Does anyone have experience with solar/geothermal powered homes in Rockland County or surrounding areas? (appliances)

[Sarah3910]

I plan on building a home in Rockland County within the next year and am looking into roof-integrated solar tiles and/or a geothermal system to help power the home. I am trying to get input from people who have had experience with any of these alternative energy resources in this region.

The house will be built 600+ feet from the main road and from what I've been able to find out, it will cost about 20K to run gas and electric lines to the home. I am thinking to skip gas altogether and have the home run solely on electricity with electric powered appliances, electric tankless water heater, radiant heat, and maybe central A/C (though I'm not a big fan of duct systems)...

While the cost of the alternative energy system will be high, I will be saving about 10K for not running a gas line, and if I go with the roof-integrated solar tiles, I will save on the traditional roofing for that section of the roof. Also, it seems half the cost of the system (at least for solar) will be given back in the form of federal, state, and utility company rebates. I was also planning on connecting to the electric power grid to sell back any ununsed electricity to the utility company using the net metering program.

The house will be a fairly large mother-daughter house, 4000+ square feet, on a 2-acre lot. Shading is minimal if I go with solar tiles, and if I go with a geothermal system, I'm hoping 2 acres is enough land to run it horizontally since vertical drilling is more expensive.

With all these factors taken into consideration, what is the cost effectiveness of each type of system? What is daily life like living in an alternative energy powered house? Is it unreasonable to have the entire house run solely on electricty, considering the increased cost to run electric-powered appliances (vs. gas-powered appliances)? Is there a way to have a ductless A/C system? These are just some of many questions I have.

Thanks!

[mbartosik]

I'll repeat it -- paraphrased
I know plenty about geothermal and solar tiles, more than most.
Why because I'm a HOME OWNER (not a contractor) who has both installed.
I'm also a member of Renewable Energy Long Island (a non profit) and help people get these types of system installed. I do not make a penny from this (that is helping others / providing advice). The only thing I "make money" from is not having to pay for electric or heating my home, and I'd like to spread the word.

Look here and you'll see the solar tiles being installed:
netzeroenergy.org

The tiles are by openenergycorp.com it was installed by people at sunrise-energy.com
The solar install went great I couldn't be happier with it.
The geothermal is a longer story, geothermal is even better for new construction (mine was retrofit - which is harder).
Between the solar power and the geothermal heating/cooling I have zero electric bill, and no gas or oil either.

Sorry if offering advice help or contact details appears like a solicitation. What else is a forum for?

So my contact details are available via netzeroenergy.org
or email mark at net zero energy .org



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First concentrate on good house design.

That means...
a) Do not build larger than your needs. At 4500 sq ft I guess that you have a large family. Building the right size (just big enough and no bigger) is the single largest energy saver! If you have several children, then how long will it be until they start leaving?

b) Air sealing and insulation is the next biggest energy saving. I like Icynene for new construction (I have a little in my retrofit). I was at an energy saving conference today and happened to meet the local Icynene rep and got his business card. This product air seals and insulates.

c) Read www.buildingscience.com
You will find that thermal bridging is another major energy leak. The walls should be 24" on center staggered studs. The inner studs are offset 12" from the outer studs.

Icycene is probably too expensive to fill a wall with, but spraying a layer before insulating with recycled denim bats would be a good system.

d) Windows -- www.Alpeneg.com
Forget about Anderson and Pella these are absolutely the best. AlpenEG are so far ahead of Anderson and Pella and any others out there it is like comparing chalk and cheese. I used AlpenEG (mention my name if you speak to Dave or Robert there, I was a difficult customer and it would be nice for them to know it was worth it). By best I mean the insulation value is about twice as good as the best Anderson or Pellas. Not only did I research this, I measured it after they were installed (I'm an engineer). Everyone will tell you their windows are the best. Believe me I seriously researched this www.AlpenEg.com is the place to go for the best in terms of energy saving.

e) design.
Read about passive house (and look up the german spelling too - Passivhaus).
You want large south facing glassed areas with large overhangs (like a cap keeps the sun out of your eyes in summer). When the sun is low in winter you get free solar heating through your windows.

Maybe a green architect?

d) roof
Make the roof larger on the south side so there is plenty of room for solar. To do this you can make the south side shallower and larger area and the north side steeper and smaller area.

[norag888]

Hi Sarah,I live in Rockland and am one of one 3 homes that have geothermal and we have it run with radiant heat. It is a great technology and would more than recommend it. Feel free to contact me to further discuss. norag888@aol.comThanksNora

[Krisps]

Anyone have experience with the open loop type of geothermal system? I have considered using my existing well water and then dumping it into a creek which is near the house. I am just not sure about the effect of the water on the heat exchanger, I hear mixed answers. My water is hard, mainly iron.

[Sarah3910]

mbartosik and norag888, I'm so glad I found two people in the area with experience with both solar and geothermal systems! I will definitely be in touch (if you don't mind) closer to when we plan on building (still trying to get approvals to build on the land). For now though, I am curious as to how cool a geothermal system gets your homes in the summer. I have read that a geothermal cooling system will keep your home "comfortable," but not sure what that means exactly. I am really finicky about temperature. Do your homes stay as cool as homes with central air? What temperatures do you keep your homes at during the summer and winter months?


Krisps, the following excerpt is from Alliant Energy Geothermal

"Water quality is an important issue with open-loop systems. Mineral deposits can build up inside the heat exchanger, iron and other impurities can clog a return well, and organic matter from ponds and lakes can quickly damage a geothermal system. Water should be tested for acidity, mineral content and corrosiveness."

I don't know if that helps at all.

Please let me know what you decide to do. The land I am hoping to build on has an old well (from the 1800's) but it is too small to provide enough water for the house we plan to build. If I could use it for an open loop system, at least it would have some purpose. There is also a creek about 500 ft away that the water could empty into, although technically not on our land.

Actually... now that I'm reading about it, it seems, in my case at least, that a closed loop system would be preferable... better for the environment (no runoff), less maintenance, and no risk of running out of water...