He does energy audits. He has spray insulation.

A Solar Co-op is a great idea. We need this kind of grass-roots community action, especially to influence our legislative representatives.

However, you don’t need a co-op to get fair and competitive pricing. That is something that we do for every customer. Please don’t hesitate to contact us, even if there’s only a few people interested right now.

Also, please visit our website at http://www.primalenergysystems.com — you’ll find a lot of great info on the site and in the blog.

Thanks and keep up the good work!

i know it’s hard to spend the money for basic electrical upgrades, but PLEASE do that first. After the insulation is in place it just gets harder ! and more expensive–No one, especially electricians, enjoy crawling in fiberglass, and besides , if you’ve avoided the wiring you’ve left gaps and bypasses.

One other tip for reducing attic heat and preserving roofing materials, is to be sure the roof has a reflective aluminum coating, preferably Karnak # 97, not the cheap stuff at the home centers—-from what I see from the roof of 2418,3 story building, most houses have silver coatimngs but not all !

In the meantime, residents can also make some very cheap upgrades to lower their their impact on the environment and consequently, their energy bills. Blown-in attic insulation is a fairly cheap ($300) way of protecting your home from the elements and it pays itself off in no time. If you have any questions about it, let me know – we did ours and it was easy (although i won’t condone going up into the attic on a day like the ones we had this past weekend!) The mass brick walls and small, shaded alleys between the homes of most Byrd Park construction offer an excellent barrier from the outdoors, but most attics if kept uninsulated as ours was are like an open door. In the winter, all our heat rises right up through the roof and in the summer the sun heats our rooftops to blistering temperatures, which radiate heat downward into our home. A little protection in this area goes a long way. In addition to this, sealing up air leaks are an easy and affordable way to make a big difference.

I like your energy !
For over thirty years I have owned and been improving the energy efficiency of the 6 unit bldg at 2418 rosewood–the one with the solar thermal colectors on the roof.
This week we will be installing a new shade structure over the 3rd floor porch.

My company, CommonWealth Solar, has the experience and capability to guide the residents–both owners and renters– to a more sustainable and comfortable residence. We would welcome the opportunity to make the great Byrd Park community a leader in energy conserevation, equipment efficiency, and all forms of solar energy, from passive solar design to solar hot water to solar electricity.

In regards to the info from Anya, of the DC Solar Co-op, she is right that Va. would benefit from a mandatory RPS
( renewable portfolio standard )rather than the current voluntary standard that Vepco wrote into the electricity deregulation law several years ago.

However, SREC’s can be sold in the regional electricity pool called PJM.
They are currently worth $.20/ kwhr. For every 1000 KWH that
Scott’s system produces, the SREC system aggregator – http://www.solsystemscompany.com –
sends a quarterly check–about $200 every quarter,or $ 800/yr. Add to that the $100/ 1000 KWH that he doesn’t send to Vepco, or $400/yr.
What would you do with an extra 1200/yr?

For more info on conservation and solar energy, see http://www.commonwealthsolar.com
or stop by while we’re working on the shade structure this week.

Ask for Ken or Max

Thanks

I will send you some direct correspondence soon with some OH folks.

That said, for the record, Lake Anna was actually created FOR the nuke plant to get adequate cooling water. If the plant wasn’t there, the lake wouldn’t be there for the residents.

If you don’t grow it, you have to mine it and surface mining is much safer (not to mention much cheaper) than underground mining.

Realize that one of the hurdles is improving the net metering laws to allow more community solar. This is why one of the churches might offer a good first opportunity. You might want to start with a small project- how about getting solar thermal hot water for the Lamplighter?

It would be great if some of our state representatives could get on this and actually LEAD!

Regardless, you should work with a solar installer who can also suggest cheaper, quicker energy conservation/efficiency methods before just pushing/selling PV.

http://www.vipl.org/Home/tabid/491/Default.aspx

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/standard-solar-inc-/news/article/2010/04/residents-of-university-park-maryland-band-together-in-first-community-initiated-solar-electric-system