A comprehensive national rollout often requires construction related permits from a variety of jurisdictions, departments and agencies. Our Nationwide division, working with our local circles of support, is now able to provide retailers, architects, engineers, contractors, building owners, property managers, and construction managers with expert permitting and code consulting solutions geared to their specific needs.

Through our Nationwide division we’ve helped companies such as Chase Bank, T-Mobile, Walgreens, Marriott, Starbucks and many others with their multiple location construction agendas. Our permit technicians have helped normalize the disparate permit processes for thousands of unique municipal authorities and construction projects throughout the country!

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The cost of living in New York City can be so exorbitantly high that many residents will wrack their brains trying to think of ways that they can reduce their expenses. In addition, many residents may wonder how they can decrease the size of their carbon footprint while saving money. One solution for both of these problems that many people around the world are turning to is rooftop solar panels. However, this solution can be a difficult one to implement for many New York City residents who live in buildings that they do not personally own.

If a resident does not own their roof, they may not be able to simply walk onto it and install their own panels. However, they can work with the building’s other residents to petition the owner or manager to add solar panels to the structure. This process has been made even easier by the recent research that has been conducted by the Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability.

According to David Bragdon who is the director of that office, New York City could easily add thousands of megawatts of solar power. He also claims that the city has been working on making the permit process easier for residents and easing certain regulations to make adding panels more feasible for all sorts of structures.

His comments were made after the city paid $450,000 to the Lidar Company to perform a series of investigative flights over the city. During these flights, they took a number of pictures and collected a lot of data about the million plus buildings in the city to create a detailed map. The information that was collected shows details about the shapes, angles, and sizes of all of the rooftops in the city. Based on this map, over two-thirds of the roofs in this city are well suited to the addition of rooftop solar panels.

If panels were added to all of the roofs where they could possibly be added, they would generate enough power to create half of the city’s electricity needs during peak hours! The professionals who conducted these studies claim that they analyzed not only the rooftops themselves but also how the shading in each area would affect how well the panels would work if they were added.

When residents of New York City are interested in finding out about the specific nature of their building in regards to its potential for housing rooftop panels, they can visit an interactive version of the map that was created by the information collected by the Lidar Company. The map was paid for by the federal Department of Energy under their Solar America Cities Program and cost the city $210,000.

The map allows residents to view their building and analyze its potential to go solar. Interested residents can look at information about their offices, their homes, or even their friends’ homes.  When they enter their address, they can discover a lot of relevant information on how that address would respond to the implementation of solar collecting panels.

For instance, they will discover how much solar energy could be produced on that particular roof. The estimates are based upon how much light the roof receives, how large it is, its angle, and other factors. They can also find out information on government programs including tax breaks and financial incentives. If they are gathering information to present to the building’s owner or manager, they may also be interested in looking at the section of the interactive map that includes detailed data on how much the solar panels would cost to install and how many years it would take the buildings’ owners to get that initial cost back through energy savings.

People who are curious about the environment may enjoy exploring other features of the interactive map. For instance, they can look at how much carbon dioxide they could avoid if their building implemented panels. They can also look at how many trees it would take to absorb that same amount of carbon dioxide.

One reason that some building owners shy away from installing panels is the regulations that surround such additions. However, the U.S. Department of Energy has recently eased many of these regulations. They have pledged to send $12 million to various organizations to help make the regulations surrounding the installation of rooftop panels easier to navigate.

When people live in a city like New York, they may often feel like they have limited control over some of their circumstances. For instance, they cannot simply add rooftop solar panels to their high rise as easily as someone could add them to the top of their barn in Iowa. However, with accurate information gathered from trustworthy sources, such as the map referred to above, they can easily convince their building owner or homeowner’s association to add these structures.

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Residential solar energy systems rely on ample amounts of sunlight to create power for a home. However, as indicated in previous posts on this website, these panels can still be extremely beneficial, even in areas that do not receive as much sunlight as other areas. Winter weather conditions are another factor that many people worry about when they are thinking about the potential efficacy of installing solar panels.

