April 2024
Solar Panel Update
Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill’s solar panels will soon have been operating for two years. The SolarEdge monitoring application measures the amount of electricity generated since the system went operational (on June 7, 2022). Click on this link to see what our solar panels generate each day, week, month, or year.
Environmental Benefits:
As of mid-March 2024, our solar panels
Prevented emitting over 164,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equivalent to
Cost Savings for 2023:
When Immanuel’s 2023 SREC earnings ($3,146.70) are applied to its 2023 electricity costs ($2,906.41), Immanuel spent less than $0 on electricity last year! In fact, the solar panels gave us a net positive of $240.29
Solar Panel Update
Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill’s solar panels will soon have been operating for two years. The SolarEdge monitoring application measures the amount of electricity generated since the system went operational (on June 7, 2022). Click on this link to see what our solar panels generate each day, week, month, or year.
Environmental Benefits:
As of mid-March 2024, our solar panels
Prevented emitting over 164,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equivalent to
- Planting 1,240 new trees or
- Supplying a year of carbon-emissions-free electricity for 15 houses (per U.S. Energy Information Administration, average annual electricity consumption for an American household in 2021 was 10,632 kWh)
Cost Savings for 2023:
- 70 % Savings on Electricity Bills: Even though the church building used about the same amount of electricity in both 2021 (pre-solar) and 2023 (12 months of solar), because our solar panels generated 72% of the electricity needed during 2023, Immanuel only spent $2,906.41 on Dominion electricity bills– a savings of $6,808.21 over what we spent on electricity in 2021 ($9,714.62). [Note: That savings would be even greater had not Virginia’s average electricity rates increased 20% between December 2021 and December 2022, per U.S. Energy Information Agency, (mostly due to 2022 price spikes in methane gas and coal).]
- Bonus – SREC Payments: In addition to electricity bill savings, Immanuel receives approximately $3,150/year from the Virginia Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program. SRECs are a performance-based incentive that let a solar system’s owner (Immanuel Church on-the-Hill) earn additional income from solar electricity generation. Immanuel received $3,146.70 for the solar electricity generated by our panels during 2023.
When Immanuel’s 2023 SREC earnings ($3,146.70) are applied to its 2023 electricity costs ($2,906.41), Immanuel spent less than $0 on electricity last year! In fact, the solar panels gave us a net positive of $240.29
July 20, 2023
On June 7, 2023, Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill passed our 1-Year Solar Anniversary, a year of public commitment to Creation Care and reducing our carbon emissions—letting our neighbors know we are true and faithful stewards of “this fragile earth, our island home” (from Eucharistic Prayer C – The Great Thanksgiving- The Book of Common Prayer). The bullets below highlight the key findings for Immanuel’s first complete year of solar generation.
Environmental Benefits:
On June 7, 2023, Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill passed our 1-Year Solar Anniversary, a year of public commitment to Creation Care and reducing our carbon emissions—letting our neighbors know we are true and faithful stewards of “this fragile earth, our island home” (from Eucharistic Prayer C – The Great Thanksgiving- The Book of Common Prayer). The bullets below highlight the key findings for Immanuel’s first complete year of solar generation.
Environmental Benefits:
- Generated 64,750 kWh of clean sustainable electricity, coming in at 99.6% of the estimated generation figure our installer, SES, gave us for the first year of operation!
- Prevented sending over 100,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions into God’s atmosphere, equivalent to
- Planting 760 new trees or
- Supplying a year of carbon-emissions-free electricity for six houses (per U.S. Energy Information Administration, average annual electricity consumption for an American household in 2021 was 10,632 kWh)
- Generated 73% of the electricity Zabriskie Chapel-Parish Hall’s needed for the year!
- Because our panels generated 73 percent of the electricity the building needed, Immanuel only spent $4,118.33 – a savings of $5,596.29 over what we spent on electricity in 2021 ($9,714.62) and where building kWh consumption was similar for both years. [Note: That savings would be even greater had not Virginia’s average electricity rates increased 20% between December 2021 and December 2022, per U.S. Energy Information Agency, (mostly due to 2022 price spikes in methane gas and coal).]
- Bonus – SREC Payments: In addition to electricity bill savings, by going solar, Immanuel receives approximately $3,150/year from the Virginia Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program. We have already received $2,091.00 for the solar electricity generated by our panels during the first nine months and expect an additional $1,100 for March/April/May ‘23 generation. When SREC earnings are applied to electricity bill savings, Immanuel’s actual cost for electricity for our first solar year is only $968.33.
Let us celebrate and cut our carbon emissions wherever and whenever we can!!!
