The federal solar tax credit is stepping down over the next few years. If you’re a home or business owner you should be thinking about moving quickly to take advantage of the savings the tax credit offers.

Homeowners must have permission to operate their system by their utility company, which is the last step in your solar installation, by December 31 to receive that year’s tax credit.

The IRS states the system must be fully operational, or “placed in service.”

[av_image src=’https://kokosingsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Federal-Tax-Credit-step-down.png’ attachment=’6175′ attachment_size=’full’ align=’center’ styling=” hover=” link=” target=” caption=” font_size=” appearance=” overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ copyright=” animation=’no-animation’ av_uid=’av-33bc0u’ admin_preview_bg=”][/av_image]

The tax credit drops from 30 percent in 2019 to 26 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in 2021.

Read more about the Federal Solar Tax Credit Phase-down for Residential Solar Energy Systems from the Solar Energy Industries Association here.

Get started with a free, no obligation solar estimate to find out about the benefits of clean, affordable solar energy!

Here is the tax form for you to bring with you when you meet with your accountant or finance professional.

The federal solar tax credit is stepping down over the next few years. If you’re a home or business owner you should be thinking about moving quickly to take advantage of the savings the tax credit offers.

Homeowners must have permission to operate their system by their utility company, which is the last step in your solar installation, by December 31 to receive that year’s tax credit.

The IRS states the system must be fully operational, or “placed in service.”

The tax credit drops from 30 percent in 2019 to 26 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in 2021.

Read more about the Federal Solar Tax Credit Phase-down for Residential Solar Energy Systems from the Solar Energy Industries Association here.

Get started with a free, no obligation solar estimate to find out about the benefits of clean, affordable solar energy!

Here is the tax form for you to bring with you when you meet with your accountant or finance professional.

This week we celebrate advancements in the field of lithium-ion battery storage, with The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019 awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, Akira Yoshino “for the development of lithium-ion batteries.” These batteries are the central technology in contemporary solar storage. While Lithium-Ion batteries are used in devices of all types, they have enabled huge developments in fossil-free energy storage. They have also enabled the development of long range electric cars.

Join Solar Designer, Jack Hadley as he discusses solar batteries, why solar batteries are useful and what makes Tesla Powerwall different.

What type of home needs solar batteries?

While solar batteries add to the cost of your solar project and lessen the ROI, some households find they are worth the investment. You should consider batteries for your solar system if…

• Your home is remote and isn’t tied into the utility grid;
• You experience frequent power outages;
• You have critical appliances; or
• You experience extreme weather conditions

Learn more or to sign up to chat with a solar & Powerwall expert…

[av_button label=’Tesla Powerwall’ link=’manually,https://kokosingsolar.com/certified-tesla-powerwall/’ link_target=” size=’large’ position=’center’ label_display=” icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ color=’dark’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ av_uid=’av-2s0ydi’ admin_preview_bg=”]

This week we celebrate advancements in the field of lithium-ion battery storage, with The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019 awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, Akira Yoshino “for the development of lithium-ion batteries.” These batteries are the central technology in contemporary solar storage. While Lithium-Ion batteries are used in devices of all types, they have enabled huge developments in fossil-free energy storage. They have also enabled the development of long range electric cars.

Join Solar Designer, Jack Hadley as he discusses solar batteries, why solar batteries are useful and what makes Tesla Powerwall different.

What type of home needs solar batteries?

While solar batteries add to the cost of your solar project and lessen the ROI, some households find they are worth the investment. You should consider batteries for your solar system if…

• Your home is remote and isn’t tied into the utility grid;
• You experience frequent power outages;
• You have critical appliances; or
• You experience extreme weather conditions

On October 5 & 6, 2019, hundreds of home and business owners who have gone solar across the United States hosted solar open houses on the National Solar Tour, to share the power of solar energy with their communities. Homeowners welcome members of the community into their homes to see their solar system up close and hear testimonial experience and reasoning for going solar.

For a complete list of participating homes across the states and across Ohio, visit the National Solar Tour Map page here.

Who is participating?

• The 2019 National Solar Tour brought together solar energy supporters from all across the country and all walks of life.
• There were more than 800 sites and 70 local solar tours participating across 46 states.

What did attendees learn?

• Solar open houses are a chance to visit homes and businesses that use solar energy, green building design, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and other innovative or proven technologies.
• Tour attendees will be able to see local renewable energy in action. They can ask home and business owners about their systems.
• The Tour is an opportunity for solar supporters to network with each other for a fun and educational experience.
• Solar tour visitors will learn about:
  • Reducing electricity costs;
  • Supporting energy independence;
  • Protecting against power outages; and
  • Reducing carbon emissions.

Why Attend?

• Connect with others who are interested in solar;
• See a solar system in action;
• Find answers to your questions;
• Share stories of your solar journey; and
• Celebrate the power of solar energy!

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Sunbury, Ohio

Event information: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/1468/

This 28 panel ground mounted array is a 7.5 kW solar system. It offsets the homes energy consumption by 68% and will save the homeowners $62,543 over the lifetime of the system.

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Powell, Ohio

Event information: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/1314/

Solar homeowner & host, Michael Schaal is a renewable energy advocate and independent solar consultant. While relatively new to commercial solar, Michael has been passionate about renewable energy for many years. His initial interest led him to pursue solar energy for his own home after successfully overturning local homeowner association restrictions on solar. In addition to promoting solar in his neighborhood (3 homes and counting!), Michael is also active regionally with Solar United Neighbors and has presented at their annual conference on overcoming HOA obstacles.