All solar panels create power based on the light that they collect, rather than the heat that surrounds them. However, the shorter days and less sunlight in the winter mean that most panels create less power in the winter than in the summer. In addition, snow can collect on the panels, which will prevent them from getting the sunlight that they need, but when the snow melts or as soon as it is brushed off the panels, they will resume their normal functioning.

Ideally, most panels will work regardless of outside temperatures. However, the temperatures do have a certain degree of effect on the panels. Hotter temperatures can even have an effect on the output of the panels. For instance, a study done in the UK indicated that as temperature increased from 30 to 42 degrees Celsius (86 to 107 degrees Fahrenheit) that the power output created by the panels dropped slightly from 749 mW to 730 mW. Cold temperatures, ironically, do not have the same effect on panels. Because cold temps can have a slight effect on panels, some scientists are looking at ways that the panels can be changed for better cold weather functioning. For instance, the panels that are attached to the International Space Station have two faces. These allow them to work more efficiently in colder temps than their one-sided counterparts.

However, consumers do not need to worry about how cold temperatures impact the power output of the panels. Rather, they should consider how the cold temperatures in their areas may impact the solar panels themselves. Very low temperatures carry a risk that the charge controller or the inverter can be damaged. To ensure that residential solar energy systems can handle all of the possible temperatures and weather conditions in your particular area, you may wish to speak with a Burnham consultant who can guide you toward the right research that you need to make the best decision for your home energy needs.

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Once you decide to install one of the residential solar energy systems, you will probably have more questions than answers. Because installing these panels can be such an expensive process, it is best to have your questions addressed by an expert. As part of the Burnham special experience, the experts at Burnham Nationwide can offer you advice on all of the issues that you may face during the installation of your residential solar energy systems.

Initially, most consumers want to know how much these systems cost and how well they will offset their current energy bills. The cost of installing panels can be anywhere from $7 to $9 per watt of solar power that will be generated. However, these numbers are reliant on a lot of factors. The number of hours that the sun shines every day will impact how efficiently the panels work, just as the cost of electricity in your area will determine how cost efficient the panels ultimately end up being. The amount of sunlight that the panels can collect is an essential part of how much energy they can produce.

You can manipulate the amount of sunlight that is collected by positioning your panels in the most optimal spots. Most people agree that South-facing is the best direction for most solar panels in the U.S. In addition, most people agree that being as close to the sun as possible with an unobstructed view of it is also the most advantageous. Thus, most opt to install their panels on the roof. However, this can have its pros and cons. Installing panels on the roof is usually the easiest on new construction or on a home that is getting a new roof. This means the roof beams will be exposed, and it makes it easier to attach the mounts. However, maintenance for roof-mounted panels may be a hassle for some. Therefore, in some cases, it is actually more advantageous to scatter the residential solar energy systems in other places on the homeowner’s lot.

In order to ascertain where the best place for your panels is, you should speak with a consultant. They can advise you about everything from angles to location. It’s very important to remember that the more sunlight you collect, the more energy you will create and the more efficient your system will be.

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To determine the cost of solar energy, it is important to consider both the cost of installing the solar panels and how much they can offset a homeowner’s electrical bills. However, it is also important to consider the fact that solar energy is advancing so much every day that even as this article is being posted, it is becoming more affordable. The information in this post is only a quick look at the cost of solar energy. For a comprehensive assessment of whether or not it would be a good idea for your next project or your existing home, you should speak with one of the consultants at Burnham Nationwide.

A conservative estimate about solar panels is that they can generate about 10 watts of power for every square foot of paneling. That means that you will usually need 100 square feet of solar panel to create approximately one kW. Obviously, these numbers are very dependent upon how many hours a day the sun shines in your area, so you will need to adjust them accordingly. The average family uses about 1 kW every hour. Depending upon price of electricity in their area, they will have an electricity bill of approximately $73 per month. That figure is based upon a cost of $.10 per KW/h. If they run a hot tub or have a lot of electronics plugged in, their bill may be considerably more.

