Ready to bring solar power into your home? If federal and state tax credits aren’t incentive enough to invest in solar, you may be curious to know how you can “sell back” solar energy to Central Hudson.
Actually, selling back is technically not correct, explains solar energy project developer Randolph Horner. “You swap at par value.” The practice, called net metering, means that whenever your system is making more energy than it’s using, you’re back-feeding the power grid, earning credits as your meter literally runs backward. In the Hudson Valley, energy use in the winter tends to increase, while solar energy production decreases; the opposite is true in the summer. So extra credits are gained in the late spring, summer, and early fall, and then cashed in over the winter. “Homeowners can take a bite out of energy measures until they’re a zero energy home [using no more than they’re producing]. It’s easier when you’re building a new home and planning this from the beginning, but it can also be done with a retrofit,” assures Horner. But it’s important to be realistic: “A $20,000 investment won’t necessarily obliterate your energy costs.”
For more information on Central Hudson’s net metering program, visit cenhud.com.
Check out these local sources:
EarthKind Solar
We deliver the highest-quality solar products that will help you save on your utility bills, lower your fossil fuel consumption and help the environment.
500 Enterprise Dr., Kingston
845-266-3723
Hudson Valley Clean Energy is a full service solar electric, geothermal, and solar hot water provider specializing in the design, installation, and servicing of these renewable energy systems.
13 Hook Rd., Rhinebeck
845-345-8699
Hudson Valley Energy Options, Ltd. supports efforts to research, develop and implement solar technologies for residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and transportation sectors.
845-417-1191
Hudson Valley Solar Hot Water,
We are committed to the idea that the future ecological health of the Earth lies in all of us making sound choices in our personal energy use.
845-399-7219
Sun Volt Solar is a locally owned, locally operated solar equipment dealer and installer in Kerhonkson.
30 Sherman Rd., Kerhonkson
845-626-2627