Pictures of PV Array

This is our 2.8KW PV array installed by EOS Energy. It looks like it will generate about 1/4 of our power in the winter (we have forced air heat which requires electricity). In the spring and Fall, we expect a near-zero bill (if we are really careful about our consumption). Our inverter tells us how much power we generate each day and how much CO2 we have saved since the system was installed. Next post will cover the various rebates that we will be receiving.

Its starting to pay off!

We received our electric, gas and water bills this month and I am proud to say that paying attention to energy usage is paying off. I've been collecting data from our bills all last year when we lived without much focus on being efficient.

Last December, we used 1094 KWH and this December we used 861 KWH. That's a 22% savings over last year. Our house uses forced air heat with a pretty inefficient furnace (we'll upgrade that when we can). Our gas use—minus cooking and hot water—went from 237cf to 203cf—a 14% savings—mostly due to careful use of both the thermostat and the pellet stove. We used about ten bags of pellets at $4.50 per bag, so we saved a little bit of money there.

Electric prices in the Philaelphia area are expected to rise about 20% next year so these savings will become more important. The PV panels were activated in January - so stay tuned. Our water bills, thanks to energy star washer and dishwasher and a dual flush toilet is consistently about half or less of the national average which saves us about 600 dollars per year. One day we'll have a large rain water cistern to bring that number down further. Stay tuned for pictures of the 2.8 KW array!

Beautiful Noise

There is lots of activity inside and outside the house today.
Inside, the kids are enjoying their Christmas bounty with Aunt Kathy, who has come for her holiday visit from California.

Outside, the sounds of footsteps, drills and hammers on the roof. The PV array is finally going up. FINALLY! It's not the 3.5k system we had originally planned, but a smaller 2.8k system. Them's the breaks. We should be fully functional by the end of today. Fingers and toes are crossed.

This is a huge leap from where we were just a few weeks ago. As I wrote earlier, we'd experienced an unbelievably stressful fall/early winter.

We were let down by Solaris Energy, our previous solar installer. Let down is a very nice way to put it. Our trust (and out investement) in the company and it's president was completely pretty much lost. Let's just say that we now have the attorney general's office and local court system involved in the relationship with them.

The situation with Solaris Energy has potentiallly set us back several years, but the beautiful noise reminds me why we set out on this journey.

What a @#%&* Fall!

FIVE MONTHS. Five months since the last entry. PA-thet-ic!

In the last post we were happy. The roof was done, no more leaks during rain storms, and the solar array was about to be installed. It was Tuesday, July 28 and the solar installer was to begin the installation the following day. Ah, the good ol' days when we were young. OK—so we were the same age it feels like we aged far more rapidly than normal.

No one showed. That does happen. Sometimes contractors fall behind schedule and don't always call. We're patient people. Understanding people. We waited until the Monday. Nobody and no evidence that any equipment had arrived. Not a thing. OK, time to call Mr. McKinley, the friendly solar contractor who was so jovial on camera during the Renovation Nation episode. A regular Mr. Happy. So helpful, so charming.

So we called. And our dear Mr. McKinley told us that there was a snafu with the panels. They would be drop shipped to the house on Wednesday.

Thing of Beauty

Finished, completed, leakless.

The roof is done and it looks lover-ly! A lovely roof? Seriously?

In our old house the way the roof looked didn't matter. It was three stories above eye-level. The beauty of that house was in the victorian details of the porch (even though it was falling apart), windows, and masonry. But that was in the big city. Out suberbia, the roof on our split-level house is akin to Dr. Suess's Cat's hat. In other words, the roof is a major part of the house's visual identity. And did I mention it doesn't leak?

It Ain't Sexy ...

... but it is a biggie in our eco-renovation journey.

Actually it is kind of sexy. For us anyway. A new roof. Exciting stuff ... really.

On Renovation Nation Steve Thomas was (rightfully) incredulous about the condition of the roof. While the structure was quite sound and nowhere near ready to crumble and cave into our living room, the shingles were in horrible shape. Pitiful. Ugly.

But that's all about to change. It's changing as I write. I can hear the roofers overhead. Sounds like wild animals on the roof. 

And who knew roof shingles could be ENERGYSTAR® rated? This new stuff (GAF Timberline®) is supposed to help us save on energy costs. Just in case you're interested, we selected the color Barkwood:

Oh, and there was the frantic call this morning to Mike the solar guy. He has to rush over to take down the small array so the roof can be completed.  

We're trying to get the shingles recycled, but the local company that specializes in roof materials recycling hasn't returned our calls. 

This really is very exciting! In a few days, barring any major mishaps, we'll not only have the new roof, but the full PV array up and running. High utility bills be gone!

Let There be Light

I know its corny but I find myself going in and out of the downstairs bathroom. we installed a sensor that automatically turns the lights on and then turns them off 15 seconds after leaving the room. If you have kids, then these are essential to saving energy. They cost 15 dollars and are installed in about 30 minutes (if you are good at electronics a lot faster). Anyway, we figure there are lots of rooms and closets where the automatic lights can help. we'll need every bit of help as we'll need to cut our family's energy use by 25% in order to have zero electric bills after our solar panels are installed in about two weeks!