With the energy credit card system, I can be green without the hassle and expense of paying for and owning a solar PV system

Home
Improvements
stores

Gas Stations

The energy credit card can help pay for natural gas and propane

Energy Star Appliance Dealers

Natural Gas
and
Propane dealers

The energy credit card can help pay for energy star appliances for your home and business
Enervyone can use the energy credit card. It will be as acceptable as any other credit card.
A nationally recongized bank will issue the energy credit card.
Your local electric utility will install a PV system; as large as your roof can handle.
The energy credit card teaches energy efficiency and the value of electrcity. Zero net metering does not.
Retailers will gives energy credit card holders discounts on energy related goods and services
Solar PV systems installed in your neighborhood will support your local distributed power transmission infrastructure
Retailers and consumers will love the green energy credit card with real rewards
The energy credit card system could bring solar PV systems to an entire community.

Frequently Asked Questions

All tenants can get the green rewards of the energy credit card
The utility owned solar PV system stays with the house if you sell it.

Yes. Your local utility will install a solar PV system on your roof and sell all the power to everyone in your neighborhood including you. You are credited a portion of the sale of that electricity. These credits on your energy credit card will be deposited onto your cards's account by your local electric utility.

Participating in Energy Credit Card payment program will not only make your building greener, but it will help your neighbors and community by

1) Providing local generation support for power lines.
2) Bringing the benefits of solar PV to local businesses and transit authorities.
3) Opening the door for HUD, Bank CRA programs and other financing options.

The credits deposited onto your Energy Credit Card will be like cash plus more. Retailers will give extra discounts to those using the energy credit card to purchase energy related goods and services.
 
Also electric utilities are mandated to get their customers to reduce their energy consumption. The energy credit card is a simple and market acceptable method to encourage consumers to purchase energy efficiency goods and services, and as the result, reduce their energy load requirements.
The solar PV system stays with the house. The credits on the card will continue to be deposited onto your account until the sale of the house is completed. You will continue to receive discounts on energy related goods and services until your card is replaced.

Not with the Energy Credit Card payment system. Only one solar PV system will be installed. It will cover the entire complex**, including common areas and above the apartments....even in parking lots to provide shade and power. The entire system will be connected to the grid through one separate electric meter that measures how much power is being generated and delivered onto the grid.

** Fire codes restrict panels from covering 100% of the roof

It's simple, absolutely no rebate forms to deal with at all. With the energy credit card, all energy efficiency improvements are as easy as going down to the local hardware store and purchasing a fluorescent light bulb or an energy star appliance. With the electric utility depositing credits onto your energy credit card account, the light bulb, and perhaps that new dishwasher, will be at no cost to you.

General

Building

The Card

Systems

Retail

Environmental

The Brobeck Solar Energy Credit Card represents a significant departure from the current approaches to financing solar PV installations. 

For the consumer, the Energy Credit Card is simple; it’s credits on your credit card and discounts on energy related goods and services to reduce your energy consumption i.e. plug load.

For your state's environmental mandates, it means hyper-accelerated PV installations and energy efficiency upgrades.

For the utility, the Energy Credit Card payment system is a unique opportunity and cost saving methodology to bring local renewable distributed generation to their customers by taking advantage of the Investment Tax Credit.

It is solar for everyone. It means less dependence on our limited fossil fuels.

In any case, the Energy Credit Card can be a little difficult to understand. We hope these few questions and answers will help you to better understand the energy credit card.

Not at the moment. The Energy Credit Card represents a completely different approach to financing renewables and energy efficiency. As with any new approach, there is always a certain degree of reluctance to acceptance. Brobeck Solar Energy is currently looking to begin a 1 to 2 mega-watt Community-Based PV Installation Program pilot project.

Our pilot project partners will consist of a local electric (investor owned) utility and a housing developer. If you are connected with either and are interested in hyper-accelerating your solar PV and energy efficiency programs please contact us.

We are not installers or solar PV designers. Our mission is to provide you with a consumer friendly methodology to promote solar PV, energy efficiency and to help balance your budget and all the energies (natural gas, gasoline, etc) that you use daily i.e. we are a renewable energy barter house

The PV system on your building is at no cost to you.

