According to Udgar, who installed the rooftop photovoltaic panels himself last summer, they are producing half the energy needed for daily operations.
“We have one set of solar that is a grid-tied system,” explains Udgar. “We sell electricity back to LPEA (La Plata Electric Association) at the end of the week when we are not using it. We produce about 7 to 8 kilowatts a day, and on a busy day we use about 15. On weekends if it’s sunny we produce about 15 kilowatts, and we’re credited for any electricity we produce. We’ve cut our electric bill by a huge amount.”
The Parsons have also been able to cut the facility’s heating bill in half by utilizing an innovative heating system. “We have a shop heating system with a big box that’s 22 feet long and 4 feet high,” says Udgar. “When the sun shines, the air heats up and blows in one end at 65 degrees and comes back into shop on the other end at 170; the fan is solar-powered. Inside the box there are copper tubes with liquid that pump out to the radiator in the kitchen.”
The only manufacturing business in Pagosa Springs utilizing solar power, Growing Spaces is run by all means possible to reduce its carbon footprint.
Yet sustainable living has long been a way of life – not a business-marketing tool – for the Parsons. “We’ve lived off the grid in Pagosa for 15 years. We generate 100 percent of our own power.
“We’re very independent and happy to be so,” adds Udgar. “There is something satisfying about knowing you’re creating your own power. Across the nation generally, I think there’s more awareness of being energy-efficient and looking at how our carbon footprints affect the planet. I see a whole movement afoot.”
See their website here.
Growing Spaces LLC is a 20-year-old company owned by Udgar and Puja Parsons. Their unique geodesic greenhouses are sold nation- and worldwide to gardening enthusiasts, schools, and businesses. For more information, go to www.growingspaces.com.
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