what should we do about the electric bill?

[plained]

so why exhaust and not all the others worce stuff?

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

yes industrial pollution and military bs also suck

vehicle exhaust is major

it's all your fault plained

[plained]

dude dont punish yourself

do your own part your own way, but its not your fault

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

yeah thanks a lot

joy driver

ey ey poloiton stops on boundies

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

hey look where yours goes

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Conten ... &t=TS_Home


and this concludes what i believe we should do about geoof's electricity bill

[plained]

did you just label me a joy driver puff?

[plained]

i dont go to force cookies websight bil :lol:

[plained]

well anyways its to bad you presume me negativly.

i myself am extra nice to the water in many ways for a long long time.

[Tormentius]

effects are global

And the need for personal transport isn't going to just disappear. More fuel efficient vehicles and better technology (eg. fuel cells, hybrids, etc) are the only way the situation is going to improve. Public transport might be a great concept but its never going to be adopted by the majority of people needing transportation.

[Ryoki]

i myself am extra nice to the water in many ways for a long long time.

:icon19:

[+JuggerNaut+]

effects are global

Public transport might be a great concept but its never going to be adopted by the majority of people needing transportation.

gee, i wonder why that is? other countries have no problems with public transportation.

[losCHUNK]

i dunno, british trains are said to go slower than they were in the days of steam power

but your point still stands

[Tormentius]

effects are global

Public transport might be a great concept but its never going to be adopted by the majority of people needing transportation.

gee, i wonder why that is? other countries have no problems with public transportation.

Distance between locations for one. For example, its 80 clicks between where I am in Van and Abbotsford and there are two outlying cities beyond that one as well. Why don't you try having kids and making that kind of a trip on public transport regularly? Keep in mind that there are many, many people who live out in those cities that commute into downtown every day. Its just not going to happen for anyone with the money to buy a vehicle.

[prince1000]

effects are global

And the need for personal transport isn't going to just disappear. More fuel efficient vehicles and better technology (eg. fuel cells, hybrids, etc) are the only way the situation is going to improve. Public transport might be a great concept but its never going to be adopted by the majority of people needing transportation.

i kind of agree w/plained. it is people in the city that complain about congestion and pollution, and it is cities that should put restrictions on car use within downtown limits and promote not only public transport but exercise by walking or riding a bike. there should also be taxation for people that drive in everyday to cities but live beyond it's boundaries. this would also bring some of those suburbanites back into the fringe neighborhoods and downtown areas, promoting revitalization for metro areas that need it.

but i dont think people need to pay the same price in areas where congestion isn't yet such a huge problem. and yes, alternative fuel sources are a must. at the same token, people that live in rural/less densely populated areas should expect to be taxed whenever they want to take the family truckster to wally world and pass thru a city proper.

alternative fuel sources are the closest thing to any of those happening (if ever), at least in the US, cause we all know the majority here won't give up their cars/'freedom'.

[+JuggerNaut+]

of course it won't work for everyone, especially with kids. i have no idea about the distances from where you work to where you live, but here in PHX, the amount of cars on the freeways with ONE person in the car is overwhelming.

[losCHUNK]

same in the UK mind

think it was on top gear when jerry said he'll stand on the side of a not to busy motorway for like an HR ? and will donate £1 to charity for every car that went passed with more than 1 passenger

think he ended up with 2 pounds (or something silly)

[+JuggerNaut+]

same in the UK mind

think it was on top gear when jerry said he'll stand on the side of a not to busy motorway for like an HR ? and will donate £1 to charity for every car that went passed with more than 1 passenger

think he ended up with 2 pounds (or something silly)

i believe that. i was watching discovery about alternative fuels and such, when they mentioned one or two countries in Europe that had almost 80% of the population using public transportation - don't recall which though.

[Tormentius]

of course it won't work for everyone, especially with kids. i have no idea about the distances from where you work to where you live, but here in PHX, the amount of cars on the freeways with ONE person in the car is overwhelming.

I'm not arguing with that at all and yes, it is appalling to see one person per car on the freeways, especially when that person is needlessly driving a large truck or SUV.

The thing I find laughable are the people who are rabidly anti-car because their relatively simple lives allow them to live, work, and play all in the same small area. The thing they don't understand is that they can whine all they want, the majority of us either need or want personal transport because life isn't all that simple. Living in suburban areas isn't feasible for many families either because property prices are ridiculously high in the urban centres. For example, I'm looking at purchasing a three bedroom condo in the next few years downtown. Thats going to cost me between $400,000 and $600,000. For that price a new or near new house on property could be purchased in an outlying city. Thats a cost difference that most people with families are not willing to bear. Taxation isn't going to happen without some major repurcussions as gas taxes are already high enough and people are getting more pissed off with it all the time. The reality of people driving themselves around is one thats here to stay so developing non-polluting vehicles is the best way to tackle the problem.

For my part, I choose to drive a small import car and when I purchase another one later on this year I'll be looking into finding something even more ecologically friendly and fuel efficient.

[Giraffe }{unter]

typical large house in the San Jose area with air conditioning or a swimming pool will use about 1,500 kwh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per month. At current PG&E rates, this level of consumption works out to about $300 per month for electricity averaged throughout the year.

