“My wife and I had the Radiant Store install a system this year, and already we’re noticing savings. We expected the system to pay for itself in seven years, and now we’re guessing it will probably be less.
I should also point out that the system wound up costing much less (wait till you get the tax credits!) than we ever imagined. This was true even though they did a lot of extra work which they suggested back at the beginning, mostly involving tightening up the house from drafts and heat leakage. All this made some sense then, but it makes a lot of sense now that we see it in action.
We are tremendously grateful to Terry Moag and his crew for their unfailing patience and politeness while working in our home. They are not just great craftsmen, highly skilled and very knowledgeable, they are also simply great people, and you actually look forward to seeing them the next day.
Looking back, we are particularly in debt to Terry himself for getting us on the right track in solar energy systems, for very gracefully talking us out of some major misconceptions we had going in. Terry saved us a lot of money, and probably a lot of heartache. We could not be happier with the job the Radiant Store did for us.
And also, for what it’s worth, we just feel very good about having solar energy in our home.
Carl and Ann Casselman
Cossayuna, NY, 12823
Bill Zimmerman, East Nassau, NY:
“We had a lightning strike in 2010 that took out, among other things,
the controller and the upper sensor of our 1982 solar hot water system.
Through the insurance company and Alteris, we were given Terry Moag’s
name.
Initially we were interested only in repair of our existing system, but
I was impressed with Terry’s thoroughness. Unlike another contractor,
Terry examined the entire system, including climbing onto the roof to
check out the solar panels. I got to thnking about the age of our system
and the relative cost for repairs, and asked for a quote for a new
system.
Terry gave me quotes for repair and replacement, and gave me the Velux
brochure, plus some statistical data relating to mounting angles and
efficiency. Our old system had to be elevated beyond our roof pitch,
which is approximately 30 degrees. The Velux data indicated that our new
system would not require that much elevation. I did experience some
sticker shock at the prices quoted, but then we hadn’t dealt with solar
panel cost for 28 years. Plus there would be a substantial tax rebate
next year because of the installation. We decided it was time to make a
change.
Before installation, Terry brought the entire crew to our house to check
it out, to make sure there would be no surprises for any of them. That
costs some time (and money), but that kind of thoroughness pays
dividends. There were no problems throughout the entire installation. I
still marvel that they were able to get the old water heater
(brick-lined and quite heavy) out and the new, larger water heater into
the old space behind our oil furnace. They carefully removed shingles
for the solar panel installation, and were able to salvage enough
shingles to negate the need to find and match replacement shingles.
I was impressed with the design of the sides of the new solar panels
(clipped together but completely weather tight without the need for any
caulk) and the flashing (no nails in the flashing, doubling the coverage
and protection from leakage, still without caulk). This installation
probably takes a little longer, but the design and the careful
installation would seem to indicate that they won’t need to return to
fix any roof leak. The Velux system also goes directly inside the
building, eliminating the need for the extra piping and hole in the roof
that our old system required.
I’m not big on esthetics, but the two new “skylights” of our system are
much more appealing to the eye than our old system.
Our new system has both electric and furnace backup, as did our old
system. We ran the electric backup (cheaper than oil) initially to check
out the new system and get the water in the tank up to temperature. With
all of the cloudy and rainy weather we’ve had since the installation on
September 15th, I expected we would continue to need the backup.
We haven’t. I find this hard to believe, but it’s true. I’m quite amazed
at the improvement in efficiency from our old system.
A small leak developed around the water heater element. Ken promptly
replaced the gasket, which fixed the problem. I understand that Velux
has changed the gasket design so that this will no longer be a problem.
Are we satisfied with the Velux system? Absolutely. Could we have gotten
a system cheaper elsewhere? Probably, but any cost differential was well
worth it. The system is extremely well designed. The installation crew
was knowledgeable, meticulous, and dedicated to doing the best job
possible.
Will we have problems in the future? I doubt it very seriously. If you’d
like to take a look at our new system, feel free to contact us.
Yours truly,
Bill Zimmerman
East Nassau, NY 12062
Carol B., Delmar, NY
“We have been so happy with the efficiency of our solar installation,
and the smooth operation of our solar heated water. The system has
helped us reduce our electric usage daily an average of about 6 Kwh
(about 180 Kwh per month and over 2000 Kwh per year) for just the two of
us.
Even on a cloudy day, our hot water gets a nice heating boost from the
sun’s energy—which is free.
The tax advantages and the knowledge that we are helping future
generations make it a joy to participate with the renewable energy
movement through Terry Moag and his people at the Radiant Store.
Carol B.