Check out his 7.5 kW black on black solar array, learn about Home Owners Associations & get all of your solar questions answered.

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Athens, Ohio

Event information: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/1089/

Did you know that Ohio favorite Jackie O’s is a solar powered brewery?

“Our eventual goal is 100 percent sustainability,” said Founder Art Osterike, “A good economy and healthy planet aren’t mutually exclusive and we look forward to working with Third Sun Solar to show that to beer lovers and decision makers across Ohio, the Midwest and the entire country.”

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Akron, Ohio

Event information: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/535/

43 black on black solar panels make up this 13.5 kW array. The array is offsetting 92% of the home’s energy usage over the course of the year. Over the lifetime of the system, we estimate that these Akron homeowners will save $116,594 in energy costs. Check out the energy & sustainability upgrades the homeowners have made to their home in addition to solar!

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On October 5 & 6, 2019, hundreds of home and business owners who have gone solar across the United States hosted solar open houses on the National Solar Tour, to share the power of solar energy with their communities. Homeowners welcome members of the community into their homes to see their solar system up close and hear testimonial experience and reasoning for going solar.

For a complete list of participating homes across the states and across Ohio, visit the National Solar Tour Map page here.

Who is participating?

• The 2019 National Solar Tour brought together solar energy supporters from all across the country and all walks of life.
• There were more than 800 sites and 70 local solar tours participating across 46 states.

What did attendees learn?

• Solar open houses are a chance to visit homes and businesses that use solar energy, green building design, energy efficiency, electric vehicles, and other innovative or proven technologies.
• Tour attendees will be able to see local renewable energy in action. They can ask home and business owners about their systems.
• The Tour is an opportunity for solar supporters to network with each other for a fun and educational experience.
• Solar tour visitors will learn about:
  • Reducing electricity costs;
  • Supporting energy independence;
  • Protecting against power outages; and
  • Reducing carbon emissions.

Why Attend?

• Connect with others who are interested in solar;
• See a solar system in action;
• Find answers to your questions;
• Share stories of your solar journey; and
• Celebrate the power of solar energy!

Sunbury, Ohio

Event information: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/1468/

This 28 panel ground mounted array is a 7.5 kW solar system. It offsets the homes energy consumption by 68% and will save the homeowners $62,543 over the lifetime of the system.

Powell, Ohio

Event information: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/1314/

Solar homeowner & host, Michael Schaal is a renewable energy advocate and independent solar consultant. While relatively new to commercial solar, Michael has been passionate about renewable energy for many years. His initial interest led him to pursue solar energy for his own home after successfully overturning local homeowner association restrictions on solar. In addition to promoting solar in his neighborhood (3 homes and counting!), Michael is also active regionally with Solar United Neighbors and has presented at their annual conference on overcoming HOA obstacles.

Athens, Ohio

Event information: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/1089/

Did you know that Ohio favorite Jackie O’s is a solar powered brewery?

“Our eventual goal is 100 percent sustainability,” said Founder Art Osterike, “A good economy and healthy planet aren’t mutually exclusive and we look forward to working with Third Sun Solar to show that to beer lovers and decision makers across Ohio, the Midwest and the entire country.”

Akron, Ohio

Event information: https://www.nationalsolartour.org/open-houses/535/

43 black on black solar panels make up this 13.5 kW array. The array is offsetting 92% of the home’s energy usage over the course of the year. Over the lifetime of the system, we estimate that these Akron homeowners will save $116,594 in energy costs. Check out the energy & sustainability upgrades the homeowners have made to their home in addition to solar!

Third Sun Solar is proud to be part of a larger movement which is striving to redefine success in business so all companies compete to not only be the best in the world, but best for the world.

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Chief executives from the Business Roundtable, including the leaders of Apple and JPMorgan Chase, argued that companies must also invest in employees and deliver value to customers.” – The New York Times

Our B-Corps Journey…

Why did we do it?

How do you become a B Corp?

• Governance
• Workers
• Community
• Environment
• Customers

We provide information & documentation for:

• How much waste and recycling we produce
• The percentage of clean power we use at our headquarters
• Our products benefit environmentally
• Salary & benefits structures for our employees
• Transparency structures in management
• Contribution to the larger community through donations or activities
• Sustainable practices in how we deploy our product and run our offices
• … and much more.

80 is the cut off points for a business to become certified. 50.9 is the average score of just any mainstream business. Our current score is 88.5.

Changes needed…

• We had a zero waste assessment from Rural Action & put those practices into play
• Almost 100% of our electricity from solar, and our product eliminates greenhouse gases, so we already were doing a lot on the environmental front
• Every year we purchase carbon offsets for our vehicle fleet
• We began to hire and review employees based on their commitment to the BCorps values (which largely overlap with our values)
• We became more transparent on our financials and metrics with the entire company
• Wages were raised for employees
• The last legal thing that we had to do was to insert into our corporate Operating Agreement that we would always consider the people and the planet as much in our decisions as we consider profit

We still have a lot of potential progress and changes that we can make…

When we were first certified, we were one of only 3 companies in Ohio. Now there are 14.

Third Sun Solar is proud to be part of a larger movement which is striving to redefine success in business so all companies compete to not only be the best in the world, but best for the world.

Chief executives from the Business Roundtable, including the leaders of Apple and JPMorgan Chase, argued that companies must also invest in employees and deliver value to customers.” – The New York Times

Our B-Corps Journey…

Why did we do it?

How do you become a B Corp?

• Governance
• Workers
• Community
• Environment
• Customers

We provide information & documentation for:

• How much waste and recycling we produce
• The percentage of clean power we use at our headquarters
• Our products benefit environmentally
• Salary & benefits structures for our employees
• Transparency structures in management
• Contribution to the larger community through donations or activities
• Sustainable practices in how we deploy our product and run our offices
• … and much more.

80 is the cut off points for a business to become certified. 50.9 is the average score of just any mainstream business. Our current score is 88.5.

Changes needed…

• We had a zero waste assessment from Rural Action & put those practices into play
• Almost 100% of our electricity from solar, and our product eliminates greenhouse gases, so we already were doing a lot on the environmental front
• Every year we purchase carbon offsets for our vehicle fleet
• We began to hire and review employees based on their commitment to the BCorps values (which largely overlap with our values)
• We became more transparent on our financials and metrics with the entire company
• Wages were raised for employees
• The last legal thing that we had to do was to insert into our corporate Operating Agreement that we would always consider the people and the planet as much in our decisions as we consider profit

We still have a lot of potential progress and changes that we can make…

When we were first certified, we were one of only 3 companies in Ohio. Now there are 14.

How is Athens County leading the way in Ohio? In solar workforce development! Employing former coal miners as solar installers has been an added benefit to situating our solar business in Appalachian Ohio. Read more here.

How is Athens County leading the way in Ohio? In solar workforce development! Employing former coal miners as solar installers has been an added benefit to situating our solar business in Appalachian Ohio. Read more here.

New Resource Solutions recognized as a “Best For The World” B Corp for sustainability and environmental excellence

Third Sun Solar Co-Founder, Geoff Greenfield is a Co-Founder and Board Member of New Resource Solutions– a platform developed to efficiently connect clean energy projects with clean energy investors.

Athens, Ohio; September 4, 2019 – New Resource Solutions (“NRS”), a Certified B Corp, has been named a Best For The World honoree in recognition of their environmental performance and sustainable business practices. Ranking in the top 10% of all B Corps for their environmental and social responsibility, New Resource Solutions earned this honor through the Company’s tireless efforts to unlock affordable solar power for schools, municipalities, nonprofits and businesses unable to “go solar” through more traditional cash transactions.

“New Resource Solutions is democratizing solar across the United States,” says Marc Palmer, Managing Director for NRS. “Our business model promotes local development and jobs, bringing non-extractive investment capital into local economies. Local companies are essential to the proliferation of commercial-scale solar. We are grateful to be a Best For the World honoree and couldn’t have done this without our enthusiastic installer and investor partners.”

Best For The World recognition is administered by B Lab, the global nonprofit that certifies and supports Certified B Corporations, which are for-profit companies dedicated to using business as a force for good. Today there are 3,000 Certified B Corporations across 64 countries and 150 industries, unified by one common goal: to redefine success in business.

B Corps meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service, it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it—like New Resource Solutions. Using the B Impact Assessment, B Lab evaluates how a company’s operations and business model impact its workers, community, environment, and customers. To achieve the B Corp Certification, a company must achieve a score of at least 80 points on the assessment.

“We’re incredibly proud of this year’s Best For The World honorees,” says Anthea Kelsick, Chief Marketing Officer of B Lab. “These inspiring companies represent the kinds of business models and impact-driven business strategies that are building a new economy—one that is inclusive, regenerative, and delivers value to all stakeholders, not just shareholders. To that end, B Corps like New Resource Solutions are redefining capitalism and showing that it actually can work for everyone.”

1,000 B Corps from 44 countries were named to the 2019 Best For The World lists, including Patagonia, Beautycounter, Dr. Bronner’s, TOMS, Seventh Generation, and Greyston Bakery. The 2019 Best For The World honorees are determined based on the verified B Impact Assessments of Certified B Corporations. The full lists are available on https://bcorporation.net/.

****

About New Resource Solutions:

New Resource Solutions (“NRS”) is disrupting the commercial solar market across the US. It solves the pain points of third-party ownership, or “PPAs”, for anchor community entities like schools, municipalities, nonprofits, and private companies by efficiently connecting trusted local solar installers with solar project investors. While most companies are only looking to do larger deals, NRS makes the medium and small ones financially attractive for all parties involved.

Contact: Marc Palmer; Managing Director

[email protected]; 937-541-1121

About B Lab:

B Lab is a nonprofit that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. B Lab’s initiatives include B Corp Certification, administration of the B Impact Management programs and software, and advocacy for governance structures like the benefit corporation. B Lab’s vision is of an inclusive and sustainable economy that creates a shared prosperity for all. To date, there are 3,000 Certified B Corps in over 150 industries and 64 countries, and over 50,000 companies use the B Impact Assessment. For more information, visit https://bcorporation.net/

B Lab Contact: Hannah Munger; Manager, PR & Communications; [email protected]; +1 212-608-4150

When we design your solar energy system, First, we use satellite imagery and your electric bill to give you an initial review of your solar potential.

We discuss system sizes, locations, and costs. We review all system plans with you before installing, connecting, and commissioning your solar electric. Here are some guidelines to help you determine whether solar can work well for you:

Orientation

South-facing is best. Either the front or back of the house faces directly south. South-east facing can also work well, either the front or back of the house. South-west facing can also work well, either the front or back of the house.

A house facing east-west can also work—panels on the east side will get morning sunlight, those on the west will get afternoon sunlight.

