Summer Energy Efficient Windows – Part3

In the final months or my energy conservation mode, I’m beginning to gear up for the next step – Energy Efficiency. My study now revolves around windows for summer energy efficiency.

Today’s window performance rating element is visible transmittance (VT).

Visible transmittance tells you the amount of light a window allows though. Efficient windows are energy savers and will reduce my energy bill, but I still need the daylight shining into my house to keep my inside plants alive and to keep my sanity!

The visible transmittance (VT) is measured on a scale of 0 to 1. Usual values are between 0.3 and 0.8.

The higher the visible transmittance (VT) rating on the window, the more light passes inside. So for the greatest amount of daylight and to enjoy the view from your windows, the visible transmittance (VT) rating the better.

But there is a trade-off. You see, lower the VT number, the better a window insulates. To get maximum daylight transmitted inside, I lose insulating capacity.

Hmmm…I’ll have to think about this more. Perhaps some of my windows need more insulting that others.

Solar Panels in the Mojave Desert?

Here’s an interesting article about an ongoing discussion concerning putting solar and wind energy facilities in the Mojave Desert.

Seems solar companies are ready to put up solar plants in areas particularly suitable for solar energy production. The area in question is a parcel of land in California’s Mojave Desert.

But there’s a problem.

The Wildlands Conservancy, which arranged for the government to buy this desert plot, says a solar or wind power facility would “destroy the entire Mojave Desert ecosystem.”

If solar power plants cannot be built in the Mojave Desert, governor Schwarzenegger said, “I don’t know where the hell we can put it.”

Clearly, if you want alternative energy, as California does, you have to put these solar and wind plants somewhere. Right?

But what if we think about it another way?

If each home generated all or most of its energy requirements, maybe the need for a solar power plant in the Mojave would change.

Instead of waiting for all the red tape to get a solar power plant going, how about we put solar panels on each roof?

For those interested in wind and solar renewable energy, here’s good news reported at RenewableEnergyWorld.com.

The Senate voted last night passing legislation to extend tax credits for renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. This bill is attached to the US $700 billion rescue legislation.

The House of Representatives has the bill for final consideration. A vote is expected Friday.

Read the entire article here.

You can check with RenewableEnergyWorld.com any time during the day for details about this legislation as they become available.

Making an informed choice about solar home energy requires knowing how many kilowatt-hours your home uses. Until the recent concern with our environment and energy prices, many have never paid much attention to how many kilowatt-hours their home uses.

What is a kilowatt-hour?

Electric utility companies measure your home energy use in kilowatt-hours. Looking at my energy bill tells me how many kilowatt-hours (symbolized kWh) my home used during the billing cycle.

A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy equal to one kilowatt of power used for one hour. For example, my floor lamp uses .29kWh/hr. That means, if that floor lamp remains on for one hour, it will use .29 kilowatts of power. The lamp would have to be in use approximately 3448 hours to use one kilowatt of power.

Today I called my home energy provider for tips on reducing my home energy consumption. The customer service representative I talked to was very pleasant and gave me helpful information. But the most interesting tidbit of information was about average kilowatt-hour usage.

My service provider, Pedernales Electric, says the average home uses one kilowatt-hour per one-square-foot of floor space. In other words, my 1700 square foot home should average 1700 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month. That’s 54.8 kilowatt-hours per day.

Other sources inform me that efficient use is 15 kilowatt-hours per day; anything over 20 kilowatt-hours per day is wasteful. The folks here talk about using 20 kilowatt-hours and less per day!

For the first 6 months of this year, I’ve averaged 51 kWh/day. By my energy provider’s standards, I’m doing well. According to others, I’m excessively wasteful!

OK. I’m on a mission. First things first. What are the high-energy users in my home? I’ll let you know how it goes.

What’s your average energy use?

Reducing your home energy usage reduces the cost of any home solar energy system. The less energy you waste, the less your solar energy investment will be. Along with practicing good conservation habits, finding and eliminating the invisible energy wasters saves you money.

Find where your home loses energy by doing a home energy audit. You can do a simple energy audit yourself.

On a very hot or very cold day, walk around your home and notice the temperature differences near outside doors and windows. Checking around pipes and electrical outlets may surprise you too.

You can also do a draft test with a candle or incense stick.

First, close all exterior doors and windows. Turn off any fans that circulate air such as ceiling fans, floor fans, and a/c or heating units. Turn off all pilot lights on any gas appliances.

Second, go through your home and turn on all exhaust fans. These are usually in the kitchen and the bathrooms.

Next, with a lit candle or incense stick, check around window, doors, and outside wall electrical outlets. Pay attention to the flame or smoke. Without air circulation to move them, the flame or smoke will go straight up. However, the flame or smoke will point away from any drafts.

This simple test makes those invisible drafts visible! Here are a couple photos of my candle test.

This first photo shows the candle flame standing straight up, indicating no draft at the top of the electrical outlet.

This photo shows the flaming leaning due to the draft at the socket.

My simple candle test also showed me where my double-paned windows were leaky and where the drafty spot around my front door was.

Now I know the weatherstripping around my door needs replacing, the electrical outlets need insulation, and my windows need some inspection to determine if they need caulking or replacing.

Alternative energy businesses argue no incentives necessitate reduced capital investments, expansion cuts, and job cuts.

Alternative energy customers want solar, wind, and biofuel energy costs to be more available and more affordable.

I am puzzled. Congress drags their feet on this issue while our presidential candidates praise solar, wind, and biofuels as at least part of the solution to escalating fuel cost and environmental health.

Maybe I’ve found part of the answer. According to this article there’s a gimmick at work.

It seems that by placing expiration dates on tax breaks lawmakers are able to hide our ever-increasing federal budget deficit. These tax breaks are not counted as “revenue losses” after their expiration date.

Should these tax incentives be made permanent, “trillions of dollars will be added to the federal debt.”

None of us want to add to our federal debt.

None of us want to continue depending on non-renewable fossil fuels.

Does it have to be a choice between the federal debt and clean, affordable fuel?

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment.

It depends. Several factors work together that dictate how much you will pay for your home solar energy system.

The main factors are:
1. How much energy your home uses,
2. how much do PV panel system cost

How much energy does your home use? This varies somewhat with each home and what you use electrical energy for. The Alternative Energy Store has a list of typical power ratings for common household appliances. Use the information here to get an idea of what it takes to use your home appliances.

Refer to your utility bill to determine your home’s average energy use. Look for the number of kilowatt hours (kWh) used. Divide the number of kWh used by the number of days for that billing cycle. That gives you your average daily energy use in kilowatt hours.

What’s average for a typical home? Of course, it really depends on how much you use electricity to heat your air, water, and food. One source suggests your daily average will be between 15 kWh and 20 kWh. Anywhere below 15 kWh is fairly efficient; anywhere above 20 kWh is considered inefficient. However, remember that usages vary.

How much do Photovoltaic panel systems cost? According to this site, generally speaking a small PV panel system will cost around roughly $1000 or $12 per watt. A medium sized system will average $16,000-$20,000 or $8-$10 per watt and a larger system that would provide energy for many conventional homes could cost $30,000-$40,000 or $6-$8 per watt.

These numbers look scary at first. But there are federal, state, and local rebates and incentives that can significantly reduce these costs. Check the DSIRE database to find incentives that apply to you where you live. Notice that federal incentives are good only through December 2008 unless congress decides to extend the deadline before the end of the year.

Also remember the possibility of going solar in small increments. Develop energy efficient habits, use passive solar energy where you can, and then use a PV system for the remainder of your energy needs.