In the Summer of 2001 PG&E drastically changed their electric billing methods for residential customers. Their cost structure now includes five rates tiers -- instead of the previous two tiers (baseline and above baseline). The most common rate tiers (E-1 rates) range from $0.13 for baseline electricity consumption all the way up to $0.26 for top tier consumption (not including various adjustment and discount factors). Not surprisingly, owners of even small and medium size houses find themselves in rate tiers in which they pay in excess of $0.20 per kwh.

In order to calculate your actual energy savings it is necessary to consider the changes in your electric bill in each applicable rate tier on a monthly basis. Simply averaging your savings over the year will not take into account the seasonal output of the PV system, nor will it properly consider the impact of multiple rate tiers.

The following chart shows how the electicity consumption for this typical large house maps into these five rate tiers. Note that electricity consumption typically increases in the summer months because of air conditioning and pool use. At these consumption levels, the homeowner is consistently in the highest rate tier throughout the year. Marginal electric rates at the top tier are billed at $0.26 per kwh, which are much higher than the average annualized rate of $0.18 paid by this homeowner.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

As you can see in the second chart, the PV system essentially eliminates most of the top tier electrical usage. There is an excellent match between the seasonal output of the PV system (energy output is highest during the summer months) and the seasonal energy usage of the home. Additional PV system output would go towards reducing lower rate tiers - which will save less money than the higher rate tiers.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

For many PV customers, changing to PG&E's E-7 Time-of-Use rates makes sense. Depending on your actual daily load profile, you can reduce your electrical expenses by an additional 10 to 40 percent because you will essentially be selling expensive peak power back to PG&E (when the collectors are operating at their peak output during summer afternoons) and consuming inexpensive, off peak power. In most cases we recommend that customers evaluate their actual daily load profile after the PV system is installed to determine if a change to the E-7 rate makes sense.

Solar energy systems are the most environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. According to the EPA, a typical 6kw solar energy system in New Jersey will save 32 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NO) each year, 44 pounds of sulfur dioxide (SO2) each year and 17,199 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year -- equivalent to the CO2 absorption of two acres of trees! And these solar energy benefits will continue for the 30+ year lifetime of the system. In addition to these essential environmental solar energy benefits, a well designed and planned solar electric system provides substantial economic savings, as described in more detail below.



Properly designed and installed solar energy systems have paybacks in 5 to 10 years -- and even faster if special electric rates are appropriate. Depending on the size of the system - and your expectations for electric price increases - Net Present Values (NPV) for a typical system are in the range of $3,000 to well over $10,000 for people with high electric bills.

According to a recent from the Appraisal Institute, the selling price of homes increased by $20.73 for every $1 decrease in annual fuel bills. Using this 20:1 multiplier, a typical 3kw system -- costing about $12,000 after incentives and saving about $1,000 in annual energy costs -- will increase the value of your home by $20,000.

Moreover, for business customers, the combination of state solar energy tax credits, the Federal 10% investment tax credit, and Accelerated Five Year Depreciation means that solar energy systems generate substantial positive cash flow -- especially in the first five years of operation. As a result, the financial, environmental and lifestyle benefits of a well-designed photovoltaic system are compelling -- solar energy systems are one of the best home and business investments you can make.

The best way to evaluate various solar electric, energy saving and financing options is to do a comprehensive Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis and objectively examine the financial benefits of each alternative. Akeena has developed a series of rigorous economic analysis techniques so that the NPV of each alternative can be examined.

To do this analysis we first determine the total cost of your solar energy system (including equipment, installation and sales tax), along with various energy conservation and financing options that you may be considering. We then determine all of the costs and savings related to the solar energy system over its entire expected lifetime, including expected maintenance and upgrade expenses. Depending on the particular circumstances of the project, our analysis will take into account such factors as your expected annual electric cost escalation, discount rate, and marginal tax rates. By comparing each alternative using a consistent set of parameters, we can give you the best economic answer to which alternative provides the fastest "payback" and largest long term benefits.

lar Energy systems are expensive. Fortunately, there are a wide range of federal, state and local programs that substantially offset these costs in the form of tax credits, rebates, grants, loans, leasing and direct equipment sales. If you want to take advantage of these solar energy incentives, please note that these programs are limited. For example, California's rebate program runs out of funding well before the end of the year and Massachusetts has stopped taking solar energy system grant requests until December 2002. A complete and up-to-date list of state and local programs is maintained at DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy. The following list summarizes only those state programs with large incentives.
State Program Summaries

Arizona» (Tuscon customers)
$2.00 per DC watt rebate from Tuscon Electric Power (TEP). Rebates are for systems 5kW or smaller. No sales tax on system purchases.

California »
$3.00 per AC watt rebate from the California Energy Commission, plus a 7.5% State tax credit. Rebates will decline by $0.20 per watt every six months. Funding is in annual allotments and is very limited.

Connecticut»
$5.00 per AC watt up to $25,000 for residential installations (up to 5kW). The State of Connecticut allows municipalities the option of offering property tax exemptions for photovoltaics (varies from one municipality to the next).

