City’s plan is working out
HARVARD STREET When it came to installing solar panels on the roof of his garage, Tom Engelman really didn’t have a choice. It was either do it or possibly be disowned by his daughter.
A student at Wildwood School, Kate Engelman is a member of the “Green Team,” a group of environmentally conscious students who practice the three R’s — reduce, reuse and recycle.
“She’s really been a driving force behind this, her and her brother,” said Engelman, who along with his wife Robin, are renovating the home they purchased on Harvard Street to include sustainable features such as a bamboo fence and drought-resistant landscaping. “My son is really getting a kick out of this.”
Still, pleasing the kids by going green can prove difficult and expensive, that is, until now. Through City Hall’s Solar Santa Monica program, Engelman and his family were able to purchase solar panels at a discount and more easily maneuver through the permitting process, helping them avoid some of the headaches that typically coincide with remodeling a home.
Known initially as the Community Energy Independent Initiative, Solar Santa Monica is a two-year, pilot program designed by the Environmental Programs Division at City Hall to link residents and business owners with trusted suppliers of solar technology that could be purchased at a discount because customers would be buying in bulk.
The suppliers, handpicked by city staff, offer packages for apartment dwellers, homeowners and those living in condominiums. Each package will maximize power-saving technology to offer buyers a quicker return on their investments.
The goal is for Santa Monica to become energy independent by the year 2020, and actually become a producer of clean energy that can be sold on the open market. City Hall is starting small, with about 35 single-family homes, 10 commercial buildings and five municipal buildings.
If the program gains momentum, it is city staffers’ desire to top every one of the 17,500 rooftops in the city. “This is not a give-away program,” said Susan Munves, director of Solar Santa Monica. “This is an investment people are making and it is significant. If they are interested and want to move forward we put them in contact with our preferred providers.
“For commercial buildings, our providers can offer systems about 20 percent less than what is available on the open market,” Munves said.“For residential, the discount is around 5 to 10 percent. What we are offering is very good, very fair and we back it up with guarantees and warranties.”
The Engelmans are the first family in Santa Monica to participate in the program and to have actually installed solar panels. For roughly $20,000, they purchased a 2-Kilowatt system capable of generating 50 percent of the energy they need to power their home. Tom Engelman hopes to add more panels in the future, if finances allow it.
“It’s incredibly expensive to go green,” Tom Engelman said. “It’s still a rich man’s game … but the city is making it easier to afford. They gave us a lot of good advice and they have been very helpful and cooperative. The most important thing is the help they gave us with the permit process. That can almost be like a full-time job.”
Munves said, so far, 270 property owners have expressed interest — 175 single-family homes, 70 businesses, 20 multi-family homes and four condos.
Currently, one of City Hall’s providers is installing a system on Princeton street for the owner of a condo who had to get the permission of his homeowners’ association, a first in Los Angeles County, said Herb Mendelsohn, director of sales for PermaCity Solar, a preferred provider that worked with the Engelmans.
“The beautiful thing about Solar Santa Monica is that they do all of the marketing for us. It just seems to shorten the cycle and it gives us credibility,” Mendelsohn said. “If you are a preferred provider, it gives you credibility and solar is one of the things that needs credibility for someone to put down the money for it.”
Mendelsohn said the system at the Engelmans has a guaranteed life of 25 years and can generate 10 kilowatt hours of energy a day, or about $3.20 worth of electricity. He could generate more or less depending on how much sun is available.
While it is too early to notice a savings since the family has yet to move into their new home, Tom Engelman believes he’s made the right investment for his children by not only exposing them to new technology, but also by making sure they live in a world that is cleaner and safer for them.
“I’m just trying to do my part,” Engelman said. “Hopefully, the kids can be a part of something and help other people in going solar. I think the kids could make great docents.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 17, 2007. Read the original PDF.