Solar, Wind, Hydro – Energy Savings in Seldovia – Meet Erik Schreier
by Jenny Chissus, photos provided by Erik Schreier
Starting with Solar…
Erik Schreier, his wife Angie – and their 2 year old son Bowen, are newcomers to Seldovia. Along with relocating their great new family, Erik is bringing 12 years of expertise in alternative energy options to our community, and I wanted to give him a “shout out”!
Thanks to Erik, we now have an expert in both solar and wind site surveying right here in Seldovia! Energy costs are a big part of the expense of living in Alaska, and Erik has some creative ideas to assist folks in assessing options for both individuals and businesses.
Erik will perform site surveys to help you determine which size and type of system would best suit your needs, and can assist you with the installation or any phase of the process. If this is something you just need a consultation about, and want to do the physical installation on your own – you are good to go! Erik is open to helping as much or as little as each client requires/desires! He is flexible, helpful and just wants to educate and assist people in all aspects of alternative energy!
The first step to determining your solar needs is assessing the availability of sunlight in your area. These solar surveys use a device called a Solar Pathfinder, Erik can see the solar insolation which is the amount of sun that hits a particular spot and can identify the shading that occurs at that location at any time of the year. This reading is accurate up to 6 inches from where he sets the device! See the photo to the left showing the Solar Pathfinder!
This is an industry standard device for locating the best area for gardens, solar panels, greenhouses, passive-solar homes, etc! With this device you have important information that will enable you to place your solar panels in the best location to get the most efficiency out of your equipment! The Pathfinder works on reflection, so it takes into account trees, hills, structures, etc. in that area – so if your property is improved (you build a new garage) or a neighbor builds a home that shadows your property, or trees grow taller around that area, that reading could change!
The typical single site survey takes 30 minutes to an hour. In Seldovia, the initial survey is $100 for residential customers for the first reading and $50 for any second, third or fourth reading on that same property. If you are considering solar panels on your roof – then Erik would need to climb onto your roof with the Solar Pathfinder to take the most accurate reading!
Based on the Pathfinder’s reading, Erik will figure out the specific times that your property will see sun at that location – and you will be able to keep those figures for reference. You will also receive a photograph of the reflection on the globe as a visual record and reference of the survey. Shown above.
Bottom line, you can save a lot of time and money by having a survey, as you will not only select the best location for your equipment, but you will be able to intelligently invest in the right system for your exact location and needs.
The Commercial survey is a little more involved, Erik will go into more depth, and create a document to assist a company with seeking funding from a bank or to apply for grants. He will provide the necessary paperwork to justify costs and show financial benefits to “going solar” for your business. The commercial survey can include up to 4 site location readings for $600.
I had to ask if there was a sweet spot, the size of home and type of equipment that gets the best return, and unfortunately, there is no magic number that works for everyone, each installation is different.
Now, on to wind power …
Erik helped Homer to adopt their wind ordinance, and is hoping to work with the City of Seldovia to aid in the creation of an ordinance that will benefit the citizens of our city. It is important to set specific standards based on performance, safety and wind tower functionality, while meeting our community’s needs and desires. The standards, restrictions and clauses for one community won’t necessarily meet the needs of another community! So very careful and educated planning is required to make an ordinance that works for the people. Erik would like to help guide the city through this process.
There is some available information from NOAA whether this is viable in your area, though each property has different exposure issues, depending on trees, topography and structures in the area.
What about Water?
Erik is working on developing more opportunities for micro-hydro power, using creeks, streams and rivers to bring power to homes. He is just in the beginning stage of looking into systems that can take advantage of the many waterways in the area – so if you have a creek on your property – you may want to ask him about that!
Erik will also help you with some great ideas for financial support, assistance and even tax incentives or rebates and tax credits. (30% of the entire project costs, including consulting) Erik is educated on these issues – though he is NOT an accountant, he can point you in the right direction and is on top of all the programs that can help you financially put a renewable energy project together for your home or business!
Feeling sore, dealing with injuries, need a massage?
In addition to alternative energy surveys, design and installations, Erik has been practicing massage for a few years. He learned to appreciate the art of massage due to the benefits of massage he received as he sought pain relief from past injuries. After helping friends and family members with the massage skills he acquired over the years, he was encouraged to help others and does so by offering his services to the public at fair price. Erik offers a variety of massage techniques to meet the individual needs of every client. Are you stressed, have sore muscles, chronic pain, headaches or migraines? Erik can help!
He has both the table and the chair – depending on the issues and comfort level for the client. He has helped quite a few fishermen who totally appreciate his skill in working through sore muscles from hard labor positions and injuries. One of his clients expressed how thankful he was to have a male masseuse in town.
Erik can come to your Home or Business, or you can keep an eye out for his Open Massage Hours at the Sea Otter Community Center (SOCC). His chair massages are $1 a minute, and full table massages run $75 for 60 minutes and $100 for 90 minutes!
Meet Angie and Bowen!
Though I was focusing on Erik for this article, I couldn’t get through it without introducing you to his wife Angie, who is an energetic, enthusiastic and cheerful gal! She is busy raising young Bowen and serves as a breast-feeding peer counselor, where she guides and counsels younger women and new moms seeking assistance or encouragement. Angie is also very involved in promoting a healthy lifestyle and is happy to offer a few products to clients here in Seldovia, including: Nature’s Sunshine products – herbal and vitamin supplements and DoTerra – essential oil and aromatherapy products. If you are wondering if you are getting all the natural and nutritional supplements to sustain great health – give Angie a call – she would love to work with you!
To reach Erik and Angie – please call 719-989-8944 or you can email Erik at PreparedInAK@hotmail.com.
We are excited to welcome this charming, young entrepreneurial family into our community!
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