Help w/ solar panels

If you're going to get an equity loan, can you increase the PV system to provide 100% of your electricity/year rather than thed 30-50%?

Have you considered solar water?

How is your insulation?

If you're going to need a new roof soon, do that before adding PV.

 

I would check into the windows again. Double pane (or triple) argon filled windows can save you a bunch of heat in cold months.
Just how cold is 'cold' in your area?
Our panels are roof mounted, have survived through two hail storms which damaged vents, gutters and such. However we use no natural gas, our home is all electric and geothermal so our positions are quite different.
Also, have you checked into wood pelet stoves?

 

Where are you looking to get the panels? Do you have it down to a single manufacturer? We are looking to install in new construction.

 

SSimon, you really should check out the stoves, wood pellet or otherwise. If you have good access to wood a good stove that's EPAII rated would probably do a great job of heating your house. Doing that and buying new windows might be considerably cheaper than the radiant heating (that's what you're doing, right). Just a thought.

 

I've got a natural gas furnace, stove, water heater (on demand tankless) and dryer.

I have PV for the electrical. My electric bill should be zero at the end of the year.

In order to replace the NG I'd have to convert the furnace, stove, water heater and dryer to electricity. I'm not willing to do that yet. (I do use a small electric space heater in the winter in the bedroom.)

If natural gas gets to be too cost prohibitive...I may replace these large appliances and simply add more solar PV to make up the difference. But that is not cost effective yet.

I don't see how the solar is going to replace your NG. Do you use a boiler and radiators to heat and the solar will be hot water for that?

 

My parents have a fireplace that heats their home in the winter. They haven't bought wood in years.

They have a deal going with a local tree removal, stump grinder service. They call my Dad when they're taking down a tree and the owner doesn't want the wood. He comes with his truck and the guys load it up. The tree guys don't have to pay to dispose of the tree in the local land fill, and my Dad gets free firewood.

 

SSimon, the windows should definately help. Siding really doesn't do much, it is all the windows (unless you are adding insulation at the time of siding?).
The pellet stoves I looked into actually ran quite clean.
Many actually have remote thermometers which turn on and off automatically to maintain a certain room temp. This and the windows may be your best bet.
Seriously though, get double pane windows, those single pane ones are nasty in the cold.

 

Just curious... is this usage per month or for the entire warm season?

We use gas for furnace, fireplace insert, stove, water heater and dryer. Of course, most of that is not used in the summer, including the dryer (we line dry). Our usage is 4-5 therms per month in summer.

 

Simon,

If you are considering getting PV solar to reduce your heating bills PLEASE, PLEASE take a look through the following forum. Solar Electric Discussion Forum - Powered by vBulletin

It may help you avoid the 'ready, fire aim", syndrome! While PV is a great thing to consider, in the real world, it should be about fourth on your list of things to do BEFORE you install PV. The first to consider conservation first, second and third. Extra insulation, windows, including heat saving night insulation shades, hi-ef appliances, lighting etc. Then consider solar water heat, followed by passive, and active solar space heat. (These in cost effective order). Then , and only then does it make sense to consider PV solar.

One very important thing to consider, is that using PV solar for heat generation is crazy! PV solar is ~15% efficient in converting sun to power, while solar water heat (either domestic or hydronic) can approach 80%. To heat with PV throws 65% of it away.

Please don't deluge me with being anti-pv. Quite the contrary, I make my living designing and installing PV systems. As I have said many times before, PV solar is sexy, conservation is not so sexy.

The above link is populated by a considerable number of very smart experts who have vast real world experience in all aspects of RE. Most own PV and other solar systems,,,they are not salesmen.

Consider that the retail price of PV is ~$8/watt. A 2kw system would then cost ~$16k. With tax credits and rebate, perhaps you can cut that to $10k. That $10k system will produce ~12kwh of power on a good clear summer day at lat. 49 degrees N. That works out to about less than $2 worth of electricity per (good) day. Depending on your climate you can do the math.

Icarus

After further reading of your posts, these thoughts. Residing the house and adding a layer of Thermax will have 2 huge benefits. The first is the a huge reduction in heat loss through the walls, the second is it will dramatically reduce the infiltration of cold air. (Remember, every cubic foot that blows into your house replaces one that you have paid to heat!) As to "not worrying" about the hot water, because you don't use much proves my point that PV solar is sexy and conservation is not!

If you spend $1 on PV before doing everything you can possibly do to conserve first, you are throwing money away. Again, PLEASE don't consider heating with PV solar,,,,that is just plain dumb!

 

Triage your choices: No. 1 - insulation, No. 2 windows, drapes & doors, No. 3 new sources of heat.

The most cost effective thing you can do is hold onto what you already have vs. "go get more." Efficiency is very cost effective (wrapping the water heater, storm liners on curtains, weather stripping around doors and windows, "warm window" curtains, etc.

I retrofitted our home several years ago and our monthly utility bill (electricity and natural gas) averages less than $30 month year round. We are cool in summer and warm in winter. No PV, no wood burning stove.

 

How big is your back yard? Heat exchanging pipes buried under your lawn is another "free" energy source if you can lay enough pipe.

 

Before you reconsider Solar, you need to do a lot of homework. The internet is your friend.

If you decide to go ahead, you need to get bids from 3-4 contractors. And you need to know your stuff so you can evaluate the answers you're getting from them. Anyone who only talks price isn't anyone you'd want to hire. And remember, the lowest bidder isn't always a winner.

Five years ago is a long time.

Look at your applicances. How old is your refrigerator? If it isn't an energy star, replace it. Likewise the dishwasher, washer/dryer, etc. Especially if you have an air conditioner.

 

If one of your prime objectives is to cut down on your natural gas usage, I would suggest you consider line drying your clothes. Sure, it takes a little set-up and work, but once you're in the habit, it's really not that much extra work. Plus, you're taking advantage of the sun's free energy with little investment.

Here's a page of all the different types of systems they offer.

Brabantia Outdoor Clothes Lines / Dryers | Free Shipping by Brabantia Home Furnishings

I have a Lift-o-matic spinner


When we poured the concrete pad outside the garage side-door, I had the dryer base set as part of the pad. The clothes dryer is light-weight and very easy to take out and open, or take down and put away. It also spins, so you basically just stand in one location and hang clothes, spinning the dryer to reach new lines. It's very user friendly.

Anyway, just a suggestion since you say your hot water use is minimal, then I just surmised that most of your gas usage in summer is probably your clothes dryer. Taking that out of the equation, you might cut your usage down considerably.

 

Is the water heater natural gas? 9 years is nearer the end of it's life. Yes, a blanket will help. You might look into a water heater that will be more efficient. Solar water will be cheaper than putting in PV and get you more payback.

 

Rather than checking and repairing your ducts, consider the idea of installing a couple of Rinnai vented space heaters. Forced air heating is full of losses . A Rinnai can be more than 90% efficient depending on size and usage. The other advantage is that you can zone heat very efficiently. They can be had with programable t-stats so that you only need to fully heat the rooms you use, when you use them.

Beware however of cheaper direct vent space heaters (empire and the like)
even though they are rated at 75% or better I would be surprised if they were to make that. The Rinnai vent system vents through a 1.5" pipe. A typical "b" vent furnace through a 4-6" hole. Other direct vents are ~5". doesn't take long to figure out where the efficiency lies.

Icarus