Hi, I’m Larry and I have been serving my internship with SBS as I work toward my AAS in Energy Technology this semester (Spring 2010).

The work here has been interesting since the company is in the process of defining its market niche.  They already have some pretty hot irons in the fire and so I was tasked with finding a viable, affordable “Home Energy Management System” to be incorporated into the stable of energy efficiency measures that SBS can tender as recommendations to clients.

The research has lead me into some interesting areas that include the use of programmable thermostats, home and small business automation, the differences between use of Radio Frequency (RF), Infrared (IR) and hard wired control technologies.  Additional work here has also involved home energy audits to assist in finding where energy is being used and where it is potentially being wasted.  Let me tell you that the people here at SBS are top notch professionals that sincerely have the interest of not just the client but also the interests of the planet at heart.  The professionals here recognize that the kilowatt save or conserved today will stave off the need to construct additional power plants for the near future.  That saves us all money, now and later our children and grandchildren will appreciate the fact that we have taken a leading position in preserving the earth for them.

The folks here at SBS have shown me that the use of both stand alone Photo Voltaic (PV) systems and the increasingly popular grid-tied PV systems can have a great impact on how to best use the suns energy sources.  The energy production is free once the system is installed and commissioned.  These folks are also heads up with the latest incentives available to the consumer.  The incentives come from the federal government, state government, and utility providers; they take the form of rebates, subsidized low interest loans and direct subsidies.  These incentives go beyond making energy systems affordable-the professional installation stops just short of being making them a piece of art.  The offset in a homeowner’s energy bill every month will wind up leaving money in their pockets for decades to come.  There is something pleasing about watching a meter run backwards!

Insulation here in the State of Montana is a necessity to keep the bite of winter outside where it belongs and during the summer to allow us to rest easy in the comfort of our climate controlled environments.  It still amazes me that more people don’t make the small investment of providing adequate insulation for their homes!  We could concentrate on talking about R-values, yet the bottom line is that we are more comfortable in a snug home and insulation coupled with draft reduction takes us to that level of comfort.

Windows and doors typically can be replaced with the ensuing comfort of living in a draft free, energy efficient home.  The costs, when off-set by the incentives and subsidies are frequently recaptured with the energy savings alone within just a few years.  In essence the homeowner may not see the savings when first repaying the borrowed monies but the financial reward comes soon when the costs of energy go up but the usage cost has gone down because of the gained efficiency.

I’ll be finished here in mid-May and am spending the last couple weeks understanding how much our state legislatures actually know about all this sort of work and what SBS can do to be a positive part of the evolution to a more sustainable and energy efficient world.

Larry “the Intern” Keogh