SEM’s Harold Herrera conducts a blower door test as part of an ENERGY STAR qualification.

ENERGY STAR has set the bar for energy efficiency — and usually serves as a starting point for green building projects. Qualified new homes offer homeowners many benefits over homes built to minimum code standards. There are a lot of reasons to use the program: lower utility bills, comfort, better indoor air quality and environmental protection, just to name a few. As part of the program, certified building performance specialists from Southern Energy Management thoroughly inspect and test homes to ensure they meet high level building performance benchmarks and quality assurance measures as outlined in the EPA’s ENERGY STAR national program guidelines. These guarantee that the home is at least 15 percent more energy efficient than a house built to code.

For SEM, it’s not just about cranking out as many ENERGY STAR homes as possible — we are passionate about energy efficiency, and that passion led us to join forces with the North Carolina Energy Efficiency Alliance (NCEEA). This program seeks to educate people on the benefits of ENERGY STAR and overcome market barriers to make energy efficient building practices the norm. Better building performance is one of the best ways to combat climate change, and it’s a cause we’re proud to promote.

Over the past 10 years, Southern Energy Management has worked with over 300 builders, contractors, architects, and developers to increase the energy efficiency and performance of residential and commercial buildings throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. We’re grateful to have been recognized as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year five consecutive times starting in 2007, including last year’s EPA National ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award. We love what we do, and it shows.

For more information on how Southern Energy Management can work with you to increase the performance of your home, please check out our website here.

Sam Burner is the Building Performance Project Coordinator at Southern Energy Management. Read more about him here.

^[1]Estimates based off of EPA ENERGY STAR® Qualified Homes 2010 estimates

Click here to read the entire release on the SEM website.

IDEAL Fastener's system includes 826 roof-mounted LG solar PV modules.

Chris Cowperthwaite is a Writer and Multimedia Specialist at Southern Energy Management. Read more about him here.

Read the full release on our website here.

The 325-kilowatt rooftop array includes 1,016 SunPower modules.

Read the full release on our website here.

SEM crews make sure panels are set properly at the Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant solar farm.

Chris Cowperthwaite is a Writer and Multimedia Specialist at Southern Energy Management. Read more about him here.

The biggest risk for PV is a ground fault, which under certain circumstances could potentially start a fire. It is, however, extremely rare. A 2010 study by the National Fire Prevention Association found only a handful of incidents over more than 30 years of data, and concluded “there are very few incidents of fires originating with or directly involving solar power systems. This implies that the solar power industry has a relatively good record when it comes to their equipment and components contributing to the source of ignition.”

Earlier this year, SEM’s solar team came up with a design improvement for large-scale systems that we believe can minimize solar PV fire risks even more. It doesn’t add significant cost, and allows for systems to essentially police themselves in the event of a problem. For full details, click here to request our white paper on the subject.

The "Bakersfield" solar fire caused significant damage to a PV system and building in California.

The basic premise of our findings is that typical systems 100 kW and larger can be code compliant but still be unable to detect certain types of ground faults. One of the most famous solar PV fires in the country was likely a result of this exact problem. That 2009 fire in California was on a system that had an undetected single fault for a while, but didn’t have any major issues until there was a second fault at a conduit expansion joint. The resulting “Bakersfield” solar PV fire, as it became known, caused significant damage on a commercial building and sent waves throughout the entire solar industry. SEM didn’t work on that system, and there is no evidence the installers did anything drastically wrong at the time — but we think we can recommend a plan that would have prevented the fire.

Our solution is to add a device called a differential current tester with contactor combiner boxes to all large scale PV systems. This might sound overly technical, but I’ll try to keep it simple. These instruments can easily detect ground faults on both hot and neutral conductors; more importantly, they will also automatically open the contacts for all of the combiners serving a specific inverter if they detect a ground fault. That means as soon as it senses a problem with any single wire, it stops power to all the wires feeding into the same inverter.

