Renewables

Some of you have requested information on renewable technology.  We recommend looking into renewables like solar panels and solar hot water after you’ve taken steps to make your home as efficient as possible and you’ve looked at your daily life and what ways you might be able to reduce your consumption through small behavioral changes.  We encourage this because there are great ways to save money and reduce your consumption and carbon footprint that require little to no investment.  That said we support renewables and hope you’ll look into them as your next step!

Some local businesses who offer renewable technology in the Berkshires:

Alpine Solar offers domestic hot water (for kitchen sink, bathtub, etc.) that can be heated by the sun, during all seasons,using evacuated tube solar hot water collectors. These solar collectors can also be used for house heat and swimming pool heat. The fast payback makes solar hot water a good financial choice. You can reduce your use of expensive fossil fuel, while also reducing your carbon footprint. There is a large display of solar equipment at Alpine Solar Heat and Hot Water in Windsor, Massachusetts. The large inventory is affordably priced to help owners of existing or new construction homes or businesses.

Alteris Renewables is one of the larger businesses that offers solar electric, solar hot water, and wind power for either residential homes, commercial building, or schools.  They are located all over the Northeast and have completed over 3,000 installations.  Alteris aims to help their clients install wind and solar power as affordably as possible.  One special offer they have is the SunRun program which allows you to lease solar panels for as little $3,000 down.  For more information on the SunRun program, visit the Alteris page explaining it or go to the SunRun flyer posted on our website.

Grenergy Solar Store offers solar electric and solar hot water to both homes and businesses.  This store, located in Sheffield Plain, MA, has much knowledge and experience in sales and simple installation of solar equipment.  After having an easy solar evaluation and getting your simple installation, you will be able to reduce your carbon footprint and save up to 70% with tax incentives.

Berkshire Photovoltaic Services installs photovoltaic systems in residential, institutional, and commercial buildings.  Founded in 1985 by Chris Kilfoyle, this business in Adams, MA has become very experienced in their work.  BPVS is completely licensed and permitted to install their PV systems, which use photovoltaic cells made from a silicon much like the silicon used in computer chips.  Along with the installation of your photovoltaic system, you can receive a variety of grants and tax incentives.  For more information, visit the BPVS website.

Build Healthy Homes, run by John Coleman and Chris Lee, is a green building business that will build and manage your energy efficient home.  They specialize in LEED project certification and also green building consulting.  After over 15 years of experience, they are able to build stylish yet environmentally friendly homes.  For more information on their green building as well as the tax incentives available, visit their website.  Also, listen to John and Chris’s radio show “Build It Green” every Saturday morning at 9:30 on the local radio station, WSBS.

Berkshire Grown is an organization that advocates for more local farming and the use of local foods in restaurants.  On their website you can see the lists of local farms, restaurants, store, inns, and farmer’s markets that are a part of Berkshire Grown.  Some ways that you can support this organization are by going to local farms, eating at local restaurants where the local food is used, and by joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farm where you buy a share of the harvest at the start of the season and then pick up the food once every week.  Buying and eating local foods reduces your energy consumption by reducing the packaging of the food and also the carbon emitted through the transportation.  In addition, this local and organic food that is sustainably grown is just better for you!

Berkshire Organics is a business in Dalton, MA that works with local farms to deliver fresh, healthy food that is all either organic or local, and is all sustainably grown.  In the winter, Berkshire Organics receives its food from more southeastern farms, but they strive to offer food grown as close as possible in order to reduce energy emissions all year ’round.  The lack of transportation and packaging needed to deliver the food all help to reduce our carbon footprint.  They sell fresh produce in different baskets that you can order either online or by telephone.  In addition to these vegetable and fruit baskets, they offer meat, dairy, bread, baked goods, groceries, beauty and cleaning products, and pet care products.  Berkshire Organics allows you to choose how frequently you would like your food delivered and makes it easy to order, change, or cancel your order if needed. To order now, visit the Berkshire Organics website.

If you are looking for additional information on renewables, visit the Center for Ecological Technology (CET).