Posted on 08/08/2005 8:49:57 AM PDT by Quick1
Nicholas and Loan Gatai used to cringe when they received power bills that routinely topped $200. Last September the Sacramento, Calif., couple moved into a new, 1,500-square-foot home in Premier Gardens, a subdivision of 95 "zero-energy homes" just outside town. Now they're actually eager to see their electric bills. The grand total over the 10 months they've lived in the three-bedroom, stucco-and-stone house: $75. For the past two months they haven't paid a cent. Story continues below ↓ advertisement
Almost unknown outside California, ZEH communities are the leading edge of technologies that might someday create houses that produce as much energy as they consume. Premier Gardens, which opened last summer, is one of a half-dozen subdivisions in California where every home cuts power consumption by at least 50 percent, mostly by using low-power appliances and solar panels. Several more are under construction this year, including the first ZEH community for seniors.
Aside from the bright patch of solar modules on the roof, Premier Gardens looks like a community of conventional homes. But inside, it's clear why they save energy. "Spectrally selective" windows cut power bills by blocking solar heat in the summer and retaining indoor warmth in cold weather. Fluorescent bulbs throughout use two thirds the juice of incandescents. A suitcase-size tankless hot-water heater in the garage, powered by gas, saves energy by warming water only when the tap is turned on.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Of course they wouldn't be effective everywhere in the country, but it would certainly be helpful, especially in reducing our dependency on oil.
i remember when i was growing up Solar power was being talked about for everything
then all of a sudden it dropped and i hardly hear about it
would be nice to have partial solar power on my house that is for sure
That's pretty cool.
How much of this couple's savings are due to government subsidies?
.
Dependance on OIL???? Exactly how do you figure? Power Plants operate on Coal, Nuclear and some on Natural Gas... All of which are domestically produced...
Natural Gas for home heating is also a domestic product.
Other than transportation of the coal to the plant, I'm not sure how much foreign OIL you are saving...
I agree cutting energy consumption is always a good thing, from a cost perspective... but not seeing the foreign oil dependency link.
It's a great idea but until the cost comes down, I doubt we'll see it done on a wide scale.
What they don't tell ya about Solar Cell: they require lots of toxic chemicals to manufacture - they pollute plenty! They are expensive to maintain (need to keep yer roof washed!). Finally they wear out and don't recycle so well. Add that to the expense and they don't any better than the average power plant (and a whole lot worse'n nukes).
I looked into this for my new house. Problem is that you need to be in that house for a minimum of 7 years or so for the solar power equipment to pay for itself.
I may still do it just to be a little bit green but it seems that until the price comes down a lot more, they are still not economical for most people.
wow they really dont tell you anything like that. I had no idea
ok maybe i can just put a windmill on top of my garage ;)
We need to invent mini-turbines to generate hydro power from our gutter downspouts.
Fine print on page 2:
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"Rebates and tax breaks bring the cost down, especially in California, but in many states ZEHs can be prohibitively expensive. California's Clarum Homes announced that it'll build nothing but ZEHs in-state but isn't so sure that's cost-effective in lower-subsidy states like Nevada."
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Subsidies, subsidies, subsidies. Solar cells are still too expensive to stand on their own. I swear, cost-effective solar cells are always just over the horizon like the ol' pot-o-gold.
It would be a tough sell in Alaska.
Here in Michigan it could never become a primary source of energy but lots of other solar powered gadgets can be an overall savings.
My yard lights and those of most of my neighbors are solar now. One neighbor heats his garage with solar heated water piped through the floor.
We're considering installing a PV system here. San Joaquin Valley has more sunshine than it knows what to do with. Our swimming pool hit 91 degrees a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully it's back down to 88 after some cooler nights.
There is much to consider on a PV system. Payoff claims range from 7 years to 20 years. 7 is quoted on some local radio commercials for a cheap install company, and 20 is quoted by some of the "school of hard knocks" folks in alt.solar.photovoltaic. My main concern is to get them installed without being an eyesore.... well, and the high price. :)
Personally, this is one area that I wish government would kick in some research dollars. PV systems are as close to free energy as it gets, once you have covered the high manufacturing costs. I'd like more than anything to tell the A-rabs where to shove their oil.
I've occasionally lurked in alt.solar.photovoltaic for a couple of years now, trying to gather up the courage to do the install myself. Still chicken!
I've heard of programs where you can actually roll power out of your house into the grid and it rolls your meter back. Then when your utility checks the meter they'll send you a check. I don't know if this ever took off, or how many people could actually produce extra juice, but it was a good idea.
Solar panels really shine if someone is considering living off-grid in the sunbelt. Compared to the cost of bringing in a power line from your utility, solar panels can be very attractive.
That was because the tax cuts for adding solar power systems to homes was eliminated during the 1980s. It really hurt the Solar Industry.
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