I live in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) I am going to build a home, and I am thinking of going green, I probably won’t do some of the "green things" like using all recycled materials, or even bamboo flooring, but more so, radiant floor heating, all Energy Star appliances (even getting an LED TV), Tankless water heater, french drain water collection (for water the lawn) LED lights, spray foam insulation etc. Does it make sense to get solar panels? I know that building rather thatn buying saves me 25%, but going full on green costs about 40% more.
My ultimate goal it to have a home that is comfortable, cool in the summer, warm in the winter, not a lot of energy loss, and especially low utility costs. I know solar cells are expensive, and I going to build a 3000-4000 sq ft house… what do you reckon?
Michael, since you’re designing the house, you should take advantage of passive solar building techniques – south facing windows, earth sheltering, a lot of interior thermal mass, etc. Check into using insulated concrete forms for the walls. Next, consider where dollars are most effectively spent for active energy recovery. Rather than gathering sunlight and converting it to electricity, convert it to heat and store it in a hot water tank – which provides both household heat and domestic hot water. How to air condition a house with hydronic heat? Look further into earth sheltered construction, and plot landscaping to provide some shade. You may find your AC needs are minimal or non existent. Do this correctly, and you’ll save tons of $$ in utility bills while the rest of the nation is up in arms about rising energy prices. You should be able to name that tune for about 20 – 25% above normal construction costs. Excellent luck!
the cost of purchasing and installation of solar systems can be costly from the start, but once all is said and done they can be more than just energy efficient. They can even produce enough energy that you may be able to re sell that back to your local electric company. All that being said you will have to find a reputable company in your area to determine what your energy needs will be and what it would cost to install a system that would be either enough for those needs or one that was more than enough so you could sell back to the electric company. You will also need to determine if you are able to sell your excess back to the electrical company because in some areas they are not set up to do that. There are numerous factors involved in this choice making process as to just how far you can go green, money is usually the huge one, but just how long are you going to live there is a huge one as well in regards to length of time for payback. Also regarding your tank less hot water system, I would check into just how much or how small you will have to be using in order for that kind of a system to be cost effective as well as energy efficient. I have changed my heating in my house to a heat pump a/c unit, and not only have been able to delight in the air conditioning aspect in the summer, but have cut my annual costs in half. I was shocked but very pleased. I live on Vancouver island off the west coast of British Columbia and my house is 4000 sq ft and I am also going to be installing yet another heat pump for my in ground pool. I have also installed led lighting in my kitchen under counter lighting, my cost was 112.00 complete ( parts only) I installed, that is cheap. I have also installed compact florescence lights in the entire house.
cheers
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25 yrs renovating and have installed in my own house.
http://www.solar-electric.com/solar_system_costs.htm
This site will answer some of your questions.
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Michael, since you’re designing the house, you should take advantage of passive solar building techniques – south facing windows, earth sheltering, a lot of interior thermal mass, etc. Check into using insulated concrete forms for the walls. Next, consider where dollars are most effectively spent for active energy recovery. Rather than gathering sunlight and converting it to electricity, convert it to heat and store it in a hot water tank – which provides both household heat and domestic hot water. How to air condition a house with hydronic heat? Look further into earth sheltered construction, and plot landscaping to provide some shade. You may find your AC needs are minimal or non existent. Do this correctly, and you’ll save tons of $$ in utility bills while the rest of the nation is up in arms about rising energy prices. You should be able to name that tune for about 20 – 25% above normal construction costs. Excellent luck!
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I’ve been in construction and land development for a lot of years, and worked on sites throughout the US.
On your roof, use room radiators painted mat black and under glass panels. The water will be very hot in the winter and nearly boiling in the summer. Use this water to run baths, showers and with a small pump, a generator. It is what runs 65% of the power on my home.
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