Alternative energy for my home.

1 Posts
Jun 11, 2008 02:54 pm
Alternative energy for my home.

Hello all

I live in northen Michigan.  Ben heating the home with wood about 98 % for the last two years.  And now that it has payed for its self.  I'd like to get into a some type of solar panels to run my well pump and some type of solar water heater.  I done a little reading on this web sight.  It looks like the ave. for sun light here is about 4.0  We get temp's from about -10 in the winter to 95 in the summer. We do get a bit of snow here and how does that efect effecttem to work in the winter.  Thanks.

Newbee

LeMay
« Last Edit: Jun 11, 2008 02:56 pm by James LeMay »
 
462 Posts
Jun 12, 2008 11:56 am
Re: Alternative energy for my home.

James, why not incorporate your wood stove to produce hot water. Use solar during the day and the stove at night. Solar hot water panels will still produce in the winter. You just don't get as much sun hours due to the shorter days as you mention. 
 
2 Posts
Jun 16, 2008 11:38 am
Re: Alternative energy for my home.

Those are both good ideas, but wouldn't a wind turbine generator be a better option due to the limited solar exposure?  I know I'm talking electricity vs hot water, but I wonder if that wouldn't provide a better bang for your buck since you are watching your return on investment?  Just a thought...  Good Luck!

________________________________________________________
Sustainable Modern Homesteading - http://www.lifeunplugged.net
 
1 Posts
Jul 3, 2008 02:22 am
Global worming

Actually, It’s not wondered about global worming.It is results of our previous works. Now We must get a real decision against that.   

.......................

Malshi,

http://www.goinggreenbuzz.com
 
6 Posts
Jul 10, 2008 06:10 pm
Re: Alternative energy for my home.

Mr. LeMay, Do you have an attic and typical pitched roof?  In 1984, in Wash. state I created a passive heating system in Burlington, located 60 miles south of the Canadian border.  My system has produced 90 % of all heating for a building 95' X 55' and 3 stories tall.  The original "solar" heating unit cost nothing.  The attic space is the solar unit.  I used a remote sensor located a distance of 30" from the peak inside a 4 in 12 pitched comp black roof.  I had installed a "Hot-Water" furnace on the first floor with a used hot-water radiator inside the typical squirrel cage fan system.  I installed a 8" duct pipe into the top of the return air duct to squirrel cage vertical duct pipe.  This pipe simply followed the roof pitch to inside next to the sensor unit. The first time this "complicated" system produced 65 degree heat occurred on Dec 23, 1984.  My building temperate was 66 deg. from the gas boilers system. I was sweeping the first floor and the boiler system was turned off. I heard the fan system start and entered the boiler room to turn the remote sensor above 65 to see if the fan would stop.  It stopped at 67 degree's and came back on at 65 deg. Guess what was happening outside?  I went outside at 2 PM and it was snowing and 28 degrees.  Three inches of snow had accumulated on the roof surface.  This system has operated for 24 years and the average natural gas bill has been $6 per month.  Does this help you?  I built 4 more projects from Bellingham to Vancouver WA.  In Van. I added "Passive" air-conditioning to the solar heating system.  The system was built to operate with no input from any person.  This system has operated since 1988 with no repairs or changes.  The building is 74 x 144 x 2 stories.  The inside temperature is "automatically" kept at 68 degree.  The system I designed automatically changes at night to cool the building to the desired temperature and if heat is need it is automatically adjusted to +/- five degree from 68 static,  The average natural gas cost for the complete building was $500 a year or $1.37 per day.  Does this help you with your problem?  This system requires an attic to create the cool/hot air system to work.  An added bonus with this final design was the "automatic" air conditioning aspect when needed with no adjustment to the thermostat set at 65 degree.  The air conditioning system was totally "automatic" with no input by manager. 
 
1 Posts
Jul 12, 2008 10:18 am
Re: Alternative energy for my home.

Mr. Jordan,
Thanks for the intriguing ideas.  I have little basis to follow the details of your post though I am interested in taking the first step to get independent to the degree possible in the metro Twin Cities (MN). 
What exactly is the energy conversion from the heat in the attic to the heat/cool in the home?  How is the heat captured?  Then transferred/moved or converted?  I'm missing something very basic here.
I DO know that it's been very warm on the top floor of our home this week so I know there's some serious heat in the attic.
Thanks for taking the time for an uninformed newbie.
Dan Barrett
 
