City/County Can No Longer Require H.O.A. Approval Before Issuing Solar Permits as of January 2015

New Law Impacting the Installation of Solar Energy Systems Effective January 1, 2015 - Is Your Community Association Prepared?

Under Civil Code Section 714, a California community association can restrict its members’ installation and use of solar energy systems so long as the restrictions do not significantly increase the cost of the system or significantly decrease its efficiency or specified performance. “Significantly” used to be defined (through 12/31/14) as increasing the costs of the system by 20% (or $2,000 for photovoltaic systems) or decreasing the efficiency of the system by 20%.

 AB 2188, effective January 1, 2015, redefines what reasonable restrictions an Association can require and amends Civil Code Section 714. Specifically, the new law has cut by half an association’s ability to restrict solar energy systems installed by members. A significant increase in the costs of a system will now mean an increase of 10% (or $1,000 for photovoltaic systems), and a significant decrease will now mean a reduction in the efficiency of the system by 10%. An association must now be even more careful with the conditions or limitations it places on an owner who wants to install a solar energy system.

The new law also reduces the time period an association has to approve or deny an application for the installation of a solar system. Formerly, the Civil Code stated that if an application is not denied in writing within 60 days of the submission by the member, the application will be deemed automatically approved. That time period has been reduced to 45 days. As a result, boards and architectural committees must be even more diligent in their review and consideration of applications for new solar energy systems.

It is also worth noting that AB 2188, as reflected in Government Code Section 65850.5, prohibits a city and/or county from conditioning the approval of any solar energy system permit on approval of that system by an association. Because the city/county no longer needs to review association approval prior to issuing a permit, this could have the effect of speeding up the approval process in addition to the 15 less days an association has to make a decision. We recommend that boards and managers tread carefully and consult legal counsel as necessary with respect to solar energy system approvals, because in any action to enforce violations of the solar energy system statute, attorneys’ fees will be awarded to the prevailing party.

LA Times article: Utility Rates Increase

Three of California's largest utility companies are increasing rates to help pay for nearly $4 billion in pipeline safety projects after 2010's deadly San Bruno disaster.

Read more here: You may need to copy and paste

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-san-bruno-20110909,0,648331.story

Why deciding to go solar in the winter is a good idea

With the sun setting earlier this time of year solar power may be one of the last things on your mind. But declining panel prices, a federal tax credit and state rebates all make now a great time to look into going solar.
Right now there is a sweet spot where the state rebates are still relatively low and panel prices are lower then ever. Take that in consideration along with the fact that this is the slower time of the season for the solar companies and you are in a good place to get a great deal on a system.

www.candelariaelectric.com

If I use the word "GREEN" in my business it will be successful

It is great to see how many businesses are realizing the benefits of going "green", but now it seems that there are many companies that are only in it for monetary reasons instead of because they believe in it.
The fact that the government is actually driving business in that direction is also a good thing, but people need to be aware that there are a lot of companies in industries that they have no business being in, such as the photovoltaic industry. Too many companies are out there learning as they go as opposed to companies who are well established in the solar industry. There are companies like Candelaria Electric who were in the PV industry well before all the federal tax incentives and who are solar advocates as opposed to just solar profiteers.
So when you are deciding what installer to go with ask to see photos of previous projects and ask for referrals from their previous customers and go to one of their completed projects and look at their craftsmanship. There are companies that will say they have been in business for 10 or 20 years but how long have they really been doing solar?
A good indicator how long a company has been in the industry is by looking for key words in their name. Typically a company with the words "Green", "Eco", or "Renewable" are new bandwagon businesses. There are always exceptions but 90% of the time this is true.
A solar company that helps you reduce your current electrical consumption in order to save you money by using less solar panels or point out shading problems in order for you to get the most out of your system is the kind of company you want to work with.

The Original Bobs Big Boy Goes solar with the help of Candelaria Electric

Candelaria Electric is proud to announce its part in Installing Solar for the original Bobs Big Boy in Burbank CA. Solar Panels were installed on the car port roof tops and the adjacent Starbucks roof top.

The fact that a historical landmark from the 1930's going solar says so much about the Iconic businesses of America realizing the benifits of going green!

Ineffecient and dangerous electrical appliances

There are many appliances that we use everyday and don't realize how much electricity they suck up. Most all appliances with heating elements will make your electric meter spin in warp speed. These are things like coffee makers and crock pots, irons, space heaters, electric water heaters, electric ranges, curling and hair straighteners and dishwashers, just to mention a few.
By reducing or even eliminating the use of these appliances you can save $ and reduce your carbon foot print significantly. These appliances are also very dangerous and they are the culprits of many home fires annually.
So the next time you find it necessary to use these appliances make sure to only have them on as long as necessary and not to leave them unattended.

Simple ways to reduce your Electric bill

Saving up to 25% on your electric bill can be as easy as changing a light bulb. By removing all your incandescent lamps and replacing them with compact flourescent lamps you will be able to cut your energy usage by 1/4. The average incandescent lamp that uses 100 watts can be changed out to a CFL that has the same light output and only uses 23 watts.
In the average home the lighting is responsible for about 1/3 of your power consumption. Just think about this, if your electric bill is $ 200 you would save $ 50 a month, $600 a year. The average CFL can be purchased for as low as $2 each and dimmables for $4 and the flood lamp style go from about $6 on up. With this in mind it would take only about 2 or 3 months for the new CFLs to pay for themselves. Another great thing is that CFLs will last about 10,000 hours, thats 4 or 5 years of use, that could amount to $2,400 to $3,000 savings over the life of the lamps.