Weekly News: June 7, 2012

It is well into June and we are getting ready for a busy summer…

We are pleased to be working with a solar energy system manufacturer called Siliken.  Aside from making a great product, they have made it possible to offer Home Improvement Lending with Admirals Bank.  They call it Simple Power Ownership with Step-Down Financing, which contains a payment stream that decreases in amount over the term of the lease. With this type of financing a solar buyer is eligible for greater incentives, such as a tax deductible interest rate, decreasing payments over time and no down payment.

This past week we were thrilled to install a residential system in Canaan, NY. The size is 3.825kw and is expected to offset 44% of the homeowner’s energy use. Here are some pictures of that project:

At the end  of May we got to witness Walden’s Girl Scout Troop 337 throw a Science Fair, which was the end of a year-long learning experience about how to be more energy efficient. Some of the projects on display were some of the “green” toys we brought over from Echo Women’s Boutique & Toystore in Beacon. The projects demonstrated how easily energy can be generated using simple materials. For instance, one girl made a set of wheels by attaching two compact discs to an axle and then winding a rubber band around the one of the “wheels” using a pencil. It was amazing how the pressure of the band is what made the little system go.

Another project showed how something lightweight can be pulled along using a heavier anchor. In the picture below, a robot creature was made by attaching an empty soda can (lightweight) to a set of legs. A rope is affixed with a clump of bolts (heavy anchor) at the end. The bolts are dropped at the end of the table, moving the robot along. We love his googly eyes!

Look at him go!

Finally, we are very excited to have been invited to share a booth with the Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO) at The Beacon Sloop Club Strawberry Festival, this Sunday in Beacon, NY. RUPCO is an affordable housing organization that provides “rental assistance, homeownership, home repair grants and property management services.”  One of their Outreach Coordinators, Bridget Doxsee, asked us along to the Festival, saying, “A lot of homeowners don’t know they qualify for a free home energy audit, or NYSERDA programs in general. There are some really great financing options now through on-bill where there is no out-of-pocket expense to upgrade your home. We thought that being available at the Strawberry Festival was an ideal place to educate the public that they have this service available to them.”

 See you at the Festival!