Strong Rebates, Huge Savings, Drive New Hampshire Businesses to Choose Solar

Thanks to its beautiful surroundings and regionally renowned hospitality, Sunset Hill House Inn has been an attraction for tourists and travelers for over a century.
Purchased by Lon and Nancy Henderson in 2000, the Inn has undertaken numerous environmentally conscious initiatives, including the use of all green cleaning products, a comprehensive recycling program and, most recently, the installation of a brand new solar hot water system, courtesy of ReVision Energy.

Being a well-traveled Inn, heating water accounts for one of Sunset Hill’s highest energy demands. So it should come as no surprise that they chose to partner with the seasoned ReVision, a company experienced in making solar energy an affordable, effective reality for businesses of just about every stripe.

Not only will the system be well worth the financial cost – it’s expected to pay for itself in four years – it will also be right in line with Sunset Hill’s environmental efforts, as it’s slated to curb over 79,000 pounds of CO2 each year.

“You could say I’m the world’s happiest innkeeper,” exclaims Nancy Henderson. “We’re very excited about the new system and what it means for our green initiatives going forward.”

The quaint inn represents a sea change of sorts in how New England businesses use energy – one that companies like ReVision are only too pleased to welcome. Not to be outdone, the Common Man Restaurant – located in Concord – recently enjoyed its own solar energy makeover. As with Sunset Hill, the Common Man’s decision to use solar power was economically clear-cut, in part because of the amount of hot water required daily to run the restaurant.

For the Common Man, ReVision installed 12 American-made solene Aurora flat plate collectors, along with three special-purpose solar hot water storage tanks. Whenever the sun comes out, the pump runs heated fluid from the tank in the basement up to collectors. The fluid is then heated, before being pumped through the heat exchange coils in the solar storage tanks – a cycle that continues as long as the sun is out.
On a sunny day, nearly 100% of hot water used in the restaurant will come from the sun. If for some reason additional heat is needed, the natural gas heater is there to fill the void, but – thanks to the water being preheated by the sun – much less is needed than before.

In the cases of Sunset Hill and the Common Man, investing in solar alternatives promises to benefit not only the environment, but the businesses’ wallets as well. “These economic and environmental realities are great incentives that benefit businesses and their clients,” said Fred Greenhalgh, ReVision’s online marketing manager. “Not only does it work, and work well, but it’s a great way to show customers that you are committed to environmental responsibility.”

Greenhalgh says that one of the chief reasons New England businesses are turning more and more to solar hot water is due to the incredibly quick return on investment. Indeed, high-demand water providers, including inns, hotels, restaurants, bars, and the like, are finding an investment in solar hot water to be a great draw for eco-conscious travelers.

Currently, New Hampshire businesses can receive a state rebate of up to $50,000, or 25% of project costs, as well as a federal investment tax credit of 30%. Homeowners benefit from a cash rebate averaging $1,500 as well as the 30% federal credit. What’s more, members of Green Alliance – the Portsmouth-based union of nearly 100 local, green minded businesses of which ReVision has been a long-standing member – can receive a $350 discount off a solar hot water system or $500 off solar PV systems.

For the Sunset Hill, the Common Man, and a growing number of New Hampshire businesses, installing a solar energy system has proven to be a “best of both worlds” – one where “going green” and “saving green” aren’t mutually exclusive.

With New Hampshire and Maine currently exporting over $3.5 billion annually on limited fossil fuel resources, the economic toll of fossil fuel dependency is clear. Moreover, as the world’s population continues to grow, fossil fuel scarcity will only lead to growing costs of fossil fuels in addition to their high environmental toll. Luckily for folks in New England, ReVision has from day one had its eye trained to the sky, and towards the one resource that ain’t goin’ anywhere anytime soon.

“There’s something simple and intuitive about solar power – you put out a net and ‘catch’ free fuel from the sky whenever the sun is out,” Greenhalgh adds, “It’s just taken a bit for the technology to catch up with the intuition. Now, the benefits of choosing solar over fossil fuel alternatives is clearer than ever.”

ReVision Energy is a renewable energy contracting company that provides full service solar energy installation to homes, businesses and nonprofits in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. Since 2003, ReVision Energy has installed over 3,000 systems, designed by their team of in-house engineers, and installed by their certified solar specialists.

For more information on ReVision Energy please visit www.revisionenergy.com.
Please visit the Green Alliance website at www.greenalliance.biz.