Massachusetts »
$5.00 per AC watt incentive composed of a $3.50 per watt direct rebate and $1.50 per watt payout based on production over a 3 year period.

Nevada»
Sierra Pacific Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 10 customers that apply and Nevada Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 40 customers tha apply. The state allows new or expanded business a 50% property tax expemtion for real and personal property used to generate electricty from renewable resources.

New Jersey »
$5.50 per AC watt up to 70% of the total cost of a 10kW system or smaller. A system larger that 10kW receives $5.50 for the first 10kW and then $4.00 per AC watt for each watt over 10kW, up to 60% of the total cost.

New York »
$4.00 per DC watt for systems up to 50kW and a maximum of 60% of the total cost. The State of New York also provides a 25% tax credit for residential installations up to $3,750.

Pennsylvania »
In the PECO territory of PA you can receive $4.00 per DC watt rebate up $20,000. You receive $.10 per kWh of the first year's energy production on the one year anniversary of the installation, to a maximum of $5,000.

Rhode Island »
$3.00 per AC watt up to 50% of system costs. 10% (in 2003) or 5% (in 2004) State tax credit.
Federal Business Incentives

10 Percent Investment Tax Credit
This tax credit is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This credit applies to qualified home offices.

5 Year Accelerated Capital Depreciation
This accelerated depreciation is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This accelerated depreciation also applies to qualified home offices.

[+JuggerNaut+]

of course it won't work for everyone, especially with kids. i have no idea about the distances from where you work to where you live, but here in PHX, the amount of cars on the freeways with ONE person in the car is overwhelming.

I'm not arguing with that at all and yes, it is appalling to see one person per car on the freeways, especially when that person is needlessly driving a large truck or SUV.

The thing I find laughable are the people who are rabidly anti-car because their relatively simple lives allow them to live, work, and play all in the same small area. The thing they don't understand is that they can whine all they want, the majority of us either need or want personal transport because life isn't all that simple. Living in suburban areas isn't feasible for many families either because property prices are ridiculously high in the urban centres. For example, I'm looking at purchasing a three bedroom condo in the next few years downtown. Thats going to cost me between $400,000 and $600,000. For that price a new or near new house on property could be purchased in an outlying city. Thats a cost difference that most people with families are not willing to bear. Taxation isn't going to happen without some major repurcussions as gas taxes are already high enough and people are getting more pissed off with it all the time. The reality of people driving themselves around is one thats here to stay so developing non-polluting vehicles is the best way to tackle the problem.

For my part, I choose to drive a small import car and when I purchase another one later on this year I'll be looking into finding something even more ecologically friendly and fuel efficient.

well i'm certainly not anti-car, just a bit concerned over people's overuse of fuels to propel them. more people need to carpool/rideshare,etc. but, for alot of people, the reason they won't give up their car is because of their ego. nothing more.

[+JuggerNaut+]

typical large house in the San Jose area with air conditioning or a swimming pool will use about 1,500 kwh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per month. At current PG&E rates, this level of consumption works out to about $300 per month for electricity averaged throughout the year.

In the Summer of 2001 PG&E drastically changed their electric billing methods for residential customers. Their cost structure now includes five rates tiers -- instead of the previous two tiers (baseline and above baseline). The most common rate tiers (E-1 rates) range from $0.13 for baseline electricity consumption all the way up to $0.26 for top tier consumption (not including various adjustment and discount factors). Not surprisingly, owners of even small and medium size houses find themselves in rate tiers in which they pay in excess of $0.20 per kwh.

In order to calculate your actual energy savings it is necessary to consider the changes in your electric bill in each applicable rate tier on a monthly basis. Simply averaging your savings over the year will not take into account the seasonal output of the PV system, nor will it properly consider the impact of multiple rate tiers.

The following chart shows how the electicity consumption for this typical large house maps into these five rate tiers. Note that electricity consumption typically increases in the summer months because of air conditioning and pool use. At these consumption levels, the homeowner is consistently in the highest rate tier throughout the year. Marginal electric rates at the top tier are billed at $0.26 per kwh, which are much higher than the average annualized rate of $0.18 paid by this homeowner.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

As you can see in the second chart, the PV system essentially eliminates most of the top tier electrical usage. There is an excellent match between the seasonal output of the PV system (energy output is highest during the summer months) and the seasonal energy usage of the home. Additional PV system output would go towards reducing lower rate tiers - which will save less money than the higher rate tiers.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

For many PV customers, changing to PG&E's E-7 Time-of-Use rates makes sense. Depending on your actual daily load profile, you can reduce your electrical expenses by an additional 10 to 40 percent because you will essentially be selling expensive peak power back to PG&E (when the collectors are operating at their peak output during summer afternoons) and consuming inexpensive, off peak power. In most cases we recommend that customers evaluate their actual daily load profile after the PV system is installed to determine if a change to the E-7 rate makes sense.

