Company to Watch: Let the Sun Shine In
Solar and wind technology from The Energy Savings Store saves customers money and helps the environment.
By Kate Leisbsle
ENTREPRENEUR
Bob Solger
TYPE OF BUSINESS
Solar and wind-powered energy solutions
BUSINESS INFORMATION
The Energy Savings Store
15209 W. 99th St.
Lenexa, KS 66219
(913) 495-9434
www.ewindandsolar.com
QUOTE
“The market is evolving. We’re still on the left side of the bell curve, but it is changing.” -Bob Solger
Solar and wind technology from The Energy Savings Store saves customers money and helps the environment.
The wind turbine Susan Brown had installed at her home generated more than just electricity, it generated a job offer. Several years ago she met Bob Solger, founder of The Energy Savings Store, and inquired about getting a turbine for her Northland home. That inquiry turned into a job offer and today she is the proud owner of a turbine and a job as the company’s vice president for business development and marketing.
Solger and his wife founded The Energy Savings Store in St. Louis, but moved the company’s headquarters to Lenexa about five years ago. Having been in the computer consulting business, Solger said he was, “tired of being acquired” and was anxious to be an entrepreneur.
“We’d always been interested in alternative energy,” he said.
Having lived near someone with a solar array (basically, solar panels attached to one another to gather sunlight), he knew a little about the look, costs and benefits of a system. Today, The Energy Savings Store offers a variety of solar and wind energy solutions for both residential and commercial structures.
The company focuses on energy efficiency for its customers, Solger said.
“The idea is ‘how much energy are you going to get?’” he said. “Most people are concerned with how much money they are going to save.”
And the savings can be substantial, depending on the size and scope of an installation. In some cases, homeowners can save up to 30 or 40 percent on their electricity bill.
In addition to solar panels, the Energy Savings Store has solar-powered systems for hot water, hot air and radiant floor heat. The company also sells and installs wind turbines, but large energy-generating equipment isn’t all the company sells, it also has a variety of solar-powered equipment such as attic fans and lawn mowers. Yes, lawn mowers.
The store’s solar-powered lawn mower retails for about $800, which is comparable to a high-end Honda mower. With no gasoline to buy, the long-term costs of the solar version are lower and the environmental benefits are much higher.
“It carries about an hour and a half to two hours of energy when charged,” Solger said.
When it comes to wind power, the store offers many sizes of turbines. The smaller version can gather enough energy to power boats and RVs while the larger versions, such as the one at Brown’s home, can offset 30-40 percent of a home’s energy.
“On days when it’s windy, we are wind-powered,” Brown said. “When it’s not, we are using grid power.”
The company practices what it preaches. The lighting in its showroom comes from solar-powered tubes, and a recently completed solar array awning on the back of the building will generate power for the office’s operations.
The Energy Savings Store has worked on a number of commercial projects around Kansas City as well, most notably at the Village Presbyterian Church, Green Dirt Farm, Faultless Starch and several solar-lighting projects around the area.
Consumers, on both the residential and commercial sides, are becoming more knowledgeable and want to incorporate alternative energy into their living and working spaces, Solger said.
“I think it’s because of the green movement itself and the incentives available,” he said.
Residential customers can receive a 30 percent federal tax credit, net metering (credit received for power returned to the grid at the retail price) and utility rebates from KCP&L in Missouri. Commercial customers also can receive a 30 percent federal tax credit, utility rebates, net metering and accelerated depreciation on the equipment.
More and more consumers are seeing the benefits, Solger said.
“The market is evolving,” he said. “We’re still on the left side of the bell curve, but it is changing.”
Kate Leibsle is managing editor of KC Small Business.(913) 432-6690 // This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
