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BPA Home EE Home Projects and Programs Brightway Solar Water Heating Program Overview

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Program Overview The Bright Way to Heat WaterTM is a complete electric utility demand side management and customer service program that promotes the quality installation of residential solar water heating systems. The Bright Way to Heat WaterTM has been successfully operated by Eugene Water & Electric Board since 1990, and is now being offered, by Bonneville, free of charge to interested Northwest utilities. In the current utility environment, many utilities are looking for ways to offer value-added services to their customers. Solar energy is popular among consumers, and The Bright WayTM program can offer utilities an affordable and proven way to respond to customer interest in solar energy. Administration of the program can be tailored to a utility’s DSM and customer service strategies. The Bright Way to Heat WaterTM is designed to offer utility customers quality assurance and a sense of confidence in solar water heaters installed through the program. Field tested specifications ensure a high degree of quality control, providing longer life and sustained performance of each system. The primary components of the program are a trademarked program identifier and service mark and a set of technical specifications designed for climates with at least occasional freezing weather conditions. In its model form, the program is administratively "contractor driven." It includes eligibility requirements for participating contractors, a contractor/utility agreement, and a program description that details program operations and responsibilities. Offered are licenses to use the program identifier, service marks, and technical specifications. Additional program products are included, enabling utilities to customize individual packages. These include model documents and forms, technical and administrative training. EWEB has been operating solar water heating programs since 1983, and has trained staff representing more than 25 years of theoretical, technical, and administrative experience. Bonneville, in the interest of Pacific Northwest electric utilities, purchased the intellectual property rights to The Bright Way to Heat Water™ from EWEB in 2002.