Solar energy systems are the most environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. According to the EPA, a typical 6kw solar energy system in New Jersey will save 32 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NO) each year, 44 pounds of sulfur dioxide (SO2) each year and 17,199 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year -- equivalent to the CO2 absorption of two acres of trees! And these solar energy benefits will continue for the 30+ year lifetime of the system. In addition to these essential environmental solar energy benefits, a well designed and planned solar electric system provides substantial economic savings, as described in more detail below.



Properly designed and installed solar energy systems have paybacks in 5 to 10 years -- and even faster if special electric rates are appropriate. Depending on the size of the system - and your expectations for electric price increases - Net Present Values (NPV) for a typical system are in the range of $3,000 to well over $10,000 for people with high electric bills.

According to a recent from the Appraisal Institute, the selling price of homes increased by $20.73 for every $1 decrease in annual fuel bills. Using this 20:1 multiplier, a typical 3kw system -- costing about $12,000 after incentives and saving about $1,000 in annual energy costs -- will increase the value of your home by $20,000.

Moreover, for business customers, the combination of state solar energy tax credits, the Federal 10% investment tax credit, and Accelerated Five Year Depreciation means that solar energy systems generate substantial positive cash flow -- especially in the first five years of operation. As a result, the financial, environmental and lifestyle benefits of a well-designed photovoltaic system are compelling -- solar energy systems are one of the best home and business investments you can make.

The best way to evaluate various solar electric, energy saving and financing options is to do a comprehensive Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis and objectively examine the financial benefits of each alternative. Akeena has developed a series of rigorous economic analysis techniques so that the NPV of each alternative can be examined.

To do this analysis we first determine the total cost of your solar energy system (including equipment, installation and sales tax), along with various energy conservation and financing options that you may be considering. We then determine all of the costs and savings related to the solar energy system over its entire expected lifetime, including expected maintenance and upgrade expenses. Depending on the particular circumstances of the project, our analysis will take into account such factors as your expected annual electric cost escalation, discount rate, and marginal tax rates. By comparing each alternative using a consistent set of parameters, we can give you the best economic answer to which alternative provides the fastest "payback" and largest long term benefits.

lar Energy systems are expensive. Fortunately, there are a wide range of federal, state and local programs that substantially offset these costs in the form of tax credits, rebates, grants, loans, leasing and direct equipment sales. If you want to take advantage of these solar energy incentives, please note that these programs are limited. For example, California's rebate program runs out of funding well before the end of the year and Massachusetts has stopped taking solar energy system grant requests until December 2002. A complete and up-to-date list of state and local programs is maintained at DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy. The following list summarizes only those state programs with large incentives.
State Program Summaries

Arizona» (Tuscon customers)
$2.00 per DC watt rebate from Tuscon Electric Power (TEP). Rebates are for systems 5kW or smaller. No sales tax on system purchases.

California »
$3.00 per AC watt rebate from the California Energy Commission, plus a 7.5% State tax credit. Rebates will decline by $0.20 per watt every six months. Funding is in annual allotments and is very limited.

Connecticut»
$5.00 per AC watt up to $25,000 for residential installations (up to 5kW). The State of Connecticut allows municipalities the option of offering property tax exemptions for photovoltaics (varies from one municipality to the next).

Massachusetts »
$5.00 per AC watt incentive composed of a $3.50 per watt direct rebate and $1.50 per watt payout based on production over a 3 year period.

Nevada»
Sierra Pacific Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 10 customers that apply and Nevada Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 40 customers tha apply. The state allows new or expanded business a 50% property tax expemtion for real and personal property used to generate electricty from renewable resources.

New Jersey »
$5.50 per AC watt up to 70% of the total cost of a 10kW system or smaller. A system larger that 10kW receives $5.50 for the first 10kW and then $4.00 per AC watt for each watt over 10kW, up to 60% of the total cost.

New York »
$4.00 per DC watt for systems up to 50kW and a maximum of 60% of the total cost. The State of New York also provides a 25% tax credit for residential installations up to $3,750.

Pennsylvania »
In the PECO territory of PA you can receive $4.00 per DC watt rebate up $20,000. You receive $.10 per kWh of the first year's energy production on the one year anniversary of the installation, to a maximum of $5,000.

Rhode Island »
$3.00 per AC watt up to 50% of system costs. 10% (in 2003) or 5% (in 2004) State tax credit.
Federal Business Incentives

10 Percent Investment Tax Credit
This tax credit is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This credit applies to qualified home offices.

5 Year Accelerated Capital Depreciation
This accelerated depreciation is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This accelerated depreciation also applies to qualified home offices.

that's a huge copy/paste.

[Giraffe }{unter]

typical large house in the San Jose area with air conditioning or a swimming pool will use about 1,500 kwh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per month. At current PG&E rates, this level of consumption works out to about $300 per month for electricity averaged throughout the year.

In the Summer of 2001 PG&E drastically changed their electric billing methods for residential customers. Their cost structure now includes five rates tiers -- instead of the previous two tiers (baseline and above baseline). The most common rate tiers (E-1 rates) range from $0.13 for baseline electricity consumption all the way up to $0.26 for top tier consumption (not including various adjustment and discount factors). Not surprisingly, owners of even small and medium size houses find themselves in rate tiers in which they pay in excess of $0.20 per kwh.

