Our Blog

Archive for the ‘Want to Save Money?’ Category

Want to Go Solar, but Financially Conscious? CharlestonWISE can help!

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

We know that the benefits of using solar power to heat your water or power your home are intriguing. You receive a lifetime of free power, except its not technically free. The materials and labor needed to go solar can often times be the prohibiting factor. You hear words like tax incentives, pay back and return on investment (ROI), but that doesn’t help your immediate need to come up with the initial investment, which can often times be more than you can afford. Well, you now have a new option: CharlestonWISE.

CharlestonWISE is a new low-interest rate financing option offered to businesses and homeowners in Charleston, SC. It is a financing option dedicated to those who are interested in making improvements to your home or commercial property to use more renewable energy and become energy efficient. To learn more about the CharlestonWISE program, please visit www.charlestonwise.com.

At Sustainable Energy Solutions we offer free site consultations so you can assess your energy and financial needs to make improvements on your home or commercial property. You can visit www.sccleanenerrgy.com to schedule you site consultation today.

Want $3,500 in April?

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

As many of you may know, the U.S. Government has been encouraging energy efficiency for our nation more and more each year.  In order to incentivize a shift in energy consumption, there are countless tax credits and rebates available for renewable energy products, such as solar water heaters, for both business and homeowners.  DSIRE is the “Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.”  

The purpose of this post is two-fold:  First and foremost to create awareness that many of these government tax credits are still available to you today.  While some expire in 2016, some of these tax credits don’t even have expiration dates.  One tax credit specific to our state is the Solar Energy Tax Credit for South Carolina.  South Carolina taxpayers may claim a credit of 25% of the costs of purchasing and installing a solar energy system or small hydropower system for heating water, space heating, and air cooling to name a few.  The most you can take in any year is $3,500, and for larger investments this can be carried forward for 10 years totaling $35,000!  

$3,500 is a big number!  There are also federal tax credits available as well.  One such credit is the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit.  Under this credit, a taxpayer may claim a credit of 30% of qualified expenditures for a system that serves a dwelling unit located in the United States and is used as a residence by the taxpayer. 

We hope you realize the large savings provided by these credits.  Hopefully you’ll be intrigued enough to investigate these two incentives and make a decision to move forward with a solar site inspection.  

As we mentioned earlier, there are two reasons for this post.  The second is simply to remind you that the tax year is almost over.  As hard as it is to believe, it is November!  Most of these incentives don’t expire for quite some time, but if you want to take advantage of the credit on your 2010 returns, the time to act is now!  With the purchase of a new solar water heating system, you’ll be on the road to lower energy bills and have $3,500 coming in the mail this April between the State and Federal Incentives.  

If this has sparked your interest but you aren’t sure how to get started, please let us know.  We can do a free inspection of your home and walk you through this entire process.  Look us up on Facebook or visit our website.  You can also respond to this blog post and we’ll get back in touch with you.  

Hopefully, you will jump on board.  We have.  Our government has.  Many residents of Charleston have already installed solar hot water heaters at their homes and businesses.  Will you be next?

Your Electric Bill is About to Increase!

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

It has been approved.  Beginning October 30th, there will be a 2.3% increase in SCE&G’s retail electric rates.  That means that your electric bills will be going up just before we hit the holiday season.  

According to an article in the “Daniel Island News,” SCE&G filed for the increase in May under provisions of the South Carolina’s Base Load Review Act (BLRA).  The BLRA is a law that was enacted in 2007 to regulate how electric utilities build nuclear power plants.  Currently, SCE&G and Santee Cooper are working together to build two 1,117-megawatt nuclear electric-generating units in South Carolina.  The President of SCE&G, Kevin March, said that “paying financing costs while construction is ongoing lowers the cost of the new nuclear units” which is why they applied for the rate increase. 

There is no proof to back up the claim we are about to make, but we expect that the cost for electric energy will continue to increase.  There’s nothing that points to the fact that one day it will get any cheaper.  This rate increase is foreshadowing of more to come.  However, there is still a solution.  Solar energy….surprise, surprise! 

While electric prices are increasing, solar energy actually reduces energy costs.  At the same time, using solar energy reduces the amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.  You can check out additional advantages of solar energy on our website.  

The fact is, your electric bill will be increasing beginning on October 30, and there’s nothing that you can do or say to the government or electric company to change that.  You can however, begin to investigate the option of a solar hot water heater for your home.  Government incentives are still available for homes and businesses.  More environmentally friendly at a lower cost is what solar can do for your home.  Check it out!

The Huge Savings of Solar

Monday, October 11th, 2010

It’s September 1 at this point in the project.  Three full systems are complete with work on four other systems near completion.  We’re making some great progress on the solar hot water project at Camp St. Christopher.  Paul talks about the savings of just one of those systems, about $500 – $600 per year!  With 17 systems going in, the minimum amount expected to be saved is $10,000 per year for the camp. 

You may or may not know that St. Christopher Camp & Conference Center, is a great summer camp, has an educational environmental program, and hosts many amazing ministries.  They are a non-profit that has been around over 70 years.  $10,000 is a lot of money to anyone, but for a non-profit, it’s huge.  We’re thrilled to be a part of bringing these savings to an organization with such an amazing purpose and outreach. 

