Starting this week, Kirkland residents interested in switching over to solar energy for their homes can attend workshops and speak to experts.
With the first event being held Thursday at the Kirkland City Hall and running until September, the workshops are part of a Solarize Eastside campaign put on by volunteer groups to encourage more people to use solar energy as an alternative source for electricity.
Among the topics are the benefits of solar power, the logistical aspect of installations, the technology used and pay-back period in which users can receive credits from Puget Sound Energy for excessing power. The benefits also include that the power can later be used during inclement weather periods, typically during the winter months.
The installations will be done by Northwest Electric & Solar, which recently completed 51 new installations for the first Solarize Bellevue campaign.
The workshops are being promoted by Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center, which has partnered with the cities of Kirkland and Bellevue. PNPRC received a grant from the State Department of Commerce through Solarized Northwest, as well as a mini-grant.
Executive Director Paula Del Giudice said that the average installation for a 4-5 kilowatt home is $20,000, but approximately half of that comes back to the homeowner within the year thanks to federal and state incentives.
“It’s a really good investment,” she said. “On average, you’re actually saving money and paid to generate power,” she said. “You’re getting paid for the energy you produce. Through this net metering, they store up credits on your accounts, so in the summertime when you’re producing more than you’re using, you establish credits that can be used in winter months when solar isn’t available.”
In addition to these incentives, she said it can also add up to $15,000 to a home’s value. Around 66 installations have been permitted in Kirkland, according to Del Guidice. They hope to have 50 more installations, matching that of Bellevue last year.
“There’s a lot of volunteers in Kirkland that are really excited about this,” she said. “It was really driven from the community.”
Del Guidice added that permitting in Kirkland has become more streamlined and easier.
“Eastside cities are trying to address energy efficiency,” she said. “It’s easier and it’s faster…in this case they (also) get to know the contractor really well and work through any permitting issues. It speeds things up tremendously… They (homeowners) don’t have to go through this big huge selection process and not knowing which one (contractor) is best and they’re really getting good prices.”
Most homeowners’ concerns, she said, tend to be whether their roof can handle the panels and if they get enough sun for them to be practical. Unless it is completely blocked from the sun, she said, panels can still work, and contractors recommend roofs that have at least 10-15 years left.
“If you need a new roof, the panels can be taken down but there’s expense along with that,” she said.
Project supporters include Puget Sound Energy, NW Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (SEED), the Washington State Dept. of Commerce and Solarize Washington.
For more information, or to register, go to pprc.org.