-- Julie Bruns
-- Julie Bruns
April 30, 2023
Solar Project Update
Since our solar panels went live on June 7, 2022, they have produced over 54,000 kWh of clean, sustainable electricity. This represents 83 percent of the electricity our solar vendor, SES, estimates the system to generate annually. It also represents over 84,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere and is the equivalent of 635 trees being planted!
Immanuel has received ten months of Dominion Energy electricity bills since our solar panels went live. The chart below shows electricity consumption and costs for Zabriskie/Parish Hall for those ten months (June – Dec 2022 and Jan – March 2023 **with solar).
Solar Project Update
Since our solar panels went live on June 7, 2022, they have produced over 54,000 kWh of clean, sustainable electricity. This represents 83 percent of the electricity our solar vendor, SES, estimates the system to generate annually. It also represents over 84,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere and is the equivalent of 635 trees being planted!
Immanuel has received ten months of Dominion Energy electricity bills since our solar panels went live. The chart below shows electricity consumption and costs for Zabriskie/Parish Hall for those ten months (June – Dec 2022 and Jan – March 2023 **with solar).
As shown, Zabriskie/Parish Hall used roughly the same amount of electricity (measured in kWh) for the past ten “solar months” -- as it did for the same ten months in 2021. However, because our solar panels generated 64 percent of the electricity the building used, the cost of power purchased from Dominion was $ 4,085.48 versus $8,264.69 – a savings to date of $4,179.21 (over 2021 costs for same period). The savings would be even greater had not Virginia’s average electricity rates increased 20% between December 2021 and December 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, mostly due to last year’s spike in the price of methane gas and coal.
In addition to electricity bill savings, by going solar, Immanuel expects to receive approximately $3000/year from the Virginia Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program. The first two checks totaling $1,785.00 arrived in December 2022 and February 2023. When you apply the SREC earnings to date, Immanuel’s actual cost for electricity for the ten-month period is $2,300.48 – a savings of nearly $6,000 (over 2021 costs for same period).
The chart also shows Zabriskie/Parish Hall electricity consumption/costs for 2019, the last pre-Pandemic year – also the year on which SES solar savings estimates were based. kWh consumption in 2019 is roughly same in 2018, 2017, and prior years (after spray-foam insulation and new energy-efficient windows were installed in 2008). Annual kWh consumption plummeted in 2020 after March 2020 Pandemic shut-down. kWh consumption was higher in 2021 and 2022, but still significantly under pre-Pandemic levels, probably due to less building use (fewer services and events in Zabriskie than in 2019 and prior).
The solar panels generate the most electricity during March through October. It will take a complete year of monitoring both the solar electricity production and checking our Dominion bills for annual generation and dollar numbers. You can click here to monitor the daily, weekly, and monthly electricity output.
In addition to electricity bill savings, by going solar, Immanuel expects to receive approximately $3000/year from the Virginia Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program. The first two checks totaling $1,785.00 arrived in December 2022 and February 2023. When you apply the SREC earnings to date, Immanuel’s actual cost for electricity for the ten-month period is $2,300.48 – a savings of nearly $6,000 (over 2021 costs for same period).
The chart also shows Zabriskie/Parish Hall electricity consumption/costs for 2019, the last pre-Pandemic year – also the year on which SES solar savings estimates were based. kWh consumption in 2019 is roughly same in 2018, 2017, and prior years (after spray-foam insulation and new energy-efficient windows were installed in 2008). Annual kWh consumption plummeted in 2020 after March 2020 Pandemic shut-down. kWh consumption was higher in 2021 and 2022, but still significantly under pre-Pandemic levels, probably due to less building use (fewer services and events in Zabriskie than in 2019 and prior).
The solar panels generate the most electricity during March through October. It will take a complete year of monitoring both the solar electricity production and checking our Dominion bills for annual generation and dollar numbers. You can click here to monitor the daily, weekly, and monthly electricity output.
January 2023
Solar Project Update
Since our solar panels went live on June 7, 2022, they have produced over 36,500 kWh of clean, sustainable electricity. This represents 56 percent of the electricity our solar vendor, SES, expects the system to generate annually. It also represents over 56,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere and is the equivalent of 420 trees being planted!
Zabriskie/Parish Hall used the same amount of electricity (kWh) for June-December 2022 as it did from June-December 2021. Because the solar panels generated 63 percent of the electricity the building needed during the last seven months of 2022, the cost was $3,143.82 versus $6,648.88 during the same seven months in 2021 – a savings to date of $3500. And a bonus – in addition to the savings, by going solar, Immanuel is receiving approximately $3200/year from the Virginia SREC program—the first check (for $1,221) arrived in December 2022.