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Shade

• A Completely un-shaded house is best. Sunlight covers the roof all day.
• A lightly-shaded house can work for solar — we can position the solar panels to avoid shade. Module level optimizers prevent the old problem of losing the output of an entire string of panels when one module gets shaded. However, shade is still an important factor in good solar design.
• A heavily-shaded house will not work for rooftop solar—but, give the amount of available space, we can do a ground-mounted system in that case.

[av_gallery ids=’4164,4160,4161′ style=’thumbnails’ preview_size=’portfolio’ crop_big_preview_thumbnail=’avia-gallery-big-crop-thumb’ thumb_size=’portfolio’ columns=’3′ imagelink=’lightbox’ lazyload=’avia_lazyload’ av_uid=’av-2yhabx’ admin_preview_bg=”]

Roof Slope & Shape

• On a flat roof, solar panels can be easily mounted on ballasted racks that tilt them toward the sun.
• A 30-degree roof pitch is ideal. We can flush-mount the solar panels for best sun exposure.
• A 15-degree pitch works well. Our racking can tilt the solar panels slightly steeper to get the best sun exposure.
• Complex roof lines can also work well, depending upon the size and orientation of the different roof facets.

Energy Offset

A properly-sized solar electric system is a function of 3 factors: How much energy do you typically use? How much available space do you have? What is your budget?

A good solar installer will have system designers & solar consultants who will optimize these variables find the “sweet spot” for your system—the best size for your available electric needs, space and budget.

By right-sizing your system, a good installer will shorten your payback period.

• How much energy you use – your home’s energy consumption tell us the maximum limit of how much solar energy you will need to power your home. This is why many installers request an electric bill with your homes annual usage to create a solar estimate.
• How much space you have – How much space do you have on your roof or on the ground for solar? We look for space that is free from shade, is free from roof obstructions and is not facing northward.
• Your budget – How much do you plan to spend on solar? Do you want premium solar panels or our more cost-effective option?

When we design your solar energy system, First, we use satellite imagery and your electric bill to give you an initial review of your solar potential.

We discuss system sizes, locations, and costs. We review all system plans with you before installing, connecting, and commissioning your solar electric. Here are some guidelines to help you determine whether solar can work well for you:

Orientation

South-facing is best. Either the front or back of the house faces directly south. South-east facing can also work well, either the front or back of the house. South-west facing can also work well, either the front or back of the house.

A house facing east-west can also work—panels on the east side will get morning sunlight, those on the west will get afternoon sunlight.

Shade

• A Completely un-shaded house is best. Sunlight covers the roof all day.
• A lightly-shaded house can work for solar — we can position the solar panels to avoid shade. Module level optimizers prevent the old problem of losing the output of an entire string of panels when one module gets shaded. However, shade is still an important factor in good solar design.
• A heavily-shaded house will not work for rooftop solar—but, give the amount of available space, we can do a ground-mounted system in that case.

Roof Slope & Shape

• On a flat roof, solar panels can be easily mounted on ballasted racks that tilt them toward the sun.
• A 30-degree roof pitch is ideal. We can flush-mount the solar panels for best sun exposure.
• A 15-degree pitch works well. Our racking can tilt the solar panels slightly steeper to get the best sun exposure.
• Complex roof lines can also work well, depending upon the size and orientation of the different roof facets.

Energy Offset

A properly-sized solar electric system is a function of 3 factors: How much energy do you typically use? How much available space do you have? What is your budget?

A good solar installer will have system designers & solar consultants who will optimize these variables find the “sweet spot” for your system—the best size for your available electric needs, space and budget.

By right-sizing your system, a good installer will shorten your payback period.

• How much energy you use – your home’s energy consumption tell us the maximum limit of how much solar energy you will need to power your home. This is why many installers request an electric bill with your homes annual usage to create a solar estimate.
• How much space you have – How much space do you have on your roof or on the ground for solar? We look for space that is free from shade, is free from roof obstructions and is not facing northward.
• Your budget – How much do you plan to spend on solar? Do you want premium solar panels or our more cost-effective option?

Summary

On July 23rd 2019, The Ohio House of Representatives approved and Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 6, legislation to subsidize two failing nuclear power plants and reduce Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standards.

House Bill 6 in Ohio does the following:

• Through rate-payer charges, $150 million per year will go to fund two failing FirstEnergy nuclear power plants
• $50 million a year will go to fund two aging coal-fired power plants

• Lowers the states Renewable Portfolio Standards, the mandated percentage of renewable energy utilities provide to rate-payers, from 12.5% to 8.5% by 2026
• Eliminates mandates for solar specific energy purchasing, or SRECs, from 2020 onward

House Bill 6 does not represent the end for residential solar – not by a long shot. What Ohio’s House Bill 6 means for solar homeowners, is that the price of Solar Renewable Energy Credits in Ohio will drop. For the most part, the fluctuating, often already low prices of SRECs do not affect the economics of our customer’s solar projects.

Additionally, HB6 indicates that there will be no state incentives for solar in the foreseeable future. Incentives would have boosted the market for solar and made renewable energy more accessible in Ohio. But Ohioans have been without any robust solar incentives for many years now, and the economics of installing solar have gotten better during this time because of the naturally declining price of solar modules and equipment.

History

In 2008 Ohio passed a law (SB 221) that, among other things, requires the four investor owned utilities to add solar to their energy mix, at an increasing rate each year. The law also addressed wind and other renewables but called out a special category for solar. It established a financial penalty for the utility for any shortfall (called the ACP, or alternative compliance payment), and various rules of the policy. Ohio is one of 24 states with Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), all of them different, and controlled at the state level.

