Getting a Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Energy System on Your Home
Introduction
Cost of a PV System Getting a PV system on Your Home: A Strategy
Getting a PV system on Your Home: A Strategy
1. Make Your Home Energy Efficient
The first step toward realizing a PV system would be to take a hard look at how you are currently using electricity. Reducing the electricity demand of our homes is the best and cheapest way to reduce the amount of electricity we need from Wisconsin’s fossil and nuclear-fueled power plants.
Every kilowatt-hour you trim off your projected annual use in a PV-based system will reduce your initial set-up cost by $7 to $8. Using a bit of intelligence and care in lighting and appliance selection will allow you all the conveniences of a typical 23 kWh per day Wisconsin home while consuming less than 15 kWh per
day. At $8 per installed kilowatt-hour that’s $23,000 shaved off the initial system cost! Modified from: Real Goods Solar living Source Book, 1999
Energy efficient strategies you should consider include:
- Replacing any refrigerator, freezer, or air conditioner that is more than 10 years old with an ENERGYSTAR® model,
- Switching electric space heating, water heaters and clothes dryers to natural gas or propane, and
- Replacing incandescent lights with fluorescent lights.
An excellent resource to help you assess and reduce your home energy use is Wisconsin’s Home Energy Rating program (see http://www.focusonenergy.com/page.jsp?pageId=34 for more information). Your PV system designer/installer should also provide useful advice.
Photo creditsPhoto 3: Uni-Solar/Energy Conversion Devices
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