If you’re involved in a non-profit, you have to check out our story and relationship with Camp St. Christopher.  We documented the process in this previous blog on www.sccleanenergy.com.  We can provide the same help and potentially the savings for your facilities as well.  Check out www.sccleanenergy.com for contact information or simply respond to this blog.  We want to hear from you today!

The Grant Process

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

By now, you’ve seen the installation of multiple systems out at Camp St. Christopher.  For us, it’s been an awesome project to be a part of.  Like Paul says, over the next 30 years, a quarter of a million people will experience the first hand effects of this project.  

17 solar water heating systems on 15 buildings and over $111,000 in grant money didn’t come easy.  While it may sound too good to be true for many non-profits out there, this project is evidence that it’s not.  The purpose of this video is to inform you of what the process looked like before we actually started the installation.  You’ll hear about everything we did to get St. Christopher in a position to be awarded the funds. 

After they were awarded the grant, there was even more work to be done before we could actually begin the installation of the solar energy systems.  You can read about that process in a previous blog we posted.  

What you need to know now is that there is still more grant money out there for non-profits to sign up for alternative energy projects, and we can help you out from the grant writing process, to approval, to legal issues, and final installation just like we did with Camp St. Christopher.  

If you’re interested in hearing about how your company or non-profit can experience the benefits of renewable energy on the government’s dime, get in touch with Sustainable Energy Solutions today.  Look us up on Facebook or respond to this blog.  You really do have an opportunity to be government funded for an entire solar energy system.  Even if it sounds too good to be true, and it may be, it really can happen.  We hope to hear from you soon. 

Solar Energy Financing Options

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

We recently posted a blog about the tax incentives available for purchasing a solar energy unit for your home or business.  While the incentives are quite generous, up to 55% in credits for homeowners, a solar energy system may still be a little pricier than you can afford.  We completely understand.  That’s why we want to tell you a little about some financing options that you may have not known about.

The U.S. Department of Energy has multiple suggestions on their site on ways to finance your solar energy investment.  You can apply for energy-efficient financing through a government-insured or conventional loan program.  In South Carolina, our State Energy Office has programs for residents interested in purchasing solar energy products.  You can check those out on their website.

FHA’s Energy Efficient Mortgage program (EEM) helps homebuyers or homeowners save money on utility bills by enabling them to finance the cost of adding energy efficiency features to new or existing housing as part of their FHA insured home purchase or refinancing mortgage.

There are two types of energy-efficient mortgages (EEMs): one for a new home and one for an existing home. With an EEM, you can purchase or refinance a home that is already energy efficient, or you can purchase or refinance a home that will become energy efficient after energy-saving improvements are made. Most energy-efficient financing programs offer both types of EEMs, as well as home-improvement loans for making energy-efficiency upgrades to your existing home.

Another way to finance your solar energy unit is a solar same as cash loan.  These are no money down, no interest for a chosen period of time which corresponds to an origination fee on the loan.  This basically means you can get a solar system and not pay anything until you get your tax credit back the following year.

For commercial projects, a business can get a grant upfront instead of a tax credit the following year.  If you’re interested in looking into obtaining a grant, get in touch with us and we can walk you through that process.  We’ll even help out with the paperwork!

Also something to look at is the success of Property Assessed Clean Energy programs (PACE) that municipalities across the country have started adopting- basically a municipal fund is created through bonds that allows homeowners or businesses to borrow against it and pay it back through their property taxes.

As you can see, there are many different avenues out there for financing of a new solar energy system.  Also, remember to check out information about Tax Incentives that are available.  There’s a reason the government is trying to make purchasing these units enticing; it’s good for our planet.  Get in touch with Sustainable Energy Solutions today to find out about how you can start doing your part!

Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Have you given thought to moving towards a more energy efficient lifestyle in Charleston but thought the cost was too high for the rewards?  Maybe you haven’t even considered installing a solar water heater because your pocket book just can’t handle it.  If this is you, there’s something we’d like to tell you about.  The government offers tax credits for anyone who wants to install energy efficient equipment into their home, and solar water heaters qualify!

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping Americans save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.  Results are already adding up. Americans saved enough energy in 2009 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 30 million cars while saving nearly $17 billion on their utility bills.

These tax credits are available for homeowners as well as businesses.  For homeowners, energy efficient choices can save families about a third on their energy bill with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions.  For businesses, a strategic approach to energy management can produce twice the savings for the bottom line and the environment.  Check out this website for a complete list of incentives available.

It’s very simple when it comes to obtaining the tax credits.  Simply save your receipts and the Manufacturer’s Certification Statement for your records.  When you fill out your 2010 tax returns next April, submit Form 5695 with your taxes.

The tax credit applies from anything to insulation and roofs to wind turbines and solar energy systems.  You can check out www.energystar.gov to get information on the amount of savings for each tax credit.  For solar energy systems, the government will cover 30% of the cost with no upper limit!  That’s a nice chunk of savings back in your pocket, plus the savings on your energy bill every month!  Oops, almost forgot.  South Carolina gives you a 25% tax credit on top of the 30% from the government.  That’s 55% off the cost of your solar energy system!

Sustainable Energy Solutions has the experience and capabilities to partner with you to make your home or business more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.  If you don’t know exactly where to start, get in touch with us or simply respond to this blog and we’ll contact you.  The entire process is actually a lot easier than it may seem.  You can be on the road to lower energy costs within the month.