Testimonials

From Anne Ackerman and Robert Wernick

Friends, neighbors and acquaintances often ask us why we have installed solar panels since we live in the Outer Sunset District of San Francisco. Here is our experience with solar, and Occidental Power.

In 1999 we wandered to the nearby Occidental Power office, got to talking, and decided to hire Occcidental Power to install a passive solar hot water system. The installation went smoothly, and we were delighted by the amount of hot water produced by our solar panel, and the savings in our bills for natural gas. Two years ago we decided to add photovoltaic panels and generate enough energy to offset our electrical usage to a certain extent. Again, we hired Occidental Power. We were able to reduce our average daily usage from 8 to 10 kwh per day to a yearly average of 2.5 kwh per day. In May 2004, we ended the month with a net credit, creating 2.5 kwh per day over our usage.

We have enjoyed working with the Occidental people. They are easy to talk with, knowledgeable, assiduous in responding to our concerns and responsible; when they say that they will do something, they can be relied upon to do it. They dealt efficiently with the issues of obtaining permits and arranging for rebates.

As conservationists concerned with the environment and the onset of global warming, we are pleased that we decided to install the photovoltaic panels. Initially, we had wondered whether solar power was feasible in the San Francisco fog belt, but we have become convinced not only that it is feasible, but also is a good way of reducing rising energy costs.