Solar Advantages for DIY People

A complete switch to solar energy can be cost prohibitive to most Americans. But for the Do-It-Yourself types among us, a switch to solar energy can present monetary advantages.

This book from Earth4Energy explains how to make your own solar panels. It gives a good, simple explanation of how solar energy is captured, provides several sources of inexpensive or free solar cells, and graphics and photos of putting a panel together.

Here’s a how-to video explaining how to make your own solar panel. Actually, this video greatly enhances the information and instructions in Earth4Energy.

Using both Earth4Energy and the video together would make things easier.

And if you want to make a do-it-yourself hot water heating system, check out this video.

If you have other DIY solar resources to share, leave a comment with the information or a link to your blog.

Tami and her family live in one of the most energy efficient homes in Bradley County, Tennessee. Her home was designed to be efficient from the ground up, with details such as:
• a radiant barrier to reflect summer heat away from the home,
• well insulated attic and wall space,
• Energy-Star appliances, and
• a solar hot water system.

Tami’s solar hot water system uses evacuated tubes as solar collectors. During periods of sunshine, the evacuated tubes on the roof collect heat, which is transferred to a solar storage tank in the crawl space beneath the house. A backup electrical element provides supplemental heat when needed.

Tami also uses a TED meter system, which sits on the kitchen countertop of the home, and allows Tami and her family to see how much energy the home uses, and monitor individual appliances as they are switched on and off.

Because energy efficiency was built into the design of the home, Tami has enjoyed low utility bills since she moved in.

Information provided by Sustainable Future, LLC.
For most current information refer to http://SustainableFuture.biz.

I love seeing how others successfully incorporate solar energy as well as other renewable practices into their homes and lives.

See how this couple from Knoxville, Tennessee, made energy efficient changes to their home .

This East Knoxville home is an excellent example of the energy-efficient changes that can be made to an older home. It was originally constructed in the 1940s, and encompasses approximately 1900 square feet. All appliances in the home are electric, with the exception of the stove and oven, which use natural gas.

The environmentally-conscious homeowners have made many changes to the house to make it more efficient. These changes have included:
• installing low-e film on west-facing windows to reduce heat loss,
• using Energy Star appliances (dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer),
• testing ductwork and house tightness during a HERS evaluation,
• adding insulation during renovation of a bathroom and kitchen,
• using a plug meter to identify inefficient appliances,
• using a whole house meter to monitor energy performance, and
• installing a solar hot water system.

The drainback-type solar hot water system was installed in August 2007. Major components include an 80-gallon solar storage tank with an electrical backup, and a set of evacuated tubes on the roof to collect heat from the sun. Because the home is surrounded by trees, a few branches were selectively pruned to provide more sun for the solar collectors.

Monthly Electric Use in Kilowatt Hours

Information provided by Sustainable Future, LLC.
For most current information refer to http://SustainableFuture.biz.

Is it possible to create a net zero energy home by renovating an existing home?  Yes!  This 2,400 square foot house was built in the 1970s.   With a desire to live sustainably, the homeowners decided to set an energy budget of 10 kWh/day for their home. A budget of $100,000 was set for the renovation.  The budget was very roughly 1/3 for solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar hot water, 1/3 for energy-related changes such as the metal roof and new appliances, and 1/3 for other changes including the addition of a master bath, replacement of carpet with hardwood and tile, and removal of a retaining wall.

In the first year of full-time occupancy by one person the house generated over 1,500 kwh more power than it used.  So with one occupant, the home was actually better than net zero energy, it generated more power than it consumed.  Beginning in  July 2007, three additional family members moved into the house.  As of July 2008, some of the accumulated credit had been used up, but overall the home has still generated more energy than it has used.

Changes to this home are ongoing in the hope of bringing the house back to net zero energy with four occupants.  These changes include:

1. Removing all fiber insulation from attic as preparation for foam insulation
2. Adding 1×3 furring strips in attic from the soffit to the ridge vent and tacking lauan to the furring strips.  This creates an air gap from the soffit to the ridge vent for foam application
3. Adding 4 inches of foam on lauan, 3 inches of foam on gables, and 1 inches of foam flashing on ceiling (scheduled for end of September)
4. Adding a whole-house fan
5. Replacing the old 4 ton Seer 10 heat pump with a  2 ton SEER 18 unit, (mainly for humidity control)
6. Caulking and foaming air leaks reduced air infiltration  from 2300 cf/min to 1700 cf/min at 50 pascals
7. Tilting PV panels to allow for more ventilation and better winter power production
8. Tilting the solar thermal panels to 50 degrees for a winter bias, and adding more collection and storage

Information provided by Sustainable Future, LLC.
For most current information refer to http://SustainableFuture.biz

Heating water for your home accounts for roughly 25 percent of your home energy consumption. Since we are trying to reduce our home energy usage by 25 percent, we clearly need to do something about our hot water.

I will make a small confession here. I want a solar hot water heater. Here in South Texas solar thermal energy abounds even in winter! The Maker sends this lovely thermal energy to us on a regular basis and this mere mortal feels ungrateful not using it wisely!

OK. Tirade over.

My husband agrees using solar energy to heat our water makes sense. But he also wants to know that a solar water heater makes sense to our bank account. I do appreciate his frugality.

How much electric energy does our hot water heater use anyway? According to the energy guide on the side of the water heater, our tank uses 4992 kilowatt-hours per year. If this estimate is correct, we pay about $600 a year or $50 a month to heat our water.

Since we use our hot water only in the early morning and evening, my handy husband installed an Intermatic Mechanical Time Switch (T104R) on our water heater. First he tried The Little Gray Box but couldn’t get it to work. So he traded it for an Intermatic Mechanical Time Switch (T104R) , which he found easier to install.

The timer is set to turn the water heater on for three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. We will see if this makes a noticeable difference in our energy consumption.

Three hours of heating water to 120 degrees may be more than we need. If we don’t run out of hot water, we will adjust the timer to heat the water only two hours each morning and evening.

More later.

A home solar energy system can lower or even eliminate your electric bill. Provided you have enough physical space, you can install a photovoltaic system that will produce as much electricity as you use. In that case you could zero out your electric bill.

The initial cost for a complete system can seem huge. But with tax incentives, rebates, and net metering , the cost of your system can be significantly reduced. Manufacturers say that solar panels will last 25 to 30 years, and they guarantee them for 20 years. After the payback on your investment in the system, your electricity is free!

Even if you decide against a complete energy system described above, you can start with small solar energy components and reduce your electric bill. A solar water heating system is less expensive than a complete PV system and can give you a faster return on your investment. Rebates and tax incentives apply here too. As you’re finances allow, you can add solar powered energy in stages until you zero out your electric bill.

Home solar energy systems also serve as hedge against future energy price increases. In the last several months we’ve seen the price of oil drive prices of gasoline and food higher and higher. While home solar energy won’t help you much with your grocery bill, it can keep your home electric bill from reaching exorbitant levels.

Any form of home solar energy you are able to install now is the same as buying your home energy in advance at a fixed rate. When the payback for your solar energy system is reached, then the energy your system provides is essentially free.