Ohio has seen this mechanism be an effective and flexible way to spur solar development in the state. The utilities have built their own solar plants to achieve these annual benchmarks, or they meet all or part of their obligations by encouraging the private development of solar projects through the purchase of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) from the owners of the solar projects. An SREC is simply the intangible “green energy attributes” associated with 1,000 kWh of solar power. The law allows the purchase of SRECs from projects in contiguous states as well. There is no obligation for homeowners and private solar projects to sell SRECs, but they can sell them to the utility or private buyer (aggregator, traders or other middlemen) with the best price and terms.

What are SRECs?

Solar Renewable Energy Credits are annual credits for the clean electricity produced by your solar PV system. For every one megawatt-hour of electricity produced by your system each year (one megawatt-hour is equal to 1,000 kilowatt hours of solar) one SREC is created. A general rule of thumb in Ohio is 1kW of solar capacity will produce approximately 1 SREC per year. Therefore, a 5kW solar PV system will produce about 5 SRECs per year and a 10kW system will produce about 10 SRECs per year.

What gives SRECs their value?

The state governments Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) create the market for SRECs. These are shaped by both federal and state policy. These policies aim to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and carbon emissions that are contributing to global climate change.

At a state level, SB 221 created the Renewable Portfolio Standards in Ohio. Another example of policy that shapes states renewable energy standards is the 2015 Clean Power Plan. This federal legislation required states to meet specific standards with respect to reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. This federal legislation informed Ohio’s goals and bolstered the case for the 2008 plan.

In Conclusion…

The state government can create the market for solar incentives. In Ohio this has been done by a special carve out for solar in the form of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) in the Renewable Portfolio Standards. With the elimination of the special carve out for solar, House Bill 6 will keep the pricing for SRECs low. But this doesn’t move the needle too much. Individuals who are thinking about going solar will not be greatly affected by this change in policy.

While HB6 does not pose a threat to residential solar homeowners, the state of the Renewable Energy Standards in Ohio is something to pay attention to. Renewable energy is a growing sector, as of 2018 employing 112,486 Ohioans, and with job growth 12 times as fast as the rest of the US economy. There is great economic opportunity presented by renewable energy and energy efficiency. House Bill 6 is a setback for the clean energy economy and the jobs that are created for Ohioans in this industry.

According to the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, from 2009-2017 the Renewable Energy Standards established in SB 221 have created $5.1 billion in energy bill savings for customers. Additionally, Ohio’s energy efficiency programs have saved Ohioans 49 MWh for electricity, enough to power every home in Ohio for 10.5 months. Losing these benefits will cost consumers money, but if homeowners install a solar power system on their home, they will be able to save even more than they have lost.

At Third Sun Solar our mission is to accelerate the shift to clean energy. We are advocates for strong renewable energy standards that keep the market for renewable energy flourishing. We will continue to advocate for strong renewable energy standards and educate our customers about their importance as we go about our daily business installing solar on homes and businesses across Ohio & beyond.

Summary

On July 23rd 2019, The Ohio House of Representatives approved and Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 6, legislation to subsidize two failing nuclear power plants and reduce Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standards.

House Bill 6 in Ohio does the following:

• Through rate-payer charges, $150 million per year will go to fund two failing FirstEnergy nuclear power plants
• $50 million a year will go to fund two aging coal-fired power plants

• Lowers the states Renewable Portfolio Standards, the mandated percentage of renewable energy utilities provide to rate-payers, from 12.5% to 8.5% by 2026
• Eliminates mandates for solar specific energy purchasing, or SRECs, from 2020 onward

House Bill 6 does not represent the end for residential solar – not by a long shot. What Ohio’s House Bill 6 means for solar homeowners, is that the price of Solar Renewable Energy Credits in Ohio will drop. For the most part, the fluctuating, often already low prices of SRECs do not affect the economics of our customer’s solar projects.

Additionally, HB6 indicates that there will be no state incentives for solar in the foreseeable future. Incentives would have boosted the market for solar and made renewable energy more accessible in Ohio. But Ohioans have been without any robust solar incentives for many years now, and the economics of installing solar have gotten better during this time because of the naturally declining price of solar modules and equipment.

History

In 2008 Ohio passed a law (SB 221) that, among other things, requires the four investor owned utilities to add solar to their energy mix, at an increasing rate each year. The law also addressed wind and other renewables but called out a special category for solar. It established a financial penalty for the utility for any shortfall (called the ACP, or alternative compliance payment), and various rules of the policy. Ohio is one of 24 states with Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), all of them different, and controlled at the state level.

Ohio has seen this mechanism be an effective and flexible way to spur solar development in the state. The utilities have built their own solar plants to achieve these annual benchmarks, or they meet all or part of their obligations by encouraging the private development of solar projects through the purchase of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) from the owners of the solar projects. An SREC is simply the intangible “green energy attributes” associated with 1,000 kWh of solar power. The law allows the purchase of SRECs from projects in contiguous states as well. There is no obligation for homeowners and private solar projects to sell SRECs, but they can sell them to the utility or private buyer (aggregator, traders or other middlemen) with the best price and terms.

What are SRECs?

Solar Renewable Energy Credits are annual credits for the clean electricity produced by your solar PV system. For every one megawatt-hour of electricity produced by your system each year (one megawatt-hour is equal to 1,000 kilowatt hours of solar) one SREC is created. A general rule of thumb in Ohio is 1kW of solar capacity will produce approximately 1 SREC per year. Therefore, a 5kW solar PV system will produce about 5 SRECs per year and a 10kW system will produce about 10 SRECs per year.

