Operation LIVE UNITED

EmPower proudly supports our troops by participating in United Way's Operation LIVE UNITED

On Tuesday, June 14 (Flag Day) the United Way of Long Island encouraged all Long Islander’s to show support for our troops by wearing a “LIVE UNITED” tee shirt for the day.  Money raised will go towards United Way of Long Island’s Military Family Assistance Project.

EmPower Solar was honored to participate in this project by purchasing tee shirts for all employees and wearing them to work on Tuesday as a sign of support for our military personnel who protect our freedom every day.

EmPower is also proud to partner with United Way as it’s solar provider.  EmPower has installed 5 solar electric systems for United Way totaling 40.61 kW with annual savings projected at $8,026.

Although Flag Day has passed donations can still be made.  If anyone would like to make a donation please click here to become a part of Operation LIVE UNITED.

INVERTER RECALL: NON-ISSUE FOR EMPOWERED CLIENTS

Last week LIPA sent a letter to all solar owners on Long Island about a Schneider Electric inverter recall that impacted products under the brand names Xantrex GT, SunPower, and General Electric.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS RECALL DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY EQUIPMENT INSTALLED BY EMPOWER               

Rest assured the inverter(s) that EmPower installed at your home or business is in great shape.  The recalled inverters are made by a company called Xantrex that was recently acquired by Schneider Electric.  While Xantrex was once a market leader, EmPower had several bad  experiences with them between 2005 and 2007 and has since never used them.                                                                                                     

Please know that you would certainly receive notice from us right away if a product recall affected your system.

Of course, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Thank you as always for your commitment to EmPower and to solar energy.

We are honored to have you as our client.

David G. Schieren
Chief Executive Officer

Call (516) 837-3459 for further information
www.empowerces.com

Keep The Solar Decathlon On The National Mall

It was recently announced that the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon competition would be moved at the last minute from the National Mall in Washington DC to a different location that has yet to be announced.   Since 2002, four Solar Decathlons have been held on the Mall, and the 2011 teams have been planning for over a year to compete at the venue.   See the January 14 New York Times Article for more background information.

As leaders of the Solar Decathlon Alumni Association (SDAA), we are supporting the student led initiative to keep the competition on the Mall.   Towards that end, we are endorsing an online petition created by the students that can be found here: http://www.petition2congress.com/3973/.  We are also directly requesting support from our political representatives.  The current participants are doing an incredible job at generating support.     For example, Senator Menendez of New Jersey has issued a press release in support of this effort: http://menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press/. 

We believe that the Solar Decathlon competition is vital to the success of clean energy in the United States and all over the world.  It is our position that the National Mall is essential to the competition’s value and prestige.  Students and sponsors from the US and international teams are inspired to compete in such an historic location.  The Solar Decathlon is about inspiring students – the leaders of the next generation, faculty – the educators of future leaders, and entire university communities to embrace renewable energy.

As a former decathletes and a member of the Solar Decathlon Alumni Association, we know first-hand the influence and deep impact of the competition.  Having it at the Mall, the most prominent location in our country, the “front-lawn” of the United States of America, is instrumental to its success. 

For information about this year’s event please visit www.solardecathlon.com.  

David Schieren, CEO

2005 Solar Decathlon NYIT/USMMA Team Leader, 2007 Advisor. 

Gregory Sachs, COO

2005 Solar Decathlon NYIT/USMMA Lead Engineer, 2007 Advisor

Matthew Mathosian, Commercial Project Manager

2007 Solar Decathlon NYIT Lead Architect, 2011 CUNY Advisor

EmPower is the lead sponsor and solar advisor of the 2011 Solar Decathlon CUNY Team

EmPower Sponsors “Greening Your Place of Worship” Workshop

On September 23, 2010, the Long Island Interfaith Environment Network (LIIEN) and Abundant Communities Together (ACT) held a very successful 4^th annual “Greening Your Place of Worship” workshop.  Over 100 people from different faiths joined together to talk about techniques to save energy and reduce the environmental impacts of their places of worship.

EmPower has already installed solar electric systems on the Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center and Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock.  As a sponsor of this event, we strongly support helping religious institutions achieve their energy goals.

Aside from talks by utilities and energy providers on renewables and efficiency, other lecture topics included the importance of insulation, white and green planted roofs, power purchase agreements, and bottle-less water coolers.

Overall the workshop provided for an important exchange of ideas and touched on the moral importance of taking environmental action – both for the benefit of people in our communities and for the global environment. Check our more in the LIIEN Fall 2010 Newsletter.

Town of Hempstead Encourages Solar

The Town of Hempstead has recently taken many steps to go green, including installing a hydrogen fueling station at the Conservation & Waterways building in Point Lookout and hosting numerous solar and energy efficiency seminars.  On October 5, 2010, the Town passed a cap of $100 on the fee for permit applications for solar system installations, a move which is expected to further promote the technology that is already lowering residents’ electricity bills.

Before the cap, the permit application fee was 1.2% of the total cost of the project.  This was typically around $300-$500 for the average solar installation, which costs $10,000-$25,000 after rebates and tax credits, depending on overall electricity usage of the building.  The new $100 cap allows Town of Hempstead Residents to keep a few hundred dollars more in their pockets, while also representing the Town’s continued effort to “go green.”

Read more on the Long Island Herald website.