Conserve Energy Future – Rinkesh We are traditionally used to using earth bricks, concrete, and wood in construction. They have been and continue to be used in everyday construction, meaning the continued destruction of trees for timber, and the mining of resources to produce cement for binding sand, gravel, and bricks. #1 is bamboo. Bamboo is considered one of the best eco-friendly building materials. It has an incredibly high self-generation rate, with some being reported to have grown up to three feet within 24 hours. Read More. #11 and #13 surprised me. The post 17+ Sustainable and Gr ..read more

Solar panels can lower your electric bill, but certain promises are too good to be true. Here’s how to tell. Summary: “The federal solar tax credit is going away soon.” The 30% federal tax credit is valid thru 2032. “There’s a special program ending soon.” THERE ARE NO SPECIAL PROGRAMS. “Your utility is going to raise electricity prices XX% each year.” This is more true in California. PG&E rates have risen drastically. But across the US, many municipality utility rates are steady. “Put solar on your roof for free!” This almost certainly doesn’t mean free but rather, no money down. You’ll s ..read more

 Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared it should be May 30. It is believed the date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country. © <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_ressy29′>ressy29</a>, <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/free-images/’>123RF Free Images</a> Learn More.  The post The Origins of Memor ..read more

Did you know that the average U.S. household uses 156 gallons of water per day? Californians use an average of 48 gal/day of water. That’s one third of the national average use. Something to be proud of. So, this article is more for those outside of California, although all of us could always save a little bit more water. California is experiencing climate shifts that bring more extreme weather, resulting in a massive swing of our driest three years on record moving into some of the wettest weeks in recent history. Despite these storms, we are still in a drought. We must come together to chang ..read more

Home builders are on a mission to build all electric homes, at least here in California. New homes and buildings that are constructed in 2023 will have to have electric supply panels and circuitry to support all-electric appliances and heating under the new building code. Existing homes and buildings won’t entirely be off the hook under the new building code. Those that undergo substantial upgrades will also be required to meet the new mandate. The new building code doesn’t ban the sale of natural gas appliances outright — that will come in 2030, in a mandate from the California Air Resources ..read more

As of April 15, 2023, all new applications for solar energy will fall in to the NEM3 solar energy utility rate plan. Solar users under NEM3 will get compensated for about $0.08 / kWh for excess energy sent to the grid, instead of the previous average of $0.30/kWh under NEM2. These changes will extend the payback period for a solar investment from an average of six years to more than ten years. To maximize homeowner savings, we recommend that anyone who is considering installing a solar electric system, also install battery storage. With battery storage, a system owner can store excess energy t ..read more

Are you still considering solar energy for your home or business? Don’t wait any longer. A new NEM 3 solar rate plan goes into effect on April 13. Go solar or add-on to your system before April 14 and lock into the NEM2 solar rate plan for 20 years and save 300% more. Hurry. Schedules are filling up fast. You only need to have your solar application submitted before the deadline. Installs can be scheduled up to three years from the application date. Homeowners who submit an application for solar before 5:00 PM, on April 13, will (presumably) be able to lock into the NEM2 solar rate plan, as l ..read more

What To Expect Next – Installation Projects Solarponics uses Pipedrive, a CRM tool designed to improve customer communication and experience. Documents, project updates, permits, change orders, etc… are now sent directly to your email inbox. Documents that require signing are still processed via DocuSign or AdobeSign. Please refer to the charts below to understand the process, and where your project is at. Step 1: Site Assessment. Jake, our energy analyst, makes a site visit, takes pictures, light readings, etc., that help the engineers design your system. This usually happens within two ..read more

By John Lynch – Dec. 26, 2022 In 1975, Cal Poly graduate Mike Emrich founded a green energy company in San Luis Obispo County after the 1973 oil embargo began to strain the energy industry. That company became Solarponics, which, according to its website, was one of the first to begin installing solar power systems in SLO County. Some 47 years later, Kristian Emrich — Mike’s son and current president of the company — oversaw the installation of Solarponics’ 20,000th solar power system in the county. TOP ARTICLES Emrich said the milestone is a “validation” of his father’s vision for sustainable ..read more

Are you still considering solar energy for your home or business? Don’t wait any longer. A new NEM 3 solar rate plan goes into effect on April 15. Go solar or add-on to your system before April and lock in to the NEM2 solar rate plan for 20 years and save 300% more. Hurry. Schedules are filling up fast. Homeowners who submit an application for solar before midnight, on April 14, will presumably be able to lock in to the NEM2 solar rate plan, as long as the application is complete and there are no discrepancies. Solar homeowners on the NEM2 rate plan will keep 300% more savings than on the new ..read more