Exciting NEWS for small businesses in FL - This is a limited funded program so get your questions and soon and see if you qualify. Great time to lower your electric bills!!
CLICK Here to learn more about SUNCATCHER PROGRAM for FL
Through a grant from the Governor's Energy Office, FlaSEREF's SunCatcher Program provides its qualified partners with grants for solar water heaters, solar electric systems and solar pool heaters. While funding lasts, solar water heater installation grants are $50/1,000 BTU of production, $60/1,000 watts for PV, (solar electric systems) and $2,500 per solar pool heater installation. Qualified partners are hotels, restaurants and condominium associations....(all HOA's)
Due to the limited funding available for this program, all grant applications require pre-approval prior to the installation of the solar energy system. Failure to request prior approval will result in a denial of the application. Click on links below for additional information and grant application.
Largest Solar Array in Southeast Powers Up in Orlando May 20th
Central Florida Mayors, Senator Constantine, Others Kick Off Green Cities Florida With Historic Unveiling
05.14.2009 – ORLANDO, FL – Florida will solidify its position as a front-runner in sustainability next Wednesday morning with the unveiling of the Orange County Convention Center’s new one-megawatt photovoltaic (PV) system, the largest rooftop solar installation in the Southeast. Solar panels will span the length of five and a half football fields, generating 1,300 megawatt-hours of electricity per year - greatly reducing the center’s carbon footprint and electricity costs.
The new PV system was made possible by a $2,500,000 grant provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Renewable Technologies Grant. Additional support for the project was provided by the OUC, EDC and US Dept of Energy bringing the total amount of funding to $8.8 Million.
Article below from South FL Business Journals provides more details about how the stimulus plan will create many more renewable energy projects here in FL and across the states ... Very Good News!
South Florida set to get $48M in green energy incentives
John Cal, Nicholas J.DiCiacco and Daniel Townsend at Florida International University, which submitted a list of 17 energy-saving projects costing an estimated $14.6 million.
When it comes to green energy, it’s difficult to find someone in South Florida who can’t potentially take advantage of the federal stimulus package. Utilities, municipalities, universities, homeowners and small businesses all stand to gain from stimulus incentives for renewable energy and energy conservation.
The energy provisions are still evolving, but there are some certain impacts to local business:
South Florida cities, counties and tribes are receiving $48 million of $168 million in energy efficiency block grants through the stimulus package. Miami-Dade County alone is receiving $12.5 million. That money is expected to reach local businesses through purchases and contracts or otherwise made available.
An additional $126 million is coming through the state energy program to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy for households, businesses and schools. Final decisions have not been made on how to distribute it. But, the state is preparing a major infusion of cash into incentives like the Solar Rebate Program, which awards grants for homes and businesses installing solar panels.
Juno Beach-based FPL Group, the nation’s leading provider of wind power, is set to benefit from tax credits and cash grant equivalents for renewable energy.
''Wow,'' said Charlie Beck of the Office of Public Counsel, which represents utility customers, when he heard the numbers. ``Wow. This is the biggest rate increase I have ever seen requested by a utility in Florida. This is really something.''
Customers of Florida Power & Light will pay a base rate of $12.40 a month more next year if the state approves the company's rate-hike request.
FPL's base rate is currently $39.31. If the request is granted, the base rate next year will be $51.71. That's a 31 percent increase.
SAVINGS IN FUEL
In a press release, FPL estimated that customers will save about $5 a month overall starting Jan. 1, but that change included anticipated declines in fuel charges. The bill of a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month would drop on Jan. 1 from $109.55 to $104.63, according to that estimate.
In a follow-up e-mail, Villafaña wrote that those numbers include an estimate from February that 2010 fuel prices will allow a bill reduction of $17.83 a month. ``Actual 2010 fuel costs could vary from this projection.''
Looks like it might be a good time to look into solar energy as an alternative to these never ending rate increases by FPL.
More Realtors are now recommending home owners to invest in a Solar Hot Water System (SHW), especially here in Sunny Florida.
A house with SHW separates the listings in the neighborhood because the agent can proudly say "This House has FREE hot water"
Separate yourself from the other Realtors that say "Well you need to paint the walls and get new carpet and upgrade some appliances" YES they are all good generic suggestions but BE Different, BE Unique. BE the Realtor that says to potential buyers : "THIS House here has FREE HOT WATER" by recommending a Solar Hot Water System.
Electric bills are forever increasing and an issue/concern for many homeowners... Now you can show them a solution NOT just talk about the problem.