The solar panels will generate the most electricity in spring, summer, and early fall (March-October). It will take a complete year of monitoring both the solar electricity production and checking our Dominion bills for annual generation and dollar numbers. Many thanks to all those Immanuel parishioners who invested in our little corner of “this fragile earth, our island home.”
November 15, 2022
Solar Project Update
Since our solar panels went live on June 7, 2022, they have produced over 32,000 kWh of clean, sustainable electricity. This represents 49 percent of the electricity our solar vendor, SES, expects the system to generate annually. It also represents over 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere and is the equivalent of 380 trees being planted!
Immanuel has received four months of Dominion bills since our solar panels went live. Our total electricity cost for Zabriskie/Parish Hall for June, July, August, and September 2022 is $1,672.96. Below chart shows how many kWh the building used during June-September 2022 as compared with same four months in both 2021 and 2019.
Solar Project Update
Since our solar panels went live on June 7, 2022, they have produced over 36,500 kWh of clean, sustainable electricity. This represents 56 percent of the electricity our solar vendor, SES, expects the system to generate annually. It also represents over 56,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere and is the equivalent of 420 trees being planted!
Zabriskie/Parish Hall used the same amount of electricity (kWh) for June-December 2022 as it did from June-December 2021. Because the solar panels generated 63 percent of the electricity the building needed during the last seven months of 2022, the cost was $3,143.82 versus $6,648.88 during the same seven months in 2021 – a savings to date of $3500. And a bonus – in addition to the savings, by going solar, Immanuel is receiving approximately $3200/year from the Virginia SREC program—the first check (for $1,221) arrived in December 2022.
The solar panels will generate the most electricity in spring, summer, and early fall (March-October). It will take a complete year of monitoring both the solar electricity production and checking our Dominion bills for annual generation and dollar numbers. Many thanks to all those Immanuel parishioners who invested in our little corner of “this fragile earth, our island home.”
November 15, 2022
Solar Project Update
Since our solar panels went live on June 7, 2022, they have produced over 32,000 kWh of clean, sustainable electricity. This represents 49 percent of the electricity our solar vendor, SES, expects the system to generate annually. It also represents over 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere and is the equivalent of 380 trees being planted!
Immanuel has received four months of Dominion bills since our solar panels went live. Our total electricity cost for Zabriskie/Parish Hall for June, July, August, and September 2022 is $1,672.96. Below chart shows how many kWh the building used during June-September 2022 as compared with same four months in both 2021 and 2019.
Four Month Period |
kWh Used |
Cost |
2022 Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep |
38,608 |
$1,672.96 |
2021 Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep |
38,960 |
$4,768.41 |
2019 Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep |
53,200 |
$5,614.40 |
Zabriskie/Parish Hall used the same amount of electricity (kWh) in June-Sep 2022 and June-Sep 2021--but because the solar panels generated most of the electricity the building needed between June and September 2022, it cost 35% of what was spent in 2021 for that same 4-month period! 😊 SES estimated we would save $6,500 annually on our electricity bills; electricity cost savings accrued in the first four months of solar operation is $3,100 (as compared with cost of same four months in 2021).
As we approach shorter winter days (less hours of sunshine), our solar panels will produce less electricity – until the days start to become longer again. However, it’s good to know that in their first five months, our Immanuel solar panels have produced almost half the electricity that is annually expected. You can click here to monitor the daily, weekly, and monthly electricity output.
As we approach shorter winter days (less hours of sunshine), our solar panels will produce less electricity – until the days start to become longer again. However, it’s good to know that in their first five months, our Immanuel solar panels have produced almost half the electricity that is annually expected. You can click here to monitor the daily, weekly, and monthly electricity output.
July 5, 2021
Solar Update
After meeting virtually with the Seminary leadership team in January 2021, it became obvious that Immanuel was much further down the road of solarization than VTS. The timing of their multi-building renovations was such that the only practical solar alternative for them was a 5 KWH pilot project mounted on the roof of the Welcome Center next to the new chapel. This compared unfavorably with the 85 KWH system proposed for Immanuel and promised no economies of scale from which we could benefit.
As the first quarter of the new year progressed, we received three bids from local solar installers, IPsun, Sustainable Energy Systems (SES), and Nova. After much deliberation and analysis of the three proposals, SES was declared the winner with the best likelihood of achieving the 60% offset of our electrical needs and yielding a savings of $6,500 per year in utility costs. Concurrently, with the backing of the Rector and Vestry, we continued our silent period campaign to collect pledges to offset the cost of the project, which when complete will cost ~ $197,000. As of this writing we are about there and have opened the pledge campaign to the wider parish. All of this was reported to the parish at the 20 June Forum Hour.
