us feel very comfortable with their work and took the extra time to help us understand the system. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

Even as the Kenison’s solar thermal system enters the heating season, it should produce up to half of their household’s hot water. Since they’ll be heating primarily with wood, that means their boiler will only need to run as a backup for both heat and hot water – creating some substantial fuel savings and CO2 reductions!

A 4kw solar electric system recently installed in Portsmouth, NH with premium Sunpower solar electric modules.

This just in from the NH PUC – the residential solar electric (GTPV) rebate in New Hampshire has returned! The rebate, available for systems under 5kw in capacity, is $1.25 per watt up to a maximum of $4,500 or 50% of the system cost, whichever is less.

Of the $927,964 of funding, $500,000 is already committed to waitlisted projects, so if you want to take advantage of the credit, the time to act is now! Combined with unprecedented solar electric prices (in the $4.5/watt range), grid-tied photovoltaic (GTPV) systems are an incredible deal in New Hampshire.

Here is what a 3.6kw system, enough to make out the rebate, looks like:

$16,200 gross installed cost
-($4,860) 30% federal tax credit
-($4,500) state of NH rebate
$6,840 net investment

This system locks in your electric rate for 20 years at around .06c/kWh!!!  At today’s prices, the system will produce around $750/yr worth of electricity, for a payback of under 10 years.

As half of the funds are already committed, we urge you to act now if you want to take advantage of this generous state incentive.  Contact us to get started with a free evaluation.

Full details on the NH Solar rebate on PUC website: http://www.puc.nh.gov/Sustainable%20Energy/RenewableEnergyRebates.html

Over the weekend over 20 people came out for our open house at Charles Forcey’s home in Durham, which sports a recently installed solar hot water and solar electric system

As we’ve previously reported, New Hampshire’s solar hot water rebate program has been running low on funds, and we’ve just received word that only 48 spots are left for the $2,000 federal portion of the rebate.

Once these funds are committed, the average $2,600-$2,900 rebate is reduced to $600-900.

With oil prices what they are, and the generous 30% federal tax credit, solar hot water is still an excellent investment, however if you’ve been holding out for a drop in prices — don’t! The rebates will unlikely ever be this good again.

If you’ve talked to us before, or are interested in moving forward on a proposal, please contact us to get moving, and soak up those rays of sun!


Tom Southworth’s BEYOND net zero home will sell power to the grid each year!

Tom Southworth’s commitment to sustainability runs deep. Since 1974 he’s owned and operated a water-powered sawmill in Lancaster, New Hampshire, around which he built the successful Garland Mill Timberframes business. Tom imparted his passion to his son Ben, whose work includes turning a 1970s ranch house into a LEED Platinum, Net Zero showcase. So when it came time to build a home to retire in, Tom set his sights high: he wanted a house that would not only generate all of the electricity it uses each year, but also produce a surplus to sell to the grid.

New Hampshire Ups the Ante

“What got me started in this direction is when New Hampshire went beyond net billing and offered to write me a check if I produce more power than I use,” Tom says. “I took a hard look at my energy usage and determined that 8,000 kWh/year would allow us to meet all our needs and be a net exporter of electricity.”

Most impressive is that Tom both exports power to the grid and heats his home with electricity. While conventional wisdom is that electric heat is expensive, 21st century building standards challenge that assumption completely.

“While it’s not official yet, we built this house to meet German passivhaus standards,” Tom says. “This means an extremely well-insulated building envelope consisting of 12″ exterior side walls packed with cellulose sheathed with 2″ foam, and 40″ of cellullose packed into the truss system. We moved in on April 1st and so far have not used any heating whatsoever.”

Tracking Results

Tom Southworth’s solar thermal storage tank is tied into its own electric meter to track run time of the backup electric element

To keep track of his goals, Tom uses a decidedly analog but very effective method of monitoring his systems – an extra electric meter dedicated to tracking photovoltaic production, and a second dedicated to his hot water tank. In addition to the photovoltaic system, Tom had us install a solar hot water system tied into an existing 120 gallon storage tank with electric backup.

“Since we don’t really know much electricity our backup tank will use in the winter, we added the second meter so we could really understand it,” Tom says, “We expect to use only solar-heated water from May through September and will be closely watching how much the electric element is needed in the other months.”

Power While the Sun Shines

Now that everything is up and running, Tom says the system is so far “on target” for photovoltaic production.

“I’m 100% pleased with the system,” Tom says, “I look forward to enjoying my years of retirement knowing my energy comes from the sun.”

A recently installed solar hot water system in Gorham, New Hampshire

Now’s the time to get in your reservation if you want to benefit from New Hampshire’s generous residential solar hot water rebate (averaging $2,600 for most homes).

