By Kristin Fletcher

Fun solar fact: The earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year.   Source: Solarbuzz.com

Greenbelt held its own in the 22^nd Annual Metro Washington, DC Tour of Solar and Green Homes, with six homeowners graciously opening up their doors to share a bevy of “green” (as in environmental) best practices on Sunday, October 7.  The DC tour, which featured over 70 homes this year, is part of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) National Tour. The full DC guide, with articles and other resources can be downloaded for free at their website.

A gray day of chilling rain did not dampen the spirits of this solar enthusiast, who, in addition to solar panels, learned about everything from induction stoves and sun tubes to window quilts and what Monarch butterflies eat.  Below are details about two of the Greenbelt homes on the tour, and a second article (coming soon) will report on the other two.

A quick note on residential solar systems: Solar cells are assembled into modules (panels) that are interconnected to form arrays. Arrays supply power first to your home, with any extra power flowing back to the grid. In both cases, the electricity is passed through an inverter to match the voltage of your utility.

Stop #1: 6 Pinecrest Court, home of Brett Fishburne

Brett’s home has a 6.02 kW photovoltaic (PV) system of 30 panels leased and installed by Solar City on two roof surfaces, which is powerful enough to generate 98% of his electrical use. Any surplus electricity actually makes his meter spin backwards, and Pepco then credits his account for extra electricity generated (net metering, in techno-speak). Incidentally, Pepco’s new smart meters don’t spin backwards. Brett had to get one that was even more smart.

Brett was always interested in solar to reduce his carbon footprint, but lowering his energy costs became even more important in thinking about living on a fixed income in the not too distant future. The first thing Brett showed us was his utility bill, a whopping $11.61 for August.  Now that doesn’t include the boiler, water heater or stove, which are fueled by natural gas, but still, his average electric bill of $200 a month for three family members is half of what it was. The half that is left he pays to Solar City, not Pepco, under the terms of his 20-year lease.

Worried about what would happen to your roof? So was Brett. It turns out the panels are installed on raised rails, limiting the number of holes, and each hole is also tightly sealed with layers of rubber membranes and tar. Each panel also weighs just under 40 pounds, so he did not have to reinforce the roof to support the weight. With the panels installed up on rails, he also does not have to worry about ice dams in winter.

What about that Derecho storm that hit this past summer?  According to Brett, the panels can withstand up to 130 mph winds. And remember those annoying Christmas lights where one bad bulb would take out the whole string? The panels are wired so that if any one is in shade not generating power, the others still do (parallel, not serial, in techno-speak). Except when the grid goes down in a power outage. The inverter for the solar system is powered by electricity itself, so when there is no power at all it does not function (news to me!). However the word is that an affordable battery backup system is in the works from Solar City.

Brett and his wife also drive two Toyota Prius hybrids and are busy incorporating multiple edible plants into their landscape, including strawberries, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, a fig tree, asparagus, Nasturtium and herbs. Butterfly enthusiasts, they also Joe Pye Weed, a favorite food of Monarch butterflies. They sent me home with a lovely African violet.

Stop #2: 13 Pinecrest Court, home of Matt Dirksen

I first met Matt when he was the den leader of my stepson’s Cub Scout troop. Little did I know he was a green architect by trade. Like Brett, Matt leased his 8.17 kW system of 26 panels from Solar City. It provides 75% of the electricity needs for his family of five (not including the gas furnace).

Solar leases have become very popular in Maryland. According to Chris May, a sales manager for wholesale solar electric distributor AEE Solar, the residential solar lease has grabbed 65% of the market share in Maryland for new systems since it became available in 2011.  It’s pretty cool when instead of a large upfront cost of tens of thousands of dollars, you can put as little as $0 down for your panels by leasing.

But before you jump on the solar bandwagon, the most important thing to do, says Matt, is make sure you are not wasting energy and reduce your energy consumption. The Dirksens had an energy audit that resulted in a full house energy retrofit, including insulation and air sealing work. In order to qualify for state and utility rebates, they had to reduce air leakage (infiltration) by 30%, which meant that when the air sealing work was completed, they received 50% of their investment back in tax credits.

The house is chock full of efficiency enhancements including a heat pump hot water heater that replaced the old gas one, a chimney balloon, Energy Star appliances (refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine) and my favorite, an electromagnetic induction range. Using ferrous cookware (like cast iron), this range creates a reaction that can bring a large pan full of water to a boil in less than 30 seconds—without creating any heat from the range itself! I didn’t believe it myself until I actually held the pan handle, which was cool to the touch. Pretty nifty.

