Few of their respective customers are aware that PG&E has 68 hydroelectric powerhouses and SMUD has 8, supplying a large portion of the electricity needs for their customers. SMUD supplies 20% of their total electrical delivery with hydroelectric and for PG&E hydroelectric powers almost 4 million homes. When you review those numbers and then look at the level of our lakes & rivers reality hits home.

In a time of drought how will SMUD & PG&E replace the power they should get from hydro that will simply not be available? The answer of course is to go on the spot market and buy what they have to have to supply power to your home or office. This is about the most expensive way to buy power and it is a last resort. As a result of no rain we are at a last resort.

We talk almost non stop about combining conservation and solar electrical production. The phrase "reduce before you produce" is a common theme and it makes sense when put into action. Homes can only turn off so many lights, can only get so warm in the summer and habits are hard to break. We see the green movement as a force multiplier. When we work with a homeowner to reduce what they need to remain comfortable and then produce the rest we have taken 3 steps to a solution. The third step is that once a homeowner is aware of where their power is going they conserve from a point of knowledge or as one of our customer recently told us “I have become my father!” Yes, turning off just 1 light that is not in use matters!

What could you do toy reduce in your home? More Insulation? Tighter Ducting? Whole House Fan? New Windows? Each one of these reduction points comes with rebates and when you produce with Solar you get tax credits! Combine these 2 and you are now a solution to the problem. Want to know more? Call us at 916-624-0808.