The elegantly and minimally designed home of Ian and Zofia Weiss is heated nearly entirely from the sun.

Photo courtesy of locative DRD

What defines a home? The materials it is made out of, or the human experiences that happen there?

For Ian Weiss and Zofia Weiss, a home is a combination of both. In 2008, the husband of wife team, founders of locative Design Research Development, started on a journey to build a new home and office for themselves that would combine two different, but not antagonistic ideas:

• The Rational House – Designed and built to efficiently endure Maine’s climate for the next century
• The Emotional House – Designed to serve socialization between people and interaction with place

They write:

An energy-efficient house appeals to a person’s rational side. It does more with less. It requires less energy, thereby reducing the burden on the owner of securing, paying for, and shouldering the consequences of that supply … Working among the various ideas surrounding sustainable architecture, we came to the conclusion that energy use should be the primary measure of whether a house is “green” or not … An energy-efficient house’s savings over its lifespan CAN outweigh all other choices a person makes regarding energy use.

Yet, a home is more than the sum of its parts:

The architecture facilitates a way to sit and read, to observe the outdoors beyond, to enjoy the sun … The Emotional house concept as we perceived it … was built on favorite moments in houses and apartments we lived in, exciting features we came across in houses of friends we visited. It was the settings of our most emotional memories, indoors and out, the places that served as the backdrops and stage sets for the actions of people. It was angles of sunlight in the morning and afternoon, the warmth of a kitchen.

Solar Heating as a Solution

“Our primary goal was to build a new house of our own design that did not rely on fossil fuels,” writes Ian Weiss. “It became obvious early on that a super-insulated house would require only a small heat source, which opened the door for employing solar hot water for space heating as well as domestic hot water. The combination of solar hot water with in-floor radiant heat was a perfect fit that would provide the majority of our heating.”

The keys to a successful solar space heating system are a super-insulated building envelope, excellent southern exposure, and low temperature distribution (i.e. radiant floors vs. radiators). The Weiss’ included all of these aspects in their design, with R values of 50-58 throughout the structure and a perfect southern orientation on their home (which also helps with the Emotional side of the house – providing ample sunlit areas to work and live during the day).

Due to the high insulation value, the heating needs of the space are low, which means that solar thermal is viable as the home’s primary source of heat. In deep winter, when the sun is at its weakest and the heating needs are at their highest, the energy gap is made up with seamless electrical backup, as well as locally harvested wood.

The Weiss’ created this useful graph for understanding this energy gap when compared to a conventional home:

Solar Space Heating Design

The great part about solar hot water space heating is that the same system provides all of the home’s domestic hot water.

The system we designed and installed consists of a 120 evacuated tube hot water array tied into two solar hot water storage tanks. When the temperature at the collectors is hotter than the tank, the pump begins to circulate a non-toxic food-grade antifreeze solution through the collectors and into the heat exchange coils in the storage tanks.

Should there not be enough sun to heat the domestic tank to its set point, the integrated electric element turns on and provides automatic backup.

The Experience

“The installation was simple because our project was new construction,” says Ian. “The design phase went smoothly with ReVision trusting us to handle energy modeling and to determine a design load we were comfortable with. Easier than expected? Yes.”

Now he and his wife are living in the home and starting to enjoy the more emotional parts of the experience:

When the sun shined, our solar array made hot water, even when it was 15 degrees Fahrenheit outside. We were thrilled to be so warm. Yet, the Rational House’s performance in the winter conditions told half the story of our satisfaction with it. The Emotional House was the one we really lived in, wrapped inside an energy-efficient super-insulated rational shell.

Learn more from their profile of the 57 Union St, Belfast home, or see Locative DRD’s website.

From our Residential Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

On average a domestic solar hot water system will save an oil-burning household 300 gallons of heating oil each year.

Dick and Nancy Crowley were interested in why their current system did not seem to be producing adequate hot water for more than a couple showers per day.

After looking at historical fuel usage, we found that the boiler’s high mass combined with its inefficient tank-less coil meant a summertime efficiency of roughly 8 percent!

Using the Sun to Shut the Boiler Down

ReVision Energy’s experience installing solar hot water systems to replace the tank-less coil configuration has shown that the majority of the oil burned throughout the summer simply goes up the flue, or heats the basement.

In the Crowley’s case this meant that for every gallon of oil used to heat water for showering and dishwashing, roughly 12.5 gallons were lost to boiler standby.

ReVision custom-designed a solar hot water system using an Apricus 40-tube collector for primary domestic water heating, with an electric element for backup on cloudy days.

Let the Sunshine Spill!