In the past month, we have entered into a contract with SES to install the solar panels and accompanying electrical elements necessary to tie into the Dominion Energy grid. As part of that contract, we had to stipulate to the roof condition prior to the installation. For that reason, we contracted with DBS, who installed the new roof on the Zabriskie complex, to inspect the roof and provide a list of recommended repairs. That list is in hand and is modest in scope and includes tree trimming to improve the roof exposure. On 23 June, DBS conducted an electrical inspection of the Zabriskie complex, measured the roof area and assessed the structural integrity and spacing of the raftering. Costs to date are $3,000. Upon receipt of SES’ visit report, we can expect some changes in their proposal.
We have asked those parishioners who have indicated a desire to contribute outside of the annual pledge process to make good on their pledges across a two year timeline, with a majority of the pledges received in 2021. The earliest the installation can begin is this Fall, either in mid-September, but more likely in November. October is blocked out for the Pumpkin Patch. More to follow.
— Written by Doug Henry
Solar Update
After meeting virtually with the Seminary leadership team in January 2021, it became obvious that Immanuel was much further down the road of solarization than VTS. The timing of their multi-building renovations was such that the only practical solar alternative for them was a 5 KWH pilot project mounted on the roof of the Welcome Center next to the new chapel. This compared unfavorably with the 85 KWH system proposed for Immanuel and promised no economies of scale from which we could benefit.
As the first quarter of the new year progressed, we received three bids from local solar installers, IPsun, Sustainable Energy Systems (SES), and Nova. After much deliberation and analysis of the three proposals, SES was declared the winner with the best likelihood of achieving the 60% offset of our electrical needs and yielding a savings of $6,500 per year in utility costs. Concurrently, with the backing of the Rector and Vestry, we continued our silent period campaign to collect pledges to offset the cost of the project, which when complete will cost ~ $197,000. As of this writing we are about there and have opened the pledge campaign to the wider parish. All of this was reported to the parish at the 20 June Forum Hour.
In the past month, we have entered into a contract with SES to install the solar panels and accompanying electrical elements necessary to tie into the Dominion Energy grid. As part of that contract, we had to stipulate to the roof condition prior to the installation. For that reason, we contracted with DBS, who installed the new roof on the Zabriskie complex, to inspect the roof and provide a list of recommended repairs. That list is in hand and is modest in scope and includes tree trimming to improve the roof exposure. On 23 June, DBS conducted an electrical inspection of the Zabriskie complex, measured the roof area and assessed the structural integrity and spacing of the raftering. Costs to date are $3,000. Upon receipt of SES’ visit report, we can expect some changes in their proposal.
We have asked those parishioners who have indicated a desire to contribute outside of the annual pledge process to make good on their pledges across a two year timeline, with a majority of the pledges received in 2021. The earliest the installation can begin is this Fall, either in mid-September, but more likely in November. October is blocked out for the Pumpkin Patch. More to follow.
— Written by Doug Henry
August 7, 2022
Solar Project Update
Since our solar panels began generating electricity on June 7, 2022, they have produced over 17,000 kWh. This represents 26 percent of the electricity our solar vendor, SES, expects the system to generate annually. It also represents over 26,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere and is the equivalent of 200 trees being planted!
It has been over three years since the idea of a major solar project began to be seriously discussed at Immanuel. Many, many thanks to the donors whose gifts made the project possible – with the cost of the array, accompanying infrastructure, and roof preparation accomplished outside the church's annual budget.
We project that the array will provide two-thirds of Zabriskie's annual electrical requirements, saving the parish approximately $6,500 per year. You can click here to monitor the daily, weekly, and monthly electricity output.
Solar Project Update
Since our solar panels began generating electricity on June 7, 2022, they have produced over 17,000 kWh. This represents 26 percent of the electricity our solar vendor, SES, expects the system to generate annually. It also represents over 26,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not emitted into the atmosphere and is the equivalent of 200 trees being planted!
It has been over three years since the idea of a major solar project began to be seriously discussed at Immanuel. Many, many thanks to the donors whose gifts made the project possible – with the cost of the array, accompanying infrastructure, and roof preparation accomplished outside the church's annual budget.
We project that the array will provide two-thirds of Zabriskie's annual electrical requirements, saving the parish approximately $6,500 per year. You can click here to monitor the daily, weekly, and monthly electricity output.
