You’re Invited!

Vendors and informational booths on sustainable topics will be on hand at WWCC’s Water and Environmental Center Saturday June 22 from 9A to 5P. We will have food available for purchase and free kid’s activities(including a workshop by the Home Depot, from 10A to 2P) throughout the day.

At registration, participants will receive their tour booklet with maps directing them to the seven additional tour locations and a chance to win an overnight stay at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. There are eight Tour locations, The Water and Environmental Center, a governmental building, two gardens, two businesses, and two residences. These sites feature energy upgrades, green building practices, and other examples of sustainability. A self-guided tour, participants can visit as many or as few sites as they wish. Tour sites will be open and staffed from 10A to 4P.

TREK(Traveling Renewable Energy Kiosk), presented by Franklin PUD, demonstrating alternative energy components in a home-like setting will be a featured exhibit at the Water Center. Additional activities at the Water Center include booths from Seattle Tiny Homes, Pacific Power(PECI), Cascade Natural Gas, WSU Master Gardeners, Blue Mountain Wildlife, Allegro Cyclery, Earthlight Books, and more. Heating and Air, Insulation, Solar, and Window and Door vendors will be on hand to answer questions about the latest in energy saving products and practices in those areas. Sustainable Living Center’s resident energy expert, Dave Dahlin, will also be on hand to answer questions about home energy efficiency and the Community Energy Efficiency Program.

The Green Home and Garden Tour – It’s what sustainability looks like!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Erendira Cruz and Team

www.sustainablelivingcenter.com

Click to see the full SolarWorld Made in USA Brochure

The Neighborhood Approach

Solarize Washington is a Northwest SEED initiative designed to bring solar energy to Washington homes.  By partnering with grassroots sustainability groups and local installers, we help neighbors come together to enjoy significant discounts through the group purchase of solar systems.  The Solarize initiative provides a streamlined process through which neighbors can collectively decide where to start, how to budget, what to buy, and who to hire.

Key features of Solarize Washington include:

• Grassroots outreach and promotion by neighborhood volunteers
• Competitively selected contractors with set prices
• Free educational workshops for all participants
• Free site assessments for all participants to determine solar suitability
• A limited time offer to get the best deal on solar around!

In the Tri Cities the grassroots organisation calls itself Solarize Mid-Columbia and was formed out of a NW Seed workshop back in February of 2013. The board put out an RFP in late March and selected Hire Electric as their installation partner on the 23rd of April. We’re very excited about the trust and vote of confidence that the board has put in us and look forward to Solarizing Mid Columbia!

There is a kickoff meeting tonight at Franklin PUD in Pasco at 7pm. There’s more info in the Tri-Cities Herald

Stay tuned for more information about how to get involved.

Hire Electric is sponsoring an hour of the Morning Show at KC93.5 FM this week. I’ll be in talking to Randy Haines a couple times and he’ll be pumping the benefits of going solar with Hire Electric’s Solar Division throughout the week. Here are the major points we’ll be talking about this week:

• Mindy and Dan McHale, Hire Electric’s owners sent a check to Randy for $27 x 19 employees = $513 for the Civic Auditorium’s Civic27 Campaign and they are challenging other business owners in The Gorge to give $27 per employee in support of The Civic! We’ll mention your business on our blog and during the radio show next time we’re on (even if you’re Hage Electric). Let’s support our community and do something Civic! Business owners can drop their checks off at the radio station at 719 E. 2nd, The Dalles or 1190 22nd Street, Hood River.
• Solar has never been more affordable. Solar equipment pricing has come down by 50% in the past year, making solar an economically sound way to power your home or businesses.
• Hire Electric uses solar panels manufactured in Oregon and Washington. We are authorized installers for SolarWorld panels made in Hillsboro, Oregon and iTek Energy panels made in Bellingham, WA
• Using Washington manufactured equipment helps residence in WA get a huge production incentive of $.54/kwh with paybacks of 4 to 5  years on a system that will keep cranking out free sun power for 30 to 50 years.
• There’s a 30% federal tax credit on solar – that’s 30% of the entire system cost off the top of your federal taxes. This incentive is good through 2016. Your system has to be up and running by year end to take the credit for this years taxes. We always install lots of solar in December!
• There’s no sales tax for solar in Washington until June 2013. HURRY!!!!!
• We recently had a customer in Goldendale that was getting .3% return on their money-market fund. They decided to put the money on their roof and make their own electricity and they will see a 4% anual return over the first 10 years of the solar array. They decided that this investment in their own energy security was better than “money in the bank”. Some of our customers are seeing as high as a 17% ROI depending on where they live and how many incentives are available.
• Sherman County just announced a zero interest loan program for solar that help Sherman County residents cover the up front cost of going solar.
• We are an Energy Trust of Oregon Trade Ally for solar and small wind. Energy Trust just increased their business incentive for solar to $1.10 / watt for Pacific Power customers.
• A home we recently added solar to in Goldendale produced a $13 credit on their electric bill for the very hot month of August. They would have owed $102 to the electric company if they didn’t have solar and now they have a $13 credit. Solar makes people happy.

Solar Spring 2013. A well sighted solar array in eastern Washington of about 7.2kW will generate aproximately 9,720kWh per year. A Washington manufactured system entitles the owner to a $.54/kwh annual incentive payment with a $5,000 per year cap until 2020. That’s 7 years x $5,000 = $35,000. Not bad.

So what does Hire Electric charge for installing a fully Washington made, 7.2kW solar array using iTek solar modules, Blue Frog micro inverters and a top of the line racking system? About $42,500.

In year one of your investment you get a 30% federal tax CREDIT of $12,750. If you live in Walla Walla, Columbia or Franklin Counties you can also get a 20% cash incentive of $8,500. You’re also offsetting $970 of your electric bill (money you don’t have to pay to the power company). As you can see from doing a little quick math – this is a no-brainer. Total payback is 3 to 5 years depending on the sighting of the array, and close to a 10% modified internal rate of return. There’s also a 100% sales tax exemption that runs through June 2013. Yes, we are VERY busy.

The home in this photo has a westerly orientation and many beautiful trees in the yard and neighbor’s property. The actual production from this site is calculated at closer to 7,400kWh. Hire Electric does a detailed site analysis so that our production numbers are not guesses based on average system size but accurate, scientifically founded, monthly production projections using local weather and irradiance data; roof angle and orientation; and a shade report. This sets realistic expectations for our prospective customers and ensures a quality project from start to finish. If your solar installer is not providing a shade and site analysis as the basis of their design then you need to start questioning their design from start to finish. A well designed system is meant to be there making power for you for 25 years. Make sure it starts off on the right foot.

When: April 13 or April 1411:00 AM to 1:00PM

Where: WWCC Greenhouse and Water & Environmental Center, 500 Tausick Way, Walla Walla, WA 99362

There is so much to explore in the world of ecology, and what better way to wiggle in than by learning how to make your own compost for home gardening! Our Worm Wigwam will be directed by our site and composting manager, Ben Christy, with help from volunteers through Sustainable Living Center. This is time for specialists, teachers, parents and community members to share knowledge by joining one another in an educational, sustainable workshop.-Free Healthy Lunch Provided!

-Register with a Home Composting Kit or without

Please visit our website for more information and to register! www.sustainablelivingcenter.com

Spread the word to all your family, friends, coworkers and neighbors!

For further questions, please call the Sustainable Living Center: 509.524.5218