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By Michele Smith
The Times 

Solar Savings

Government subsidies allow Hoons and Takemuras to save money and resources with solar power

 

January 25, 2018

Ken Graham

Solar panels on the home of Dayton residents Denise and Terry Hoon are returning big savings.

DAYTON--Going solar was on Terry Hoon's mind for a long time before he and his wife, Denise, attended a Walla Walla promotional dinner in the spring of 2016 to hear about the benefits of solar-produced electricity.

The Hoons contacted Walla Walla Electric to perform an in-home evaluation and provide an estimate for the 22 solar panels which were installed on the roof of their home in September, 2016. Hoon said electricity production through the solar grid began in October, 2016.

"As of this October we are one year into it, and the kilowatts produced have met my expectations," Terry said.

There are two meters, one of which is a production meter and the other is for the power company, which shows actual use and what is being sent onto the grid.

The Hoons' monthly bill shows how much electricity has been provided by Pacific Power and how much went out onto the grid from solar, which then gets subtracted.

"Pacific Power gets the excess," he said.

And the Hoons receive credits for the excess.

"It's kinda neat," Terry said.

In June of 2016 before the solar panels were installed, their cost per day for electricity was $2.78. After the panels were installed in October of 2017 the cost per day was just 30 cents, Denise said.

Terry said, "Typical use is 900 to 1200 kilowatt hours per day. From October 2016 to June 2017 the solar grid has produced 4189 kilowatt hours."

July and August of 2017 were essentially free months, he noted.

Barely 22 watts was being generated the day of this interview, which was rainy and cloudy.

Terry said 22 watts was just enough to power one of the three light bulbs in a light fixture.

Some electricity is generated even when there is a little snow on the panels, he said. There was, however, a production reduction of about 2,000 kilowatts for the two summer months when there was heat and smoke from fires, Terry said.

The total initial investment was around $30,000, and the Hoons received tax credits from the federal government for 30% of the total cost.

A Washington state tax incentive for 54 cents per kilowatt was also available to them, with the stipulation that locally sourced materials and labor be used.

"I'm hoping I can create $4,000 worth of incentives from the state," Terry said..

"It wasn't inexpensive, but it will be paid off in 4-5 years, Hoon said.

Michele Smith

The Hoon's have been saving monthly power bills to assess how well their conversion to solar electricity is performing. Hoon also has an app on his phone to receive information about how the system is performing on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis.

Another Dayton couple, Kris and Jay Takemura, attended the same promotional dinner in Walla Walla and they tapped into solar power with 10 panels on the roof of their home in August of 2016.

Kris Takemura said not using fossil fuels was her motivation for going solar.

"I just feel that's the right thing to do for the environment," she said. "It's the wave of the future.

However, going solar would be hard to justify without the subsidies, her husband said.

"We will save money, ultimately in 4-5 years, judging from what we have gotten back," he said.

Washington State University is responsible for administering the Renewable Energy System Incentive Program for the state, and types of projects are for; Residential, Commercial, Community solar projects, and Shared Commercial Solar Projects.

For more information visit the WSU Energy Program website at: http://www.energy.wsu.edu or contact Jake Fey, the WSU Energy Program Director at: (360)956-2200 or: (888) 363-7289 or by email at: SolarProgram@energy.wsu.edu

The enrollment window ends on June 30, 2021.

 

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