[vc_row row_height_percent="0" override_padding="yes" h_padding="3" top_padding="3" bottom_padding="3" back_color="color-xsdn" overlay_alpha="50" gutter_size="3" column_width_percent="100" shift_y="0" z_index="0"][vc_column column_width_percent="100" gutter_size="3" style="light" overlay_alpha="50" shift_x="0" shift_y="0" shift_y_down="0" z_index="0" medium_width="0" mobile_width="0"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1617917920283{margin-bottom: 24px !important;}"]Power outages can be disastrous, especially if you have a sick person at home who uses an electricity-dependent medical device or assistive technology. If your area experiences frequent power outages, consider a solar battery backup in Sonoma County that will provide backup power when your regular power source fails.

There are several benefits of solar battery backups. A solar battery backup system can help you reduce your carbon footprint.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text_font="font-728346" text_size="h5" text_weight="600"]How Does a Solar Battery Backup System Function?[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1617917948333{margin-top: 8px !important;}"]When your solar panels produce more energy than you need, the excess energy is stored in your battery. The system utilizes this surplus energy to power your appliances during power outages.

Solar batteries are either AC or DC coupled. In an AC-coupled battery system, the solar inverter converts DC to AC, then a second inverter in the battery converts AC back to DC to be stored in the battery. During a grid power outage, the battery inverter converts DC back to AC to power your loads.

With a DC-coupled battery system, DC is produced by the solar panels and stored in the battery. During a grid power outage, the inverter converts DC to AC to power your loads.[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text_font="font-728346" text_size="h5" text_weight="600"]Tax Benefits[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1617917977249{margin-top: 8px !important;}"]The federal government and many state governments currently provide incentives to homeowners for using solar battery backups. These incentives include federal tax credit and state and utility rebates.

The federal solar tax credit allows homeowners who install a solar energy system in 2021 to deduct 22 percent of the cost of installing the system from their federal taxes.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

This luxurious modern home was originally built in 2007 but destroyed by a devastating wildfire in 2017. The owners decided to rebuild using top-of-the-line lighting fixtures and controls. The home evokes Hollywood glamour in every room with touches of polished nickel, stainless steel, and glass. The 4-bedroom, 5-bathroom hillside home with a pool house features 33 Palladiom shades with T-Screen Charcoal/Charcoal 3% openness fabric. Most Palladiom shades are outside mount, utilizing satin nickel brackets and Palladiom hem bars. The customer loves how the darker fabric complements the light wall finishes while still preserving the view.

The home is also fitted with a Lutron QS lighting control system, providing management of all lights and motorized shades in the residence. This includes integration with landscape lighting via an FX Luminaire system for seamless timeclock events and control from inside the home. A Control4 automation system provides additional management of lighting control, motorized shading, and control of two media rooms with surround sound and multiple TVs. A waterproof iPad allows control of the outdoor lighting, the 16-speaker landscape audio system, and the outdoor TV.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

This beautiful vineyard home is a fire rebuild in Sonoma County, completed in late 2020. It features three Lutron shade models integrated with Lutron QS lighting control and a Control4 automation system. This estate includes solar power generation with a smart battery back-up, a guest house, a pool with a grotto, outdoor audio-video systems including landscape speakers, a game room, cove lighting, five TVs, a wine cellar, a chef’s kitchen, a snack kitchen downstairs, and multiple gas fireplaces.

During the initial design, Summit worked closely with the customer and the general contractor, Total Concepts, to create a user-friendly smart home. The customer’s requirements included media systems with two home theaters, house music throughout, future-proof low-voltage infrastructure, an enterprise-class wired and Wi-Fi network, Lutron QS lighting control with motorized shades, outdoor surveillance, an intrusion alarm with monitored smoke detection and sprinkler flow. All systems are integrated using Control4, including lighting control, motorized shades, alarm, surveillance, HVAC, and a backup battery system. All systems are managed via on-wall iPads when at home and iPhones when remote.

PROJECT SUMMARY:

This exquisite wine country compound was built in 1998 and has been featured in numerous renowned architectural publications. The estate boasts wine country vistas and provides multiple living areas, including a spacious 3,454 sq. ft. main residence, an airy 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom guest house with a fireplace and balcony, and a pool house with a full bathroom, steam shower, and wine cellar. The property also includes a spa, multiple patios, private verandas, and a bocce ball court with stunning views amidst mature oak trees. The interior features high exposed wood ceilings with dramatic uplighting.

When built, the property included the latest Lutron lighting control system with dual HW-MA-8-120 processors and Vario dimmers. The current owner purchased the property two years ago as a weekend retreat and rental property. Unfortunately, renters tended to leave multiple incandescent lights on when vacating the home, leading to high power bills. The customer attempted to manage costs by replacing incandescent bulbs with LED lamps but was disappointed to learn they flickered and did not work correctly with the vintage lighting control system. Summit recommended an upgrade to the Lutron QS lighting control system, replacing somewhat damaged Vario dimmers with elegant Maestro dimmers and SeeTouch keypads, paired with architectural wall plates to match the home’s comfortable style. Summit also installed solar to further reduce electricity bills.