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When we say “electrify everything,” we envision a house that transitions to using electricity as their primary source for most appliances, with the goal of reducing dependence on fossil fuels. We don’t set a timeline for this; some people (like Dana and Paula Ward, featured last month) will transition over time, adding solar first and then slowly transitioning their heating system.
Francis and Karen Maineri, in New Hampton, NH, chose the opposite approach, going for the all-electric household in one comprehensive transition. In the summer of 2020 the Maineris looked into switching to solar energy. At the time they were relying heavily on gas and propane; they had a gas dryer, propane heater, gas stove, and a gas generator for when the power goes out, which it does a few times every winter.
“Mostly we wanted to get away from dependence on fossil fuels,” says Karen Maineri. “We wanted energy that was a lot cleaner.”
They interviewed three different solar companies that summer, looking for a company that would do the installation “soup to nuts.” ReVision’s Solar Design Specialist Greg d’Hemecourt explained the entire process and designed a 9.5 kilowatt ground mount solar system for their yard, air source heat pumps for heating and cooling, a heat pump water heater, and a Tesla Powerwall for battery storage.
“It’s kind of a scary process,” said Karen, “You don’t know a lot about it, and you don’t know what questions to ask in the beginning. Greg made it all very easy.” After Greg designed the systems, the installation teams took over, also working closely with the Maineris to keep them informed throughout the various installations.
“They explained everything that they were doing. From the electricians to the crew hanging the panels on the array, digging the trench, everything, it was all wonderful,” said Karen. “And we like that [ReVision’s] an employee-owned company!”
No More Painful, Loud Generator
Because the Maineris were relying so heavily on the portable gasoline generator, they knew they wanted battery backup storage to go with their solar.
“The generator was a real pain,” Francis said, describing the process of going out to the garage in a snowstorm, disconnecting the electric panel and firing up the generator. Now, with a Tesla Powerwall, they don’t even notice when the grid goes down. They lost power three times this past winter, but only realized it when they heard the neighbor’s generator start running.
“It’s just a real peace of mind having it,” says Karen.
Heating and Cooling with the Sun
In addition to switching to a heat pump water heater for their domestic hot water needs, the Maineris also installed air source heat pumps for heating and cooling. Although they still have the propane central heating system as a backup, they mostly rely on the heat pumps and a pellet stove for warmth in the winter, even during this winter’s record-breaking cold snap.
And the best part? Sleeping in cool bedrooms in the summer! Living in a log cabin without an attic, the upstairs rooms used to get hot in the summer.
“Prior to this we never had any AC, we just used window fans. It’s so nice to go upstairs and have it not be 85 degrees.” They are considering adding another heat pump to the other upstairs room, and because they’ve been monitoring their solar production and consumption, they know it would be covered by their current solar array.
“I’ve been tracking costs through the Eversource bills we get every month,” says Francis. “I’m unbelievably pleased by always having a negative amount. I knew we would be using more from the grid during the winter months but the negative balance was never challenged; we still had credits in March and April. I’m really happy with the way that has worked out.”
In 2022, their first year with solar, they generated 12.75 MW of clean solar power. This offsets 19,920 pounds of carbon emissions, the equivalent to 23,000 miles driven by a gas-powered car.
“We’re really happy with everything,” said Karen. “We feel that we’re now doing our part to contribute to reducing fossil fuels, because we’re feeding solar power back to the grid.”
