whats the pros and cons for a family of 5 making the new home solar power?
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Question by Hotmumma: whats the pros and cons for a family of 5 making the new home solar power?
we are looking at solar power for our new land, are you a family of 5? have you done this before, thanks.
What do you think? Answer below!
6 Responses to whats the pros and cons for a family of 5 making the new home solar power?
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Good=saves money. can sell some energy
Bad=tree hugger. a lot of money to put up
have a thought
November 4, 2011 at 11:50 am
Pros: Long term savings
Cons: Expensive to set up.
Joker
November 4, 2011 at 12:46 pm
The amount of power put out by current solar panels is very very meager. You need thousands of square feet of panels just to power an average family. And they only produce much on sunny days from 10am to 3pm. And a system this large can cost $ 50,000.
jakeb
November 4, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Hey Hotmumma, I applaud you for looking into solar power. In my experience, when you look into solar power, the one thing there is an abundance of is misinformation.
We live in a home that has been powered by the wind and sun for 10 years now. Our solar array fits quite nicely on the space provided by our one car carport, it generates 1.4 kilowatts during peak sun, and does not need thousands of square feet of space. Our entire system, including the wind turbine, battery bank and other electronics costs less than $ 15,000 USD. After state incentives, tax deductions and the small amount we receive selling carbon credits to industry, our cost is just under $ 10,000. We do have a small, efficient home, just under 1,200 square feet, but the point is clear, you don’t need to mortgage your sisters second home to pay for it. We still have the utility company here, but our monthly bills average about $ 6. I would estimate our payback at 10 to 12 years, but that is not the main reason we did all of this.
Last year, there were two power failures in our county, each lasting about half a day. In both cases, we were not aware of them. It’s difficult to put a price tag on something like that. There is also the fact that when we do a load of laundry, or run the TV, we are not adding CO2 to the air and mercury to the water because our power is not sourced from a coal power plant. In a few years,we plan on replacing one of our cars with a plug in hybrid, which will charge from our solar array once we add a few more panels to it, at a cost of about $ 1,000. This will allow us to have transportation in town with virtually no environmental footprint, or any need to buy gasoline.
Beyond our own personal benefits, having a solar powered home has made us the defacto expert on the field in our town. To that end, we started running solar power seminars at our local school several years ago. We spend an hour or so with the 5th graders in school, hooking up a panel, battery, and some small loads so they can learn how it works. Then they run a field trip out to our place to see a working solar powered home first hand. Our hope is that in several more years, they will grow up to persue the same thing you are today.
Powering your home from solar power requires more than mere technology however, it requires some lifestyle changes. People who grow their own tomatoes know a great deal about soil, watering, bugs and sunlight because they have to. Even though it might be cheaper to buy them at the store, they go to the trouble to maintain a garden. People who grow their own electrons instead of buying them at the power company have a similar curse. They have to know where each one goes in their home. When you power your home from renewable sources, there is no such thing as an, “Average House,” or “Standard Size Panel.” Every situation is different. No matter how well you plan your system, or how many contingencies you allow for, there will always be a day where you have a shortage of power. Most solar homeowners I know have a generator for just such a shortage, but they work hard to run it as little as possible. Like I said, it’s a lifestyle, and only you can decide if it’s right for you. What I would suggest is you do some more research, beyond asking people who have never tried it for advice over the internet. First get a subscription to Home Power Magazine, the only periodical devoted to these things. Then check out some of the non profit groups I have listed below. Learn what you can, try to make it to one of the renewable energy fairs in your area. In the end you might decide not to get involved at all, and that’s fine. At least you will be well informed. Good luck, and take care, Rudydoo
Rudydoo
November 4, 2011 at 1:42 pm
this article should give you some clues
http://renewableenergyarticles.blogspot.com/2009/11/solar-energy-benefits.html
Ned
November 4, 2011 at 1:43 pm
The nice thing about planning for solar before the house is built, is you can design the house for maximum performance (facing true south, roof ideally pitched at the same angle as your latitude), you don’t have to go through extra expense of running wires or plumbing through existing structures, and you can bundle the cost of it into the construction mortgage, just like your granite countertop. The monthly cost for the solar will be so minor spread out over the life of the mortgage.
I recommend that you look into both solar technologies, electricity and hot water. With one or two collectors (not sure where you are located), you can provide up to 75% of all of your hot water needs. Even look into heating the house with radiant floors, some more collectors can heat that water for you too.
Solar electric systems do not need to have batteries, and you don’t need to generate 100% of your power used. As long as you have the electric grid available, you can just make some power, and buy the rest. If you happen to make more than you use, you can sell it back to the electric company. The down side is that if the electric grid goes out, so will you, but hey, it’s no change from how it is now.
Amy
November 4, 2011 at 2:34 pm