There will be no additional service charges (above any charges already imposed by your bank) for an Energy Credit Card.
 
The credits you get on the card may be spent towards any purchase you wish. The discounts will only be for energy related goods and services.

** You may have to make structural improvements to your roof to accommodate the solar panels. Contact us for more info.

Mass Transit Agencies

Brobeck Solar Energy will establish partnerships with local retailers so that the energy credit card holder will receive discounts for energy related goods and services.
The energy credit card can help pay for energy efficiency improvements
The energy credit card can help pay for transportation fuels like gasoline and diesel
The Energy Credit Card will be issued to all residential and business customers that are or will be connected to the grid. This includes multi-tenant businesses, apartments and condominiums. The larger your building is, the more solar PV panels can be installed and more credits will be deposited on your credit card. For example, schools, churches and warehouses all have large roof space and could accommodate a large PV array and therefore receive a large credit onto its energy credit card. This card could be distributed to all of its employees or parishioners.
Nationally recognized banks and participating retailers will issue the Brobeck Energy Credit Card.  

More information is still to come.
One of the advantages of the Energy Credit Card payment system is that the maximum number of solar panels is installed. For example, most home owners have a 2 KW system installed to zero their electric bill, but they have enough roof space for 6 KW's or more. The Energy Credit Card payment system makes it economical for the installation of the largest possible solar PV system on your property. That means more credits deposited onto your energy credit card account.

Its all about reducing your plug load i.e. electricity you consume.

You will still pay for all the electricity you use, but you will receive credits and discounts to help you make energy efficiency improvements to your building which will lower your monthly energy bills. As a result, the Energy Credit Card encourages you to conserve and shows you the importance and affordability of energy efficiency.

The energy credit card has been recongized as a viable alternative to bring solar to low-incomne family and senior housing.
After your local electric utility installs the solar PV system at your site, you will receive an energy credit card. You may then begin doing energy efficiency upgrades to your building. Afterwards you may request additional cards and distribute them to your tenants. This is the only viable plan to bring the benefits of solar to a buildings tenants.
That is a complicated question and way beyond the scope of this overview of the Energy Credit Card payment system. But the Energy Credit Card payment system is so unique, it can monetize both REC's (renewable energy credits) and carbon-offsets. This will please both utilities and environmental advocates.
That is a complicated question and way beyond the scope of this overview of the Energy Credit Card payment system. But the Energy Credit Card payment system is so unique, it can monetize both REC's (renewable energy credits) and carbon-offsets. This will please both utilities and environmental advocates.
How do I get the card?

During our pilot projects, the Energy Credit Card will be a prepaid gift card. It will be issued by participating local retailers.

Eventually the Energy Credit Card or debit card will be issued by a nationally recognized bank. Prepaid gift cards will continue to be issued wherever possible.

How does the Energy Credit Card relate to Net-metering?

The Energy Credit Card payment system allows for all the energy to be connected directly to the grid. Net-metering systems are connected to the building's electrical system. Any excess electricity generated by the solar PV system (in a net-metering system) is fed back to the grid.

Why is the Energy Credit Card payment system better than net-metering?

After a solar PV system is installed per the net metering scenario, your electric bill should be zero. The result is you are no longer encouraged to reduce your energy consumption. In fact you may increase your consumption. With the Energy Credit Card payments system, the building owner still pays for all of their electricity. As a result, they will continue to be encouraged to reduce their plug load. And with the credits on the Energy Credit Card, new energy efficiency upgrades to help reduce their energy consumption is now very affordable and convenient.

This page last modified on Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Yes. The Energy Credit Card will allow the card holder to barter their solar energy for any other energy including natural gas and transportation fuels. Thus it is possible, given enough solar panels at your home or business, to have a zero carbon footprint.

All of this without complicated engineered systems....just simple no maintenance hassle free solar PV.

During our pilot projects, the Energy Credit Card will be a prepaid gift card. It will be issued by participating local retailers.

Eventually the Energy Credit Card or debit card will be issued by a nationally recognized bank. Prepaid gift cards will continue to be issued wherever possible.

If your roof needs work, it will your responsibility to have the roof brought up to code. 
 
While the cost of the new roof will be your resposibility, there are alternative financing possibilities.         Contact us for more info.
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