Additionally, this setup allows the system to sound a local alarm and notify its owner. By then it has already prevented the system from doing any more damage. This provides an added layer of protection that allows Operations & Maintenence experts to come in and fix the problem before it gets really bad.

We’re excited to offer a solution; it’s making our systems safer, and we hope it makes other systems safer, too. The last thing anyone in the industry needs is a catastrophe, and we’re optimistic that this is a strategy that could become part of best practices for installers around the country. I understand this is a complicated topic, so if you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Request our white paper on solar PV fire prevention by clicking here.

Chuck Ladd is an Engineer and Architect at Southern Energy Management. Read more about him here.

Read the full release on our website here.

Fletcher Elementary School is one of 13 buildings from Henderson County Public Schools to earn the ENERGY STAR label this fall.

Chris Cowperthwaite is a Writer and Multimedia Specialist at Southern Energy Management. Read more about him here.

At first glance, this might seem counterintuitive: how can we promote “Made in America” products but reject the idea of a lawsuit that claims to level the playing field? The simple answer is we think this tactic will increase costs across the board and cripple the momentum that we’ve all worked so hard to build. It’s almost the exact opposite of an incentive, and there are clearly better ways to support domestic production!

Instead of dividing the industry and spawning distrust between Chinese and American solar manufacturers, CASE supports incentivizing local sources. I actually blogged about this very issue almost nine months ago — long before any of us heard about the CASM lawsuit. This would help the US better compete with China without tripping up the trend towards lower prices. I said then, and I stand by it now: setting up domestically-driven incentive programs could be a game-changer for the industry here in America.

The truth is that a strong manufacturing sector is vital for the success of the American solar industry. It’s vital for our goals of making an impact on carbon emissions for the simple fact that shipping modules from China uses a lot more energy than shipping, for example, a batch from our friends at Stion in Mississippi.

SEM installed this BAA-compliant system at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida using Suniva modules.

Right now, the situation isn’t even quite as dire as CASM makes it sound. There may be a glut of low-cost panels coming into the US, but according to a Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) study we were still a net-exporter in China to the tune of $247 million to $540 million just one year ago. Those are big numbers and highlight a trade relationship that’s certainly not worth undermining.

Modern solar power was created here in the United States, but we’re getting outpaced. We can get back on top, but it shouldn’t be artificially done at the expense of Chinese manufacturers who have helped us get to where we are. The main reason China is so far ahead of the game is because their government recognized the incredible opportunity in sustainable energy and seized it — now it’s time for our government to do the same.

If you’re in the solar industry, I urge you to stand with SEM by signing your company up for CASE, too. We realize this is a sticky situation, and it can get complicated, but we’re willing to fight for the health of this industry. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll try to address them.

Bob Kingery is the CEO and co-founder of Southern Energy Management. Read more about him here.

It’s that fuzzy half-awareness that led us to start our new ECO Home program (pronounced EEK-oh…in case you were wondering). ECO Home isn’t necessarily anything new — it simply ties our Home Performance services into a nice tidy bundle. The coolest thing about it is that right now is we’ve got grant money available to help you pay for your improvements: up to $9,000 per home.

We’re fond of the phrase “Walk, Jog, Run” around here, so let me explain how it all works in those terms.

Walk

We get started with a Home Performance Analysis. It’s a comprehensive study of your house from roof to basement — looking at energy efficiency, comfort issues and any potential health concerns. I know a lot of people have heard of free “energy audits,” but this is a lot more in-depth. We look at everything. When we’re done with the analysis, we create a customized report — your plan of action for the best ways to improve your home’s performance.

SEM's Harold Herrera conducts a blower door test, which measures how much air leaks in or out of a house.

Jog

Once we’ve figured out what needs to be done, it’s time to start making positive changes. The specific Home Performance Improvements will vary from home to home — but often include solutions like improved HVAC and water heating systems, sealing of ductwork, attics or crawlspaces, insulation improvements and lighting upgrades. SEM oversees the improvements and serves as the owner’s advocate to ensure all efficiency goals are met.

