Not every homeowner touches a contractor’s heart. But for Vox Energy Solutions in Allison Park, PA., one homeowner will always be remembered.
He showed up one day, hoping to finally realize his dream of installing solar panels on his home. He and his wife had wanted to “go green” for years after seeing a television program about solar panels. But the time never seemed right until late in 2008.
That’s when they learned the state of Pennsylvania would be offering rebates and possible tax credits for renewable energy installations. This was all they had to hear – now the time was right. A chemist by trade with a master’s degree in technology management, this homeowner knew what he wanted. He even took time to sketch out his design ideas in intricate detail.
A Vox Energy Solutions systems engineer took the rough (but detailed) sketch and turned it into the blueprint for the 28-panel array that was eventually installed. This particular array meant that the couple would be producing a great deal of their own electricity.
Then something unexpected happened. Somewhere after delivering the rough sketch and before the final system design was approved, the homeowner suffered some troubling health issues. After several tests and doctor visits, he and his wife were given the devastating news – he had terminal cancer.
Most people might abandon their dreams after receiving news such as this, but for this man, the news merely fueled his desire to see his solar panel wish come to fruition.
Even as the cancer ravaged his body, leaving him sick and weak, the homeowner participated in the process. Eventually, he succumbed to his illness, but not before he witnessed the installation and successful implementation of his dream. While he had not intended for this to be a dying wish, that’s what it became.
The Vox Energy Solutions Story
Vox is the three-year-old brainchild of Rich and Karen Foltz. Rich previously worked in the telecom industry doing construction and project management, site design and engineering and network engineering of cell towers. The idea for Vox came after a fortuitous trip to San Diego to attend a Wind Conference.
After realizing that the construction for wind turbines was comparable to cell phone towers, Rich and Karen returned to Pennsylvania, determined to create an organization dedicated to green technologies, and Vox Energy Solutions was born.
The couple’s ongoing mission is to educate and assist clients in meeting their energy and environmental objectives while saving money, and promoting business practices that respect the consumer, the earth and the environment. Oh, they also provide professional sales and services for high quality energy efficient products.
Home Energy Audit
Prior to investing in a renewable energy system, Vox Energy Solutions recommends homeowners interested in saving money on their electric and gas bills consider conducting a home energy audit as a first step in benchmarking their energy conservation. Vox’s Home Energy Audit is a comprehensive look at the energy consumption of a home that takes three to four hours and is performed by a H.E.R.S. certified Home Energy Rater.
The test includes the following procedures:
- Blower Door Test
- Door Blaster Test
- Combustion Analysis Test
- Thermal Imaging
- Walk-through of home site
- Analysis & 30 page Recommendation Report
The Home Energy Audit helps determine if an alternative energy investment is viable because it’s an inexpensive way to gain all the knowledge you need to make your home as energy efficient as possible.
Solar Panels or Photovoltaic (PV)
Contrary to popular (but misguided) belief, sunny weather isn’t what counts for power production in a solar energy system. Every region in the United States has a sufficient solar resource for photovoltaic, including the Pittsburgh area.
Just as you can get a sun burn on a cloudy day, the same holds true for collecting the sun’s energy on a cloudy day. In fact, the Department of Energy has named Pittsburgh a declared Solar America city because they recognize it as a city committed to adopting solar technology at a local level.
If you live in Pennsylvania, you can receive a 30% federal tax credit and on a first-come, first served basis, participate in a state rebate program designed to make solar more affordable to consumers. Solar energy is clean, safe and abundant and is one of the most resourceful sources of energy for the future. It will also be one of the most affordable as the last of the electricity rate caps expire in 2010. Once this happens, you can bet that the price of electricity will rise.
Wind Energy
Small wind turbine
Vox Energy Solutions also designs and installs wind turbines, which use wind to produce electricity. This is also an efficient, clean way to harness energy.
Typically a good wind turbine site is at least one acre in size. Turbines must be mounted at least 30 feet above any physical wind barriers (i.e. trees, buildings, or bluffs) within 300 feet to avoid air turbulence. Winds are faster at higher elevations and wind power increases by a factor of three as speed increases, so even a small boost in height can greatly enhance a turbine’s output.
A wind turbine has a life span of about 25 years. Over its life, a small residential wind turbine can offset approximately 1.2 tons of air pollutants and 200 tons of greenhouse gas pollutants (carbon dioxide and other gases which cause global warming).
It’s not uncommon for homeowners to become addicted to searching out every alternative energy option, not only for the energy savings but because there aren’t too many times in life that you get to do something that benefits the greater good and leaves a legacy. It’s in this context that you can appreciate that one motivated homeowner wanted to make his solar wish come true, even if it was the last thing he did.
Originally posted 2009-08-24 12:31:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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In the Northwest, the Energy Trust Better Living Show is the place to find out about Oregon credits plus solar and wind contractors. All in one place. http://www.betterlivingshow.org. The best part, the show is free to attend.