Kasselman Energy

Jeff and Louise, Rotterdam Junction, Schenectady County

What motivated you to consider solar and explore NYSERDA incentives?

We are strong supporters of renewables and already had a 4-kilowatt (kW) solar array. In addition, there is no natural gas in our community. We also wanted to get off of demand metering because of our high refrigeration and cooking (bakery) load. We felt that adding a new 15-kW array would help us get off the demand metering in a cost-effect effective, environmentally responsible way. The subsidies helped make it financially feasible.

Can you describe the space where it’s installed?

We have a ground array that’s approximately 15 x 40 feet that went into service in March 2024. It’s located on the north side of our orchard, about 100 feet from the store.

Did you need work done prior to the installation?

We needed some minor clearing of shrubs next to a fence row in our orchard to prepare the site. We did the clearing ourselves.

How do you feel about having solar now? Any differences?

See my first answer. Solar is not popular in our area due to disinformation from many sources. We disagree with that negativity. Renewables vs. burning fossil fuels seems like a no-brainer, to us.

Anything you’d like to share about the process?

Our contractor (a NYSERDA gold-quality installer) was reliable, well-organized, and did quality work. For something with a 40-year or more life expectancy like solar, it pays to not cut corners.

What motivated you to consider solar and explore NYSERDA incentives?

Our motivation was twofold: 1: reduce our impact on the environment, and 2: because our energy consumption can reach $1K a month in the winter and summer, we wanted to reduce our cost for energy. We also have future plans for home expansion under consideration.

We were okay with a one-time capital investment. Breakeven will be years ahead, but the advantages with tax credits and reduced monthly payments were compelling enough for us to proceed.

Can you describe the energy load, and a little bit about where the solar panels are installed?

The energy load is for about 10,000 square feet of living space that includes a finished basement, an attic, a garage, and a studio above the garage. Additionally, we have a geothermal unit for heating and cooling with two zones, two hot water heaters, an air-to-air exchange, a water softening system, and a few other mechanicals that add to the loading.

We went with a land-based solar array because our roof geometry is not conducive. Plus, we wanted it to be a separate unit from the home.

Did you need work done prior to the installation?

We needed a boundary survey and then cleared about 1 acre. We wanted to ensure we were building on our property with ample southern-sky exposure.

How do you feel about having solar now? Any differences?

This was a great decision. The results and credits were great, too. Our unit is on the larger size relatively speaking, but we are seeing a return that we were hoping for. Most months we only pay the transport fees of about $67 for our usage and with net metering in New York, we are able to bank excess energy generation with National Grid for use at a later date.

We did have a hiccup this past June when there was a reading failure and lost 1 month of generation and usage but other than that, we have been seeing good results. This winter will be interesting to see how our banked electricity will impact our bill. Last year for December we did pay $400 or so and then $600 for January. I suspect it will be less than that this year.

Anything you’d like to share about the process?

When deciding on whether to go solar or not, you need to think long-term; where's your break-even point, are you willing to address the upfront costs, and what's important to you. Environment, self-sufficiency, almost zero cost for energy were compelling for us.

The process does take time; you have to do an assessment, then specifications, and then the permits before getting to the build, but that is typical. Once you're done there's the inspection to turn on the system and you're good. I don't think you can change much from the process.

Our contractor explained the credits both federal and state and their guidance was right on. There are many points where a less than ethical organization could take advantage or stretch things, but we had nothing like that with our installation team.

What motivated you to apply to NY-Sun?

There are three reasons why I wanted to “self-generate" electricity. First, the improving efficiency of solar panels was important. Then, the increased use of electric vehicles and power consumption in general. And third, as electric power consumption goes up, it’s very expensive to upgrade all those power transmission facilities. I’m guessing most communities don’t want to see new power plants.

Can you describe the space where it’s installed?

This is a wood-framed house, 1.5 floors, about 5,500 sqft. constructed in 2007. It was heavily insulated with foam in all of the accessible under-roof areas. The doors and windows are triple-paned “solar” construction to add to the insulation profile of the residence.

Did you need work done prior to the installation?

The site inspection revealed the roof was “ageing prematurely,” so I replaced the entirety of the roof tiles and underlayment. The roof was originally designed for a 25-year life, and it was about 18 years in. It would not have made sense to put solar panels on a roof with only 5-7 years of remaining life, so I was fine with doing the replacement early. There were one or two areas that had started to leak slightly, so it was appropriate to do this asap.

How do you feel about having solar now? Any differences?

So far, we have generated all the power that we have used. The only bills since the installation have been for service access and network maintenance as required by the utility. This is very comforting when running air conditioning during the summer!

Anything you’d like to share about the process?

Generally, our contractor has been exceptional. I am very happy with their diligence and the work is clean. Wires run in harnesses and are attached to the walls in a very professional manner. Also, be sure to work closely with your utility. Switching to solar takes time.