What gives SRECs their value?

The state governments Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) create the market for SRECs. These are shaped by both federal and state policy. These policies aim to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and carbon emissions that are contributing to global climate change.

At a state level, SB 221 created the Renewable Portfolio Standards in Ohio. Another example of policy that shapes states renewable energy standards is the 2015 Clean Power Plan. This federal legislation required states to meet specific standards with respect to reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. This federal legislation informed Ohio’s goals and bolstered the case for the 2008 plan.

In Conclusion…

The state government can create the market for solar incentives. In Ohio this has been done by a special carve out for solar in the form of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) in the Renewable Portfolio Standards. With the elimination of the special carve out for solar, House Bill 6 will keep the pricing for SRECs low. But this doesn’t move the needle too much. Individuals who are thinking about going solar will not be greatly affected by this change in policy.

While HB6 does not pose a threat to residential solar homeowners, the state of the Renewable Energy Standards in Ohio is something to pay attention to. Renewable energy is a growing sector, as of 2018 employing 112,486 Ohioans, and with job growth 12 times as fast as the rest of the US economy. There is great economic opportunity presented by renewable energy and energy efficiency. House Bill 6 is a setback for the clean energy economy and the jobs that are created for Ohioans in this industry.

According to the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, from 2009-2017 the Renewable Energy Standards established in SB 221 have created $5.1 billion in energy bill savings for customers. Additionally, Ohio’s energy efficiency programs have saved Ohioans 49 MWh for electricity, enough to power every home in Ohio for 10.5 months. Losing these benefits will cost consumers money, but if homeowners install a solar power system on their home, they will be able to save even more than they have lost.

At Third Sun Solar our mission is to accelerate the shift to clean energy. We are advocates for strong renewable energy standards that keep the market for renewable energy flourishing. We will continue to advocate for strong renewable energy standards and educate our customers about their importance as we go about our daily business installing solar on homes and businesses across Ohio & beyond.

Does it feel like your electric bill gets higher every year? Does it feel like your electric bill changes every month and is unpredictable? You aren’t the only one! We talk to homeowners every day who are experiencing the same problem.

You wonder: Why do my electric bills increase? What can I do to stop them from increasing? Read on to learn about how solar provides a solution to fluctuating energy costs.

Energy Costs on the Rise

Residential solar energy systems are gaining momentum quickly. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), as of 2019, the United States has 2 million solar installations. This reflects major growth in the solar sector in the U.S., which just 3 years ago reached 1 million solar installations.

What is fueling the demand?

As you know, electricity prices have been on the rise over time. Each state has seen this increase with price rises that are felt by homeowners. Monthly, these prices rise and fall– which means that your utility bill is pretty unpredictable. Even if you use the same amount of electricity every month, you can’t predict what your electricity bill will be. When you add in seasonal variables that are also unpredictable (heat waves in the summer, cold spells in the winter), it’s almost impossible to predict what your energy consumption during these months will be.

Fluctuating energy prices and weather conditions can have a dramatic influence on monthly energy bills.

What is the cause of fluctuating energy rates? There are many factors but here are a couple:

• The Rise of Natural Gas – in recent years, natural gas has become the new go-to fossil fuel for energy production. Between changes in extraction methods to stored reserves and demand, natural Gas fluctuates in price more than coal and nuclear power.
• Coal & Nuclear Plants Closing – with the rise in natural gas production, coal and nuclear power are on the decline. This adds to the instability in the energy market and leads to higher and more unstable rates.

Budgeting for Stability

Solar helps you budget for stability by controlling a portion of the electric spend with known costs.

Solar can help by reducing this variability in pricing that you see month to month. If you choose to finance your solar system and pay it off over time, your monthly solar bill will be fixed. You’ll have your loan locked in at the same monthly payment. So your utility payments, more or less, will be at frozen rates for the next 5-20 years.

How will solar effect my monthly bill payments?

When you go solar, the number to kilowatt-hours you purchase monthly from the utility goes down. This is accounted for through a process called net metering. Every month you are only billed for the amount of energy you have used in excess of what your solar panels have produced. If you’ve over produced, you are credited for this excess generation. This credit will be applied to future bills in months when you use more energy then you have made.

Your energy charge- or killowat hours consumed- is often the largest part of your bill. Other line items on your bill, such as the “delivery service charge” which is the fee the utility charges of the use of their grid will also be impacted by how much solar you generate.

Some Math…

Lets imagine your home uses 1,000 kWh per month. If your solar system generates 800 kWh per month, you’ll be left with 200 kWh that you’re paying the utility for. So you will still see rate increases, but only on that 200 kWh that you’re still getting from the utility. The other 800 kWh are free, after the cost of the system itself. 10 years from now you’ll still be getting that 800 kWh for the fixed cost of your solar energy system, no rate hikes. You will certainly be paying more for that 200 kWh of utility power that you use, but again, paying an increased % on 200 is much better than the full 1,000 kWh. Additionally, the money you will have saved by avoiding these increases will have paid for the panels themselves… and then some.

What Can We Do?

All in all, you will be paying substantially higher rates for energy in the next ten years. The more control you have over your power supply, the more you control your electric bills.

