SUNATION OPENS ECO-FRIENDLY SHOWROOM

Southampton building designed to educate and inspire.

(Long Island, N.Y.) Eco-savvy Long Islanders may be flocking to the Hamptons this weekend, but it may not be for the beaches, clubs and restaurants. SUNation Solar System, Inc., a Long Island-based provider of solar electric and solar hot water systems, is opening its second location at 2 Montauk Highway in Southampton. The completely renovated building is being hailed as the “first Eco-friendly Showroom in the Long Island area.”

Grand Opening and Solar Car Wash
SUNation holds the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 AM Saturday morning, July 17. The event will be open to the public and will include a solar hot water car wash from 10 AM to 2 PM. Proceeds from the car wash will benefit the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation.

Making a Difference on Long Island
Owner Mike Bailis tells a short history of the company and how the eco-friendly showroom came to be. “We've been doing design and installation for solar hot water and solar electric systems for homeowners, residences, businesses, and municipals here on Long Island for the past seven years. For whatever reason, we used to do a lot of business out east. We needed to reclaim the East End as a business model.”

When the opportunity presented itself to open a second showroom, Bailis and his partner, SUNation President Scott Maskin, chose to lease a dilapidated building on Montauk Highway in Southampton. “Terrible building, great location,” Bailis says, adding that the entire structure needed to be gutted.

That's when the idea came to them: “Why not make this not just a showroom for solar, but a true showcase of all the good things you can do when you remodel a building, in terms of HVAC, insulation, heating ... even home automation?”

SUNation brought on partners in a variety of fields, and The Eco-friendly Showroom was born. The space employs a heat pump system for radiant heating, energy management and control systems, multiple forms of insulation, and, of course, solar electric panels and a solar hot water heating system.

During the grand opening of the Eco-friendly Showroom, visitors will enjoy a tour of the space, which is patterned after a typical Long Island home, on a slightly smaller scale, with a living room, kitchen area, dining room, and even a fireplace. But instead of sheet rock and carpeting, plexiglas on the walls floor and ceiling showcase the systems in use within the house.

A Home for Today
Bailis calls it a home of the future, but quickly corrects himself. “That implies the technology is coming. But this is technology that's available today. It works, it's been proven to work, but it's right on the cutting edge of what's available.”

In a press release issued yesterday, Maskin noted, “Our Eco-Friendly Showroom is another way to expose people to viable alternative energy solutions that are available to them today. Many homeowners are unaware of the many ways to reduce costs with sustainable product solutions. Our goal is to spread our expertise and knowledge of sustainable products and alternative energy solutions to Long Island homeowners and help them reduce energy costs now and into the future.”

You can stop by the grand opening between 10AM and 2 PM, where your Business & Tech writer for Long Island Exchange will be on hand to find out more about this intriguing building. Be sure to Check our Facebook Fan Page for photos after the event.

Dawn Allcot

July 15, 2010 12:59 PM Eastern

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