Say You Want To Go Solar?

Have you asked yourself why everyone doesn't have solar power? If it's such a great thing, why isn't there a market for solar power in the south? Hopefully I can help answer those questions for you. It appears that no one to this point has figured out a way to bring solar power to market in the south. There are  challenges associated with marketing and selling a product that requires an investment upfront with the plan of recouping that investment over time. With the challenges that we face as a company, we feel confident that we have devised a solid plan that makes solar energy a no-brainer. To give you a little history about our company, our corporate name is Shuler Contracting Inc. I (Paul Shuler) have been in the home improvement business for over 30 years. My company has achieved nationwide recognition in the areas of marketing, sales, operations, and customer service. We currently own and operate several  home improvement companies that specialize in specific sectors of home improvement. They are successful because of the dedicated people that I have the luxury of working with, along with our business model that has proven to be the catalyst of our success. Our business model is simple, we find good quality products that are in high demand (or we see a need and create demand by informing the public), we establish efficient systems to deliver those products and we create a good experience for our customers. We also specialize in specific products and services in order to be the best in that specific business. We combine those things with aggressive marketing so that we can tell the world about our products and services. A combination of all of these things has been a great model for success for us. Sunnbuilders is our newest company. Our mission is simple, we are dedicated to achieving energy sustainability for our customers while improving our environment by reducing our carbon footprint.

In writing our business plan, the product that we would market and sell in the beginning would be metal roofing, a product that is already established as a great investment to consumers in the south. Due to its radiant heat reflection, metal roofing is a product that is essential to accomplishing energy sustainability for a home or business owner. In our plan we would use our revenue from metal roofing to take solar energy to market. Currently there is not much of a market for solar energy in the south. We opened our doors for business on June 1st of 2012. We have had great success with our metal roofing and our solar powered attic vents, as well as adding our Greenzone "Perfect Attic System", and will begin marketing grid-tied solar power in January of 2013.

Our biggest challenge is for solar power to make sense from an investment standpoint for our customers. It's not as easy as calling Sunnbuilders and investing in a grid-tied solar system that would generate all of your electricity needed to power your home or business while you're laughing all the way to the bank. What we've found out by analyzing power usage for ourselves as well as many of our customers is that the amount of kilowatt hours of electricity that we use annually is staggering compared to other parts of the country. The cost for me to expect to generate 100% of the electricity that I use annually using solar panels was an insane amount of money. When I discovered that fact I was sitting outside under my gazebo and I began looking around and noticing everything that was running around my home that required electricity. (Keep in mind only my wife and I live in our home) A double light fixture, a fan and decorative lights were running under my gazebo. I looked to my left towards the garage and a light was on in my garage, a mercury vapor light, and the light over my truck on the attached carport was on as well. I looked straight ahead through our screened porch and there were two ceiling fans, a TV, two 4-light ceiling fans and a box fan, all running. I peered through our patio doors into the house and there were three lamps burning, the kitchen light was on, a ceiling fan, a light in our den, and the thermostat was set on 68 I'm sure. You get the point. Take a minute and look around your home or office right now. Most of us are very wasteful. I must admit it's embarrassing to me how much electricity that I was consuming. I have since become a lot more aware of my energy usage and have taken many steps to achieve my goal of reducing my electrical power usage by 70%. I feel as though it will be relatively easy to achieve my goal and i will not have to give up any comforts to do so.  Below is our plan that makes solar power not only feasible, but a must for anyone seeking to reduce or eliminate the electrical overhead of operating their home or business.

The Three Steps to Energy Independence

1. Energy Efficient Structure:

The advances in technology, government studies and new energy efficient products have made this step easier than ever for a home or business owner to achieve maximum energy efficiency. Seal all air from entering or escaping from your structure. Reflect radiant heat from ever entering your home or business either from the attic using reflective foil installed on your rafters or on the roof with metal roofing that has an energy star coating. Use radiant reflective film on all windows including double insulated windows. Seal fireplace when not in use. For more energy saving tips visit www.energy.gov

2. Energy Conservation:

Being conscience of usage at all times is crucial in eliminating an enormous amount of electricity usage.  Change all of your light bulbs to the CFL low wattage light bulbs and only burn lights when needed. Install timers or an Energy Management System that you can program to use appliances during the time of day that energy is much cheaper. Using timers or an energy management system you can also program all other energy sources to shut down when no one is home. There are many tips and resources available to conserve energy on the internet. This step usually can make the biggest difference in energy savings for the least amount of investment.

3. Energy Creation:

Once the amount of energy is substantially reduced using the first two steps, alternative energy becomes affordable, easily attainable, and a must for anyone who has made the necessary steps to put themselves in the position of making energy independent living a reality.  




Contact Sunnbuilders for Sustainable Products and Services:
1-800-315-SUNN
www.sunnbuilders.com
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