Conservation is important: turn the lights off, keep the AC and furnace at a reasonable temperature, run full loads of laundry. We talk with customer who are taking these steps but not seeing results. Why? Because of the described fluctuations in electric rates. Utility rates will continue to rise and at home energy conservation measures won’t be enough to keep your bill steady.

Solar energy is a solution to unpredictable and rising energy rates.

Give us a call today to talk to a knowledgeable Solar Consultant. They’ll explain how much you pay for energy now and how much you’ll be paying for energy in the future- if you do and if you don’t go solar. Fill out your information here to speak with a Solar Consultant.

Does it feel like your electric bill gets higher every year? Does it feel like your electric bill changes every month and is unpredictable? You aren’t the only one! We talk to homeowners every day who are experiencing the same problem.

You wonder: Why do my electric bills increase? What can I do to stop them from increasing? Read on to learn about how solar provides a solution to fluctuating energy costs.

Energy Costs on the Rise

Residential solar energy systems are gaining momentum quickly. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), as of 2019, the United States has 2 million solar installations. This reflects major growth in the solar sector in the U.S., which just 3 years ago reached 1 million solar installations.

What is fueling the demand?

As you know, electricity prices have been on the rise over time. Each state has seen this increase with price rises that are felt by homeowners. Monthly, these prices rise and fall– which means that your utility bill is pretty unpredictable. Even if you use the same amount of electricity every month, you can’t predict what your electricity bill will be. When you add in seasonal variables that are also unpredictable (heat waves in the summer, cold spells in the winter), it’s almost impossible to predict what your energy consumption during these months will be.

Fluctuating energy prices and weather conditions can have a dramatic influence on monthly energy bills.

What is the cause of fluctuating energy rates? There are many factors but here are a couple:

• The Rise of Natural Gas – in recent years, natural gas has become the new go-to fossil fuel for energy production. Between changes in extraction methods to stored reserves and demand, natural Gas fluctuates in price more than coal and nuclear power.
• Coal & Nuclear Plants Closing – with the rise in natural gas production, coal and nuclear power are on the decline. This adds to the instability in the energy market and leads to higher and more unstable rates.

Budgeting for Stability

Solar helps you budget for stability by controlling a portion of the electric spend with known costs.

Solar can help by reducing this variability in pricing that you see month to month. If you choose to finance your solar system and pay it off over time, your monthly solar bill will be fixed. You’ll have your loan locked in at the same monthly payment. So your utility payments, more or less, will be at frozen rates for the next 5-20 years.

How will solar effect my monthly bill payments?

When you go solar, the number to kilowatt-hours you purchase monthly from the utility goes down. This is accounted for through a process called net metering. Every month you are only billed for the amount of energy you have used in excess of what your solar panels have produced. If you’ve over produced, you are credited for this excess generation. This credit will be applied to future bills in months when you use more energy then you have made.

Your energy charge- or killowat hours consumed- is often the largest part of your bill. Other line items on your bill, such as the “delivery service charge” which is the fee the utility charges of the use of their grid will also be impacted by how much solar you generate.

Some Math…

Lets imagine your home uses 1,000 kWh per month. If your solar system generates 800 kWh per month, you’ll be left with 200 kWh that you’re paying the utility for. So you will still see rate increases, but only on that 200 kWh that you’re still getting from the utility. The other 800 kWh are free, after the cost of the system itself. 10 years from now you’ll still be getting that 800 kWh for the fixed cost of your solar energy system, no rate hikes. You will certainly be paying more for that 200 kWh of utility power that you use, but again, paying an increased % on 200 is much better than the full 1,000 kWh. Additionally, the money you will have saved by avoiding these increases will have paid for the panels themselves… and then some.

What Can We Do?

All in all, you will be paying substantially higher rates for energy in the next ten years. The more control you have over your power supply, the more you control your electric bills.

Conservation is important: turn the lights off, keep the AC and furnace at a reasonable temperature, run full loads of laundry. We talk with customer who are taking these steps but not seeing results. Why? Because of the described fluctuations in electric rates. Utility rates will continue to rise and at home energy conservation measures won’t be enough to keep your bill steady.

Solar energy is a solution to unpredictable and rising energy rates.

Give us a call today to talk to a knowledgeable Solar Consultant. They’ll explain how much you pay for energy now and how much you’ll be paying for energy in the future- if you do and if you don’t go solar. Fill out your information here to speak with a Solar Consultant.

Do you live in the Greater Cincinnati area and have a passion for the environment?

Do you wish to make a difference in the world while also joining one of the fastest growing industries in the country?

Do you have sales and/or business experience and love communicating with people?

Are you a driven and well-organized overachiever ready to turn your talents toward our planet’s future?

If so, then you may be the type of person we are looking for. Only the best of the best will have the opportunity to join our team. If this is you, please see the position details below.

Third Sun Solar is Ohio’s oldest and most experienced full-service solar company. We have spent the past 20 years installing over 1000 solar systems throughout Ohio and the surrounding states, and have built an exceptional reputation for expert design, installation and customer service as we help people go solar.

We are a mission driven company and also a certified B-Corp, which means we walk our talk when it comes to our values as a business committed not just to sustainable profitability and growth, but to serving people and the planet as well.

Our mission is to accelerate the shift to clean energy. Our team works hard toward this goal every day at a company built on a strong foundation made up of the following core values:

• We are here to Serve
• We are Reliable
• We are Driven
• We value Growth

Application instructions:

• Deadline to apply – September 30, 2019
• Training for the positions will begin November 15, 2019
• To apply, please submit resumes and cover letters to [email protected]
• You may skip non-required fields on application if you are uploading a resume
• We apologize in advance- you will only hear from us if invited to interview
• NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE!

