The Gaia House: SOLAR, ENERGY USE. ecology
SOLAR, ENERGY USE
SOLAR:
The Solar Home Planbook (3rd ed.), Northeast Utilities, 1994. Available from Northeast Utilities (NU), 107 Selden Street, Berlin, CT 06037; Phone: (860) 665-2924. 58 pp., free to NU customers; all others $4.95. This planbook provides descriptions and floor plans for eight energy-efficient traditional-style houses, including energy calculations. Ordering information for construction plans are provided.
American Solar Energy Society (ASES)
2400 Central Avenue, Suite G-1, Boulder, CO 80301
Phone: (303) 443-3130, Fax: (303) 443-3212
Email: ases@ases.org
World Wide Web: www.ases.org
The demand for solar panels across the country has been increasing at more than 20 percent per year for the past four years, according to the DOE. During that period, the cost of solar technology has plunged nearly 50 percent, thanks to manufacturing innovations that make more mainstream applications possible.
. . Home Depot, for instance. That company's test-marketing of AstroPower solar products.
http://www.astropower.com/residential_systems.htm
Many of the new low-emissivity (low-e) coatings reduce heat loss and gain, but for south windows, you do *not want glass that keeps out the solar heat. She recommends south glass that has a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of at least 0.5. In warmer climates, with properly designed south overhangs, uncoated double-pane glass is preferred.
. . See the Web site www.susdesign.com/overhang/index.html to help you design overhangs properly.
See Holigan.com solar #8303
. . An owner-installed solar water heater can cost as little as $700. The energy required to heat domestic hot water in multifamily buildings can be cut by 11% just by installing a simple, off-the-shelf device: the aquastat.
ENERGY USE:
REFRIGERATION:
. . http://www.sunfrost.com/
. . The SUN FROST RF-16 12 volt DC model consumes 20 KWH per month, or an average of 53 amp hours per day. By contrast, conventional refrigerators typically consume about 110 KWH per month or 305 amp hours per day.
. . During the summer, a typical refrigerator adds as much heat to your kitchen as a 1000 watt heater running five hours per day!
. . The energy needed by your air conditioner to remove this excess heat will be about half the energy consumed by your refrigerator. Increasing the cost of running your refrigerator by an additional 50%.
. . The Sun Frost RF16 is an extremely efficient full-size refrigerator. It has two independent cooling systems and temperature controls. In fact, one compartment may be left running while the other is shut off.
. . 19 Cu. Ft. RF19
. . Half Refrigerator / HalfFreezer
. . @70 degrees: 62 amp hrs .77 Kwhrs /day
. . @90: 82 amp hrs 1.03 Kwhrs
A typical new refrigerator with automatic defrost and a top-mounted freezer uses less than 500 kWh per year, whereas a typical model sold in 1973 used over 1,800 kWh per year.
http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topfridge.htm
Top Freezer, Automatic Defrost, less than 18 Cubic Feet
. . . Volume .Energy Use (kWh/yr) . Annual EnergyCost ($)*
. Sun Frost . . . . RF-16 . . . . 14.31 . 254 . . $21
Whirlpool ET5WSE*K*0 . . 14.54 . 372 . . $31
Home wind plant costs range from around $1,500 for a 1,000-watt rated wind plant to more than $20,000 for a 10-kw rated turbine. The higher-wattage plants, with their large-diameter, low-rotation-per-minute rotors, are designed to capture energy from low wind speeds. The less expensive models are usually high-speed, small-diameter rotors on lightweight units.
. . A small, 1,000-watt wind plant system on a 100-foot tower without batteries will cost from $5,000 to $12,000. With 12-mph average winds, it will produce about 2,400 kilowatt-hours per year. A large 10-kw system will cost $28,000 to $35,000 installed, and will produce 10,000 to 18,000 kwh per year. At current electric rates, these systems would have a simple payback period of 10 to 20 years in most areas. Government incentives can cut those costs by 50 percent or more. And if you are selling power back to the utility and electric rates increase (no one thinks they won't), then the economics of wind power become even better.
1.5 ACH at 50 Pascals (Pa.) at the first diagnostic test. All were readily tightened to under 1 ACH at 50 Pa. Ventilation was designed to operate at approximately 0.27 ACH continuously.
Thermal Wall Calculator
. . The total time to input the building description into the Whole Wall Thermal Calculator is less than five minutes per wall system. By comparison, it would take more than one hour to do it by hand, assuming you could find all the necessary information.
Connect to the home page, www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/.
There are more than 150 million ceiling fans in the United States. In Florida alone, the best estimate is 30 million. Nobody knows how much electricity ceiling fans use, but in warm climates (like Florida) a home's ceiling fan energy use may equal that of its refrigerator. Most ceiling fans are paragons of inefficiency and poor design. Their motors are among the least efficient possible. Manufacturers get away with low efficiency because the fan itself cools the motor and carries away the waste heat.
The Gossamer Wind fan can save up to 50% in energy use over conventional ceiling fans.
GREAT DIY INFO SITES!: http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/directory/
. . www.diynet.com
. . http://www.doityourselfgranite.com/
. . WELL-DRILLING: http://www.deeprock.com
DRILL YOUR OWN WELL?
. . The rotary drill consists of an earth or rock cutting bit attached to a length of hollow drill stem. The drill stem and bit are rotated and water is pumped through the drill stem. The bit cuts into the earth and the water washes the cuttings out of the drill hole to the top of the ground. Additional sections of drill stem are screwed on as the bit goes deeper.
. . If you are drilling near an existing water system, you can frequently use water from the garden hose to drill. Otherwise, you will need access to 50 to 150 gallons of drilling water and a pump to re-circulate the water. You'll need 10 to 20 gallons per minute at 20 to 40 psi.
There are three basic bits to perform three basic functions:
. . PILOT HOLE: The Heavy Duty Earth Probe Bit is used in drilling earth, sand, clay, gravel and some softer rock formations. Unless you run into a layer of hard, solid rock, you should drill to the total depth of the well with your pilot hole bit.
. . CORING: The core bit is used in solid rock. (Do not use a core bit in earth, sand, clay, gravel, or broken rock). The tungsten carbide rock core bit is used in most sandstone, limestone, coral, granite and some lava rock formations that have favorable cutting characteristics.
. . REAMING: After the pilot hole is drilled to the total depth, the reamer bit is used to enlarge the hole for installing the screen and casing.
The two common types of Drilling Additives are Quick Gel and EZ Mud. Quick Gel is a finely powdered bentonite clay and EZ Mud is a liquid polymer. It is highly recommended that you always use these Drilling Additives.
We have Hydra drill packages that will drill to depths of 300 feet or 90 meters.
. . The smaller Hydra Drill packages will drill a 4 inch (100mm) bore-hole designed for 2 inch (50mm) well casing. The larger packages will drill up to an 8 inch (203mm) bore-hole for 6 inch casing. The "rule of thumb" is to drill a 2 inch larger diameter bore-hole than the diameter casing you plan to use.
An aquifer is a constant 63-65 degrees.
. . In many parts of the country, the cost of having just one well drilled costs more than the Hydra Drill! Remember, the Hydra Drill will drill many wells and the purchase cost can be spread over several wells or over several years. Even if one well is drilled, you still have the Hydra Drill to sell or rent to your neighbors. It is not unusual to recoup 65-75% of the purchase price on the used market.
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