Its a go & i cant wait for spring to get started
Here it is fellas,im purchasing the Power-Save Solar 2000 model package & going to do the install myself with the help of a master electrican friend of mine,he is going to wire the system up for me & pull the permits under his liscense,in trade for his time im going to bring a small crane home from work along with a clam & dredg his pond to add depth so his fancy fish can live easier through the winter when the pond is froze over,according to the manufacturer the PSS-2000 system will cut our power draw from 20% to 30% anually which i think is a bit of a generous estimate,if i get a 15% savings it will meet my goal in savings & will easily pay for itself within 10 to 20 years.
http://www.power-save1200.com/solar.html
My total cost after federal & state rebates is going to be right around $7,000 USD,this will supply us with a peak power of 2,050 watts with the average power being between 1,000 watts to 1,500 watts,this is using the grid tie system & no batteries.
This is the largest system that my roof can accept without looking like some terrible eye sore,the area on our deck on the 2nd story of the home is not acceptable due to shade issues so a roof mount system is the only place i have left without taking over the back yard or cutting up our shade trees ,the wife aint going for the yard all screwed up or cutting any trees down
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We've also looked heavily into solar ventilation to help cut cooling costs in the hot summer months,i purchased 1 solar intake & 2 solar exhausts for a little under $1,000 for all 3 peices,from what ive researched this should cut my cooling costs by about 10% to 20%,which in our case is a large savings,we spend about $400 a month in june/july & august on cooling,the home is large & we like it cool,these are on back order & will take me about 6 weeks to have shipped out,i could not get any discounts on these items,these also come with a 10 year NDL gaurantee or a 20 year LDA gaurantee,i chose the 10 year,im figuring this system will pay for itself in about 8 years or less.
Ive had the purchasing agent at my company get quotes for the skylights we need to cut lighting costs,i purchased the Solar Sun Tube models that just look like a little round bubble on the roof then a reflective tube is connected to the bubble & leads direct to the ceiling,at the ceiling the tube is covered by a cover that resembles a regular light cover,these normally cost about $350 each & got them for less than $200 each,we bought 5 of these units for a total cost of a little less than $1,000 USD,these will be an easy DIY for me to accomplish & should arrive at my office within the next 2 weeks,this aspect of our solar investment may never repay itself because its only replacing 5 regular 24 watt cfl bulbs but it will add beauty & possibly small value to our home so its a worthy expense from our stand point.
The solar hot water heater is still being debated,mainly over which model/manufacturer we will end up going with,once we pick a manufacturer & model i'll post what we've decided but from the models i have to pick from that meet our needs it looks like i'll need to spend between $3,000 to $5,000 on the hot water heating system for a top of the line unit.
Ive also purchased a few other DIY solar devices to cut costs even more,we have new solar yard lighting on the way,as well as all new solar security lights for the barn,house & garage,ive got a total of $1,100 spent on these systems which are being shipped in as well,were looking at between 4 to 5 years for these systems to pay for themselves.
Ive spent a little over $3,000 so far & once i get the solar package along with the Solar hot water heating system locked in my estimate is very close $15,000 USD,then allowing myself another $2,000 in expenses for misc my total expense will be very close to $17,000,this will give me a 2,000 watt grid tie system,total solar hot water supply,total solar yard & security lighting,total solar ventilation as well as 5 full time solar light sources from the sky lights.
This isnt going to supply all our needs but an investiment under $20,000 on my part seems very good to us & should be able to repay itself in total in 10 to 20 years.
If anybody see's any flaws in my plan or any way i can increase savings please post your thoughts,im trying very hard to get this rolling & ready for a late spring install,i still have a few weeks before i order the Power-Save 2,000 watt system,hopefully by then i'll have recieved all the info i have requested from the hot water heater manufacturers & have made a decision by then & can make both purchases at the same time.