In order to calculate your actual energy savings it is necessary to consider the changes in your electric bill in each applicable rate tier on a monthly basis. Simply averaging your savings over the year will not take into account the seasonal output of the PV system, nor will it properly consider the impact of multiple rate tiers.

The following chart shows how the electicity consumption for this typical large house maps into these five rate tiers. Note that electricity consumption typically increases in the summer months because of air conditioning and pool use. At these consumption levels, the homeowner is consistently in the highest rate tier throughout the year. Marginal electric rates at the top tier are billed at $0.26 per kwh, which are much higher than the average annualized rate of $0.18 paid by this homeowner.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

As you can see in the second chart, the PV system essentially eliminates most of the top tier electrical usage. There is an excellent match between the seasonal output of the PV system (energy output is highest during the summer months) and the seasonal energy usage of the home. Additional PV system output would go towards reducing lower rate tiers - which will save less money than the higher rate tiers.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

For many PV customers, changing to PG&E's E-7 Time-of-Use rates makes sense. Depending on your actual daily load profile, you can reduce your electrical expenses by an additional 10 to 40 percent because you will essentially be selling expensive peak power back to PG&E (when the collectors are operating at their peak output during summer afternoons) and consuming inexpensive, off peak power. In most cases we recommend that customers evaluate their actual daily load profile after the PV system is installed to determine if a change to the E-7 rate makes sense.

Solar energy systems are the most environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. According to the EPA, a typical 6kw solar energy system in New Jersey will save 32 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NO) each year, 44 pounds of sulfur dioxide (SO2) each year and 17,199 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year -- equivalent to the CO2 absorption of two acres of trees! And these solar energy benefits will continue for the 30+ year lifetime of the system. In addition to these essential environmental solar energy benefits, a well designed and planned solar electric system provides substantial economic savings, as described in more detail below.



Properly designed and installed solar energy systems have paybacks in 5 to 10 years -- and even faster if special electric rates are appropriate. Depending on the size of the system - and your expectations for electric price increases - Net Present Values (NPV) for a typical system are in the range of $3,000 to well over $10,000 for people with high electric bills.

According to a recent from the Appraisal Institute, the selling price of homes increased by $20.73 for every $1 decrease in annual fuel bills. Using this 20:1 multiplier, a typical 3kw system -- costing about $12,000 after incentives and saving about $1,000 in annual energy costs -- will increase the value of your home by $20,000.

Moreover, for business customers, the combination of state solar energy tax credits, the Federal 10% investment tax credit, and Accelerated Five Year Depreciation means that solar energy systems generate substantial positive cash flow -- especially in the first five years of operation. As a result, the financial, environmental and lifestyle benefits of a well-designed photovoltaic system are compelling -- solar energy systems are one of the best home and business investments you can make.

The best way to evaluate various solar electric, energy saving and financing options is to do a comprehensive Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis and objectively examine the financial benefits of each alternative. Akeena has developed a series of rigorous economic analysis techniques so that the NPV of each alternative can be examined.

To do this analysis we first determine the total cost of your solar energy system (including equipment, installation and sales tax), along with various energy conservation and financing options that you may be considering. We then determine all of the costs and savings related to the solar energy system over its entire expected lifetime, including expected maintenance and upgrade expenses. Depending on the particular circumstances of the project, our analysis will take into account such factors as your expected annual electric cost escalation, discount rate, and marginal tax rates. By comparing each alternative using a consistent set of parameters, we can give you the best economic answer to which alternative provides the fastest "payback" and largest long term benefits.

lar Energy systems are expensive. Fortunately, there are a wide range of federal, state and local programs that substantially offset these costs in the form of tax credits, rebates, grants, loans, leasing and direct equipment sales. If you want to take advantage of these solar energy incentives, please note that these programs are limited. For example, California's rebate program runs out of funding well before the end of the year and Massachusetts has stopped taking solar energy system grant requests until December 2002. A complete and up-to-date list of state and local programs is maintained at DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy. The following list summarizes only those state programs with large incentives.
State Program Summaries

Arizona» (Tuscon customers)
$2.00 per DC watt rebate from Tuscon Electric Power (TEP). Rebates are for systems 5kW or smaller. No sales tax on system purchases.

California »
$3.00 per AC watt rebate from the California Energy Commission, plus a 7.5% State tax credit. Rebates will decline by $0.20 per watt every six months. Funding is in annual allotments and is very limited.

Connecticut»
$5.00 per AC watt up to $25,000 for residential installations (up to 5kW). The State of Connecticut allows municipalities the option of offering property tax exemptions for photovoltaics (varies from one municipality to the next).

Massachusetts »
$5.00 per AC watt incentive composed of a $3.50 per watt direct rebate and $1.50 per watt payout based on production over a 3 year period.

Nevada»
Sierra Pacific Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 10 customers that apply and Nevada Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 40 customers tha apply. The state allows new or expanded business a 50% property tax expemtion for real and personal property used to generate electricty from renewable resources.

New Jersey »
$5.50 per AC watt up to 70% of the total cost of a 10kW system or smaller. A system larger that 10kW receives $5.50 for the first 10kW and then $4.00 per AC watt for each watt over 10kW, up to 60% of the total cost.