On a good sunny day the solar collector harvests enough energy to raise the tank by about 67 degrees. The boiler now sleeps through the summer months, and is only called to heat the house – its intended function. Dick commented after the ReVision crew had completed and commissioned the system- “I’ve never taken a hotter shower than I do now!”

From our Residential Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

As they prepared for a move into a new home in Exeter, Eric and Cammie Savage considered a lifetime of energy costs associated with a home in New Hampshire’s climate.

A typical oil boiler needs 200 – 300 gallons of heating oil just to make hot water all summer.

As a result, it sends about 6,200 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, and between $600 to $1000 out the window. Typical electrical bills account for another $1500 and 10,000 pounds of CO2 annually.

The Savages asked ReVision Energy to collaborate with their construction team, including local green builder Chinburg Builders to integrate both solar hot water (SHW) and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems into the project. The closed-loop solar hot water heater is actually backed up by an electric element, which benefits from the energy generated by the solar electric. In the summer months, the 3.0 kilowatt PV array will produce enough electricity to send a surplus back into the utility grid for a net metering credit.

State and federal incentives for renewable energy contributed roughly 49% of the costs of the systems.

“The bottom line is, even without incentives, the solar hot water and PV systems cost less in the long-run (about 15 years) than using fossil-based energy” says NH Branch manager and technician Will Kessler, “It’s a pretty simple and environmentally sound decision.”

ReVision Energy wishes the Savages well in their new home!

This photovoltaic array will offset roughly 3,473 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually.

Joe Persechino had wanted to invest in solar energy for years, but the economics were challenging due to system costs and a lack of incentives in northern New England.

Things changed in July 2009 when the NHPUC introduced a $6,000 solar rebate for homeowners to complement the existing 30% federal tax credit. In response to the incentives, Joe contacted ReVision Energy in late 2009 and recently had us install a 3.2 kilowatt grid-tied photovoltaic system on his home.

When it was all said and done, the system benefited from about $10,000 in federal and state incentives. Joe’s system will generate roughly 4,300 kilowatt hours of clean electricity per year, or about 70% of the household’s total electric demand. This system will also eliminate more than 5,700 lbs. of CO2 emissions per year.

From an investment standpoint, Joe will achieve simple payback in less than 10 years, assuming today’s electricity rates, which are set to increase as Maine and NH ratepayers will be paying for CMP’s recently approved $1.4 billion transmission upgrade project for years to come (in fact, this is already happening – on June 1, Bangor Hydro announced an immediate 4% rate hike).

The great news is that the solar electric panels come with a 25-year warranty and 40-year expected useful lifespan. This means that Joe has effectively locked in his own clean power rate for the next four decades, thereby deriving both economic and environmental benefits that are unobtainable through any other investment strategy available in the world today.

In addition to the high quality system installation, Joe appreciated the extensive paperwork assistance provided by Jen Hatch and Will Kessler of ReVision Energy – two people who know more about NH’s rebate applications than just about anyone. According to local building inspector Dan Vincent, this was the first photovoltaic system installed in Newmarket.

“We are now proud and happy owners of a sun powered electrical plant right in our own home!” Persechino said, “I would recommend Revision Energy to anyone. In fact my wife’s parents are having a PV system installed at their house.”

From our Residential Solar Photo Gallery:

For more installations, see our Solar Projects Map

As of Earth Day 2010, New Hampshire now offers a state solar hot water rebate program, which averages $1,500 for a typical residential solar hot water system.

This program is comparable to Maine’s existing $1,500 rebate – now it doesn’t matter which side of the mighty Piscataqua you’re on – renewable energy makes more sense than ever!

How the Rebate Works

The rebate is on a sliding scale based on BTU output of the system under peak solar conditions. The average rebate of $1,500 is for a typical family of four – larger systems qualify for up to $1,650 towards a system.

A few piece of fine print – the rebate can only be used for a primary residence in New Hampshire and can only be used for retrofits (no new homes – however, solar hot water for a new home is still a great investment because of the incredible life of the energy efficiency upgrades).

What Does a System Cost?

This new state rebate is in addition to a 30% uncapped federal tax credit. The net system budget for a typical 4-person household looks like this:

$11,000 gross installed cost
-($3,300) fed tax credit
-($1,500) state rebate
$6,200 net investment

Here are estimated payback periods for a 4-person system at different prices for heating oil:

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Compared to electric water heating, a solar hot water system will save roughly 3,540 lbs of C02 from entering the atmosphere each year.

