Off Subject. Solar for my house.

[V8Cobrakid]

our area may not be fast enough for wind. i was just up there.. there is a breeze.. but at that speed a 3,000 dollar wind turbine isn't going to put off much electricity.

[Flying White Dutchman]

maybe a vertical wind generator will?



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[Flying White Dutchman]

[V8Cobrakid]

ah... yeah.. i looked into these a while back. it's silly that i forgot about them.. low wind models and such.


So.. i think i've figured out how to build and test this whole thing without putting up a huge bank of systems that will never be properly used.

when the house get closer to completion, my good friend and i will move in. we'll test various situations to simulate other people using electricity in the house. this should allow us to figure out how much of a drain this house could be. I'm trying to keep in mind, this new house is a lot smaller than our current house. We are doing a lot to make sure it's properly isulated and sealed from the outside to keep energy loss down.

I've seen tankless systems provide both heat for the floors and bathwater heat.. any opinion?

I think i'll start out with a 10,000kw sytem. the only thing we'll be changing is the addition of other charging sytems for various products, batteries, and inverters.. i'll be sure to leave plenty of room for these extras to be installed. I'll have to overdesign the AC system. 100amp box should be more than sufficient for this small house.

[RobH]

Originally Posted by V8Cobrakid

I think i'll start out with a 10,000kw system.

OMG! That's only 4 times the size of my system that covers my south roof.

You really should include solar hot water, as it is much more efficient than anything else for heat. I couldn't find it just now, but there is a resort up in the Yukon (Northern Canada) that has an array of evacuated tubes that they use to heat an outdoor spa. Here's a link to a company that sells the Thermomax tubes: Thermo Technologies - Solar Water Heaters 410-997-0778

The most cost effective sizing would probably be something designed to provide adequate heating 11 months of the year, with propane backup to a tankless water heater. Solar thermal is excellent for both hot water and space heating.

[V8Cobrakid]

Originally Posted by RobH

OMG! That's only 4 times the size of my system that covers my south roof.

yeah..... I've been thinking a lot about solar water heating. I would like to keep away from propane.. but.. we will definetly need it for cooking.. so.. might as well use it for hot water too.

I think i'll have to add on to the house... make an equipment room...

[Rae Vynn]

Solar hot water is more efficient for heating water than using solar to create electricity that you then use to heat water. Plus, you can use the solar-heated hot water as part of your heating system, if you use radiant heating.

Consider using LED lights extensively. High upfront cost, but nearly "free" after that... very low power usage, plus they can last for up to 10 years, so you have a long time to factor the initial cost over. Use CLFs for places that the LEDs just don't do the job.

Super insulation, low-E windows, and ceiling fans throughout the house to assist any heating/cooling, and there's a chance your power bills will be greatly reduced.

[Godiva]

Originally Posted by V8Cobrakid

yeah..... I've been thinking a lot about solar water heating. I would like to keep away from propane.. but.. we will definetly need it for cooking.. so.. might as well use it for hot water too.

I think i'll have to add on to the house... make an equipment room...

They've got tankless water heaters that run on propane too.

I'd definately get two different tanks; one for radiant floor and one for domestic use. If you can tie the solar hot water into the system so the water is pre-heated....even better.

Can you avoid the propane entirely? Any way to just have a lot of PV and wind to supply electric and then work everything off of what you generate? That way no reliance on propane deliveries either.

[V8Cobrakid]

cooking with electricity isn't the same as a good flame.

we have an old wolf stove. we are going to convert it to propane use.

I don't like the propane. If i had all the money in the world and all the help i could possibly get.. then. well..

I would want pv panels for electricity. all lighting will be dc LEDs. Propane would be for the the tank-less water-heater and cooking (i would rather use propane. wood is an option too). When the water comes in from the well (almost pure water) it fills the holding tank. the holding tank would have a pump attached so water could run through the solar warmers.

If i used something other than water, i wonder if i would get more heat. that would require it to be a closed system though.. i wanted an open system. less maintenance.

anyways.. the solar warmers would deposit back into the holding tank... the water from the holding tank would be for hot water use and floor heating.. but wait.. do i really want to drink the water that runs through my floor? have you tasted water after it's ran through that much plastic?

maybe i should stick to the wood burning stove. it's really not that large of a house yet. 2bed.

I'm hungry.. I'll write more later.

[V8Cobrakid]

Originally Posted by Godiva

...no reliance on propane...

i agree.. i kinda addressed this.. it's either wood (bbq, bonfire, or wood stove) or propane.

I.. personally.. wouldn't really mind going all electric.. i would probably dissapear into the woods if i never came down to get propane. hehe

Another quick dream... an electric car that i could power of the pv panels... or a plug in prius. it's only 4 miles to town. we plan on growing food.. we'll still need other groceries.

i wonder if i can get my parents to use cloth bags.. that would be awesome.... incase it's unclear, my parents are extremely wasteful.