Jacquelyn Savani and David Gross

As the Tea Fire storm swept toward the Riviera neighborhood in late 2008, one house was miraculously pardoned. Embers struck the house with gale force winds, an adjacent palm tree burst into flames, and the Spanish tile roof began to catch fire. Fortunately, fire fighters were able to spare this house, and Jacquelyn Savani and David Gross returned to find their home intact with only minor damages to their landscaping and roof. Instead of being disheartened, the couple saw the necessary replacement of their roof as an opportunity to explore adding a solar power system.

Jacquelyn and David both have backgrounds in academia and scientific research and have a genuine interest in decreasing their impact on the environment through the use of renewable energy. Their primary concerns are the impending changes to the global climate from carbon emissions and the diminishing quantity of fossil fuels; however they were also interested in exploring rebates from the California Solar Initiative and the federal 30 percent tax credit. Combined with rising electrical rates, “going solar” was an easy decision.

The couple interviewed seven local installers and was happy with their final selection. The system was installed in combination with the re-roofing, adding to an aesthetic integration of solar electricity on this mission style home.

These homeowners are already seeing the benefits of their solar electric system. In addition to seeing the meter spin backwards, they are able to view real-time production and historical data from their solar system with the SunPower Monitoring System. David mentioned that while solar power is crucial to reducing their carbon footprint, it is also imperative to understand how much electricity is consumed at any given time. Currently he is using a Kill-a-Watt meter while he explores the options of installing a more comprehensive energy monitoring system. This information enables them to know how much energy they save by simply turning off one light or unplugging an unused appliance.

Says David: “It brings me enormous joy to see the meter spinning backwards!”

Solar Case Study: David Gross and Jacquelyn Savani, Santa Barbara

System size: 5.5 kW DC
Type of system: SunPower Roof Mount
Installer: California Solar ElectricEstimated solar production/year: 8,711 kWh
Baseline utility energy use: 14,400 kWh
Portion of electricity demand met by system: 60%Installed: January 2009
Average utility cost at time of installation: 20.7 cents/kWh
Average cost of solar electricity over 20 years: 13 cents/kWh
Cost of system before rebate and tax credit: $43,608
State rebate: $10,751 30% Federal Tax Credit: $9,857
Final cost: $23,000