505-474-5445 phone 505-474-6818 fax email: info@cedarmountainsolar.com
In 1997, Peter sold Golden Sun Solar to Joseph Annon, a licensed mechanical contractor. In 2004, Cedar Mountain Solar Systems was formed by re-joining Bristol, now a heating system design specialist, with Joseph and Golden Sun Solar. In 2005, Joel Olson, who had been operating “Olson Plumbing and Heating” for 6 years, joined Cedar Mountain Solar, LLC. Joel had been specializing in radiant floor heating systems as a licensed mechanical contractor. Bringing together the combined experience and expertise of these three entities, Cedar Mountain Solar Systems offers the highest quality services from engineering and design to installation, ongoing support and maintenance. Since 2004, Cedar Mountain Solar, LLC has grown from 3 people to 17.
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Boaz Soifer, Partner, General Manager Boaz Soifer moved to Santa Fe from New York City in 1995 and began his career in renewable energy in 1997 with South Point Builders building passive solar homes out of straw bale and adobe in the Santa Fe area. In 1999 he joined Positive Energy, a Santa Fe dealer/installer of solar electric systems. There he worked as salesperson, office manager and as an apprentice in system design and installation. In 2000 Boaz joined Dankoff Solar Products, a wholesale supplier of solar components, where he started Dankoff ’s solar water heating division. He also managed sales and service for Dankoff ’s accounts on the West Coast. In 2003-2004 Boaz was the Sales and Marketing Manager. During Boaz’ tenure at Dankoff Solar Products, the company grew nearly threefold, and was selected twice by Inc. Magazine as one of the 500 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. Early in 2004, Boaz ventured into the non-profit sector, working as the Project Manager for Local Energy, a Santa Fe organization dedicated to achieving community energy self-reliance. He also became the Coordinator for the Perfect Circles Project of the KiDo Institute, committed to developing technologies and industry for community food self-reliance. Boaz also recently joined the Board of Directors of this institution. Boaz founded Cedar Mountain Solar, LLC in 2004, with Bristol Stickney and Joseph Annon. Boaz and his wife Sonya have three children, Rebecca, Isaac, and Gideon, and live in an off-grid home on Cedar Mountain near Cerrillos, NM. |
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Bristol Stickney, Partner, Director of Research and Design Bristol Stickney, BS in Mechanical Engineering, University of Maine at Orono, has been involved with solar heating systems as a designer, installer, repairman and user continuously since 1976. He worked with New Mexico Solar Energy Association over a 17-year period as Staff Engineer, Director of Research, Associate Director, Treasurer and Vice Chairman of the Board. He was Chief Engineer of Coyne Solar Manufacturing Company for 5 years, where he designed and oversaw assembly of approximately 600 batch solar water heaters in the region, many of which are still in use. Bristol also worked as a Research Associate with Amory Lovins at the E-source office of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Bristol specializes in the design of solar heating systems that optimize efficiency and durability. He performs building envelope modeling for homeowners, using real weather data in a computer simulation to accurately assess the heating and cooling needs of a residence. This information is incorporated into the heating system design for optimal performance. Bristol works with architects, contractors, and homeowners to provide efficient and reliable solar heating systems. Bristol also developed now-patented DC hydronic heating controls, called the “SETH System,” that reduce the electrical demand of a hydronic heating system by up to 80% and are featured in Cedar Mountain Solar, LLC’s off-grid solar heating systems. |
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Joel Olson, Partner, Project Manager
Joel Olson was born in Minnesota, and as a child he lived in Ethiopia for 31⁄2 years. He attended college in Minnesota at St. Olaf where he completed a triple-major
in English literature, studio art, and Norwegian language and literature.
During college he lived in Norway for 1 year and in Papua, New Guinea
for 6 months. After moving to Santa Fe in 1990, Joel worked in the
construction industry for 3 years, building custom homes, landscaping,
and setting tile. He started plumbing and electrical work in 1995.
Joel opened Olson Plumbing and Heating LLC in 2000, quickly developing a reputation among custom home-builders as a reliable and high-quality contractor. Joel attended ongoing training sessions to refine his skills in radiant floor heating, modulating/condensing boilers, injection pumping, and hydronic controls. He joined Cedar Mountain Solar, LLC in 2005 and became our project manager. When not installing solar heating systems, Joel is a competitive mountain biker and also enjoys telemark and cross-country skiing and photography. He and his wife Abigail live near Santa Fe, with their sons Per, 5, and Oliver, 3. |
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Joe Annon, Partner, Field Manager Joe Annon is a rare Santa Fe native. After operating his own logging business
and irrigation business, Joe became a licensed plumbing contractor.
He bought Golden Sun Solar in 1997 from long-time Santa Fe renewable
energy entrepreneur Peter Biondo.
Since then, Joe has been servicing and maintaining hundreds of solar hot water and heating systems throughout Northern New Mexico. He has also installed dozens of new heating and hot water systems in the region. He is familiar with a very wide array of system types and functions dating back to the 1970’s, and is well known for his unique intuitive ability to troubleshoot system problems and identify creative solutions in service work. As Field Manager, Joe oversees our heating system projects on-site, and is responsible for training our staff. Joe and his wife Anna are building an addition to their house in Santa Fe and raising a daughter, Shannon, 17, and a son, Xan, 7. |
Every one of our state-of-the-art systems draws on our extensive experience and uses tested components and control strategies to maximize reliability.
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Only the highest quality, most proven components are installed
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Freeze protection and overheat protection are included
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Independence of key components from the utility grid prevents the need for service calls
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Components are selected to minimize the effects of hard water
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All piping is secured with hardware, preventing wear and tear and resulting leaks
All our solar heating systems are designed to operate automatically, with no user interface.
