MARK WAITE / PVT People interested in installing solar hot water heaters attended informational meetings sponsored by Valley Electric Association at the Pahrump Nugget Events Center Tuesday night. Advertisement

About 175 people showed up at informational meetings sponsored by Valley Electric Association Tuesday for people who want jobs as installers of solar hot water heaters, VEA Marketing Manager Staci Behnke said.

Over 100 prospective workers filled the Pahrump Nugget Events Center for the Tuesday morning session.

"I was pleased with the turnout. I thought there would be more subcontractors, but the number of local people who need jobs is overwhelming," Behnke said.

Valley Electric expects anywhere from 60 to 100 installers will be needed for the program, depending on demand. They will be paid anywhere from $15 to $25 per hour after completing a one-week training class at Great Basin College, now tentatively scheduled for mid-November.

"We have 800 members right now in the queue that want estimates," VEA Chief Executive Officer Tom Husted told about 65 people at the Tuesday evening meeting.

Each install will take about a half-day and require three installers, Husted said. They will emphasize providing good customer service, he said, in fact some residents may not even tell by looking at the inside of their home the installers were there.

"In the end, people aren't going to remember how fast we did this, they'll remember how well we did it," Husted said.

Valley Electric has extensively promoted its solar hot water heater program, with an appearance by actor and environmental activist Ed Begley Jr. at the VEA annual energy symposium at the Pahrump Nugget over Labor Day weekend, and a three day informational workshop for members at the Saddle West Casino Sept. 22-24.

VEA members, for a $50 down payment and a lease of as little as $21 per month, can have a solar hot water heater installed in their home that could save them more than that lease payment on their monthly bill. Larger homes will require a larger solar panel and hot water heater.

Russ Butland, the instructor who will teach the class at Great Basin College, said job applicants should have a driver's license, no fear of heights, be able to carry 100 pounds, preferably understand something about plumbing or solar heating, understand construction and hand tools as well as job safety.

"This is not a matter of soldering a couple pipes together. You're penetrating the roof. You're going up in the attic," said Tom Laskowski, the general contractor.

The subcontractor is Canyon Plumbing, but other subcontractors will probably be hired, Behnke said.

Subcontractors need to be licensed; carry general liability and property damage insurance for $1 million; comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations; and have a knowledge of Uniform Building Codes and Uniform Plumbing Codes.

Behnke said 10 solar hot water heaters have been installed, including one at Husted's home. Ten more will be installed by the end of this week, she said. Behnke said crews started doing site visits on another 30 homes. When the program really gets geared up after more workers are trained, VEA expects 20 to 50 units could be installed per day.

Husted said VEA won't finance roof improvements that would be needed to support a solar panel.

The hot water heaters are manufactured by Rheem. Husted said, by using well-established companies for the program, customers will be able to get the company to honor their warranties or could upgrade their systems in the future.

Husted said he's been amazed at the solar gain from his hot water unit, even on cool days.

Butland said it will be a 30-hour program with a sample hot water unit, scheduled over a one-week period. It will consist of a minimum of three evenings of instruction and all day Saturday. Then installers will go out on a one day internship to demonstrate they know the job.

"Once you show your ability on the job site then you're ready to be employed," Butland said.

The class will teach workforce safety, working with hand and power tools, personal responsibility, fall prevention, how to go through the attic, nuts and bolts of the Rheem SolPak system, how to trouble shoot a system if there is a faulty reading after its installed and what to do when someone possessing a system goes on vacation.

The closed loop system is pretty faultless, Butland said. But the pH on the glycol liquid that is heated up by the solar panels should be checked annually, he said.

Husted said VEA prefers customers get a new hot water heater to go along with the solar panels to be more energy efficient. VEA has made arrangements with Pahrump Valley Disposal to recycle all the old hot water heaters, he said.