Rifle homeowner swings back at Xcel with solar power

Kevin Smith became the first Rifle resident within city limits to have a photovoltaic solar panel system tied to Xcel Energy's power grid.

"Theoretically, I'm kind of like a little power plant," Smith said of his new-found energy source. "They are kind of an eyesore on top of my house, but so what? I've had no complaints from my neighbors or anything about them."

Smith said he was paying around $150 a month to Xcel for his monthly electric bill. But that was just too much for Smith, so he decided to go green and try a renewable energy source.

"I've got several issues with Xcel," Smith said. "I think they are raping everyone with the amount they charge."

When Smith, a construction sub-contractor, moved to Rifle from Utah about five years ago, he said he was hit with "sticker shock" when he received his energy bill. Now, he will contribute to the solution instead of the problem, he said.

Smith said he paid out about $22,000 to purchase and install the system, and Xcel also chipped in about $18,000 in incentives. Plus, Smith qualified for a $2,000 tax credit because of his purchase. A good investment that goes further than just saving money on electricity, according to Colin Geery, a sales consultant for Atlasta Solar in Grand Junction, the company who installed Smith's system.

"The home with solar of this type, if you put it next to an identical house in the same neighborhood, this home will appreciate 20 percent faster than the one without it," Geery said.

Smith's four-kilowatt system produces 4,000 watts per hour and is estimated to produce between 90 and 100 percent of his energy needs, as long as the sun shines.

"It's meant to offset all or nearly all of his electrical use," Geery said.

The system includes six panels on the roof of his home but doesn't have batteries that store energy harvested by the solar panels to provide electricity at night. The system only works during the day, Smith said. At night, Smith has to pull electricity from Xcel.

Geery said he has no idea how many homes in Colorado or the West Slope have such solar systems. But demand has increased.

"When we are really busy, we will install two to three systems a week sometimes," Geery said. "But it depends on the time of year. This is the first one inside the town of Rifle we've done, but we've done many in the Grand Junction area."

Xcel switched the power meter on Smith's house from the old style with dials to an electric one.

"I could watch the old meter turn backwards, but Xcel thinks they need to have a digital meter," he said. "Right now, looking at the meter, the only way I can tell it's running backwards is when a "5/8" pops up on the screen."

So Smith is off and running, as fast as he can, to the freedom of self-sufficiency in the context of electricity. At least that's what he's hoping for.

He's only had his system for just under two months and is awaiting his first electricity bill from Xcel, so he isn't sure of his savings yet.

"I'm going to watch it very closely," Smith said. "I have no idea how much it will help. I'd like to see it cut my bill in half."



Contact John Gardner at 384-9114 or by E-mail at jgardner@citizentelegram.com.