Back in 2018, the California Building Standards Commission approved a mandate that changes Title 24 of the state’s building codes. The code change requires all new homes built in the state of California to have solar power systems installed on them. As of January 1st, 2020, that requirement goes into effect. Capital City Solar has […]
Recently, there has been a flurry of ads on Facebook and other social media sites touting offers for “free electricity.” Usually, these ads claim that PG&E, the local county, California, or the federal government will cover the cost of installing a solar power system. In other instances, a clickbait-style ad teases the potential for getting […]
In April 2019, online real estate website Zillow released a summary of an analysis of the selling prices of homes with solar power systems versus those with without. They found that homes in the United States with solar power systems sold for an average of 4.1% more than comparable solar-less homes. This translated to a […]
Update: On April 22, 2019, SMUD withdrew the Grid Access Charge proposal, which was the focus of this article. SMUD also withdrew their proposed Net Energy Metering (NEM) 2.0 rate schedule. SMUD has stated that they are committing to establishing a process where they can work with public stakeholders to find service solutions that best […]
Whenever news stations and magazine articles cover the topic of electric vehicles (EVs), the conversation is typically centered around Tesla. The automaker seems to be perceived as the only major electric car manufacturer of note. But the truth of the matter is that most mainstream automakers are currently adding electric vehicles to their lineups, even […]
Our customers are often concerned about the upfront cost of buying a solar power system. This hesitation is completely understandable. After all, solar is a significant long-term investment. But that’s just it—it’s an investment. There’s an analogy we’ve used with customers on occasion: Imagine that back in 1994, when gas was about $1.15 a gallon […]
When customers ask us about installing a new solar power system, they’re often thrilled at the idea of completely zeroing out their yearly energy bill. After all, how great would it be to not have to worry about paying anything but your utility company’s monthly maintenance fees? But deciding how much roof real estate to […]
Solar power’s popularity has continued to increase for the last several years, despite costly tariffs and other efforts to bolster traditional fossil fuel industries. There’s a key reason for this. With old forms of power, you consume a finite resource every time you need electricity. Every time you flip on the light switch, you burn […]
On January 14th, 2019, Pacific Gas & Electric announced that it would file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This action does not mean that the company will stop supplying electricity or be dissolved. Instead, filing for bankruptcy allows them to restructure their debts and shed some of their financial obligations. This is an extremely significant decision, reflecting […]
When we put together an energy savings estimate for a client, we have to anticipate what electricity will cost in the future in order to give an accurate estimate. Historically, electricity rates have increased, and that’s unlikely to change. If your average monthly bill this year is $200, next year it’ll increase by a few […]