In order to offset the costs of installing panels, a homeowner should see if their utility provider will give them net metering. This means that when more energy is being produced than is being using, the meter will spin backwards. That amount will be put in a virtual savings account for the homeowner, and he or she can access it on rainy days when they are consuming more power than they are creating. This is only possible in homes that are on the grid. Homes that are using their panels as part of an off-grid system cannot do this.

However, even with net metering, the cost of solar energy can seem high. It costs about $7 to $9 per watt to install solar panels. This figure includes labor in most cases. Thus, the price for a 5kW system can be anywhere from $35,000 to $45,000. That means that it takes approximately 20 years for a system to pay for itself based on monthly bills of $73 per month. The important thing to remember when looking at figures like these is that they are constantly changing and that they are averages. If you live in a place that is very sunny and where electricity costs are high, your solar panels will pay for themselves much faster than they will in other places.

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When answered in very basic terms, the answer to the question “What is solar energy?” is that it is energy from the sun. The sun’s radiant light and heat have been captured and utilized by humans since the ancient times. However, as technologies evolve, solar power also changes and progresses. Explaining how solar energy works is a slightly more complicated issue than defining it.

There are basically two types of solar power. These are passive and active. Each type of solar power is placed into one of these two categories. It is defined as passive or active depending upon exactly how the energy is used. Active energy tends to be stored and can be used later, while passive sources take advantage of the light without storing it. For instance, solar power that is used to create electricity through the use of thermal collectors and photovoltaic panels is considered to be active. Solar architecture techniques, on the other hand, are primarily considered to be passive. These techniques include things like designing spaces that allow for the natural circulation of air, using building materials with favorable thermal masses, or orienting buildings toward the sun.

Socrates’ Megaron House is a great example of ancient architecture that uses a passive solar design. The features on this building allowed air to circulate. This allowed the building’s occupants to enjoy a fairly comfortable range of temperatures. Modern day attempts at this type of architecture do not have to worry just about the occupants’ comfort levels. Obviously, the occupants of most contemporary buildings can be quite comfortable by using central heating or air conditioning. Instead, contemporary designers must worry about how to design a building in a manner that does not tempt its occupants to use conventional heating and cooling methods that exploit fossil fuels. Contemporary solar architecture uses features like orientation to the sun and selective shading. Then, they tailor these features to the local weather patterns in the region. By doing this, they are able to create well-lit and comfortable spaces that are not as reliant on fossil fuels. When combined with active solar features like pumps or fans, these buildings can seem amazing.

The answer to the question “What is solar energy?” is a short one. However, it is an answer that is primarily defined by how solar energy works. As technology continues to change and advance, the way that we use energy from the sun will also continue to change and advance. Ultimately, these changes will make it more widely used and more affordable to purchase and implement.

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Everybody knows that solar power is better for the environment than many other traditional forms of energy. This is due to the fact that it does not create green house gases like fossils fuels do when they are burned. However, there are many other facts about solar energy that may surprise you. We at Burnham Nationwide have gathered together some interesting facts about solar energy and the history of solar energy.

1. Cost. Sunlight, of course, is free. However, it must be collected in cells and then stored in batteries; those items can be expensive. The batteries must be able to store the energy so that it can be used when it is needed. That storage system and the technology that converts the sunlight into direct currents allow it to be used at night and on cloudy days. As solar power continues to become more widely used as an energy source, its price will start to fall. Currently, many consumers are concerned about climate change. Thus, they are turning to solar power. Some of them are making these changes after being encouraged by global legislation.  In fact, in 1985, there was only a 21MW demand for this type of energy, and now, there is approximately a 5.9GW demand per year, representing a significant increase.

2. Usage worldwide. Right now, the United States ranks third in the world for solar power usage. Spain is first in the world, and they used 285% more of it last year than the year before. Germany has recently moved from first place to second place. Korea takes fourth place and is followed by Italy and Japan. At sixth place, Japan is actually further back than it has ever been. Japan used to account for about fifty percent of the global demand for solar power only a few years ago.

