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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (343)	6/14/2005 11:33:39 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24225

Solar-energy push boosted by home sales, legislation Anne Gonzales Correspondent Summertime living is made easier when your utility bills are as low as $40 a month. As energy prices heat up, the Sacramento area is becoming a hotbed of solar homes and energy-efficient subdivisions, many touting utility savings of 60 percent to 70 percent. Once considered too expensive, solar roof tiles are now increasingly being integrated into whole-house designs in the Sacramento area. Homebuyers are also becoming more aware of the benefits of solar electricity and are clamoring for more energy efficiency in houses. The drive to build more solar homes is also getting a boost from the governor, utility companies and the federal government, as a low-cost, pollution-free, alternative-energy source. "In the last couple years, we've had the impetus and the opportunity to make solar practical," said John Ralston, vice president of Premier Homes in Roseville. Solar-powered homes have the ability to generate as much -- sometimes more -- than is being used to run the home, making them "power stations," Ralston said. Premier Homes is just completing a 95-home subdivision in Sacramento, with all of the homes outfitted with solar-power systems, making it the first large-scale solar subdivision in the Sacramento area. Premier Homes is already building another 100-home all-solar offering in Roseville, partnering there with Roseville Electric Co. Other builders have plans to include solar roof tiles on homes in Natomas, the Sunrise-Douglas area, Roseville and north Stockton. Higher sale prices, lower utility bills The Sacramento Municipal Utility District has set a goal to get 20 percent of its energy load from renewable resources, such as wind, solar and geothermal geysers, by 2011, and the state is committed to capturing 20 percent of its energy from renewables by 2010. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in March threw his support behind the new "Million Solar Roofs Initiative," aimed at creating 1 million solar-power rooftops in the state by 2018. State Sens. Kevin Murray, a Culver City Democrat, and John Campbell, a Republican from Irvine, introduced SB 1 and SB 1017 that together will create the new initiative. SB 1 was approved by the state Senate in a 28-3 vote June 1. It is now headed to the Assembly. So is solar power, once considered a pipe dream of eccentric environmentalists, finally becoming a reality for average folks? "We have a pretty normal, smart, diverse market," Ralston said of buyers in the "zero-energy" Premier Gardens subdivision near Highway 50 and Bradshaw Road. » Continued Page: 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 bizjournals.com