LA County held a Stakeholders Meeting on May 5 to discuss the present state of development for the LA County Energy Program. The vast majority of the two hour presentation was focused on energy efficiency measures and how those will be developed and deployed. Only secondarily was support for solar installations mentioned. Our report on the meeting follows the break.
This meeting, like the previous Stakeholders Meeting last December (read about it here), was held in the Board Meeting Room at MTA headquarters. While there were a number of solar industry folks on hand - notably Zoe Starr (head of the LA Renewable Energy Society), Ron Mulick (President, SoCalSEIA) and Joia Gibble (LARES member) - the majority of the audience either came from the Cities or from the building efficiency industry - notably Dan Thomsen (President & Founder, The Building Doctors). The presentation reflected that audience, focusing on how the LA County Energy Program will pull together many different programs and rebates around home retrofits and efficiency upgrades, with AB 811 funding being merely a part of that equation, and support for solar an even smaller part.This distinction between the energy efficiency aspects of the program compared to the energy generation portion was never more apparent than in the discussion of consumer protection and the need for contractor credentialing. Indeed, contractors looking to work in the energy efficiency sector must have at a minimum a BPI Building Analyst certification, while additional credentials, such as being a HERS II Whole House Energy Rater will be required for other aspects of the energy efficiency program. What about contractors doing solar power installations? What credentials must they have? "Only those required by the California Solar Initiative” was the response. When it was pointed out that the only requirement for being listed under CSI was to send your contact information in to the website, the consultants designing the system simply looked blankly back and observed that they really had not thought of that issue. How can that be? After all, energy efficiency measures are small potatoes, dollars wise, compared to solar installations, and yet the folks designing the Program have way more to say about contractors doing efficiency work than those installing solar? Where are the consumer protections there? In side conversations after the meeting it was stressed that the program should consider requiring NABCEP Certification for all contractors who are participating. Such a requirement would protect consumers from shoddy workmanship and help raise the professional standards of the solar installer industry in LA County - a win-win situation to be sure.
Some additional details that emerged from this meeting:
It is that last criteria that we anticipate excluding the most potential participants. Given the steep drop in property values since the LA County peak in 2006 and the time it takes to build equity in a home through mortgage payments, our calculations indicate that anyone who purchased their home after 2002 will be excluded on this basis.
In any event, it is now clear that what will be presented to the County Board of Supervisors on May 25 will be a framework and nothing more. Assuming passage on the 25th, the program staff will continue to work out the details while the validation lawsuit proceeds. If all goes well, the first loans are expected to be provided sometime in September.
Thus, the LA County Energy Program remains very much a work in progress. Will high interest rates and overly restrictive participation criteria doom the program to failure? Will a lack of proper solar installer credentialing allow for shoddy work and unhappy consumers? Will a failure to provide timely progress payments on solar jobs exclude small business owners - even those with the most sterling credentials like Run on Sun - to the benefit of the VC-funded national players? Or will the Program achieve its potential to usher in a new wave of green jobs and greener homes?
The Los Angeles Renewable Energy Society has just announced its Call for Nominations to participate in this year’s ASES Los Angeles Grand Solar Tour!
The announcement in full follows the break and the Nomination form and Owner’s release are attached. Look forward to hearing from you.
To: Los Angeles Area Solar installers, Architects, Designers, Integrators, Builders, PV Panel Manufacturers, Building Owners
Subject: Call for building nominations for the ASES Los Angeles Grand Solar Tour - October 2, 2010 –
Applications and owner release forms (attached) due May 15, 2010
The Los Angeles Renewable Energy Society (LARES) has issued a call for nominations of residential, business and commercial buildings with unique examples of solar installations that may include an emphasis on sustainable and energy saving building features and unique architecture to be showcased at the First Annual ASES Los Angeles Grand Solar Tour on October 2, 2010 to coincide with the ASES - American Solar Energy Society - National Solar Tour (www.ases.org).
Our goal is to make the ASES Los Angeles Grand Solar tour the most exciting, educational and entertaining community building grass-roots event in LA County. The Tour offers an exciting opportunity for Los Angeles residents and building owners interested in solar and green building design to tour around various cities, learn from the building site hosts about solar energy and other energy efficiency features, and to truly see, experience and sense the possibilities of sustainable living and how they can be a part of the Solar/Sustainability Revolution in greater Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Renewable Energy Society (LARES) is organizing as the Los Angeles chapter of the nationally known ASES. Our core mission is to increase the intelligent use of solar energy, energy efficiency and other sustainable technologies. Our vision is for the Los Angeles region to become the “Solar Capital” and the leader in solar and other renewable energy usage and initiatives.
Established in 1954, the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society is the nation’s leading association of solar professionals & advocates. Its mission is to inspire an era of energy innovation and speed the transition to a sustainable energy economy. ASES advances education, research and policy. ASES publishes the award winning Solar Today Magazine, organizes and presents the ASES National Solar Conference and leads the ASES National Solar Tour.
The ASES National Solar Tour is the largest grassroots solar energy event in America. The 2009 ASES National Solar Tour had over 5,000 homes and commercial buildings on display with 10,000 volunteers and more than 140,000 tour visitors. We are excited about organizing and bringing this very popular solar tour to Los Angeles and hope that you will be too. Please join us in this exciting solar tour event by submitting an example of your solar and sustainably built residence or building.
LARES selection committee will recognize two buildings – one residential and one commercial/business – as the ASES Los Angeles Grand Solar Tour winners that represent the best of solar design and sustainability in the Los Angeles region.
For more information or assistance, please contact:
info.lares@gmail.com
Thank you and looking forward to your participation.
Warm Regards,
Zoe Starr
Los Angeles Renewable Energy Society
www.LA-RES.org
www.ASES.org
Yesterday I spent 90 minutes talking solar with the folks at Pasadena Water & Power. It was a great conversation and it really re-confirmed my belief that these folks are true solar proponents who - while understaffed, overworked and underpaid - are working hard every day to make solar in Pasadena a reality.
Here are some highlights from our conversation: