A - Z International wrote: > The solar equation is a bit trickier for those who don't have the > investment capital or want to get out a loan, but for those in new > construction folks at WMECO told me today it makes tremendous sense. Just This is great info, I'm sorry I couldn't attend! I happen to have a little knowledge in this area so I hope this is helpful: Renewable energy rebate incentives vary from state to state, MA currently has grant monies that are distributed by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (which must have been mentioned at the meeting?). The small renewables initiative <http://www.mtpc.org/renewableenergy/small_renewables.htm> is what we recently took advantage of (with something like $3.50 per watt rebates last yr -about 40% rebate total, after certain conditions were met). I've heard they estimate that the rebate amount will continue to decline, so the sooner the better if you're thinking of it for your home/home office in MA. I know they have other initiatives for business but don't know the details or program names.In MA there is also a 20 year deferment of real estate taxes (property value increases, taxes don't), a state tax CREDIT, and the new federal tax credits. I understand states like NJ and CA have far far better rebate initiatives that truly do bring payback down to a reasonable short number of years. But some states are far worse, with no rebates or net metering <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Net_metering> at all. Also, you can sell your "green tags", which essentially means you sell each kilowatt you generate, even if you use what you create so it's a double savings. To make the MOST financial sense and for maximum rebates and incentives, grid tie is the way to go - but a small offgrid starter system can be done cheaper and built gradually. Home Power <http://www.homepower.com/>magazine is available at Forbes Library or online, and covers detailed specs if thats the kind of thing you're interested in (DIY). If your interests are of a financial savings nature, about the only thing that makes sense in MA is if your property is off the grid, as often renewable energy installations ARE cheaper than extending the grid to your home. Renewable energy is not my field, so I'm not expert on all initiatives available - except for what we took advantage of. Your solar installer should be able to give all the details, and theres a few in the area. -- Thanks, Matt Lampiasi, President 413-303-9167 or http://florenceit.net Florence I.T. - A Community I.T. shop. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20060209/c8ae5404/attachment-0010.html