PV Gap

Pedro Said:

I plan to build a new house and hoped to have it fully solar powered.?

We Answered:

Take a look at your electric bill and see how many kilowatt hours (kwh) a month you buy. If you were to size the solar system based on your current use, that would be the number to use in a solar calculator http://www.altestore.com/store/calculato…

However, if you are having a new house built, make sure it is as energy efficient as possible to try to reduce that number a lot. Spending the money in reducing your usage is a much better use of your money. Every $1 you spend to use less is equal to $4 less in your solar system.

You say you want the house "fully solar powered". Does that mean the electric grid is not available there and you have to be off grid with batteries for night? If so, then I would say, no, at your current usage, it is not affordable if you are going to be running your AC 24x7. If you have the electric company available, and by fully solar powered you mean you want to generate as much as you can during the day, sell any extra back to the power company, and then buy it back from them at night, then yes, depending on the incentives and the price of electricity, both buying and selling, then it may be possible if you conserve first.

Also look into solar water heating as a fabulous way to reduce your power bill and generate free hot water. http://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Wat…

Elsie Said:

Passive Solar House Plans?

We Answered:

One of my favorite sites on the net:
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/house_plans.htm

also see:

http://www.sunplans.com/html/house_plans.php3

http://www.architecturalhouseplans.com/search/search.php?style[0]=Solar

Byron Said:

I want to build a enviro-friendly "green" house. Where can I find plans and costs for LEED and green homes?

We Answered:

This looks like a decent book to get you started. Probably available at your local book store. Also see the "customers also bought" list. These in turn will have more alternatives.

http://www.amazon.com/Your-Green-Home-Pl…

I presume you'll be using a builder. The best start might be to find a green home builder in your area and talk.

This link is about more extreme options. That's likely to be a difficult road to travel.

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/natural…

Barry Said:

Where can I find solar or green house plans that also conform to restrictions for historic revitalization area

We Answered:

All I can say is good luck with that, I use to in a historic district of a small town and wasn't allowed to replace the old windows with double pane glass, even thou the new window frames would be made to match.

Bryan Said:

How easy would it be to build a small solar collector that would help heat my house?

We Answered:

here are some of the links for building a solar panel. A friend of mine and I built one to heat his pool on top of his garage and it works wonderfully.