When it’s all said and done, we retest the house and give it a new HERS Index (essentially a miles-per-gallon for buildings). It’s a valuable number that shows how close to being energy-neutral a building is, and a low score can help immensely with resale value.

Run

This is the really fun part for some of our customers…taking advantage of a North Carolina grant and getting guaranteed results. Homeowners in Wake, Durham and Orange counties can get a rebate of up to $9,000 through the Department of Commerce Energy Overhaul Grant Program. Once you’re in the program, your home is guaranteed to perform as projected for at least two years. There’s a limited cap on this grant money, however, so if you’re interested, contact me ASAP.

So that’s your ECO Home in a nutshell. It takes the guesswork out of home performance, and we’re really excited to have the opportunity to offer this unique program to our customers. If you have any questions about the program or the grant money, please leave a comment and I’ll try to answer as quickly as possible — or you can contact us directly by clicking here.

Shannon Massey is a Sales Support Specialist at Southern Energy Management.

Read the full release on our website here.

Chris Cowperthwaite is a Writer and Multimedia Specialist at Southern Energy Management. Read more about him here.

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Many people I know have the dream of solar farms, net zero homes, greatly reduced carbon footprints and more. Many lifestyle decisions for myself and others are based on not being the best at all those things, but only doing the best we can at them. You see, if everyone did just a little, we could accomplish a whole lot in this world. I have learned (and try to teach others) to start with simple things such as fixing drafty houses, purchasing local food and minimizing short car trips into a few highly productive ones. Those are the types of things that will change the world in addition to solar farms and net zero homes. But that doesn’t mean we all can’t dream of having big ticket items, even if they don’t seem financially feasible at first glance.

I was approached by SEM’s David Boynton over a year ago about a grant program USDA has for farm businesses that generate renewable energy. He said it might be a long shot but I should at least look into it. I called my USDA rep in Henderson, NC, and was surprised when he highly suggested we apply for it. He told me he personally supported the movement and would do what he could to help. To me that was the entire victory right there! People must help each other to only have the chance of success at things like this.

The solar array is being installed on the roof of the red barn at Ray Family Farms.

It took me a few months to compile tax returns and fill out applications and other paperwork, but in July of 2011 we were awarded the grant of $11,325. The wonderful news doesn’t stop there. My USDA rep said that through Farm Bureau, the NC Tobacco Trust Fund was also accepting grant applications for renewable energy projects on farms across North Carolina. We were awarded this $20,000 grant as well! Ray Family Farms is so very grateful to everyone from SEM, USDA, Farm Bureau the Tobacco Trust Fund. Our 9.8 kW project will be installed and running in September 2011.

Many people out there might criticize me or any else for accepting these funds. I respect anyone’s opinion, but I can also answer any critic by talking about the responsibility of creating local jobs, supporting renewable energy and a reducing the environmental imprint of our farm. It’s true that I could not have done this without these grants, especially during the times we are in. However, it’s also true that without the federal pot of money subsidizing oil and gas no one could not afford that either. It’s time for our nation and world to make the switch to renewable energy, if only for a small part of our energy appetite. To encourage this, we plan to use our system in many other ways other than generating renewable energy. Our solar PV system will be a teaching tool, a marketing tool, an agri-tourism tool for our county and much more.

We encourage all of you to take the opportunity to see this system for yourself. We regularly do farm tours on evenings and Saturdays. We are also involved in the Whole Foods CFSA farm tour this weekend, September 17-18 from 1-5 pm. Please take advantage of this opportunity to visit our farm and others — and make sure you introduce yourself to us as well! We look forward to meeting you!!

Chad Ray is the Co-Owner of Ray Family Farms and Vice President of Olde Heritage Builders. Read more about him here.