Call Us Today! Electrical 206-573-4205 · Solar 206-459-8442

West Seattle Electric and Solar

Solar Energy Solutions in Seattle, Washington

Blog

Tacoma Home and Garden Show

By

Are you ready for the Tacoma Home and Garden Show? We at West Seattle Electric and Solar sure are!

This is the largest combined home-and-garden show in the state, and we love it because every year it gives us an awesome opportunity to meet with people from all over Western Washington and beyond.

Our owner and founder Keith Hughes will be in attendance Friday and Sunday, and our Project Manager Ryan Hughes we will be on hand at our booth all four days of the event to answer your solar and electrical questions face-to-face. Feel free to bring any building plans if you really want to get down to specifics! Or you can always fill out a profile card and we can call you to schedule a site survey at your home. Our Booth is 1436.

There are so many exhibits to visit, you may need a couple days to see them all.

 

What: Tacoma Home and Garden Show

Where: Tacoma Dome

Dates: January 25-28 2018

Hours: Thur, Fri, Sat: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sun: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Get your discount coupon here. Parking is free!

Commercial Energy Storage

By

Our friends at Spice Solar always have great information about the industry – this is one we thought we’d share: Commercial Energy Storage with Neil Maguire of Adara Power. The entire podcast is available on their website.

For the past 15+ years companies have been installing PV solar systems to reduce their energy costs, measured in kilowatt hours (kWh). But solar systems only reduces a company’s energy costs — and many companies also get billed for peak power demand charges. These demand charges are measured in peak kilowatts (kW) per month, and can be as high as $15-$20 per kw peak per month. So if a company has a 200 kw peak demand and is on an electric rate with a $20 per kw demand charge, they would be paying $4,000 per month for their peak demand — in addition to their normal per kWh energy charges. In some cases these peak demand charges are 50% or more of a company’s total electric bill.

Although a solar system does not significantly reduce these demand charges, a battery storage system does. These battery storage systems are designed to automatically discharge energy in the battery to reduce a company’s peak demand charge. In the example above, when the battery storage control system senses demand over 100kW — perhaps from machinery being started or the HVAC system turning on in the morning — the battery power is used to meet the next 100 kw of demand. The battery can then be recharged from solar, or even the grid.

Not only does this combined solar and storage system reduce both kWh and kw costs, it can also provide emergency backup power if there is a blackout. These backup power capabilities are especially important for companies that are dependent on a consistent manufacturing process, or just about any company that requires power for credit card processing (retailers), communications (service providers) or refrigeration (convenience stores).

To provide some real world background about currently available solar and storage systems, my guest on this week’s Energy Show is Neil Maguire, CEO of Adara Power. Adara is a Silicon Valley company that integrates battery and inverter technology with software to reduce peak demand charges, maximizes the value of net metering and provides backup power. There is no doubt in my mind that future commercial energy systems will be based on a combination of solar power and local battery storage.

Northwest Remodeling Expo

By

It’s time for the annual Northwest Remodeling Expo at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle! This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, West Seattle Electric and Solar will be available to answer any and all your questions about your potential solar and electrical needs! Stop by and say hello to members of our team and get updates on all the solar news that’s fit to print.

If you have specific electrical projects you wish to discuss with us, Project Manager Ryan Hughes will be in attendance Friday and Saturday. He will be available to give ideas, talk shop, and even go through your project plans! For your solar-specific inquiries, our founder Keith Hughes will be at the booth on Sunday. He will also be speaking at 12 p.m. Sunday, if watching a presentation is more your speed.

We have digital tickets available for free. Contact us for yours today!

WHEN:

Friday, January 5 ::: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, January 6 ::: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Sunday, January 7 ::: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

WHERE:

Washington State Convention Center, Halls 4EF

800 Convention Place

Seattle, Wa 98101

ADMISSION:

Adults, $4.00

Children Under 18: FREE

More Information

Good News, Bad News

By

Good News: the state incentives have FINALLY been written, passed, reviewed by lawyers and given to the installers. Starting now through June 30th, 2018, depending on what brand of panel you buy, your state incentive rate will be either $.16/KWh or $.21/KWh through the end of the program in 2026. The rate goes down each incentive payment cycle (July 1 – June 30) until 2026.
More Good News: Panel prices for both Solar World and iTek have come down! If you haven’t had a quote in a few months, please give Keith a call at 206-941-6654 or email him at keith@WestSeattleElectric and he will get you an updated one right away.

Bad News: The State Sales Tax Exemption is expiring on September 30th of this year. If you are looking to install a solar system, and don’t want to pay state sales tax, your system has to be paid in full by September 30th. Any portion of the contract not paid by the 30th will have to be taxed.
More Bad News: The panel manufacturers didn’t take the end of the exemption into account for their production numbers – panels are running out. New shipments are supposed to arrive sometime in September, but we don’t have a firm date yet.

What does this all mean to you? If you have been thinking about installing a solar system, now is the time to do it.

Everett Home Show

By

Rain, Rain, Go Away….We have a Planet to Save! Come see us at the Everett Home Show this weekend, March 10 – 12 at Xfinity Arena in Everett. We will have our newly redesigned Solar Trailer, complete with a battery set-up for you to see. Get your questions answered, find out what solar really costs and what the benefits are. Any yes, we get more than enough sun for solar here! Amy will be speaking on Sunday at 1:30 on the Seminar Stage. She will be explaining how and why solar works and taking you through the process of a customized site survey. For more information, please visit the show Website.

Seattle Home Show Ends 2/26!

By

This is the last weekend for the Seattle Home Show! We have had a lot of fun talking with people about their upcoming projects, answering questions, educating potential clients about the costs and benefits of going Solar and finding out what is really important when making the decision to invest in a solar system.

The main question on everyone’s mind is a simple one: the current political climate and how it is affecting the current incentives for solar. The answer is not as simple. All we really know is this – the laws that are in place on the federal level (the 30% tax credit) will continue to stay that way. We don’t anticipate that changing between now and when they run out in 2019. Our state incentive, the production payment program, is up for debate right now in the House and hopefully will move to the Senate for a vote. They should have a decision when the current legislative session is over in April. But again, what is in place will continue through the end of the program in 2020.

If you would like to help support HB 1048, you can click here to leave a comment for the House and urge them to move the bill to the Senate.

For now, we are going to continue to do what we do best; offer the highest quality solar systems with the best customer service around. Come talk to us and find out for yourself. The show goes through Sunday at 6pm, we hope to see you!