Posted by Diane, a resident of the San Ramon neighborhood, on Jun 4, 2012 at 11:05 am

Before you invest in solar anything, find out if Al Gore or his ilk is on their board of directors. This is a crock. Is Al still flying around in his giant carbon footprint PRIVATE jet? How many homes does environmentalist Al need? All together now: s c a m!

Posted by Sam, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jun 4, 2012 at 1:14 pm

Solar energy is a great way to heat your pools. Low cost, clean, efficient, unobtrusive equipment. Saves energy and money.

It's not a political issue. It's just common sense.

Posted by Reba, a resident of the Alamo neighborhood, on Jun 5, 2012 at 8:51 am

It IS a political issue when you begin to see your PG and E skyrocket in the attempt to force people to climb on the alternative energy choo choo train which will make Gore and others richer at our expense.

Posted by San Ramon Oberver, a resident of the San Ramon neighborhood, on Jun 5, 2012 at 10:43 am
San Ramon Oberver is a member (registered user) of Danville Express

How stupid or angry can you be? You will cut off your nose to spite Al Gore when he has nothing to do with the benefits to you of using alternative energy.

I trust big utility companies less than I trust big government. I especially dislike PG&E and want to be self-sufficient. Solar is a good step in that direction.

I had solar panels installed two years ago. I didn't see Al Gore on my roof doing the work. I saw employees from the solar company, who earned a paycheck here, doing the work. Solar is local. You keep your money working here with the people doing it.

The first year my electric bill was cut in half. This year it was cut in half again. I deliberately turn off or don't use any electricity between 1 pm and 7 pm, which are the peak hours on the Time of Day plan. That means all of my electricity is going back to PG&E and I'm credited with the higher rate against my night time usage. I have had months where my bill was negative.

Don't be a dope. Look into alternative energy. It's beneficial to you and your community, and again has nothing to do with Al Gore.

Conservative broadcasters who attack Gore also predict that inflation is coming. If that happens the solar panels you buy now will produce more savings as the price of electricity goes up.

Roz

PS Sorry about the typo in my User Name. It should be San Ramon Observer.

Posted by Lydia, a resident of the San Ramon neighborhood, on Jun 6, 2012 at 9:17 am

How silly to completely miss the point! Of course multi millionaire Gore wasn't on the roof installing solar panels. He never even liked shaking hands with the common ilk. The comment was not against solar...just don't use a company where Al Gorlioni is making $.

Posted by Sam, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jun 6, 2012 at 10:55 am

My PG&E bill is already high because their energy supply relies so heavily on gas and nuclear, both of which receive significant government subsidies. I have no problem with government or PG&E promotiing a move toward solar and wind power in the mix of energy sources that supply my PG&E electricity. Plus, they are cleaner for the environment and completely renewable.

For personal use, solar makes even more sense. As ROX mentions, it saves money and it gives you more control over your energy supply and energy budget.

Sometimes I'm still surprised by the Luddite views of those who oppose common sense solutions on purely ideological grounds. It reminds me of all those who opposed recycling efforts in the '70s, by claiming that it would be too cumbersome, impractical, and a burden. Well, guess what? Recycling is now universal in California and it works. My kids have grown up taking it for granted that you recycle. "Why wouldn't you recycle?" they ask.

Posted by tom, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jun 11, 2012 at 7:55 am

please post the bills where your PGE bill was cut in half and then cut in half again.. then show the cost of installation...when you have been fooled into buying it then you try to fool everyone else of the great savings..(retired electrician)

Posted by Sam, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Jun 13, 2012 at 1:38 pm

Tom - And you haven't been "fooled" into buying into PG&E's use of nuclear power? Do you really think that the full costs of nuclear are factored into current rates? I can guarantee you that, when it comes time to de-commission a nuclear power plant from which PG&E gets electricity, PG&E will petition for even more of your money (through further rate increases) to pay for those additional costs. BTW, most current estimates are that it will cost more than $5 billion to de-commission each nuclear plant (as much as, or more than, it cost to build them). And you think that solar is foolish, or expensive?