A few years ago, when we were replacing our aging and faulty heating system in our home, we decided to spend a bit more for a heating unit that was more efficient than others but it is also one that could “easily” be connected to solar panels, should we decide to that route. For the past six months, the “solar panel energy collection” idea has been percolating on our minds. We’ve been consulting with one regional organization that provides a “neighbor to neighbor” co-operative element — folks help folks with their projects, and then the cost of installation gets reduced. It’s a great concept.
But we have come to be a little wary of the group. They have blown off meetings, leaving us hanging around waiting for hours. The quotes we received were not for the kind of system we wanted. When we chat on the phone, we are not even confident they have our files in front of them. A friend with some inside knowledge of their work on one particular site questioned the quality of the installation and the claims they had made to the homeowner. We also are not all that confident that the payback over time is what they promise.
So, we tried another route.
Yesterday, we chatted with a plumber we’ve worked with over the years, and he also does solar installations. (He also installed our heating system, so he knows it inside and out). He was surprisingly and refreshingly frank about the situation, telling us that it makes no sense right now to use solar for the home heating system but it might make sense to consider the hot water system, with a lot of caveats about savings and water use and more. He’s going to draw up some estimates for us, but … we seem to be leaning away from solar right now. It’s not often you get a plumber being so honest, and risking losing a job. I respect that in him.
To be blunt: while we want to do our part as a family to cut down on energy consumption, we want to do things primarily to save money.
We don’t have the kind of disposable income (three kids, the oldest moving into high school, college costs around the corner) to invest in things that don’t have a tangible cost savings, no matter how good it would make our “green” side feel. We feel sort of sad about this latest direction of the solar idea, though, since we did have this vision of our house with solar panels and being more self-sufficient. Maybe more tax breaks and incentives down the road will make such a project doable. Maybe not.
For now, our energies are going into more traditional upgrades of the home. The solar panels can wait.
Peace (in the sun),
Kevin
How sad, but what a true reflection. I had a solar hot water system for more than 20 years, then we took it down to sell our house…nobody wanted it…yet we rarely used our back-up electric water heater for more than 20 years! It can be done, but it is no longer cost efficient – or even “cool”.
My husband was an energy auditor early in our marriage. I have always wanted to heat with solar and he has repeatedly told me that it is not cost effective, yet. Like you, we never had enough money to just throw at because it was the right thing to do. There had to be a financial savings as well. We moved from an SUV to a small car because it was a win, win but the heating system has yet to be that way. Instead we added another layer of insulation in the attic, replaced doors and some windows, and put in a new boiler (which cut our oil consumption in half)! If you live in the Northeast, oil is a way of life. All we can do right now…is use as little as possible.
We were lucky – we got solar panels last year. It ends up generating about 50% of our electricity. It was expensive up front, but there were some good incentives in place that made it worth our while (at least we hope so!). Looks like about a 5 year return on investment for us.
But my boys are both still little, so there’s no college on the horizon!
I feel that love-hate relationship your having with going green. I so get it. The hassle can make you crazy! I feel like that with technology sometimes. It seems like you’ve taken a smart route. You’re ready for it, but it just doesn’t make sense right now. Good thinking!
Thanks for your honesty. I, too, believe in going green, but man, it sure hits the wallet at times. We used cloth diapers with my little girl, and I know it saved so much waste (literally and figuratively) in the landfill, but man, it was a lot of work.
Kudos to you for doing your part!
I love your post and the thought process you show. I believe in doing what you can. We don’t have a lot, or any, disposable income so we make small changes like trying to get our house to be more efficient. Right now we are working on replacing doors and windows as we are able. Good luck with your project!
I wish you had more incentives or found a company that was working with the government in order to attract them. It’s too bad you weren’t able to work it out. The issue continues to be that most of us cannot afford the outlay of money that some ‘greener’ products ask for. Thanks for explaining some of the process. I didn’t know there were furnaces more friendly to solar hookups than others.