Homeowners give solar solutions a try

(This is the fourth and final article in a series on solar power and local connections. Today's story focuses on the experiences of homeowners who are using the power of the sun for their electricity needs.)

BARRY TWP. - Some Schuylkill County homeowners are giving their neighbors something to talk about.

As a partner and installer with Control Alt Energy, of Auburn, Andy Wollyung said he's seen inquiries about solar and alternative energy sources soar among local residents. And often times, referrals are by word of mouth.

"We're still seeing a growing number of people interested. It's the talk of the town. People say, 'I've seen this installed,' and it strikes a big interest in a lot of people's eyes," Wollyung said.

Two Barry Township families have had their alternative electricity systems in place and report they're happy with their investments and the savings they've seen. Ted and Marie Reinoehl and Mike and Karen Wasilus, all of the Ashland area, shared details about their reasons to go green.

The state's decision to remove the rate caps on what electric companies can charge is what prompted Mike Wasilus to start looking into alternative energy sources.

"I was looking to get ahead of the rate cap removal. I contacted Control Alt Energy, and things took off from there. We started with the solar/thermal water heat, then the wind turbine, and finally the solar panels."

"Control Alt Energy did all our alternative energy work and they have done numerous installations in the Hegins valley. They are awesome. Also, the federal and state tax credit and rebate programs played a major role in our decision making. Without those programs, the projects would not have been good business decisions," Wasilus said.

Their home is heated and cooled by a heat pump, and is entirely electric.

The ground-mounted solar/thermal water heat (Sunda brand system) was installed in Sept. 2008. It immediately cut 15-20% from their electric usage.

The Skystream Wind Turbine made by Southwest Windpower was installed in March 2009. "It has had less of an impact on our electricity savings. I'd say about 10% savings," said Wasilus.

Sharp brand solar photovoltaic (PV) panels were installed on the house rooftop, with a Fronius inverter in October 2009. "They are awesome and have had the biggest impact on our electricity savings. They easily cut 30-40% from our electric usage. For comparison sake, the solar panels have been installed 6 months less than the wind turbine, yet the solar panels have already surpassed the amount of electricity generated by the wind turbine by 75%."

"Knowing what I know now, I would double the capacity of the solar panel system and bypass putting up the wind turbine," he said.

Wasilus said he doesn't regret installing the wind turbine, it just may take a bit longer to recoup his initial investment. "I'm not sorry I did that."

The initial investment costs for all systems, he said, was offset by the federal tax credits offered, at about 30%. The solar panel cost was also offset by the state's Sunshine rebate program that also offered about a 30% rebate on the installed cost of the system.

"The payback period is a tough question to answer, because the tax credits and rebates are constantly changing. For me, both solar projects will have a much faster payback than the wind project. I'm looking at about 8 years on the payback for the solar projects and probably at least 12 years on the wind project. As far as savings, I would say as a percentage, I'm saving about 60% off my electricity bill with these projects. Obviously, for someone who has other forms of heating or cooling, the saving percentage would be much greater," Wasilus said.

The kilowatt hours generated by the PV panels in almost a year were 4,100 KWH, Wasilus said, and the wind turbine generated 2,100 KWH in a year and a half.

The Reinoehls, meanwhile, had their solar array panels installed in Oct. 2009 by Maximus Solar, of Sacramento. There are 33 panels erected on the south-facing roof of their 3,200 square-foot home. A new asphalt shingle roof was also put on before the solar panels were installed.

"We were trying to look into the future," Ted Reinoehl said. "We figured electric rates would go up and de-regulation was happening, and we were getting closer to retirement and were looking for ways to save money down the road."

Their home is also an electric-run house. They initially installed a geo-thermal system (with tubing running beneath their yard) when the home was first built 19 years ago.

Over the past 11 months, Reinoehl said their solar PV system has produced 8,700 KWH, and at a rate of about 14-cents per kilowatt, they've saved about $1,200 on their electricity costs.

On average, if the sun is out, the solar panels generate about 40 KWH per day, according to Ted Reinoehl. In checking his records, their panels did generate less kilowatts during the winter time, but did generate more in the spring and summer months. By comparison, there was 397 KWH generated in the month of November, 64 KWH in December, 400 KWH in January, and 1,200 KWH in March.

"I'm so glad we did this, and there were incentives to do so." Marie Reinoehl said. With five adults living in the home, the system does provide the appropriate electricity needed to heat and cool the home, and for daily usage, they report.

"One of the biggest holdbacks is the initial costs, which can make it prohibitive," said Ted Reinoehl. "I feel confident within a five-year period of time, it's paid for."

Over the past two years with numerous incentives, the number of solar customers has grown rapidly, Wollyung said. And, despite incentives starting to dry up, the interest has stepped up even more, he said.

His firm uses American-manufactured solar panels, and can work with a homeowner to find the best fit for their needs. Technology and engineering design has enabled the panels to be used on a roof-top, or on a ground-mounted system.

Control Alt Energy was recently featured on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on Sunday, Oct. 24, for the alternative energy system it installed for a Berks County woman, according to Wollyung.

Sign up for Text Alerts

Sign up for e-mail newsletters