Most of the people on David Magid’s You Save Green solar installation and energy auditing team rose up in his company through intern and apprentice programs.

His auditing guru and a handful of contractors Magid uses for solar installations were students under his tutelage at one time.

He works with solar technician students from the City University of New York and with adults who participate in Nassau County’s green-job subsidized employment program, which allows unemployed adults to gain field experience in the solar industry.

“We like to be able to offer students that real life experience,” Magid said.

And when he can, he likes to hire the people he’s helped to train. Of course, there isn’t enough room on his staff for everyone, he said. “And not everyone is the right fit.”

He said the program is a good opportunity for the students because they learn about the industry and get hands on experience, but they also have a chance to see if they really enjoy the field or not.

Magid entered the green economy after a long career in computer science. He saw opportunity in the emerging solar industry and started You Save Green. In the beginning, it was strictly a solar installation business, but has since evolved to include energy audits, he said.

“We like to help customers reduce and monitor their energy usage,” Magid said. “We can shear off a large portion of their demand.”

He said the first steps are to make recommendations about lighting and heating and cooling improvements and modifications that homeowners can make to decrease their energy need.

“It all starts with a total evaluation of the home,” Magid said. “Solar really is the last step.”

And that last step in New York City can offer up some interesting challenges.
In a densely populated urban environment like New York City, there are significant shading issues. It’s also rare that a roof has a single owner. There are usually multiple units inside of each building. Some roofs are old, many are flat.

There are a lot of challenges to overcome when installing solar in the city, Magid said.

“But New York has some of the highest electric rates in the country, second to Hawaii,” Magid said. “That makes solar more attractive.”

Energy audits in New York, however, are fruitful and a growing part of Magid’s business. Anyone in the city who makes less than 200 percent of the median income can get a free energy audit, Magid said. And the problem areas are usually pretty easy to identify because they are the same in a lot of the homes. For instance, none of the Brooklyn Brownstones have attic insulation, he said.

In addition to growing the energy auditing business, Magid said, You Save Green is expanding into other parts of New York State.

Image courtesy of ClimateMaster.