New Hampshire Senator Peggy Gilmour installed a solar-powered hot water heater in her home in the early 1970s. She uses drying racks for her laundry and has a root cellar in her basement. So when the Solar Store – which offers conservation and alternative energy products -- opened in Hollis last fall, she was curious.
“My husband is a huge conservationist,” she explained.
Gilmour (D-Hollis) got a tour of the Post Office Green store from owner Karen Cramton on Tuesday.
Cramton is a former systems engineer who switched careers after she and her husband went through the process of retrofitting their own home to make it more efficient – taking many of the same steps that Gilmour and her husband took in the 70s.
Most everything they bought had to be ordered and shipped. They reviewed products online but couldn’t see or touch them in advance.
Opening a local store seemed like a good way to promote energy efficiency by making it easier for people to see and touch what they were buying and get information and advice in person.
“I wanted to do something I enjoyed, that I believed in, that I thought would make a difference in the world,” Cramton explained of her decision, with her husband, to launch Nashua Energy Options LLC – doing business as the Solar Store.
The store, which opened in October, has been laid out to make it easy for newcomers, she explained to Gilmour.
Many conservation steps can be taken in increments so the store starts with books and brochures closest to the door and then moves on to a display of kilowatt meters that measure electric usage.
By plugging into appliances, a homeowner can determine how much energy each device uses. It also provides a measurable incentive to turn off certain appliances or chargers that aren’t being used. Other kilowatt meters will measure total household electrical use.
“We made a family game of it, to see how low we could go,” Cramton said of her efforts to involve her kids in the family’s conservation efforts.
Cramton also has made her store attractive to children by setting up a display of solar-powered robotics kits. She had one teenage customer that afternoon curious to see the solar-powered jumping frog.
Other areas of the store feature wood drying racks – since clothes driers are among the greatest household energy hogs. Another wall in the store features composting supplies – including a composting toilet.
As Gilmour continued around the circle, she saw a solar-powered water heater, much like the one in her own home that operates off solar panels on her roof. Cramton also showed her an on-demand hot water heater that heats water so quickly and efficiently that homeowners can avoid maintaining a traditional 40-gallon hot water tank.
These are all investments that can be made in increments, Cramton explained. A more energy-efficient water tank can be hooked up to conventional power and later connected to solar power, when a family is ready to take that next step.
She also keeps up on state and federal rebates and tax incentives that help make alternative energy investments more affordable. And she knows where people can go to line up financing. She may see herself as an advocate for conservation and alternative energy but she doesn’t see herself as a salesman.
“You can’t sell somebody on this stuff,” she said. “They have to get there themselves.”
But as more people do seek out ways to cut their energy costs, Cramton sees her store as a resource. Even those like Gilmour who’ve already embraced conservation and alternative energy in their own homes can find something they need in the store.
Gilmour walked away that day with a ceramic kitchen compost pail for her home and a solar radio she plans to give as a gift.
“Hollis and the other communities in this area are really fortunate to have this place nearby. I’d love to see our state lead the way in conservation and alternative energy. I’ve benefited from solar power for decades – it’s really pretty easy to do,” Gilmour said.
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