We’ve received word that the reservation window has been reduced from 12 months to 3 months (that is, the window you have between submitting a pre-approval and having your installation completed), per request from the DOE.

The state is encouraging homeowners to complete all of their solar hot water installations by this October. Due to the popularity of the program we encourage you to contact us today if you want to get a system installed this season. The commercial rebate program still looks good.

The good news is that financially the program still has plenty of funds, though we are told most of the DOE money (which funds the $2,000 portion of the rebate) has already been committed. In general, the solar rebates made possible by ARRA funds are running out, so rebates may likely never be as good as they are today. With oil prices high, and set to go higher, the time is really right for solar!

Click here to see the whole update from New Hampshire PUC.

What About RGGI?

In February/March of this year New Hampshire shocked much of the Northeast by presenting a bill that would pull the Granite State out of RGGI, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We called upon lawmakers to think about the long-term implications of such a move and stand up to support RGGI.

This past week, the NH Senate voted to revise rather than repeal RGGI. Businessweek reports:

The Senate voted 16-8 Wednesday to approve an amendment proposed by Senate Republican Leader Jeb Bradley to a House bill. The amendment retains the state’s participation in the program but limits how the money is spent by dedicating it to well-established energy efficiency programs run by the utility companies.

The amendment replaces a bill passed by the House in March that would end the state’s participation in RGGI, but the Senate lacks the votes to override a gubernatorial veto of that legislation. Bradley’s proposal is meant as a compromise.

Gov. John Lynch has not said he would veto the House bill, but he opposes efforts to end New Hampshire’s participation in the greenhouse gas initiative.

“You can’t always get what you want,” Bradley said, “but what we need today is good government. … We have got to fund programs that work.”

Bradley estimates New Hampshire’s program costs the average ratepayer 35 cents per month. His proposal would drop the monthly cost to 17 cents.

Full story here: http://buswk.co/iNiwPp

The Latest from Maine

Legislation that will continue Maine’s solar rebates for the foreseeable future is expected to pass, however the program still has not been given an alternative funding mechanism yet. While the tract looks promising, we still urge you to contact your state legislators if you have not already and ask them to support solar rebates. For those who have advocated on behalf of solar rebates so far… thank you!

We understand around $500,000 remains in the program, which should sustain the ME state solar rebates for at least the next 6 months. We’re hoping to see an effective funding alternative make it into place for a more sustainable continuation of the program before the current funds are exhausted.

We’re pleased to be able to show, not tell, the story of Suzanne Huard. A recent retiree, Suzanne fulfilled a long-time solar dream with the installation of an evacuated tube solar hot water system and grid-tied photovoltaic array on her home.

ReVision commissioned NowOrNeverMedia, as part of their “Green Screen TV” series, to cover the story of two solar installations in the middle of a blustery month.

Check out the video on YouTube:

We heard back from Suzanne about the project. She’s pleased to report that “things are going great … I can say now that our daily usage of hot water went down 16+% from our Jan/Feb bill to the prior Dec/Jan bill and the residential electricity went down 11+% (they are metered separately).”

Photos From Our Residential Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

The 7.5KW grid-tied solar electric system on Black Dog Car Wash’s Dover location will save the business over $1,400/yr in electric costs.

How do you stand-out in the crowded world of car washes? For Black Dog Car Wash, it’s been dedication to an exceptional customer experience, state-of-the-art-facilities, and a commitment to the environment.

With water and energy conservation, pollution prevention, and biodegradeable soap options already in place, Black Dog decided that clean solar energy was the way to take their new facility in Dover, NH to the next level.

“Solar is Green Technology that our customers can see,” says Black Dog Car Wash’s owner, Jeremiah Gage, “We have been integrating green technology for years, but our customers rarely see these improvements that lie behind closed doors.”

Black Dog’s growth coincided with a great new rebate from the state of New Hampshire: an incentive payment of $1.00 per watt for solar electric systems. Combined with the 30% federal tax credit (which in 2011 can be taken as a treasury grant), Black Dog found they could save over $15,000 – more than half the cost of the system – as well as being eligible to take additional tax credits in the form of accelerated depreciation.

In addition to saving the car wash an estimated $1,440 per year, the system will offset 12,250 pounds of C02 emissions. The new facility also boasts energy efficiency lighting fixtures, which further reduce the facility’s environmental impact.  “We feel [solar] is what a successful business like Black Dog Car Wash should be doing to help reduce our environmental impact,” Gage continues, “Our goal is to integrate solar at all Black Dog Car Wash locations.”

Interested to see what a solar-powered car wash feels like? Stop by 887 Central Avenue in Dover, New Hampshire – in front of Petco and Bed Bath & Beyond. Or learn more about the car wash voted “Best in New Hampshire” at http://www.blackdogcarwash.com.

More Photos from Our Commercial Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map