Low tech solutions to conserve energy: Solar

Basey · #1 11-13-2008, 09:28 PM

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Mark · #2 11-14-2008, 10:38 AM

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It costs about 15 cents a day to heat the house in the coldest Maine winters. The sun provides 75% of the heating energy. A 1/10 hp electric fan circulates hot air into the house for the solarium along the south side.

Interesting! You mentioned that you were totally off the grid, so what is the 15 cents per day being spent on?

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The only expenses are low rural taxes and some property and car insurance. 3 VW diesel cars 50 mpg are run on biodiesel (recycled french-fry oil). Canola and other biodiesel fuels have been home-grown and experimented with. Producer-gas (wood energy) experimental conversion of a Super-C tractor has been sucessful.

Do you live alone..?

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Some power comes off the grid for the fridge, but the house is also wired 12 volt for wind or solar (battery storage) power too. A 7.5kw biodiesel 110/220v generator is built into the house for heavier power demands while off-grid if necessary.

I guess that answers my first question (you're connected to the grid).

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you see, I have had a "prophetic nature" since the age of 4, so my family always told me (not claimed by me, but by others). 85% of what I have written on the net since 2005 has materialized - they all say I'm "psychic" (not my claim nor choice of words, I'm not into "new age"). I had 2 major visions in '73 & '75 that told me to leave "society" and do this slowly over time to prepare for the eventual terrible difficulties (chastisement and cleansing) that we all were to be faced with after a "great wave" comes (12/26/2004?!)

Hmmm don't know what to think about that... Would you be willing to share some predictions for the end of this year and next year?

Rose · #3 11-14-2008, 11:13 AM

I am really impressed with your home. It is truly something to be proud of. What is the square footage? You must have had some building/engineering skills to have been able to do it by yourself. With the price of electricity getting ready to be raised again you are a very lucky person!

Basey · #4 11-14-2008, 08:54 PM

Quote:
It costs about 15 cents a day to heat the house in the coldest Maine winters. The sun provides 75% of the heating energy. A 1/10 hp electric fan circulates hot air into the house for the solarium along the south side.

Interesting! You mentioned that you were totally off the grid, so what is the 15 cents per day being spent on?

The 1/10 hp fan that circulates hot air into the house from the top of the solarium along the front of the house.

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The only expenses are low rural taxes and some property and car insurance. 3 VW diesel cars 50 mpg are run on biodiesel (recycled french-fry oil). Canola and other biodiesel fuels have been home-grown and experimented with. Producer-gas (wood energy) experimental conversion of a Super-C tractor has been sucessful.

Do you live alone..?

My wife "holds down the fort" when I am on short term engineering job assignments away from home. She also looks after our elderly parents nearby. I fly home for a week every 2 months to be greeted with a long list of to-do's and repairs

Quote:
Some power comes off the grid for the fridge, but the house is also wired 12 volt for wind or solar (battery storage) power too. A 7.5kw biodiesel 110/220v generator is built into the house for heavier power demands while off-grid if necessary.

I guess that answers my first question (you're connected to the grid).

Part of the time... we don't really NEED to be, it's just convenient some times. The biodiesel fuel is free for the taking from restaurants (used french-fry oil). When there are periods of plenty of sunshine for the solar cells we run off 12v or an inverter. Then in winter we can run OFF-GRID with the biodiesel generator 3 - 4 hours a day to take care of the refrigerator and deepfreeze as needed, do vacuuming, laundry and use power tools and other high-demand appliances.

The biodiesel generator charges 12 volt batteries during this 3 - 4 hours for 12v house lights and some 12v motor-home appliances, as well as an inverter-fed video/dvd player and video screen (not hooked to TV media antenna or cable, just wholesome dvd's and videos without advertisement). I haven't had "TV" for over 35 years...

The biodiesel engine of the generator heats a domestic hot water tank for laundry, dishes and showers or helps heat the house in winter, so that "waste heat" energy is not wasted through an engine radiator.

