Open house to showcase, answer questions about solar installation
[]Summer typically brings higher electric bills for Missouri residents. For one Fulton couple, however, the season means a $0 electric bill.
Larry Jones and his wife, Judy Fiocco, installed solar panels at their Fulton home this spring. Jones said it's something they had discussed doing previously.
"I just think it's the right thing to do, to embrace new technology," Jones said. "The sun is going to waste out there and it's the greatest source of energy we have."
Jones and Fiocco are only the second residential property in Fulton to add solar power. Fulton Utilities Superintendent Darrell Dunlap said one other Fulton resident added solar panels to their home about two years ago.
This time of year, Jones said his home often produces more electricity than he uses. When that happens, the excess power is contributed to the grid and used by others. Jones then receives a credit from the city for that power production, which he can use during the winter months when there isn't as much sunlight. That way, he won't have to pay to use the city's power during those low-producing months for solar.
Jones and Fiocco are hosting an open house from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 13 at their home, located at 307 E. Fifth Street, to show off their solar
panels for anyone interested in adding solar power to their own home. Dan Shifley, owner of Dogwood Solar and the installer the solar panels at Jones' home, will be at the open house to answer any technical questions people may have about solar power and solar panel installation.
Shifley started Dogwood Solar LLC, based out of Columbia, in December 2009. Shifley said he has noticed an increase in solar installation at residential property in mid-Missouri the past few years, which he attributes to the cost decreasing.
The cost of solar installation and materials has dropped, but homeowners are also saving with solar in another way: through a residential renewable energy tax credit.
The federal tax credit, according to energy.gov, offers a rebate amount of 30 percent for residential energy property - applied to solar-electric systems, solar water heating systems, fuel cells, small wind-energy systems and geothermal heat pumps. The credit was established by The Energy Policy Act of 2005 and will be available through Dec. 31, 2016. An extension of that 2005 act was made in 2008 and allowed the credit to apply to more people.
Jones suspects more people will invest in solar to take advantage of the tax credit before it ends.
"I think you'll see more and more of it," Jones said.
In some cases, the taxpayer claiming the credit must be the owner and resident of the property using the renewable energy system. With solar-electric property, however, energy.gov states that "the home served by the system does not have to be the taxpayer's principal residence."
Jones said he would like to see more people utilize renewable energy technology at their homes.
"You can use this technology anywhere," Jones said.
The installer, Jones said, handles the required paperwork with the city. Typically, Shifley said cities and residents who have solar at their home sign an interconnection agreement. Shifley described the agreement as standard and said it looks mostly the same for each city, with small differences.
The city of Fulton's interconnection standards for installation and parallel operation of customer-owned renewable electric generation facilities 100 kW or less was approved in July 2012, according to the document. The document, available with this story, outlines eligibility, codes and permit information, net metering, technical requirements and testing, insurance, energy to city credit value and conditions of service.
Jones said he has always wanted solar energy at his home. When he and his wife moved into a historic home about a year ago, he thought solar would be out of the question. The couple's historic Renshaw House, circa 1879 was designated as historic in 2011, according to city documents.
Initially, Jones thought the equipment and installation would require them to make drastic changes to the home, making solar unrealistic for the historic property. However, that was not the case.
The solar panels themselves were installed in the backyard of the home, due to the shape of the current roof and lack of shade blocking the sun behind their house. A cable was installed underground to connect the solar panel system to the house. The solar panels themselves, Jones said, are built sturdily and are supposed to last the rest of his life.
To learn more about the tax credit, visit: http://energy.gov/savings/residential-renewable-energy-tax-credit