By NANCY HILER
Peter and his wife, Lois, parents of seven children, decided last year to help the environment and reduce their utility bills by having solar power generate much of their home's electricity. Last week their home became the setting for the Town of Hempstead's kickoff of a series of educational seminars in conjunction with the Long Island Power Authority's Solar Pioneer Program, which will teach residents how to switch to solar power and make their homes more energy-efficient.
"My bill last month was $81," Lois Ray said. The drop in cost amounted to well over half of her $190 budgeted LIPA bill, she said.
The Rays' house also happens to be in Levittown, where Nassau County and public/private partners recently launched a "Green Levittown" initiative, which offers residents of "America's first suburb" incentives such as reduced interest rates on loans and discounted prices on home energy assessments to encourage them to upgrade their boilers, change to energy-efficient lighting, use better insulation and even invest in solar heating.
Interestingly, the first town/LIPA seminars was held at Levittown Town Hall on April 15. The timing - on tax day and a week before Earth Day - wasn't lost on Town Supervisor Kate Murray, who spoke at the brief ceremony. "We're excited to be kicking off a new 'Go Green' series of seminars one week before Earth Day," Murray said. The timing was appropriate, she said, because the town is ahead of the curve when it comes to environmental and solar energy programs, including photovoltaic (solar-electric) installations at town facilities in Lido Beach, Point Lookout and Town Hall in Hempstead, as well as a newly passed Energy Star Home law for new construction.
At the April 14 event, LIPA President and CEO Kevin Law presented Murray with a $25,000 check from LIPA to help fund the energy-efficient home construction program. Also, in view of tax day, "Solar has tax implications," Murray added. "There are good ones!" She was referring to federal and state tax credits for solar installations in homes and businesses.
"Over 1,200 people have solar," Law said on the Rays' lawn, "including this terrific Levittown home." The town seminars are held in conjunction with the LIPA Solar Pioneer Program, the company's own solar energy seminars.
Solar-generated electricity is becoming increasingly popular in response to concerns about the costs and impact of the fossil fuels that generate most of Long Island's electricity. The seminars cover such topics as how to lower your electric bill, details of LIPA rebates and other financial incentives for solar, net metering (being credited with solar power sent back to the grid) and the importance of choosing an experienced solar contractor.
"Nothing is more gratifying than seeing your electric meter go backwards," Peter Ray said, referring to net metering of the solar output of his home, which is credited on his LIPA bill.
Cash incentives
"There's not a lot we can do about rates driven by rising oil and gas costs," Law said. "We need to seek other sources. We need solar." He went on to say, "We will be announcing our largest solar initiatives package soon." The LIPA program currently offers cash rebates for solar installations of up to $35,000 for homes and businesses and up to $45,000 for nonprofits such as churches, libraries and schools.
"A lot of people don't realize that this is one of the best [programs] in the country in terms of rebates," said Neal Lewis, executive director of the Long Island environmental advocacy group Neighborhood Network. "LIPA rebates cover about half of the upfront costs [of a solar installation]." Since 1984, Lewis's organization has focused on clean energy and promoting related legislation. Most recently the group helped draft local laws, including the town's, requiring new home construction to meet Energy Star homes standards.
The organization is working with the newly formed Long Island Solar Energy Industries Association to fast-track the permit process, promoting standardized safety requirements for photovoltaic installations. Some municipalities are unfamiliar with solar technology, and most treat installations as if they are building projects, issuing permits in weeks rather than days, or subjecting contractors to even longer delays, Lewis explained. A permit that should take a few days to process can take several weeks. "I heard of one, for example, that took six months," he said.
"I just received a $37,000 incentive to put solar on my business," Ray said. He owns AG Electric on Grand Avenue in Bellmore. The solar panels on his home are on the roof in back, but those that will be installed by Wantagh-based contractor Built Well Solar Corp. on his electrical supplies store will be visible from the front on a south-facing overhang.
Although south is often considered the ideal direction for collecting the power of the sun, the use of east and west facades, the pitch of the roof and shade are other factors that Built Well Solar considered in designing Ray's two very different home and business systems. Current electrical use levels were the main consideration in sizing the systems.
"Look at it as an investment," Ray said. "I expect to see a return on my investment in three and half years as a result of the money I'm saving every day by having solar power on my home." Business installations often generate faster paybacks than residential ones, since solar-electric systems generally qualify for accelerated depreciation.
The next LIPA-sponsored "Solar Pioneer & Home Performance with Energy Star" seminar will be held on May 14 at Southold Town Hall, 53905 Main Road in Southold, at 7 p.m.
Comments about this story? NHiler@liherald.com.
