Don’t mean to seem like I am “jumping down…” etc.. It is just a little frustrating when a “corporate” identity like the power companies sets the tone for an entire industry’s PR and information. I would agree in part to Agustin’s remarks above. Going solo for electric is an expensive proposition and is usually only cost effective if you are along way from the grid or you have some kind of high energy constant power source like a big year round stream with allot of head potential.

My comment on PV relating to Active SDHW was spurred by people mentioning to me how they want to put PV on their home so their electric water heater can be solar powered!! When you know what is going on from an engineering point of view, then, watching people plan their actions based on the current “buzz”, you kind of “shake your head”. In an article I wrote recently, one of my comments was that, “…you first decide on which renewable energy(s) is the right choice and then you decide on the best way to use it. Generally speaking, it is best to “capture” heat for heating applications and electricity for uses that can only be satisfied with electricity. It most cases that will yield the fastest return on the investment.”

All articles on RE are needed to educate the public at large. I just wish there was a better “balance” focusing on choices made with good engineering and resisting as much as possible any current “hype” and its real motivations.

…..Bill

A much better system, in my opinion, is net metering. No batteries to buy or throw out when they wear out, no need to have both wind and solar (the wind doesn’t always blow, the sun doesn’t always shine), much easier and cheaper to install in most cases, and if you generate surplus energy, other people will use it.

Plus, for new construction in colder climates, it can be tied to an in-floor radiant heat system as well, realizing even more savings.

And Jill- the passive solar series was awesome!

Passive yes which is good, but where is the one on active SDHW which should be on every house in the USA that has access to the sun? The average home uses 8 to 12 kWh per day for DHW. It is the second biggest user of energy. For under $4000 you can subsidize 90% of that in a climate like PA which is not any sunbelt. Figure out how big and more importantly how much a grid tied PV array would cost to yield the same amount of energy. I guarantee you the number isn’t $4000 or even close before any incentives for either. The whole grid tied movement is not because PV is the best way to go but because it benefits the power companies, period.

…..Bill

Please understand that Green Building 101 is a SERIES of articles and this week’s article is specifically focused on electrical power and utilities. If you are interested in reading more about insulation, passive solar heating and cooling and other elements of home eco-efficiency, please read further back into the series and check out the articles we have explicitely written on those subject matters:

INSULATION
http://inhabitat.com/blog/2006/08/10/lets-talk-about-insulation-baby/

HEATING AND COOLING / PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN:
http://inhabitat.com/blog/2006/08/09/green-building-101-energy-atmosphere-part-1/

Thanks, Jill

Thanks for your comment. I understand the difference between geothermal heating and geothermal electricity production, and I thought I explained this in the article, but I guess I did not make the distinction clear enough. Readers, FYI – what we are talking about mostly in this article is geothermal residential heating – not geothermal electricity which is produced en masse by geothermal power plants. I will make a couple quick edits to the article to try to make this distinction more clear.

Thanks- Jill

…..Bill

And we also did a special feature on insulation the next day: http://inhabitat.com/blog/2006/08/10/lets-talk-about-insulation-baby/

http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/2006/08/the_case_for_ge.html