The following was written by and posted with permission from Dave Brown:
“Since [the installation], we have produced over 3.5 megawatt hours of electricity and enough hot water to make us wish our children could return as very clean teenagers. There are a number of ways to look at the economic feasibility of a solar project. Ultimately, our family judged the factors in this order:
1. Because we should. We believe that every one of us should do whatever we can to reduce our environmental footprint…
2. Because it will increase the value of our home…
3. Because our cost of energy is significantly reduced. On average, we still use more energy than we produce. However, there are some days when our system can crank out 20-25 kilowatt hours of electricity, much more than we are using…
Reknew recommended a hybrid system that includes the ability to heat all the water we need. Even though, as empty-nesters, our hot water consumption is much less than it once was, a future owner might need more. Remember, part of the justification for building this system was to appeal to a future owner. Whatever hot water we use is heated electrically, so every gallon of water we heat from the sun is a gallon of water we don’t have to pay CVPS to heat. It makes sense, and the effect is measurable on our monthly electric bill.
Besides a very competitive bid, we were influenced in no small part by the fact the people at Reknew who prepared the contract, and submitted paperwork to the State of Vermont for energy credit reimbursement, were the very same people who showed up, shovel in hand, to install the equipment. Our commitment to buy locally whenever possible has paid off since Reknew has been helpful answering questions, and tweaking our system for maximum efficiency. Recently, ReKnew Energy Systems upgraded our PV equipment with an online monitor that allows us to measure and analyze the system’s performance from any Internet-enabled computer. As it turns out, ReKnew usually spots a problem before we do. Just last week, while on a trip to Florida, we received an email asking if our system was OK. A call to a neighbor confirmed that a couple of inches of snow overnight had only temporarily interrupted the sun.
As with any emerging technology, solar energy systems are not as inexpensive as we hope they will be someday. But significant tax credits from the state and federal government will take out much of the sting for qualified applicants. And, recognizing the return on investment potential, more and more banks are willing to add the cost of a solar power system to a home mortgage.
Because solar energy systems can be modular (you install as much as you can afford right now) it makes sense to get started regardless of your available budget. When we specified our system, Reknew helped us maximize the financial assistance available from the government. Reknew has also installed “starter systems” for a couple of our neighbors who intend to add capacity as they are able.
On a sunny day we have been known to take our lunch in front of our electric meter, watching it run backwards as we pump our excess electricity into the national power grid. Recent legislation requires that CVPS pay us 30 cents for every kWh we produce. Speaking existentially, the extra electricity we produced at noon today can be used by someone else, somewhere else, tonight.”
Case Studies Continued
Brown Residence, South Woodstock, VT
The following was written by and posted with permission from Dave Brown:
“Since [the installation], we have produced over 3.5 megawatt hours of electricity and enough hot water to make us wish our children could return as very clean teenagers. There are a number of ways to look at the economic feasibility of a solar project. Ultimately, our family judged the factors in this order:
1. Because we should. We believe that every one of us should do whatever we can to reduce our environmental footprint…
2. Because it will increase the value of our home…
3. Because our cost of energy is significantly reduced. On average, we still use more energy than we produce. However, there are some days when our system can crank out 20-25 kilowatt hours of electricity, much more than we are using…
Reknew recommended a hybrid system that includes the ability to heat all the water we need. Even though, as empty-nesters, our hot water consumption is much less than it once was, a future owner might need more. Remember, part of the justification for building this system was to appeal to a future owner. Whatever hot water we use is heated electrically, so every gallon of water we heat from the sun is a gallon of water we don’t have to pay CVPS to heat. It makes sense, and the effect is measurable on our monthly electric bill.
Besides a very competitive bid, we were influenced in no small part by the fact the people at Reknew who prepared the contract, and submitted paperwork to the State of Vermont for energy credit reimbursement, were the very same people who showed up, shovel in hand, to install the equipment. Our commitment to buy locally whenever possible has paid off since Reknew has been helpful answering questions, and tweaking our system for maximum efficiency. Recently, ReKnew Energy Systems upgraded our PV equipment with an online monitor that allows us to measure and analyze the system’s performance from any Internet-enabled computer. As it turns out, ReKnew usually spots a problem before we do. Just last week, while on a trip to Florida, we received an email asking if our system was OK. A call to a neighbor confirmed that a couple of inches of snow overnight had only temporarily interrupted the sun.
As with any emerging technology, solar energy systems are not as inexpensive as we hope they will be someday. But significant tax credits from the state and federal government will take out much of the sting for qualified applicants. And, recognizing the return on investment potential, more and more banks are willing to add the cost of a solar power system to a home mortgage.
Because solar energy systems can be modular (you install as much as you can afford right now) it makes sense to get started regardless of your available budget. When we specified our system, Reknew helped us maximize the financial assistance available from the government. Reknew has also installed “starter systems” for a couple of our neighbors who intend to add capacity as they are able.
On a sunny day we have been known to take our lunch in front of our electric meter, watching it run backwards as we pump our excess electricity into the national power grid. Recent legislation requires that CVPS pay us 30 cents for every kWh we produce. Speaking existentially, the extra electricity we produced at noon today can be used by someone else, somewhere else, tonight.”