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About Us
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The City of Santa Monica has an ambitious goal to become a net-zero, energy independent city by 2020.
Solar
Santa Monica helps residents, businesses and property owners reduce
energy consumption and generate clean, renewable energy onsite. Our Contractor Network is a tool to help you find a licensed, reliable contractor.
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Events
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Be sure to check our calendar for events coming up!
Greening the Bottom Line-
Senator Fran Pavley will discuss current environmental legislation along with Ted Flanigan of EcoMotion and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and First United Methodist Church.
Thursday, Oct. 15 7:00pm - 8:30pm
1008 11th Street Santa Monica, CA 90403
Caulking & Weatherization Workshop - Efficiency First! Learn do-it-yourself tips on caulking and weather stripping and receive a FREE Energy Efficiency Starter Kit! Please RSVP here to attend. Sustainable Works 1744 Pearl Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Wed, Oct. 28
6:30 - 8:30 pm
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Solar Santa Monica is brought to you by:
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News from Community Corp of Santa Monica
Another exciting project is in the works! Community
Corporation of Santa Monica
is looking into its potential for solar hot water, and Solar Santa Monica
jumped onto the job. We helped to prepare the RFP, enlist solar contractors and
coordinate a job-walk on September 24th with the five interested
companies. They went from basement to
rooftop, through parking lots, and took measurements the whole way through to
submit their ideas for the project.
Solar Santa Monica
looks forward to welcoming Community Corp and its residents to the ranks of
solar champions.
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What's Happening With the Cost of Solar?
 Recent industry news articles have trumpeted, "Solar Panel
Prices Drop 50%." Our friends are asking
how that news has impacted the market here in Santa Monica.
The quick answer is, "Some, but not a whole lot." Still, since we started the program in 2007,
with fixed maximum prices for our participants, the market has experienced
steady downward pressure. Here are some
reminders of what to consider as you price your system:
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As you might expect, size matters. The cost/kW for very large commercial systems
may be as much as 30% less than for smaller, home-sized systems.
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About half the cost of the installation is in
labor. Even if panel prices drop, the
cost of labor typically doesn't. And a
complicated installation will definitely require more labor.
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Timing matters, too. As with all products, solar panels sometimes
"go on sale" for a period of time. It's
great to catch the window, but you can't count on one.
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In the past year the California Solar Initiative
rebates have shrunk; the Federal tax credit has increased. Both these need to be calculated into your
cost.
Because there are so many variables, Solar Santa Monica
suggests strongly that you get several bids and compare them closely. Our Bid Comparison Service available to
homeowners and commercial property owners, may save you more than any
particular one item on the work order. For further questions, please contact Michael Ware.
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Tankless Water Heaters
 It is true! Tankless
water heaters are here and contractors are installing them! Unlike your conventional water heater, which
operates 24/7, the tankless water heater operates only when you turn it
on. This saves energy by ending
"stand-by losses" that account for 10-15% of a typical hot water heater's energy requirement.
In addition,
because your water is "flash-heated," you have an endless supply of hot
water. Now the last person up in the
morning will still have a hot shower.
Some considerations before making the investment:
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Tankless heaters
are pretty expensive, costing $800-$1,150, but rebates
up to $200 are available. (Federal tax
credits are not available for tankless electric heaters.)
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Your new tankless
heater may take up only 20% as much space as your old conventional heater -
freeing up some storage space! -- but there may be hidden installation costs
such as a ¾" gas line and a "Class A" ventilation pipe.
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In a large home, a
circulation pump may be necessary to avoid inconsistent water temperatures.
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Annual
maintenance is important to keep the small coils free and clear from hard water
buildup.
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Tankless units
have a lifespan of 20 years, much longer than any conventional tank-type
heater.
Tankless heaters could save $70-$80 per year on gas bills,
but because of the high price, could take anywhere from 10 to 22 years to break
even. The payback may be long, but if
saving energy is important to you, than a tankless heater could be worth
it.
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Co-Opportunity Block Party!
Solar Santa Monica celebrated with
Co-Opportunity Market as they threw a massive block party to mark their 35th
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Solar Electric Permit Fees in Southern California
 Santa Monica residents have a good thing going for them if
they want solar...they belong to one of the nineteen cities in the state of California that charge their residents $0 for solar
electric permitting fees, a cost that is as high as $1,572 in La Habra Heights. Earlier this year, several Sierra Club
chapters surveyed 250 municipalities in Southern
California to determine their fees and processing times for the
permits to install photovoltaic energy systems on residential rooftops in a
comparative report of best and worst practices.
Best practices include quick,
over-the-counter permits and waiving fees, while worst practices base a permit
fee on the cost of a PV system, subject homeowners to fire department reviews
which can add unnecessary fees and up to two weeks to the processing time for a
permit. This "valuation" practice is
inconsistent with the California Solar Rights Act, and added with other
unnecessary requirements such as various departmental reviews and load-bearing
considerations, can seriously hinder solar growth. Being one of the "solar friendly" cities in Southern California, Santa Monica is definitely a
champion in best practices for helping its homeowners get solar.
For more information on other cities' permitting
practices and solar-friendly recommendations, check out Sierra Club's Full Report.
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Website Updates!
If you liked the Solar Santa Monica website before, you'll
love it now! The site has been improved
to contain lots more information for residents and businesses and to be easier
to navigate. There are added program partnerships, new contractors on the list,
and additional city documents. Due to popular demand, there are also more solar
champion profiles with new solar-owners describing their experience with the
whole solar process and their feelings about it after-the-fact. Be sure to stop by at www.solarsantamonica.com to see
what we've done!
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