Residential Solar Consultant

Position Description

Third Sun Solar’s Residential Solar Consultants strive to exceed customer expectations and build strong relationships with homeowners in a no pressure, consultative process. They actively identify and pursue their own leads in addition to receiving leads from the company. They evaluate customer needs and goals, address customer’s questions and concerns, and then develop solar PV solutions that are optimized for each customer using an automated design and proposal tool. Residential Solar Consultants will spend much of their time traveling to and visiting with prospective customers at their homes. Residential Solar Consultants are the primary external representatives of Third Sun Solar and are expected to convey a sense of expertise in services and capabilities offered. This position requires tact, adaptability, confidence, and a high degree of customer service and professionalism.

Responsibilities:

• Sales of residential solar electric and backup power systems.
• Full life cycle business development, from lead generation to referral networking.
• Clear understanding of sales cycle, contract agreements and ability to explain and review agreements to close customers at homes.
• Prospecting for, and qualifying self-generated leads.
• Conduct preliminary satellite map site evaluations to develop initial system designs using industry specific design tools.
• Utilizing Third Sun Solar/industry tools to generating project proposals/quotes for customers.
• Utilizing Third Sun Solar/industry tools to analyze customer’s current and projected electrical usage and calculate financial return on investment and economic payback.
• Maintaining prospects/projects in Salesforce or similar CRM.

Position requirements:

• Resident of greater Cincinnati
• 2 years minimum of consumer sales experience (preferably in-home)
• Strong track record of full cycle business development
• Hunter mentality with the ability to excel at self-generating leads and winning new business
• Demonstrated ability to meet and exceed monthly sales targets
• Strong track record of achievement as evidenced by sales awards, beating quota, building a new book of business or growing a market, etc.
• Must be highly proficient with Microsoft Office and Excel CRM experience
• Four-year college degree (preferred)
• Superior customer service skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Valid driver’s license/clean driving record
• Public speaking and presentations skills
• Minor travel requirements for events, training and customer home visits
• Ability to work evenings and occasional weekends for staffing industry events.

Compensation and Benefits:

• 100% commission including a 90-day onboarding stipend. (bi-weekly)
• Company hybrid car
• Medical, dental and vision coverage after introductory period
• IRA with company match after first quarter of employment
• Strong company culture
• Paid holidays and paid time off
• Substantial discounts for employee purchased solar system
• Expert technical and product training with the region’s leading solar electric provider.
• Solar training certification reimbursement and
• Annual branded company clothing
• Career growth path opportunities.
• Work/life balance

Congratulations!

Maybe you bought or are thinking about buying a home with a solar energy system. We’re not surprised. With the growing popularity of solar, you may encounter solar on some of the houses you see.

So, what do you need to know when considering buying a house with solar? If the previous homeowner owns the solar array, they will be transferring all the benefits to you. These benefits come in the form of reduced electric bills and clean, renewable power. You may pay a little more for the home itself due to the increased home value that comes with solar. But, think about it this way: would you rather pay $200,000 for a home with electric bills that cost $300 per month or $225,000 for a home with electric bills $50 or less.

Solar Homebuyer Checklist

1. Get Educated About Solar

Because you didn’t purchase the solar yourself, you didn’t go through the solar buying process that would have educated you on the many facets of solar homeownership. Here are a few resources to get started:

• Net Metering in Ohio
• Does solar work in the winter?
• Does my solar system work during a blackout?
• What if I need to re-sell my new home in the future?

2. Learn About Your New Solar Array

How old is the solar system on your new home? What type of solar panels make up the solar array? How much is it worth? We recommend requesting the following documents from the company that installed the solar energy system to find answers to these important questions.

• The original quote or contract for your solar energy system including the scope of work, equipment, sale price, and warranty information.
• The built drawings of your solar energy system.
• Information about the specific equipment that makes up your solar system.
• With the help of the previous homeowner or your solar installer, learn how to log in to your online monitoring platform to track the performance of your solar array.

3. Set up Solar Renewable Energy Credits in Your Name

Solar Renewable Energy Certificates or SRECs (pronounced “ESS-rek”), are annual credits for the clean electricity produced by your solar PV system. They represent “the renewable energy attributes” associated with one megawatt-hour of electricity produced by your system each year (one megawatt-hour is equal to 1,000 kilowatt hours of solar).

A general rule of thumb in Ohio is 1kW of solar capacity will produce approximately 1 SREC per year. Therefore, a 5kW solar PV system will produce about 5 SRECs per year and a 10kW system will produce about 10 SRECs per year.

When you buy a home with a solar system, the SREC certification, registration and agreements are transferable to the new owner. To do this, the SREC broker who currently holds the account will need the contact information of the new property owners and associated closing documents showing the transfer of ownership.

There are different buyers, brokers and aggregators to choose from to sell your SRECs. Third Sun Solar suggests Knollwood Energy, or Sol Systems to our customers.

• Sol Systems Contact: [email protected]
• Knollwood Energy Contact: www.knollwoodenergy.com

4. Add your solar system to your homeowner’s insurance

Using the information you’ve collected, add your solar energy system to your homeowner’s insurance. This is a good way to protect the system in the case of damage.

5. Switch your interconnection agreement

Give your solar installer a call and ask them to switch the name on your interconnection agreement with the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (or your state’s Public Utility Commission).

Interested in more? We are always willing to help you with any questions you might have about your new solar array.