APEX Thermal Services, was founded in the spring
of 2006, to provide strong value and installation
quality to its alternative-energy customers. It has
been an interesting six years, to say the least. We
have been blessed with such wonderful and
intelligent customers, and the opportunity to assist
them toward achieving their goals of reducing fuel
costs and shrinking their impact on the environment.
Our original focus, in 2006, was to provide
high-quality design and installations of solar thermal
(solar hot water) systems, with expansion and
integration, where feasible, into space heating
systems, such as radiant floors and radiant slabs.
Back in 2006, the cost and financial returns of
photo-voltaic (solar electric or PV) systems were
not very attractive. Pricing for PV panels have
improved considerably over the past few years,
improving the viability of such projects. More on
this later!
We have learned some lessons, and thankfully, we
have remained true to our word on the design
quality and the workmanship of the systems we
have installed. Please ask to contact our
customers to learn their opinion.
We have established some great relationships,
none finer than the one with Peter Skinner, PE of
E2G Solar (West Sand Lake, NY). Most recently,
we co-authored a book titled "Solar Hot Water
Fundamentals" with Pete and some other
heavyweights in the solar industry.
Two years ago, Pete and I worked together on the
final design and installation of a solar hot water
system, integrated with a gasification wood pellet
boiler at the Wild Center, Natural History Museum
of the Adirondacks, Tupper Lake, NY. Shortly
after the installation, the project won the Best
Building Integrated/Innovative category in the 6KC
Awards, recognizing the best and brightest solar
projects and industry champions in the Empire
State, by the New York Solar Energy Industries
Association (NYSEIA). (click this link)
This past March, The Wild Center won yet another
award! This time, the Wild Center's renewable
energy heating system was named Bioenergy
Project of the Year for Excellence in Renewable
Energy at the Renewable Energy World
Conference and Expo in Tampa, Fla. (click this
link). The project took first place in its category,
among hundreds of National nominees! How cool
is that!
Thinking back, I can recall Peter and I hammering
out some final design changes late into the night,
just before we got started. The Wild Center
Installation was also a Solar Thermal Training
Session, so early on a Saturday morning, we all
got started. We had a lot of hands on deck, and a
lot of talent at our fingertips, so a good portion of
the installation went rather quickly.
It is so gratifying to be put in a position to work
with great people, and great customers.
Ultimately, with a strong vision and a lot of effort,
the Wild Center has achieved Silver LEED
Certification. We are happy to have contributed to
their success!
Now, basic solar hot water systems don't typically
use a lot of electricity for pumping. It might cost
between $15 and $40 per year, for $700-$1,250
worth of fuel savings. So I have always used AC
pumps on my systems, until recently, that is.
Again, a great customer seemed extremely
interested in an off-grid solar hot water system.
So, I installed my first PV-pumped system. The
system uses a 12 volt DC pump and a dedicated
20 watt solar panel. Hearing that DC pump ramp
up and down with the sun and clouds going by is so
cool. I am really glad this customer had this
specific interest. As now, that remains part of our
potential offerings!
More on PV Systems: Last summer, while
assisting one of our vendors, I was intimately
involved with the installation of five photo-voltaic
systems. That was very interesting for me, you
see (even though it was ages ago), 3 1/2 years of
my Vocational High School training was focused on
the Electrical Trades. It was a great experience,
and it was also good to follow up on the Ulster
BOCES Advanced PV Installers course I took a
few years ago.
Still, I am not quite convinced to shift the focus of
APEX Thermal Services away from Solar Hot
Water, Solar Space Heating, Radiant Heating and
Solar Pool Heating. The return on investment for
PV systems has improved dramatically over the
past few years, but system costs and returns still
don't quite make it a great buy. The last time I
looked, you are likely to be at or around a 10 to 12
year return on investment, with all tax credits and
rebates applied, whereas solar hot water will
almost always come in at between 4 and 7 years.
Our goal is to deliver the best possible value to our
customers, so for now, we generally stick with
solar thermal systems.
However, for customers with no grid connections,
or a specific need for battery powered systems,
APEX Thermal Services is designing and putting
out proposals for off-grid power systems. If a
home is placed with no electrical supply nearby, a
properly designed PC / Battery / Wind / Standby
Generator System would be a great alternative to
the high cost of installing telephone poles or a long
underground wiring run. A home with this type
power system must be designed from the ground
up to minimize electrical consumption. All
appliance selection should also bear this in mind.
People living in such a home will need an
energy-conscious mindset, to get the most out of
their system. It is amazing how many batteries
you need to run home appliances for extended
periods. And the best solar storage batteries are
EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. Minimize the load
first. You will save lots of money on equipment and
batteries!
Contact APEX Thermal Services to discuss your
alternative energy needs. We specialize in solar
hot water, solar space heating, radiant heating,
solar pool heating,high efficiency boilers and water
heaters, custom controls, standby generators,
backup power systems, and off-grid power
systems.
Thank You for your interest and have a great and
prosperous 2011!
Alan J. Paul, CEM, Founder
APEX Thermal Services
telephone: 845 430 5825
e-mail: ajpaul@apexthermal.com
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