Apache Junction subdivision basks in solar savings

Two words seemed to be the mantra of residents on a unique street in the East Valley where everyone was drawn together by the sun. "Go green!'' shouted Colleen Hill, high-fiving a woman wearing a T-shirt that read the same, with a small green globe on the front.

Hill wasn't just spouting environmental slogans at an April 25 event centered on Earth sustainability in Apache Junction. She was living it, too.

Hill and her neighbors are the prototypes for greener living, according to officials with the Habitat for Humanity of Central Arizona and Salt River Project, who celebrated on the bright day with 18 families living in homes powered by the sun.

A community of colorful dwellings topped with panels that soak up golden rays in exchange for electricity, neighbors in the Ironwood Trails subdivision were marking the completion of the final of 18 homes built by Habitat for Humanity.

It's a trend that SRP officials said they hoped would spread like wildfire in Arizona.

"We would like to see solar subdivisions all over the state,'' said SRP sustainability engineer Joel K. Dickinson. He noted that such an initiative would require developers investing in the somewhat costly technology.

Dickinson said solar panels for a home similar in size to the smaller Habitat for Humanity homes would on average cost $20,000.

Dickinson said homeowners could expect an annual savings of at least $400 each year.

SRP currently offers incentives for residential solar electric at $9,000, and federal tax incentives for solar-powered homes can be as much as $3,600, among other credits, Dickinson said.

Either way, initial savings take a back seat to helping the environment for most homeowners who install solar panels, Dickinson said. He said that's because the return on investment typically comes after about 15 years from the date of installation.

For the families living in the Habitat for Humanity-funded subdivision, the homes were built largely with their own sweat equity, Hill said.

"I think I had a hand in hammering a nail in every one of these homes,'' she said, surveying the colorful dead-end street that abuts a large, barren swath of land similar to how the street looked before there were any homes or even a street.

Habitat for Humanity officials said the homeowners had to meet income and family requirements, as well as possess jobs and the ability to pay back a 0 percent interest mortgage.

Hill said she moved into her home in 2007 at the start of the program after Habitat for Humanity purchased and built up the once large, empty lot where her home and 17 others now exist.

Hill said the savings she has experienced were immediate.

"I had a $16 bill a couple months ago, and sometimes I receive a monthly credit instead of a bill,'' Hill said, while pointing to a meter that was spinning in the reverse direction, indicating that her home by early afternoon was actually feeding the energy grid and earning her credit.

Neighbor Jose Cobian, who has four children, said his next bill was expected to cost about $20.

"Before, where we used to live, the bill was $250, $300 each month,'' he said.

I hope to see this as the future in all new home construction. Add it into the cost of buying the home ie the loan, and let's start helping our world! Great job SRP and Apache Junction!!!

SRP adds 6% rate hike

The 6% rate increase the board approved on Monday will go into effect on November's bills.

Electricity rates will be going up by an average of nearly 6 percent for customers of the Salt River Project.

SRP's board of directors approved the overall 5.9 percent increase to help pay for increased costs of natural gas and other fuel for power plants and electricity bought from outside the company.

Residential customers will see bills increase by an average of 5.1 percent. The average homeowner will see winter bills go up by $4.70 a month and summer bills increase by $7.89 a month.

The increase the board approved on Monday will go into effect on November's bills. SRP is making no additional profit on the fuel-cost adjustment.

SRP serves about 935,000 customers, primarily in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

SRP to raise rate, AGAIN!

The Salt River Project, SRP, expects to raise its rates by 5 to 7 percent in November to help pay or higher fuel costs.

Chief financial executive Mike Bonsall says the higher rates are needed even though fuel prices have dropped in recent months. Dropping prices will keep the rate boost in check but not eliminate it entirely. Bonsall says fuel cost overruns totaled 80 million dollars through July. The average monthly bill is expected to rise by $5.40 to $7.45 depending on the size of the rate hike. The utility board will meet in October to decide how high to raise prices. Because S-R-P is a quasi-public agency, it isn't regulated by the Arizona Corporation Commission. That means it can raise it rates without approval by regulators. But Bonsall says the utility won't make a profit from the rate increase. It's just passing on its costs. S-R-P serves 935,000 customers, primarily in Maricopa and Pinal counties.

This comes after SRP raised rate nearly 20% only a few months ago. This comes at the worst time possible.Gas prices are outrageous, people are losing their jobs left and right, and the housing market is horrible. To top it all off, this rate hike comes just before Christmas!