I know I said I was done with the residential housing market last Friday. I was talking to Bob Croteau about which side of the insulation the vapor barrier should be on if you are insulating the upper portion of your  basement and he mentioned this in passing. By the way the answer is the vapor barrier should be on the basement side of the insulation and he suggested  only insulating 4 feet of the basement from the top of the basement wall down. After that you are pretty much wasting your time. On to the solar rebate. The reason I said to hurry and get it if you were thinking about solar it is because it is on a first come first serve basis.

http://www.cwlp.com/energy_services/ESO_services_programs/solar_reb.htm

SOLAR REWARDS Rebate

CWLP’s SOLAR REWARDS program offers rebates of up to $15,000 per household or business to CWLP electric customers who install solar electric—also known as photovoltaic (PV)—systems at their residential or commercial facilities. To qualify for participation in the program, customers must meet all eligibility criteria, including being pre-approved prior to purchasing any equipment or starting any work.

The SOLAR REWARDS rebate program is being offered on a first-come/first-served basis until funds budgeted for the program are exhausted. The rebate is calculated at $1,500 per kilowatt (kW) of system capacity. Qualifying systems can range from a minimum of 0.5 kW to a maximum of 25 kW. Rebates will be provided in the form of a CWLP bill credit. For rebates exceeding $1,000, applicants may request their rebate payment in the form of a check, but must provide CWLP with their social security number or FEIN number. Customers have 90 days from the date of their pre-approved application to complete their PV system installation and submit their post-installation documentation to CWLP. Failing to either meet this deadline or receive a deadline extension from CWLP will result in the loss of rebate eligibility.

To apply to participate in the SOLAR REWARDS Rebate Program, use the Pre-Approval Application in the online SOLAR REWARDS Application Packet. To request a hard copy of the Packet, contact the CWLP Energy Services Office by phone at 789-2070 or by email.

Photovoltaic systems convert energy from the sun into electricity using panels that are installed to take maximum benefit of available sunlight. Some systems are even designed to allow the panels to “track” the sun throughout the day. The lifespan of a typical PV panel is approximately 25 years.

Using solar energy can help homeowners and businesses reduce consumption of fossil fuels and lower their monthly energy bills by reducing the amount of electricity purchased from CWLP. (View photos of a sampling of PV systems that have been installed in Springfield.)

Residential applicants can combine CWLP’s SOLAR REWARDS rebate with Federal tax credits or State of Illinois incentives to make solar a more affordable renewable resource option.

For more information about the SOLAR REWARDS Rebate Program or about photovoltaic systems, contact the CWLP Energy Services Office at 789-2070 or nrgxprts@cwlp.com.

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More tomorrow.

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