3. Electricity availability. Currently, about two billion people have no access to electricity. When they start to use electricity, it may be solar, and it will be a new chapter in the history of the world and its energy sources. As the cost of implementing solar energy decreases, there is potential to bring it to more remote areas and villages.

4. Nuclear power. Energy from the sun is based on nuclear power. However, it utilizes a nuclear power plant that is about ninety-three million miles away from earth. That is correct; the sun’s energy is created by nuclear reactions on the sun!

5. History of solar energy. Leonardo Da Vinci used the sun’s rays to heat water at the Vatican. By building a system of concave mirrors, he was able to effectively heat water with them. He is notorious for many things, but some of his inventions, such as the airplane, were never built during his lifetime. Years after his death, the first airplane was built. Now, it is even possible for some of these planes to run off of energy from the sun. In 1990, a solar powered aircraft flew across the U.S. without using any other fuel. The trip took 121 hours of flying and required the plane to stop about twenty times. There are other world records that show that planes have been able to fly up to twenty-six hours without stopping.

6. Fossil fuels. If you think about it from a scientific standpoint, fossil fuels are actually forms of solar power. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, all formed millions of years ago from the decomposition of plants. Those plants were reliant on the sun for their growth and for their very existence. Thus, without the sun, these plants would have never formed fossil fuels.

There are so many facts about solar energy to consider. The entire planet relies on the sun for its survival, and as solar power becomes more prolific, we will rely also on it for our lights, our warm showers, and our central heating, among other things. New discoveries in the coming years will continue to bring new and exciting innovations in the field of solar energy.

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To put it simply, when you schedule a building energy audit, you want to pass it! Our consultants at Burnham help you analyze your project to make sure that it will pass the energy auditor’s inspection. We can do practically whatever you may need, from providing you with a check list of things to double check before the auditor arrives, to doing a walk-through ourselves and identifying any areas that you should work on before scheduling your building energy audit.

Whether you are trying to meet new green city building codes or are trying to gain LEED certification, we can help you achieve those qualifications.

The following are three things that you should double check before scheduling a building energy audit your project.

Energy-consuming equipment. This includes fixtures like your heating and cooling systems. If you have installed the correct equipment along with the most energy-efficient building materials, you will pass your inspection, and save the building’s operators thousands of dollars in yearly energy bills in the process.

Lighting. Check that your lit exit signs are energy-efficient and that your fixtures are set up to accommodate the most energy efficient bulbs. Place your light switches in such a way that they work to illuminate small areas, versus those that work to illuminate large areas only. By segmenting lighting options, you will help yourself pass your audit as well as reducing future energy consumption.

Building’s envelope. Make sure that the walls are insulated with the best materials, that the windows are tight and that you have used sun filters where necessary

Passing a building energy audit doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. By double checking the three areas discussed above, you increase your chances of passing your inspection. However, if you would like a detailed analysis of what aspects of the building to focus on, you should turn to the experience of the Burnham team. Our job is to give you the advice that will help you pass your inspections and complete your project as soon as possible.

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by Greg Sellers

A new study  released by the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CalSEIA) and Westinghouse Solar confirms that solar energy combined with the right energy efficiency measures can reduce and, in many cases, effectively eliminate residential energy bills. The study shows that the key is to find the exact combination of efficiency and solar energy for your particular home.

The study is comprehensive and goes a long way towards proving what those of us in the solar power industry have already known; solar energy is a great investment that has a long-term payback and a better investment for homes in temperate climates than most energy efficiency measures.

Conversely, the study also emphasizes that homeowners in different parts of the country can have widely varying circumstances that must be evaluated individually before installing a solar system.

Our firm inspects hundreds of solar installations, and occasionally we come across systems that are over sized or installed in locations that will not enable the system to perform at peak efficiency. These installations create problems for the entire solar industry, as they diminish payback and make solar appear less viable than it really is.

It is generally acknowledged that in order to gain widespread adoption solar must achieve grid parity (that is, it must cost the same or less than other forms of electricity). Installing systems in less than ideal circumstances makes grid parity harder to achieve, and perpetuates the perception that solar is too expensive. And that, in the end, is bad for us all.

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