The initiative involved in converting your home to a renewable energy source must belong only to those willing to weather the hassle, risk and costs before the future ushers the rest of us along. Catherine Nevin of ConED Solutions in Valhalla can confidently say that the reality for 20,000 New York State customers shows that living the future now mostly leaves behind the misconceptions most of us presently hold.
Derived from upstate New York river flows and wind and solar farms throughout the country, says the ConEd Solutions Director of Media Relations, "It's electricity that comes through the grid."
Solar Power : The Future Is Now At Coned Solutions
The infrastructure investment and involvement on the part of the residential customer then comes down to a phone call. "We can immediately turnover your account," she says, and all the same switches apply to the TV set, washing machine and the toaster over.
And not to worry, the power supply cannot be equated to the problems satellite TV gets whenever the weather goes south. "It's as reliable and available as electricity anywhere," she says.
Otherwise, costs do come with an adjustment. It is more expensive than standard power but not outrageously, she says.
As such, she directs the cost conversation to apartment dwellers in New York City to determine a baseline (since private homes vary much more in size and occupation). "It averages out to about $8.75 more per month,” she says.
Given that, ConEd Solutions can't put a monthly price on how much more your bill will be, but if the expense accumulates beyond your means, getting locked in is not part of the agreement. "There are no fees or penalties if you switch back," she said.
Nonetheless, many customers enter into the change with an environmental consciousness that likely offsets the added expense. Ms. Nevin encapsulates the sentiment in the words of a current customer. "I Learned to sort my garbage, I learned to be very responsible to what food and products I buy. Why wouldn't I want to support a renewable source of energy that doesn't harm the environment and lowers the impact of our life on the environment. And so for me, it was just a natural progression," she relayed.
Commercial businesses that sign onto the ConEd Solutions Solar Power program must proceed from the same idealistic premise - especially in consideration of the solar power panels that are installed on the businesses' roof. On the contrary, the adjusted costs actually put more black in a balance sheet’s bottom line.
First off, the installation is completely seamless and requires nothing on the part of the client. At the same time, the integration is on ConEd Solutions but the new energy relationship means the customer enters into a 20 year agreement. "This is for companies that are long term in their thinking," says ConEd Solutions Solar Sales Executive, Ian Diamond.
The lower cost comes mostly in accordance with what is known as "peak demand," which usually coincides with sunny, hot weather. So when standard energy is slugging along and consuming the most expensive power of the day, solar energy is producing power and storing the excess in the grid. "As part of the solar power system," says Diamond, "There will be a net meter that essentially runs both ways. So at times when the building is producing more energy than needed, your meter runs backwards."
Municipalities in the Northeast region have not been immune to the advantages businesses are accruing in the free market either. New Bedford, Massachusetts' switch is a source of pride for ConEd Solutions. The original American whaling city of the 19th Century, their logo is the "city of light." "They've chosen ConEd to develop solar power," says Nevin.
But there's still a wide perception that solar power is a new technology not yet ready for prime time practical reality. "This is a mature technology that's been around for more that 30 years," says Mr. Diamond, and a history of gradual and steady improvement in efficiency and costs will continue to make it more and more attractive, he added.
Still, solar and wind farms and river flows are not as clearly in view as gas stations and oil tracks so there must be a pretty low ceiling on the number of homes ConEd Solutions can signup. Right now, says Nevin, "We can easily supply ten fold many times more customers."
Covering the entire state maybe another matter but the convergence of a present and future that finally sees the light is inevitable, according to Mr. Diamond. "It's not a question of will solar take hold, it just a question of how quickly," he concludes.
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