When we first were married we agreed "no debts ever" and lived in portions of the unfinished house as we could afford to complete it bit by bit. We had shared well water under pressure to us from the neighbor. So we lived without grid power on the generator and batteries and had an outhouse for a one year. In winter we learned to park the toilet seat behind the wood stove so it would be toasty warm when we took it with us to answer nature's call

I put up the power poles myself the next spring to save a bundle, and ran wires back into the woods to the house. Then we saved money to put in a septic system and flush toilet.

Quote:
you see, I have had a "prophetic nature" since the age of 4, so my family always told me (not claimed by me, but by others). 85% of what I have written on the net since 2005 has materialized - they all say I'm "psychic" (not my claim nor choice of words, I'm not into "new age"). I had 2 major visions in '73 & '75 that told me to leave "society" and do this slowly over time to prepare for the eventual terrible difficulties (chastisement and cleansing) that we all were to be faced with after a "great wave" comes (12/26/2004?!)

Hmmm don't know what to think about that... Would you be willing to share some predictions for the end of this year and next year?

Sure... This last topic I'll move and discuss in the Testimonies section soon, ( ...blessing or curse? ) to preserve the "Solar" topic of this thread

Jen · #5 11-14-2008, 09:14 PM

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Then in winter we can run OFF-GRID with the biodiesel generator 3 - 4 hours a day to take care of the refrigerator and deepfreeze as needed....

Maine winters are pretty cold... why not just stick the refridgerator/freezer outside and save some more power that way

Quote:

Sure... This last topic I'll move and discuss in the Testimonies section soon, to preserve the "Solar" topic of this thread

I'll be interested in hearing your predictions as well....

Basey · #6 11-14-2008, 09:22 PM

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Basey · #7 11-14-2008, 09:37 PM

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khigg · #8 01-10-2009, 08:31 PM

OIL! OIL! OIL! Drill here, Drill Now!

christkid777 · #9 03-04-2009, 03:31 PM

I am very interested in alternate energy. I live in the high desert of California where sun is plentiful. I use it for power generation and hot water. My normal wintertime expense is about .75 gallons of propane a day. The cost varies. About $2.00 In summertime I use less. I do live alone. I would really like to enlarge me solar hot water setup to cover heating as well as domestic hot water. That would remove about $1.75 of the daily cost. I insist on doing everything out of pocket so it takes time to make major changes. These are real numbers. You can save big. A gallon of propane contains about 90000 btu of heat value. A medium size furnace burns about 1/3 gallon per hour or 8 gallons per day or $22 per day at local rates.

Soulheart3 · #10 09-10-2009, 10:30 AM

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Originally Posted by christkid777

I am very interested in alternate energy. I live in the high desert of California where sun is plentiful. I use it for power generation and hot water. My normal wintertime expense is about .75 gallons of propane a day. The cost varies. About $2.00 In summertime I use less. I do live alone. I would really like to enlarge me solar hot water setup to cover heating as well as domestic hot water. That would remove about $1.75 of the daily cost. I insist on doing everything out of pocket so it takes time to make major changes. These are real numbers. You can save big. A gallon of propane contains about 90000 btu of heat value. A medium size furnace burns about 1/3 gallon per hour or 8 gallons per day or $22 per day at local rates.

I just read this myself after disciple posted, I am totally in awe of alternate energy, I have made plans for a self-sufficient house but just not the monies to afford it. A combination of wind, solar (passive and electrically generating panels of solar cells), and geothermal would pretty much take care of all of a family needs. If I had the money, I would love to do this. Then a satellite for for computer and entertainment needs, a ham radio, using a phone through the computer connection. I would only have to pay for the satellite connection, and then a greenhouse (or several) for growing a contolled amount of food, then some chickens for taking care of guarden bugs (and providing eggs), a couple of outside dogs for security against animals mainly. Then my wife would love to raise alpacas to sheer and sell the wool(or whatever its called) or to sell some for others to raise. I would also like another greenhouse for herbs to use for holistic medical use. I got all kinds of great ideas, but just no money for it now. I work on bits and pieces of some of these things here on this small 0.75 acreage me and my wife own, but the limitation of space and funds to buy more space. If I had about 40 acres and the startup money ( about 1/2 million), I could put this dream into full reality. Ahhh, as the Lord provides though shall I do.