Renewable Energy Twaddle
Renewable energy, a concept that is sweeping the country. Home builders are saying buyers are harder to find and sales slowing down. If fact, it is happening here in South Carolina. This is not the case in some states where they can build “zero-energy-homes”.
Builders are finding that every home owner wants a home with a little or no electric bill each month. Not only do renewable energy homes save people money over time by reducing power and heating bills, they can reduce water usage, improve indoor air quality and give owners a competitive edge when they need to sell their houses. As the price of electric goes up so does the market value of zero-energy-homes.
In South Carolina where summer heat often exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit, selling zero-energy homes equipped with solar panels, tankless water heaters and additional insulation can make buyers be “cash-flow positive” for the additional money spent on their homes in a month due to lower power bills. In an area where monthly summer electrical bills of $500 are possible, the chance for saving on power will attract buyers in a lackluster market and beyond.
Photovoltaics solar panels will last 25 years, your electric bill will never increase with inflation, they create no pollution, have no moving parts, don’t need an annual service agreement, and there is no maintenance. You won’t know you have them until you get your power bill.
It is easy to see why the renewable energy concept could put the South Carolina housing market into one of the top spots in the country.
It all sounds great, BUT… not in South Carolina.
So why is it there are no zero-energy-homes with renewable energy being built or sold in South Carolina? Our state owned utility, South Carolina Public Service Authority (Santee Cooper), does not want anyone to be able to produce electricity other than Santee Cooper. As a state owned authority, they have absolute control over how energy is produced and transmitted for almost 2 million people in South Carolina. A very large bureaucratic monopoly.
History has shown us that bureaucratic monopolies stymie the free enterprise system, entrepreneurs, and businesses. This is what is happening in South Carolina.
Everywhere net metering is allowed and encouraged with good rules by the utilities, high tech jobs, manufacturing businesses, and whole communities of zero-energy-homes spring up like dandelions in the spring.
Shouldn’t a state owned utility with a mission statement that reads “To be the state’s leading resource for improving the quality of life for the people of South Carolina” be one of the top ten states with great net metering rules? With this kind of mission statement who would believe that South Carolina remains one of only nine U.S. states with no net-metering options for consumers? Why aren’t they giving rebates to encouraging renewable energy for the home owners? … and they can hardly be called a leader in economic development.
What Santee Cooper is offering is Renewable Energy Twaddle!
They have offered a plan called “Net Billing”. They don’t know if it will last after the summer. Haven’t decided precisely how much it will pay for the electricity you produce…. It’s along way from net metering! There is no talk of any kind of rebate or tax invective for the home owner and will tell you that any photovoltaics solar panels that you buy will cost too much and the panels will be a safety hazard to the linemen. More twaddle.
When Santee Cooper installs photovoltaics solar panels and they call it “Green Power” and then charge you more money for the electricity.
Santee Cooper has to be persuaded to change the rules and allow good net metering. I asked Governor Sanford to support net metering and his office responded “Net metering is a great option that should be considered in the State of South Carolina. Any incentive that we can give people to produce their own “green power” is something that we should look into very closely.”.
Santee Cooper is the only reason why solar appliances can’t be standard equipment in new homes, the way dishwashers and microwaves are today. Green homes can pay for themselves. A sagging market provides a unique opportunity for that message.
For real “Green Power” in your South Carolina home e-mail your support for true net metering to Governor Sanford
solar energy