New York »
$4.00 per DC watt for systems up to 50kW and a maximum of 60% of the total cost. The State of New York also provides a 25% tax credit for residential installations up to $3,750.

Pennsylvania »
In the PECO territory of PA you can receive $4.00 per DC watt rebate up $20,000. You receive $.10 per kWh of the first year's energy production on the one year anniversary of the installation, to a maximum of $5,000.

Rhode Island »
$3.00 per AC watt up to 50% of system costs. 10% (in 2003) or 5% (in 2004) State tax credit.
Federal Business Incentives

10 Percent Investment Tax Credit
This tax credit is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This credit applies to qualified home offices.

5 Year Accelerated Capital Depreciation
This accelerated depreciation is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This accelerated depreciation also applies to qualified home offices.

that's a huge copy/paste.

it's from multiple pages on ways to lower you energy bill, I really wanted to help freakapoof out so he will respect me as an interbeing.

[+JuggerNaut+]

typical large house in the San Jose area with air conditioning or a swimming pool will use about 1,500 kwh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per month. At current PG&E rates, this level of consumption works out to about $300 per month for electricity averaged throughout the year.

In the Summer of 2001 PG&E drastically changed their electric billing methods for residential customers. Their cost structure now includes five rates tiers -- instead of the previous two tiers (baseline and above baseline). The most common rate tiers (E-1 rates) range from $0.13 for baseline electricity consumption all the way up to $0.26 for top tier consumption (not including various adjustment and discount factors). Not surprisingly, owners of even small and medium size houses find themselves in rate tiers in which they pay in excess of $0.20 per kwh.

In order to calculate your actual energy savings it is necessary to consider the changes in your electric bill in each applicable rate tier on a monthly basis. Simply averaging your savings over the year will not take into account the seasonal output of the PV system, nor will it properly consider the impact of multiple rate tiers.

The following chart shows how the electicity consumption for this typical large house maps into these five rate tiers. Note that electricity consumption typically increases in the summer months because of air conditioning and pool use. At these consumption levels, the homeowner is consistently in the highest rate tier throughout the year. Marginal electric rates at the top tier are billed at $0.26 per kwh, which are much higher than the average annualized rate of $0.18 paid by this homeowner.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

As you can see in the second chart, the PV system essentially eliminates most of the top tier electrical usage. There is an excellent match between the seasonal output of the PV system (energy output is highest during the summer months) and the seasonal energy usage of the home. Additional PV system output would go towards reducing lower rate tiers - which will save less money than the higher rate tiers.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

For many PV customers, changing to PG&E's E-7 Time-of-Use rates makes sense. Depending on your actual daily load profile, you can reduce your electrical expenses by an additional 10 to 40 percent because you will essentially be selling expensive peak power back to PG&E (when the collectors are operating at their peak output during summer afternoons) and consuming inexpensive, off peak power. In most cases we recommend that customers evaluate their actual daily load profile after the PV system is installed to determine if a change to the E-7 rate makes sense.

Solar energy systems are the most environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. According to the EPA, a typical 6kw solar energy system in New Jersey will save 32 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NO) each year, 44 pounds of sulfur dioxide (SO2) each year and 17,199 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year -- equivalent to the CO2 absorption of two acres of trees! And these solar energy benefits will continue for the 30+ year lifetime of the system. In addition to these essential environmental solar energy benefits, a well designed and planned solar electric system provides substantial economic savings, as described in more detail below.



Properly designed and installed solar energy systems have paybacks in 5 to 10 years -- and even faster if special electric rates are appropriate. Depending on the size of the system - and your expectations for electric price increases - Net Present Values (NPV) for a typical system are in the range of $3,000 to well over $10,000 for people with high electric bills.

According to a recent from the Appraisal Institute, the selling price of homes increased by $20.73 for every $1 decrease in annual fuel bills. Using this 20:1 multiplier, a typical 3kw system -- costing about $12,000 after incentives and saving about $1,000 in annual energy costs -- will increase the value of your home by $20,000.

Moreover, for business customers, the combination of state solar energy tax credits, the Federal 10% investment tax credit, and Accelerated Five Year Depreciation means that solar energy systems generate substantial positive cash flow -- especially in the first five years of operation. As a result, the financial, environmental and lifestyle benefits of a well-designed photovoltaic system are compelling -- solar energy systems are one of the best home and business investments you can make.

The best way to evaluate various solar electric, energy saving and financing options is to do a comprehensive Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis and objectively examine the financial benefits of each alternative. Akeena has developed a series of rigorous economic analysis techniques so that the NPV of each alternative can be examined.

