Kenmore Undressed

SOLAR ENERGY – The Perfect Remodeling Project of the Future, Part 1

HARNESSING THE SUN, TRANSFORMING YOUR HOME!

“It’s all about Civilization Building. It’s about what kind of world we are creating and how we will face our energy challenges in the future.” This is how my conversation with Eric Teegarden began as we talked about the importance of eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels and why converting homes to solar power systems will be the “perfect remodeling project of the future.”

Last month I invited Eric Teegarden, a Engineering Project Manager for Shoreline, WA based NORTHWEST MECHANICAL INC., to our home to conduct a solar energy audit and to give us an estimate of how much it would cost to convert our 2440 square foot home to solar power. My wife and I have thought about doing this for many years and I’m sure you have wondered about installing a solar system in your home as well. Boy, did we receive an education!

PART 1 – SOLAR BASICS

This is the first in a series of articles dealing with the idea that installing a solar system on one’s house is the perfect remodeling project of the future. I hope to answer the question I get all the time as a Realtor®: “What remodeling project has the highest return on investment for my house?” I hope to show you that installing a solar system on your house is a good, safe investment and, in many ways, will add huge value to your home long into the future. Let’s start with some basics:

Many of us who live here in the Northwest are under the mistaken belief that our electricity is generated mainly by hydro-power. As the pie chart illustrates above, an increasing percentage of our energy comes from coal and natural gas. Unfortunately, this trend will continue both to the detriment of our environment and to the shrinking of our pocketbooks. It’s important to understand that the time will come when the cost of energy and our dependence on fossil fuels will force us to make dramatic changes to our homes and lifestyles.

A lot of people wonder if we have enough sun in the Northwest to operate solar arrays. Did you know that Germany is the leader in solarvalent power and has as little sunlight as the Northwest? The Germans realized, decades ago, that energy costs would become unsustainable if alternatives were not explored. Today, one percent of the power in Germany is generated by solar systems and it is estimated to rise as high as 25% by 2050. So it’s high time that we take a careful look at their model. Here are several houses in the Seattle area that are leading the way:

In Part 2 of this series I will address more technical and financial aspects of installing solar systems. As you will see, this technology has been around a long time and sadly, here in the United States, we have allowed ourselves to fall far behind in the use of alternative energy.  I’d like to end this post by asking you a question:

How many homes have solar systems in the greater Seattle Area?

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