Aiming for Zero: How to Build a Zero-Carbon Home
(Page 2 of 5)
January/February 2009
By Mindy Pantiel
Q: Based on current energy costs, how much would it cost to install PVs on a 2,500-square-foot house?
A: Let's assume you have tidied up your energy consumption by getting an Energy Star refrigerator, replacing all your light bulbs with compact fluorescents, and turning off your TV and cable box with a plug strip so they aren’t running all the time. A 3-kilowatt (or 3,000-watt) system will handle the needs of most families; the national price of PV is currently about $9 per watt. If you live in a state that offers rebates, the cost would be about $12,000, installed.
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Q: What kind of cost savings could be realized?
A: We've seen the cost of these systems drop about 5 percent a year, so it’s continuing to cost less to install them. In states like Colorado, New Jersey, New York, California and Florida, where homeowners get rebates from the energy company as well as tax breaks from the government, a system will pay for itself at the current utility rate in about seven years. It’s difficult to say what future electrical rates will be, but once you buy PVs you’ve essentially paid for all of your home’s electricity until the end of time.
Q: How effective are PVs in parts of the country that get less sunshine?
A: The work pretty well even in cloudy climates, but what really changes as you move from one part of the country to another is the heating and cooling loads. For example, Texas and Arizona are cooling-dominated climates with a large need for electricity in the summer. This can be mitigated by using evaporative coolers instead of air conditioners, which is a good example of using conservation techniques to eliminate the need for additional supply.
Q: Is it possible to become carbon neutral without installing PVs?
A: Yes, if you have an all-electric house and your utility company allows you to sign up for non-fossil-fueled energy, such as from wind, hydropower or geothermal energy, you would be carbon neutral and it would be cheaper than installing PVs. But that would also require a vast majority of us signing up for renewable power through our local utilities to create the demand for more wind turbines. There are also wind and geothermal systems for the home.
Q: If everyone does his/her part, can we really have a positive cumulative effect on global warming?
A: I believe we can and must reduce the carbon emissions in the United States by 80 percent in the next 15 to 20 years and it’s going to take a tremendous effort to do so. The problem is that each of our individual actions seems so miniscule compared with the overall amount of CO2 going into the atmosphere. But when large masses of people participate, it absolutely makes a difference.
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