Fremont, Calif.-based EchoFirst launched its newest Echo solar system and the nation’s first combined solar electric and solar thermal lease for the residential market.

The newest Echo solar system builds on the success of the Echo+ solar system, which has been installed in more than 1,000 homes. While basic solar electric or “PV” systems only provide electricity, Echo and Echo+ provide electricity and thermal energy. 

Homeowners seeking lower utility bills in North Carolina have a new option, according to vendors making it happen. 

Solar-powered electricity and hot water, along with efficient thermostat controls, are all being wrapped into a single package, under to a new partnership between three companies: Meritage Homes, EchoFirst solar systems and Southern Energy Management (SEM).

The deal marks the first time Echo technology has been deployed in the eastern United States.

Luxury home builder Toll Brothers has partnered with EchoFirst, a solar energy provider, to build new communities in Arizona that provide a complete solar energy system for water, heating and cooling. EchoFirst supplements conventional solar electric PV panels with solar thermal technology that generates electricity for hot water, as well as thermal energy for heating and cooling the home. This enables Toll Brothers to offer homes that use 70% to 80% less energy than a standard code-built home, according to the announcement.

IKEA officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its store in East Palo Alto, Calif.  

The 38,000-square-foot array consists of a 302-kW system, built with approximately 1,344 panels.  IKEA East Palo Alto’s program will produce approximately 427,900 kWh of clean electricity annually – the equivalent of eliminating the emissions of 58 cars, the company said.

A national poll released Tuesday revealed new incentives will be needed to persuade Americans to make energy-efficient improvements to their homes.

Beginning this year, tax incentives that once rewarded Americans for energy-efficient improvements have been slashed. For many Americans, the survey found, those incentives were a prime reason for making such improvements as replacing windows, adding insulation and buying energy-efficient appliances.

California is phasing out its incandescent light bulbs, and the first one to go will be the 100-watt variety, according to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

The California Energy Commission said the old-fashioned bulbs wasted about 90 percent of their electricity emitting heat instead of visible light. The agency estimates California consumers will save $35.6 million in unnecessary energy costs in one year.