To do this analysis we first determine the total cost of your solar energy system (including equipment, installation and sales tax), along with various energy conservation and financing options that you may be considering. We then determine all of the costs and savings related to the solar energy system over its entire expected lifetime, including expected maintenance and upgrade expenses. Depending on the particular circumstances of the project, our analysis will take into account such factors as your expected annual electric cost escalation, discount rate, and marginal tax rates. By comparing each alternative using a consistent set of parameters, we can give you the best economic answer to which alternative provides the fastest "payback" and largest long term benefits.

lar Energy systems are expensive. Fortunately, there are a wide range of federal, state and local programs that substantially offset these costs in the form of tax credits, rebates, grants, loans, leasing and direct equipment sales. If you want to take advantage of these solar energy incentives, please note that these programs are limited. For example, California's rebate program runs out of funding well before the end of the year and Massachusetts has stopped taking solar energy system grant requests until December 2002. A complete and up-to-date list of state and local programs is maintained at DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy. The following list summarizes only those state programs with large incentives.
State Program Summaries

Arizona» (Tuscon customers)
$2.00 per DC watt rebate from Tuscon Electric Power (TEP). Rebates are for systems 5kW or smaller. No sales tax on system purchases.

California »
$3.00 per AC watt rebate from the California Energy Commission, plus a 7.5% State tax credit. Rebates will decline by $0.20 per watt every six months. Funding is in annual allotments and is very limited.

Connecticut»
$5.00 per AC watt up to $25,000 for residential installations (up to 5kW). The State of Connecticut allows municipalities the option of offering property tax exemptions for photovoltaics (varies from one municipality to the next).

Massachusetts »
$5.00 per AC watt incentive composed of a $3.50 per watt direct rebate and $1.50 per watt payout based on production over a 3 year period.

Nevada»
Sierra Pacific Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 10 customers that apply and Nevada Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 40 customers tha apply. The state allows new or expanded business a 50% property tax expemtion for real and personal property used to generate electricty from renewable resources.

New Jersey »
$5.50 per AC watt up to 70% of the total cost of a 10kW system or smaller. A system larger that 10kW receives $5.50 for the first 10kW and then $4.00 per AC watt for each watt over 10kW, up to 60% of the total cost.

New York »
$4.00 per DC watt for systems up to 50kW and a maximum of 60% of the total cost. The State of New York also provides a 25% tax credit for residential installations up to $3,750.

Pennsylvania »
In the PECO territory of PA you can receive $4.00 per DC watt rebate up $20,000. You receive $.10 per kWh of the first year's energy production on the one year anniversary of the installation, to a maximum of $5,000.

Rhode Island »
$3.00 per AC watt up to 50% of system costs. 10% (in 2003) or 5% (in 2004) State tax credit.
Federal Business Incentives

10 Percent Investment Tax Credit
This tax credit is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This credit applies to qualified home offices.

5 Year Accelerated Capital Depreciation
This accelerated depreciation is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This accelerated depreciation also applies to qualified home offices.

that's a huge copy/paste.

it's from multiple pages on ways to lower you energy bill, I really wanted to help freakapoof out so he will respect me as an interbeing.

that's not going to happen.

[Giraffe }{unter]

typical large house in the San Jose area with air conditioning or a swimming pool will use about 1,500 kwh (kilowatt hours) of electricity per month. At current PG&E rates, this level of consumption works out to about $300 per month for electricity averaged throughout the year.

In the Summer of 2001 PG&E drastically changed their electric billing methods for residential customers. Their cost structure now includes five rates tiers -- instead of the previous two tiers (baseline and above baseline). The most common rate tiers (E-1 rates) range from $0.13 for baseline electricity consumption all the way up to $0.26 for top tier consumption (not including various adjustment and discount factors). Not surprisingly, owners of even small and medium size houses find themselves in rate tiers in which they pay in excess of $0.20 per kwh.

In order to calculate your actual energy savings it is necessary to consider the changes in your electric bill in each applicable rate tier on a monthly basis. Simply averaging your savings over the year will not take into account the seasonal output of the PV system, nor will it properly consider the impact of multiple rate tiers.

The following chart shows how the electicity consumption for this typical large house maps into these five rate tiers. Note that electricity consumption typically increases in the summer months because of air conditioning and pool use. At these consumption levels, the homeowner is consistently in the highest rate tier throughout the year. Marginal electric rates at the top tier are billed at $0.26 per kwh, which are much higher than the average annualized rate of $0.18 paid by this homeowner.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

As you can see in the second chart, the PV system essentially eliminates most of the top tier electrical usage. There is an excellent match between the seasonal output of the PV system (energy output is highest during the summer months) and the seasonal energy usage of the home. Additional PV system output would go towards reducing lower rate tiers - which will save less money than the higher rate tiers.

Reduce Your Electric Bill

For many PV customers, changing to PG&E's E-7 Time-of-Use rates makes sense. Depending on your actual daily load profile, you can reduce your electrical expenses by an additional 10 to 40 percent because you will essentially be selling expensive peak power back to PG&E (when the collectors are operating at their peak output during summer afternoons) and consuming inexpensive, off peak power. In most cases we recommend that customers evaluate their actual daily load profile after the PV system is installed to determine if a change to the E-7 rate makes sense.

Solar energy systems are the most environmentally friendly way of generating electricity. According to the EPA, a typical 6kw solar energy system in New Jersey will save 32 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NO) each year, 44 pounds of sulfur dioxide (SO2) each year and 17,199 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year -- equivalent to the CO2 absorption of two acres of trees! And these solar energy benefits will continue for the 30+ year lifetime of the system. In addition to these essential environmental solar energy benefits, a well designed and planned solar electric system provides substantial economic savings, as described in more detail below.