Recommend that they part ways from that "ENERGY HOG" called the "Electric" Hot Water tank and move over to a Solar Hot Water system... The new owner will save $70-$90 per month immediately ($80 avg. x 12 months = $960 x 5 years is almost $5000 SAVINGS and that doesn't factor in any Electric Utilities increases, so it's actually way over $5000 and probably closer to a $6000 Savings :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So whether you clients are selling or just moved into a new home make this simple recommendation to them:
When you invest in a Solar Hot Water System it puts you on the road to FREE Hot Water with a payback of 2 - 3 years and we all know how fast the years go bye....bye :-(
The Benefits to you:
Reduce your energy bills by 30%
Environmentally friendly
Make a difference by helping to reduce greenhouse emissions by reducing your dependency on your electric or gas water heater
Add Value to your home and if you sell your home, It's Nice to say "THIS HOUSE has FREE Hot Water". A way better upgrade then new carpet & fresh paint, even though that helps as well.
Avg $10 INCREASED Market Value per dollar saved is the Value added according to the HUD appraisal journal
Extends the expected life of your residential hot water tank.
Qualifies for the 30% Federal Tax Credits
A Solar Hot Water System from Abundant Energy, Inc. is a great way you can offset the never ending increases. An average savings with Solar Hot Water per month is $70-$90, your payback is 2-3 years.
Here are some pics of a Solar Farm I came across when I was up in NJ last week.... It is to offset a local Municipality by 30% ... YEAH!!! Can't wait to get a few of these projects here in FL :-)
Our company is getting ready and it's nice that the Executive Director in DC Byron Kennardsays the Stimulus Package will result in many more green jobs and credit should start coming around faster for these types of renewable energy projects. (ok I have not been holding my breath and relying on all this to meet my goals but it will help when all this starts to hit the market....and help them goals faster and increase them :-)
"We're calling on small businesses to lead the recovery and do it with green jobs and clean energy innovation," says Byron Kennard, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Small Business and the Environment. "Targeting the recovery with green businesses is the most practical way to get the economy going."
Solar and wind energy have a great deal going for them. They produce electricity without any pollution, and we already have all the technology we need to build them on a large scale. Additionally, money invested in solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels and energy efficiency could create millions of jobs in the years ahead.
MSNBC.com
Stimulus Package Has Green for Clean Energy
Massive bill earmarks $80 billion for renewables. Small biz to play major role.
By Glenn Croston
Entrepreneur.com March. 13, 2009
The government is pulling out all the stops to get the economy's heart beating again, including a large clean energy investment that's part of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009--the stimulus package. It provides about $80 billion altogether for renewable energy, energy efficiency, mass transit, updating the electrical grid and research. The hope is that investing in solar power and other forms of renewable energy will create jobs, help businesses grow, make our economy more productive, and create a cleaner world for the future.
Mr. James Woosley met with the Florida House Energy and Utility Committee in Tallahassee yesterday to talk about Building a better grid... This person gets it, now we hope he can sell it :-) (more details in a few days on his presentation)
Please click here to read the entire article, very informative!! R. James Woolsey -My View
"And where will all this new power come from?"
A smarter electric grid with time-of-day billing can help us avoid having transportation electrification create a need for new power plants. And happily we can at the same time improve grid resilience and encourage locally generated renewable electricity.
The key to this movement toward electricity from renewable, widely distributed sources is a program of renewable energy dividends (sometimes called "feed-in" programs), such as that recently adopted by Gainesville. At peak periods, our current electricity grid is overburdened and fragile and relies on a small number of gigantic (often highly polluting) power plants. With programs like Gainsville's, the grid can steadily evolve into something far more secure, resilient and sustainable than it is now.
Renewable energy dividends don't discriminate in favor of large central power plants the way some other renewable incentive programs can, because they allow small-scale producers to gain automatic access to the grid by selling whatever power they produce to the local utility at cost plus a reasonable investment of return (usually less than the allowed profit by utilities) for a 20-year period.
This encourages homeowners, businesses, farms, schools and churches to sell electricity back to the grid from rooftop solar generators, small wind turbines or biogas waste.
Above is one of the World’s 13 Biggest Solar Energy Plants, Photovoltaic fields located in Nevada.
Looking at how fast solar energy plants are growing and how large they’re becoming year by year is reveals that the future for solar is shining bright.
Serving Palm Beach/ Broward Counties for your Solar needs. Abundant Energy Inc. is Florida's leader in Solar Energy, celebrating 23 yrs - Stimulus Bill GRANTS available for Solar, Limited funds act now.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
;)
;)