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Controls ensure prioritization of domestic hot water over other heating loads, so that shower-temperature water is always available.
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The backup heat source is automatically started by the system controls, so heat and hot water are never interrupted.
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Unique night-sky radiation controls allow systems to “self-cool” while the house is unattended for extended periods—in the past collectors had to be covered when the system owner went on vacation.
Cedar Mountain Solar Systems employs unique design strategies and high-efficiency components to make greatest use of solar heat and limit propane consumption.
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“Solar heat banking” uses the thermal mass in your house to store solar heat collected during the day, for use when heat is required. This postpones boiler operation and eliminates the need for large storage tanks.
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Modulating/condensing boilers are used to provide backup heating; these components use 10-25% less propane than conventional boilers, further reducing heating system fuel consumption.
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Proven, efficient “selective-surface flat-plate” solar collectors ensure the highest year-round heat delivery.
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Automatic mixing valves are used to regulate hot water temperatures to sinks and showers, allowing for higher hot water storage temperatures and greater heat storage capacity.
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All mechanical system piping and wiring is laid out and installed neatly for ease of future service and for attractive appearance.
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Different collector sizes are available for various applications, ensuring the best fit for your project.
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Our designs allow for integration of the solar collectors into south-facing walls.
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Collectors can be installed on a ground-mount up to 200’ away from a mechanical room.
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Custom-made, low-profile collectors can be installed behind parapets in applications where invisibility is required, such as in Historical Districts or subdivisions with strict covenants.
Our system designs incorporate many unique features that maximize system reliability and performance to achieve the greatest cost-effectiveness. These features include:
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Utilization of the thermal mass of the radiant slab floor as the solar heat storage medium eliminates the need for multiple large storage tanks, saves mechanical room space, and increases heat transfer efficiency.
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2-stage heating thermostats allow solar heat to achieve higher comfort temperatures while limiting boiler operation, reducing fossil fuel use.
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Primary/secondary piping layout allows each heating source and appliance to operate at its ideal flow rate and temperature, improving system efficiency and component longevity.
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PV-direct (solar electric) pumping on the solar collector array ensures that collectors will not overheat even in the case of a power failure, promoting longevity of the collector array and heat transfer fluid.
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Elimination and centralization of heat sources increases system efficiency as separate combustion sources are replaced with fewer sources of higher efficiency. We typically specify and install modulating/condensing boilers for backup heat and hot water, minimizing fossil fuel consumption.
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Utilization of “sidearm” or indirect water heaters significantly reduces standby losses, replacing dedicated atmospheric burners by allowing for efficient boilers to provide domestic hot water when solar heat is unavailable.
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We install only the highest quality solar collectors. In most projects we use those manufactured by Heliodyne, a long-standing U.S. manufacturer best known for high heat output design, pre-engineered mounting systems, and durability, and by Viessmann, a German manufacturer best-known for their stringent engineering and quality standards in the hydronic boiler manufacturing industry.
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Utilization of Tekmar components to provide a variety of functions maximizing solar heat utilization, and to protect solar collectors from overheating. In a power failure these controls retain their set-points, reducing the need for service calls. Our control strategies are intelligent, simple, and elegant.
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We provide a two-year warranty on workmanship, in concert with manufacturers’ component warranties (from 1-10 years). Assistance on all component warranty claims, maintenance contracts, and on-call emergency service ensure peace of mind for the life of the system.
Forked Lightning Ranch, Pecos, NM: 24 Heliodyne Gobi 410 collectors, off-grid heating system design with DC pumps and controls for 3 residential buildings and outdoor pool
United World College, Montezuma, NM: 18 Heliodyne Gobi 410 Collectors, PV-direct commercial year-round pool heating system
Rancho Diego, Taos, NM: 8 Heliodyne Gobi 410 Collectors, Voyager condensing boiler for indoor pool, radiant floor, and domestic hot water
Brainard Residence, Taos, NM: 11 Heliodyne Gobi 410 Collectors, 6 Viessmann w2.5 Collectors, Voyager condensing boiler, 160 gallons storage for radiant floor, domestic hot water, and indoor pool-heating.
Flying Diamond Ranch, San Jose, NM: 12 Heliodyne Gobi 410 Collectors, Voyager condensing boiler, 200 gallons storage for radiant floor, ice-melt, and domestic hot water
McCormick Residence, San Jose, NM: 24 Heliodyne Gobi 410 Collectors, NTI Trinity modulating-condensing boiler, 120 gallons storage for radiant floor, baseboard, domestic hot water, and pool heating
Milder Residence, Galisteo, NM: 11 Heliodyne Gobi 410 collectors, 2 Voyager condensing boilers, Off-Grid heating system design with DC pumps and controls for three buildings and outdoor pool (pool heated with radiant heat)
Barker Residence, Santa Fe, NM: 20 Viessmann w2.5 solar collectors, 2 NTI Trinity modulating-condensing boilers, 320 gallons storage for radiant floor, baseboards, domestic hot water, pool, and spa heating.
Plaza Blanca Ranch, Abiquiu, NM: District Hot Water for three buildings: 7 Heliodyne Gobi 408 collectors, 240 gallons storage, district piping for “Micro-grid” hot water for three buildings
Sonrisa Apartments Transitional Housing, Santa Fe, NM: 4 SunEarth Collectors, 240 gallons storage for apartment building domestic hot water
The Lofts at South Station, Taos, NM: 4 Viessmann s2.5 collectors, 12 Helio-Col unglazed collectors, Voyager condensing boiler for commercial radiant floor heating, domestic hot water, and Night-Sky Radiant Cooling for radiant floors.
Joffe Residence, Albuquerque, NM: 16 Viessmann w2.5 collectors, NTI Trinity modulating-condensing boiler, 160 gallons storage for radiant floor, domestic hot water and year-round pool heating
