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2012 Home Energy Expo

The Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission and the Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce announce sponsors for the Home Energy and Business Expo: a free event for Vermont families, home and farm owners, and businesses, created to showcase products and services that will decrease energy costs, improve the surrounding community, and build regional business sustainability.

Platinum sponsors and speakers include Efficiency of Vermont and HB Energy Solutions. Net Zero Renewable Resources is a diamond sponsor and expo exhibitors include South Face, VT Foam Insulation, The Good Bus, Awesome Graphics, Stone Hearth Inn, Ludlow Pharmacy, Sherwin Williams Paints, Inn Victoria, Calm Moments Spa Services, Skygate Financial Group, Jackson Gore Inn, Hawks Mountain Consulting, CZ Environmental Remediation, Ruxana’s Home Interiors, New England Deck and Patio, Broadbandvt.org, and Windham & Windsor Housing Trust.

The event will take place on Saturday, May 12, from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM at Jackson Gore in Ludlow, Vermont.

Attendance is free of charge and will feature hands-on displays and exhibitor give-a-ways. Food and beverages will be available and local inns will be providing samples and tastings.

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Another credit in Vermont

For those of you that live in Vermont and purchase your power from Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (CVPS), you are eligible for an additional credit for power you generate with solar renewable energy. CVPS has recently started a Gross Solar Generation Credit program, where they will give you a credit of $0.06 per kilowatt-hour for energy you generate, regardless of who uses it. This program requires installation of a second electrical meter (currently $60 for the meter, plus the cost of installation of the meter socket by a qualified electrician) that measures the amount of power generated by your PV system before the power goes to your service panel.

If you have a 2,000 watt (2 kW) PV system, in a typical year, you generate about 2300 kW hours per year. With this program, you would get a credit of around $138 in the first year. The electrician we work with, Paul Judd of Charlestown, NH, can install a meter socket for around $150 to $200, depending on site conditions, leaving a total cost for this meter of around $260 or less. With these costs, the payback for this program is less than two years. After this, the credit makes your investment in PV increase with every sunny day.

Please let us know if we can help you with this or any other renewable energy issue. We look forward to hearing from you.