Properly designed and installed solar energy systems have paybacks in 5 to 10 years -- and even faster if special electric rates are appropriate. Depending on the size of the system - and your expectations for electric price increases - Net Present Values (NPV) for a typical system are in the range of $3,000 to well over $10,000 for people with high electric bills.

According to a recent from the Appraisal Institute, the selling price of homes increased by $20.73 for every $1 decrease in annual fuel bills. Using this 20:1 multiplier, a typical 3kw system -- costing about $12,000 after incentives and saving about $1,000 in annual energy costs -- will increase the value of your home by $20,000.

Moreover, for business customers, the combination of state solar energy tax credits, the Federal 10% investment tax credit, and Accelerated Five Year Depreciation means that solar energy systems generate substantial positive cash flow -- especially in the first five years of operation. As a result, the financial, environmental and lifestyle benefits of a well-designed photovoltaic system are compelling -- solar energy systems are one of the best home and business investments you can make.

The best way to evaluate various solar electric, energy saving and financing options is to do a comprehensive Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis and objectively examine the financial benefits of each alternative. Akeena has developed a series of rigorous economic analysis techniques so that the NPV of each alternative can be examined.

To do this analysis we first determine the total cost of your solar energy system (including equipment, installation and sales tax), along with various energy conservation and financing options that you may be considering. We then determine all of the costs and savings related to the solar energy system over its entire expected lifetime, including expected maintenance and upgrade expenses. Depending on the particular circumstances of the project, our analysis will take into account such factors as your expected annual electric cost escalation, discount rate, and marginal tax rates. By comparing each alternative using a consistent set of parameters, we can give you the best economic answer to which alternative provides the fastest "payback" and largest long term benefits.

lar Energy systems are expensive. Fortunately, there are a wide range of federal, state and local programs that substantially offset these costs in the form of tax credits, rebates, grants, loans, leasing and direct equipment sales. If you want to take advantage of these solar energy incentives, please note that these programs are limited. For example, California's rebate program runs out of funding well before the end of the year and Massachusetts has stopped taking solar energy system grant requests until December 2002. A complete and up-to-date list of state and local programs is maintained at DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy. The following list summarizes only those state programs with large incentives.
State Program Summaries

Arizona» (Tuscon customers)
$2.00 per DC watt rebate from Tuscon Electric Power (TEP). Rebates are for systems 5kW or smaller. No sales tax on system purchases.

California »
$3.00 per AC watt rebate from the California Energy Commission, plus a 7.5% State tax credit. Rebates will decline by $0.20 per watt every six months. Funding is in annual allotments and is very limited.

Connecticut»
$5.00 per AC watt up to $25,000 for residential installations (up to 5kW). The State of Connecticut allows municipalities the option of offering property tax exemptions for photovoltaics (varies from one municipality to the next).

Massachusetts »
$5.00 per AC watt incentive composed of a $3.50 per watt direct rebate and $1.50 per watt payout based on production over a 3 year period.

Nevada»
Sierra Pacific Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 10 customers that apply and Nevada Power offers $4.00 per AC watt for the first 40 customers tha apply. The state allows new or expanded business a 50% property tax expemtion for real and personal property used to generate electricty from renewable resources.

New Jersey »
$5.50 per AC watt up to 70% of the total cost of a 10kW system or smaller. A system larger that 10kW receives $5.50 for the first 10kW and then $4.00 per AC watt for each watt over 10kW, up to 60% of the total cost.

New York »
$4.00 per DC watt for systems up to 50kW and a maximum of 60% of the total cost. The State of New York also provides a 25% tax credit for residential installations up to $3,750.

Pennsylvania »
In the PECO territory of PA you can receive $4.00 per DC watt rebate up $20,000. You receive $.10 per kWh of the first year's energy production on the one year anniversary of the installation, to a maximum of $5,000.

Rhode Island »
$3.00 per AC watt up to 50% of system costs. 10% (in 2003) or 5% (in 2004) State tax credit.
Federal Business Incentives

10 Percent Investment Tax Credit
This tax credit is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This credit applies to qualified home offices.

5 Year Accelerated Capital Depreciation
This accelerated depreciation is available for businesses (not residences) that invest in or purchase qualified solar energy equipment. This accelerated depreciation also applies to qualified home offices.

that's a huge copy/paste.

it's from multiple pages on ways to lower you energy bill, I really wanted to help freakapoof out so he will respect me as an interbeing.

that's not going to happen.

What should I do then, I'm really trying hard here but it's not working.

[Tormentius]

well i'm certainly not anti-car, just a bit concerned over people's overuse of fuels to propel them. more people need to carpool/rideshare,etc. but, for alot of people, the reason they won't give up their car is because of their ego. nothing more.

I didn't mean to imply that you are and you seem pretty level-headed on most topics. Carpooling is definitely a better alternative where possible and you're right, many people treat their car as a status symbol or cock extension. IMO its kinda pathetic.