Energy Saving | mediaOrganic

The Investment Risk of Installing a PV Solar Electric System, Part 2

By John, on July 29th, 2011 | One comment

In part 1 of this series I described my experience with Gro Solar, a national solar power installer, and how, in the final analyis, I decided that solar power was not a good financial investment for us. In this post I will look at some of the variables that led me to that decision and that readers should consider when researching a possible PV installation. I remain a staunch solar power supporter and am hopeful that one day an investment in solar will make financial as well as environmental sense. …continue reading

The Investment Risks of Installing a PV Solar Electric System, Part 1 of 2

By John, on July 18th, 2011 | One comment

For years I’ve entertained the notion of installing a photo voltaic (PV) solar energy system at mediaOrganic. So every couple of years I invite an industry representative out to our property for an evaluation and proposal. And inevitably, I end up disappointed in the cost.

My latest experience was with Gro Solar. It had been roughly two years since my last solar appraisal and I was eager to see how all the advancements in solar technology production I’ve been reading about had translated into cost reductions at the consumer level.

The process started out simply enough. I submitted an online request to Gro Solar to schedule an evaluation. I was quickly contacted by a friendly rep who asked a few basic questions and requested that I email a copy of my most recent electric bill. A few days later I was called back to schedule an appointment with the local Massachusetts representative. …continue reading

SunRun Solar - A Good Deal?

By John, on November 18th, 2010 | 17 comments

I recently noticed ads for SunRun Solar popping up on this web site. As a supporter of solar energy, naturally I was intrigued, particularly since they claim they can install a solar power system for as little as zero dollars. The last time I looked into the cost of installing a 5kw system for mediaOrganic the net cost after all rebates and incentives was going to be about $28,000. That was two years ago. Admittedly, prices may have come down since then but Sun Run’s promise seemed a bit radical. So I clicked over to their web site to learn more.

According to a 2009 article in Forbes Magazine, SunRun sells something called a power purchase agreement, in which the homeowner agrees to buy the solar power generated on their roof at a fixed rate (the rate may increase a bit over time). The idea is that as electricity costs charged by utilities rise (they tend to increase about 4% a year), the SunRun customer will be paying less and less than they would have otherwise.
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Cut Your Energy Costs with this Simple Zoned Heating Solution

By John, on November 13th, 2010 | 2 comments

We at mediaOrganic love natural light. So when we went in search of a house, large windows was near the top of our list of “can’t live without” features. We ended up with a mid-century modern home with a 3-zone radiant (copper tube in slab) heating system powered by natural gas. You know what comes next, right? Big windows plus radiant heat equals huge gas bills.

Now, a radiant slab does not lend itself to the typical fixes such as set-back thermostats because it takes too long for the slab to heat and cool. And one can only turn down the thermostat so far before the house becomes uncomfortably cool. So over the years we’ve spent countless hours and many, many dollars on energy saving strategies. …continue reading