6 Posts
Jul 14, 2008 06:47 pm
Re: Alternative energy for my home.

Dan Barrett,  Do you have an attic and typical pitched roof?  In 1984, in Wash. state I created a passive heating system in Burlington, located 60 miles south of the Canadian border.  My system has produced 90 % of all heating for a building 95' X 55' and 3 stories tall.  The original "solar" heating unit cost nothing.  The attic space is the solar unit.  I used a remote sensor located a distance of 30" from the peak inside a 4 in 12 pitched comp black roof.  I had installed a "Hot-Water" furnace on the first floor with a used hot-water radiator inside the typical squirrel cage fan system.  I installed a 8" duct pipe into the top of the return air duct to squirrel cage vertical duct pipe.  This pipe simply followed the roof pitch to inside next to the sensor unit. The first time this "complicated" system produced 65 degree heat occurred on Dec 23, 1984.  My building temperate was 66 deg. from the gas boilers system. I was sweeping the first floor and the boiler system was turned off. I heard the fan system start and entered the boiler room to turn the remote sensor above 65 to see if the fan would stop.  It stopped at 67 degree's and came back on at 65 deg. Guess what was happening outside?  I went outside at 2 PM and it was snowing and 28 degrees.  Three inches of snow had accumulated on the roof surface.  This system has operated for 24 years and the average natural gas bill has been $6 per month.  Does this help you?  I built 4 more projects from Bellingham to Vancouver WA.  In Van. I added "Passive" air-conditioning to the solar heating system.  The system was built to operate with no input from any person.  This system has operated since 1988 with no repairs or changes.  The building is 74 x 144 x 2 stories.  The inside temperature is "automatically" kept at 68 degree.  The system I designed automatically changes at night to cool the building to the desired temperature and if heat is need it is automatically adjusted to +/- five degree from 68 static Temperature.  The average natural gas cost for the complete building was $500 a year or $1.37 per day.  Does this help you with your problem?  This system requires an attic to create the cool/hot air system to work.  An added bonus with this final design was the "automatic" air conditioning aspect when needed with no adjustment to the thermostat set at 65 degree.  The air conditioning system was totally "automatic" with no input by manager.
    I will be glad to send you the concept, costs associated with my projects in Mount Vernon and Vancouver WA.  I will send pictures and design drawings if you "Actually" want to create a system.  My first system in 1984, in Burlington cost less then $100 to heat a building 95' long and 55' wide and 3-stories in height.  The actual cost to heat for the 24 years average's $1.00 per day.  The cost of the project I created, designed and built in Vancouver WA. in 1989 was the first and only project where I created an automatic "heating/Cooling" passive solar system.  This building was 142' long x 74' wide and two-stories tall.  In this project I created a "Super Solar Heating and automatic solar cooling" system that required no input from the management.  It has been in operation for 19 years with no adjustment or changes. 
EXPENSE'S FROM --7-1-90 TO 3/30/90 CLARK COUNTY PROJECT-4/24/90         
      Costs AS OF operations 4/20/909 ( 11 months operation costs)               
               
POWER                           $998
NATURAL GAS(HEAT)           $563    
TELEPHONE                   $572           
ADVERTISING                   $2,730                                      
WATER/SEWER/GARBAGE   $192    
ELEVATOR MAINT.           $1,134    
INSURANCE                   $2,647       
REAL EST. TAXES           $3,496    
MANAGERS SALARY/TAX   $9,255    
BOOKEEPING/ACCT./LEGAL   $1,725    
OFFICE SUPPLIES           $1,399    
REPAIRS/MAINT.           $1,505    
ADMIN. MAN 4%           $1,919          
INTEREST EXPENSE           $8897.49            
      UNITS   189   NET SQ. FT.   12590

Mount Vernon---- Mini located in Mount Vernon Wash-89/90
INCOME   --------$47,729--Net--$2,444 per month    

Monthly costs/1989/90      
$26,880    Expenses FOR 1 YEAR PRIOR to 9-30-90      
$118,765    Income-1990  Initial investment-$65460-Rate of Ret--78.16%
                
VENDORS   89/90   Daily %
      
Puget   1996   $5.47
Vendor-------Yearly-Daily       
Cascade Gas   411      $1.13       
Contel Phone   624      $1.71       
Yellow pages   1296      $3.55       
PUD                   232      $0.64       
Rural Garbage   132      $0.36       
Elev. Maint.   552      $1.51       
Insurance           1604     $4.39       
Statements   900     $2.47       
Accountant   1200     $3.29       
Prop. Taxes   4850     $13.29       
Salary          13083   $35.84       
Total Exp.   26880   $73.64    Daily fixed costs

Number above show the cash flows two projects created, this shows that the cost of heating and cooling using passive heating and cooling will generate 
the following rate of return:

     Safe return of monies/CD or saving account      
     Need this % to = projects profit return First Year   78.16%   $51,164
   Second year                                                                      $91,155   
        Third year                                                                       $162,402       
       Interest rate per year to create these cash flows--78.16%          
       needed on $65,460   to create  $304,721    in Total
The passive Heat and cooling would average of $1.13 a day to heat and cool a building of 213,120 cubic feet.  for $0.000005302 per day.  I declare that this an impossible fact, "BUT it is real". 
    So heating your home or business using the system I have created was VALID twenty-five years age and even more so today???
     I can draft the system and how it works if you so desire.  I built six Mini's starting in 1978 in Centralia, WA.  IF what is shown above makes sense, please respond.  IF not, simply ignore.

   ALL three of northern project fall into your climate zone. 
Thank You, Anachronism--"Out of it's Time and Place"
 

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