Hamilton finds growth with solar division

After Hamilton Homes saw its consumer traffic triple once it incorporated solar systems into the roofs of homes in a Spanish Springs subdivision, it made a bigger bet on solar.

Hamilton Solar, a spin-off incorporated last March, today employs seven. The company spent much of the past year installing residential solar systems, but it now looks to move into commercial projects and work for local governments.

"This is going to help Hamilton Homes with its residential developments, and also jump start Hamilton Solar into commercial solar," says Steve Hamilton, a longtime northern Nevada homebuilder and a founder of both companies. "Hamilton Solar has done very well for a startup company."

Hamilton says he never imagined being a principal in a solar installation company when he started as a homebuilder more than two decades ago.

But forming the spin-off made good sense after the homebuilding company saw enthusiastic response from potential buyers when it added a solar system incorporated into the roofing tiles in every new home built at the Pebble Creek subdivision off Pyramid Highway at the north end of Spanish Springs.

Hamilton and his son, Reid, brought in solar expert Chad Dickason as a principal in the new firm.

Solar systems installed by the company at Pebble Creek typically are 2.2 to 2.5 kilowatts and generate about 3,500 to 4,000 kilowatt-hours per year. The system can meet the power requirements of a home depending on the homeowner's lifestyle, and the system's size can be increased if the homeowner requires more power.

"We have a lady who lives in a 3,000 square foot home and said her electric bill for a month was 84 cents," Reid Hamilton says.

The company expects to expand beyond residential installation through commercial and government work prompted by federal stimulus funds and rebates through NV Energy. Hamilton Solar designs, engineers and installs its solar systems.

One of the challenges facing Hamilton Solar, its principals say, is convincing consumers and local governments that solar is affordable and feasible.

"We've worked hard to get our prices down so cities and schools can actually afford to install solar," Dickason says. "Our goal is to make solar affordable, and we feel like we have done that. The challenge is getting the message out about what the value is for solar."

With incentives, homeowners and commercial users can see a 10-year payback from the installation of a solar array, he says. In rare cases, Dickason says the cost of financing a solar system is less than what an energy user currently is paying in utilities.

As it expands, Hamilton Solar faces competition both from established solar installers and newcomers entering the space.

"Probably in the next two years we will see a significant uptick in the work that is available," Reid Hamilton says.