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With all the uncertainty surrounding utility power in the past months and years, consumers are actively looking for ways to reduce their exposure to energy-price fluctuations. Photovoltaic—or PV—power is unique in its ability to produce electricity at each property with a broadly available fuel source: the sun. Energy from the sun is clean, and above all, renewable. As long as the sun continues to rise each day, its power can be converted to electricity using PV systems, which are reliable and pollution free.
The primary purpose of PV systems is usually to produce enough electricity to lower the amount of energy purchased from the local utility company. To maximize the system's benefit, however, it's important to reduce overall energy use. Installing energy-efficient appliances, insulating and sealing homes properly, and ensuring that the HVAC system is properly installed are all important first steps when considering PV as a home feature. When these measures are applied in the initial building process, a smaller and more cost-effective PV system can provide 50% or more of the remaining electric needs for the home, providing substantial monthly savings and stabilizing the homeowner’s long-term electricity costs.
PV power protects the environment, too—an important feature to consumers motivated by the idea of a cleaner environment. And in an era of more frequent power outages during winter cold weather, summer heat waves, storms, and natural disasters, PV systems with battery backup can provide emergency power.
Builders and developers who offer PV systems can market themselves as more high-tech and more environmentally concerned than their competition. And prospective homeowners may be more inclined to buy when they see how their social and environmental consciences can be satisfied. Developments based on these principles in the past have proven to be very successful with consumers.
Case history
One home featuring this technology is a 3,200-sq.- ft. three-story home in the Glenwood Park community on the east side of Atlanta. The home, showcased in Southern Living Magazine in August 2005, is an "Idea House" that demonstrates energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies. It is a project of the Southface Energy Institute program entitled EarthCraft House and was built using building performance levels from the Department of Energy’s Building America program. A partner of the Building America program, IBACOS (Integrated Building and Construction Solutions), worked with the builder to develop the following specifications for this Atlanta home:
- A 1.5 k W photovoltaic system to generate on-site energy
- Two highly efficient HVAC systems located entirely within conditioned space.
- Efficient florescent lighting in three-quarters of the house
- R-10 insulated, conditioned crawlspace
- 2x6 framed R-3 foam-sheathed exterior wall filled with R-22 total insulation
- Sealed attic with R-22 insulation
- High-performance, low-emissivity windows, which reduce solar heat gain
- A tankless water heater to serve the house and a smaller unit for the garage suite
No single technology can meet our energy efficiency needs. But as part of a whole-house plan, a photovoltaic system has the potential to bring about advanced performance in thousands of future homes—and without depleting our natural resources or destroying our environment.
This information is provided by the Department of Energy’s Building America program, a private/public partnership that develops energy solutions for new and existing homes. The Building America program combines the knowledge and resources of industry leaders with the DOE’s technical capabilities. Together, they act as a catalyst for change in the home-building industry.
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