Get Started

Curious whether solar hot water is a good match for your New Hampshire home? ReVision is happy to offer a free solar site evaluation is the first step towards securing the state rebate.

In addition to answering any of your questions about solar, we review your home and site and help determine where a solar energy system would fit in. Several pieces of site data are required to qualify for the state rebate and we’ll collect all of those while we’re at your home.

Contact us or call our New Hampshire office (603) 501-1822 for more information.

Meg Simone and Dave Eiermann contacted ReVision Energy to collaborate on their new construction – a home that was to incorporate sustainable material sources, and designed for high efficiency despite the harsh winters of the White Mountains.

The 30-tube Apricus evacuated tube array provides Dave and Meg with 80% of their hot water annually and, by reducing fossil-fuel usage, cuts CO2 emission by about 4,000 lbs.

You can visit their blog for information on sustainable living and their projects, with a focus on original and local woodwork.

From our Residential Solar Photo Gallery:

Return to Solar Projects Map

The GO Home in Belfast, Maine is slated to be the first “Passive House” in Maine. ReVision designed and installed the solar electric and solar hot water systems.

Come see the new super-efficient GO Home — at a Talk-and-Tour at the Belfast Free Library on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 7 p.m.

On track to become the first Passive House certified home in Maine, The GO Home is the affordable and super-energy efficient model for the 36-home Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage slated to begin construction in the Spring of 2010.

Why Build A Passive House?

The GO Home is designed to solve the problems of energy consumption and greenhouse gases resulting from poorly built, drafty homes, which are increasingly more costly to heat and hazardous to the environment.

Among the energy efficient building elements of this remarkable home are triple glazed windows, doors with three air seals, foundation insulation and comprehensive air sealing – including sealing underneath the foundation and on the building envelope.

To offset what energy the GO Home does consume, GO Logic called in ReVision Energy to install solar electric and solar hot water systems. The solar electric system consists of 2.7KW of Canadian Solar panels, which will offset roughly 4,900 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually. The 60-tube Apricus solar hot water array is sized to meet the needs of a family of four, and will produce an estimated 14,200,000 BTUs of clean, renewable heat energy annually.

So far, we have received a report that in March the prototype has produced more energy than it has used. According to CMP we used 137KWH, and made 184KWH, with a surplus of 47KWH!

This Thursday’s event will feature an unveiling and discussion of The GO Home at the Belfast Free Library followed by a preview Tour at 83 Crocker Road, Belfast, on Saturday, April 10 at 11 a.m.

For more information, please contact Matt O’Malia or Alan Gibson at (207) 338-1566 or visit their website: www.gologichomes.com. To track construction and development on The GO Home, visit the prototype blog at: http://www.gologichomes.com/blog/category/prototype/.

What is a Passive House?

Similar to the LEED program, a Passive House (also known as the German “Passivhaus”) meets very strict requirements for building efficiency and performance, specifically regarding insulation values and energy consumption requirements.

More details of these requirements on the Passive House website.

April is here and the ample sun shining down is a great reminder that solar season is upon us!  Our solar hot water meter reads a toasty 147 degrees, reminding us that from now until September there will be little shortage of guilt-free hot water.

@SolarFred, AKA Tor Valenza, is kick-starting the solar industry by declaring that April is Solar Quote Month, and ReVision is here to support the effort.

If you aren’t in the process of getting a quote or installing a system, we encourage you to make April the month you choose to get started.

Here are three reasons why you should contact ReVision for a FREE solar evaluation (or have us refresh an existing quote!):

1. All Time Low Costs for Solar Tech – As we reported in January, costs for solar panels are at an all time low, which puts solar in the grasp of many more people.  If you’ve had us quote you a system a year or more ago, contact us again for a refreshed quote, you may be surprised at how much more affordable it is!
2. Great incentives are here – Federal tax credits and outstanding state rebates make it almost a no-brainer to go solar.  For both solar hot water and solar electric, you can expect an average $3,000 rebate from the federal government.  In Maine, additional incentives range from $1,000 (hot water) to $1,500 (PV).  In New Hampshire there is a $6,000 tax credit for PV, and up to $1,500 for hot water depending on where you live (contact us for details).  And last but not least, Sunpower is offering an additional $1,500 rebate of their own, valid only for the month of April!
3. The time is right! While incentives make solar financially viable for many more people, ultimately you’re investing in a better future for our planet.  We were staggered to realize that the last decade was the hottest on record, which reminds us how imperative it is that we change our relationship to energy NOW.

It’s never been a better time to invest in solar, and what better time than the present to get started?  You can be enjoying free hot water from the sun or offsetting your energy usage by the end of the summer!