Solar Home Extravaganza
You think that the solar industry is just emerging. Well, you may be right, but don’t tell that to the people who have been on the solar home tours for the past 21 years. The 21st Annual Metro Washington, D.C. Tour of Slar and Green Homes took place this past weekend, and if you missed this solar home tour or the one in your area, then you missed out on seeing some of the vibrant solar homes that have taken the solar challenge.
This year’s solar home tours, like the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall a week before, was not blessed with sunny weather, but that did not deter the spirits of those who wanted to check out the solar home panels, and solar water heater systemsthroughout the DC metro region. Despite the rain, solar homeowners were eager to show off their energy efficient houses and to show that, even when it is not sunny, their solar arrays help save on energy costs.
There was an incredible range of homes on display this year, from LEED-certified homes to homes with ground-mounted solar heating systems. Each solar home provided visitors with a new perspective on energy efficiency.
The owner of one solar home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, for instance, compared his solar PV panels to a luxury car. For him, the choice had been between a Jaguar and a solar energy installation; he chose the latter.
With a 2 kW system, the home solar panels shave off about one-third of his electricity bill. The installation, mounted on a shed roof, faces south and is well out of sight of the street. Installed in 2009, the system has a single inverter covered in “green” stickers that still works perfectly. The homeowner has not had any problems with his installation and was very clearly happy with his installer and manufacturer, especially since he took full advantage of the Maryland and Montgomery County solar incentives.
Other homes in the DC area were equally interesting. Home 20 on the solar tour, a LEED-certified home, has everything an energy-efficient home might need: solar PV panels, solar thermal panels and a myriad of energy efficiency systems such as a grey water reclamation system and foam insulation.
The energy cost of the home is four times less than that of a similarly sized house. Alternatively, home H in Silver Spring took an unusual stance toward solar energy by installing a ground-mounted PV system that will pay for itself in five years. According to the home’s website, the house’s seventy-year-old frame and slate roof are the reasons for which the system is ground-mounted and not installed on the roof. Removing the slate roof would have raised the cost of installation and the installation would have been a lot smaller had it not been ground mounted because of the size of the roof.
These are the types of decisions facing homeowners all over the world. The Solar Home Tour aims to create connections between homeowners who already have solar panels and those who are searching to install panels. Going on a tour like this is extremely educational because homeowners with solar energy systems are the best suited to discuss panels, manufacturers and installers with each other, with people who want to install systems and with those who simply want to learn about solar energy.