Lighting in the house is a combination of CFLs (compact fluorescents) and LEDs (light emitting diodes). Matt especially likes Lighting Science brand LEDs (www.lsgc.com), which last between 50,000 and 100,000 hours (compared to 2,000 hours for a typical incandescent).  Matt obtained his through a fundraiser for the Eleanor Roosevelt High School Robotics Club. They don’t burn out, slowly fading instead, and are not quite as fragile as CFLs (which if you didn’t already know, contain mercury).

It’s really important to understand how much energy you are using, says Matt. That’s where a TED electric monitoring device (kind of like a speedometer for electric consumption) can come in handy (around a hundred bucks online).  If you’re like me and don’t have that extra $100, you can go online and create an account with Pepco to get an idea of how your home uses energy and where you can cut costs. When I created mine, it was immediately obvious that my biggest expense by far was hot water, nearly 50% of the total energy cost. Matt suggested getting a hot water heater blanket, just $16 on Amazon.

Water is a precious resource and a critical resource that is often wasted, says Matt. The Dirksen house has low flow showerheads and faucets on all plumbing fixtures, which reduces gallons used per minute by nearly 50%, along with dual flush toilets (use less water for #1). He recommends the Amicus green building store in Kensington for good fixtures at a good price.

Using resources like water efficiently, being energy efficient, and addressing health concerns through eliminating environmental toxins are the big three of green architecture and sustainability, says Matt. If you’re in my generation, you might remember that green Mr. Yuck sticker from the 1970s. There is no need to have ANY of that stuff in your house with all the good nontoxic cleaning products available.

All of the Dirksens’ completed finish work includes American Pride zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint. VOCs, emitted as gases, include a variety of organic chemicals that can have short- and long-term adverse health effects.

According to the EPA, concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.  It’s not just paint either, VOCs are emitted by thousands of household products. The list includes lacquers, paint strippers, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, copiers and printers, correction fluids, glues and adhesives, permanent markers, aerosol sprays, cleansers and disinfectants, air fresheners, stored fuels and automotive products, hobby supplies, even dry-cleaned clothing. The EPA says at present, not much is known about what health effects occur from the levels of organics usually found in homes, but why take a chance? Many organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans.

So learn your home’s diagnosis first, and then treat the symptoms. If all of this sounds daunting, just think of greening your home in terms of each step, and do what you can afford, says Matt. For most of us, our home is our biggest investment, and it is far worth the time and effort.

Solar Resources From the DC Solar and Green Homes Tour Guide

Magazines

• Home Power Magazine, The Hands-on Journal of Home Made Power, $10.00 per year. www.homepower.com
• Mother Earth News, $19.95 per year. Features renewable energy projects and helpful sustainable living articles. Published bimonthly. www.motherearthnews.com
• Solar Today, The magazine of the American Solar Energy Association. Available through The American Solar Energy Society at www.ases.org
• The Real Goods Catalogue, (800) 762-7325. A wide-ranging catalogue of conservation and renewable energy, including photovoltaic panels, solar hot water, and do-it-yourself items. www.realgoods.com

Books

• Real Goods 11th Edition Solar Living Sourcebook, $30. The Sourcebook provides the technical details you need to harness the sun, wind, or water for your home power generation. 600 pages. www.realgoods.com
• The Solar Electric House: A Design Manual for Home-Scale Photovoltaic Systems, by Steven J. Strong, Sustainability Press, 1993, $21.95. A complete guide to solar home design, helping you choose the right system and how to install it.
• Consumer Guide to Solar Energy, by Scott Sklar and Kenneth G. Sheinkopf, $11.00. Reduce energy costs while making your home more comfortable withenergy efficient products available at your local store. The new edition includes updated information on solar energy tax credits. Available through Amazon.com.

Websites

• American Council for Energy Efficient Economy – www.aceee.org
• American Solar Energy Society – www.ases.org
• Database State Incentives, Renewable Energy – www.dsireusa.org
• Interstate Renewables Council – www.irecusa.org
• MD-DC-VA Solar Energy Industries Association – www.mdv-seia.org
• Renewable Energy and Electric Vehicle Association – www.reevadiy.org
• Potomac Region Solar Energy Association – www.prsea.org
• Solar Electric Industries Association – www.seia.org
• Solar Electric Power Association – www.solarelectricpower.org
• US Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy – www.eere.energy.gov

Kristin Fletcher, a Greenbelt Homes communications committee volunteer, managed to build a 20 year career around writing about, promoting and generally supporting the work of nonprofits for some of the many causes she is passionate about, including the arts, education, alternative and women’s health, special needs, cooperative living, and the environment, most recently renewable energy.  She has been active on the GHI Communications Committee since 2007, spearheading a newsletter that goes out to 1600 homes and helping develop new ways to get the word out through GHI’s monthly page in the Greenbelt News Review, eNews and Facebook page.  Although she was born in the far north of Alaska, having grown up in the Free State, she considers herself a Marylander and has lived in Old Greenbelt since 1998.