Delmar, NY
Dr. Richard Madden, Catskill, NY
“Terry Moag’s technical expertise and inventiveness allowed me to go
beyond a mere residential oil-to-gas conversion, to a solar hybrid
system—not only for DHW, but to add a heat loop as well.
Of all the contractor resources available to me in the Capital District,
I can not imagine anyone else coming close to replicating the design and
quality components of the install on this system. Terry has been
personally involved in the day-to-day aspects and has made himself
immediately available to respond to my numerous questions, issues, etc.
Terry has really delivered on this job, and has earned my trust that he
will continue to be there for me in the future if needed. Having engaged
many contractors over the years, most of who could not be trusted to do
the right thing when called upon, I feel very fortunate to have
connected with Terry for this project.
He is, in my opinion, a rare find both personally and professionally,
and I highly recommend his services.
Live and sleep well,
Rick Madden
Richard E. Madden, LCSW, PhD
Catskill, NY
Stephen DeFranco
38 Duncan Phyfe Lane
Slingerlands, NY 12159
Re: The Radiant Store
10 Hermes Rd
Saratoga Technology + Energy Park
Malta NY 12020
Dear Sir/Madam:
I am delighted to write this letter in regard to the experience I have
had in hiring The Radiant Store for a Solar installation at my home. I
learned about The Radiant Store through recommendations from both the
industry at large and from NYSERDA – the New York State Energy Research
and Development Agency. After meeting with over a half-dozen different
firms I chose The Radiant Store, because of their obvious in-depth
knowledge and experience. After all of this, I still underestimated
their abilities.
First, their customer service was exceptional from the start. Terry Moag
came to my home several times for extended meetings to engineer my
installation and teach me the details of Solar and Radiant. From the
beginning it was obvious that Terry could be trusted with the project
and that he truly enjoyed and valued what he and his company were doing.
All the while I worked with Terry he would mention his partner Ken
DeBois, how competent Ken was, and the ideas and input Ken was
providing. Again, I underestimated what I thought Ken would bring to the
table. Let me get to that in a moment.
The next step was installation of the solar panels. The two installers
who came (Matt and Jeremiah) were exceptional. The meticulous job they
did installing the panels and taking care with my roof put any concerns
I had to rest. They spent two full days ensuring that the panels were
not only installed properly, but looked just perfect.
So far, the project was moving along just flawlessly. In reality, it was
only going to get even better. Ken and his assistant Matt arrived and
proceeded to first explain what they were going to do in the basement
with the boiler, hot water tank and other hookups. Next they got to
work, and their work was simply outstanding. The soldering, pipe fitting
and all the connections between components was some of the most exacting
work I’ve ever seen. Ken even dismantled some work I recently had done
by a different contractor and redid it at his own expense because he did
not like how it looked (and I agreed). All along Ken explained, taught,
listened and went above and beyond in his desire to ensure the project
would be successful in all aspects.
The system has now been running for two weeks and has generated all of
the hot water we’ve needed. I could not be more pleased and I can’t stop
telling people about the fantastic job that was done.
Most importantly, overall I cannot express how pleased I am with this
project and with the job The Radiant Store did. I would heartily
recommend them to anyone considering a heating project, whether solar or
radiant.
Sincerely,
Steve DeFranco
When you have problem with an existing thermal solar system, The Radiant
Store is the place to call. In 2009 I had solar system installed to
produce domestic hot water, and to supplement my baseboard hot water
heating requirements. The system was impressive having 112 evacuated
tube solar collectors and 2-120 gallon storage tanks. It produced an
abundance of solar hot water. The problem was that the stored hot water
was never interfaced correctly to the oil fired hot water furnace to
efficiently use it. I was using more oil then I did before. The
installer didn’t have the organization/knowledge of the total system to
optimize the system performance
I then made the decision to find a company that can solve the problem.
“The Radiant Store” was my final choice. I contacted them and they
schedule a time to evaluated system performance/interface. A highly
qualified engineer spent quite a few hours evaluating the system. He
developed a plan and in understandable terms explained it to me. The 2-
120 gallon tanks were to be separated. One dedicated for domestic hot
water, and the other to store surplus hot water to supplement heating
requirements. The change was made. Including the original 42 gallon hot
water tank I ended up on sunny days with 160 gallons of hot (150
degrees) water. Even on cloudy days we had 100 degree plus stored water
We are now working on optimizing the heating requirements.
Warning!! Be sure when purchasing a thermal solar system that the
company has the knowledge to interface with the existing system, and the
organization to support it. I did not.
Milli & Rick Smith, Stephentown, NY