New Solar Home Program

By Tyler Michael
Director/New Solar Homes Division, HelioPower

How much solar do I need?

This is the first question that we hear when asked to design solar for a new custom home. If you get an answer to that question from someone who does not ask you at least four or five questions back, you might consider showing them the door in a hurry before either of you wastes too much of your time. A good solar contractor will always carefully prioritize the customer’s interests.

Generating more electricity for a residence than is required to run that

New solar home installation by HelioPower

residence is not a very good way to spend money. Utilities are increasingly being called upon to pay for “over-production” by residential customers; however your best value is eliminating only the power you actually use. Most people building their “Dream Home” tend to overestimate the energy requirements of their new home because they are thinking in terms of their older home’s requirements.

Why do people overestimate electrical use in their new home?

In most cases, the new home is substantially larger than the old one. Naturally, there is good reason to assume that if the new home is twice as large, the energy required to run that home will be greater. This is not necessarily the case. In California and in most other states there are far more stringent “Energy Efficiency Requirements” in place for building new homes than were in place when the owner’s previous residence was built. Before you can get a building permit in California, you must show that some minimum energy efficiencies have been designed into the home.

For clarification, speak to your architect about your “Title-24” or CF-1-R form. Because of these design requirements, a 3000 square foot home built in 2010 is likely to require about 60% of the electricity that the same size home, with the same amenities built prior to 1985, will require. This difference is not quite as evident in the mildest climates. 

Some of the most important energy efficiency improvements in recent materials and design are:

• Radiant barrier roof sheeting
• Higher insulation ratings
• More efficient HVAC Systems
• High efficiency lighting systems, including activity sensors
• Low ”E”  windows and doors, with better sealing
• More efficient pool pumps

While all of the above greatly reduce electricity loads, there is still the ”Lifestyle Factor” to consider in calculating true energy usage. Your personal habits are an important factor. Just because we design homes with automated systems and better features, there is nothing that will guarantee the occupants will not override the automated controls or ignore the opportunities for energy savings built into the new home. Your energy consumption in your own home is still, and rightly so, your own business. If you choose not to take advantage of the systems in your home you may not realize the benefits of those systems.

Here are some questions that you should hear when a solar contractor discusses sizing a solar plant for your new home:

1. How much (kWh) electricity do you use now in your current home?
2. How many square feet is your old home?
3. How any square feet is your new home?
4. Are those homes in the same “Climate Zone”?
5. Will there be the same number of occupants with the same habits?
6. What are the ages of the occupants? (Small children will grow up to use more energy, and elderly occupants may have special comfort requirements.)
7. Are there “guest rooms” or other parts of the home that will not be in constant use?
8. Do you plan to occupy the home ”full time”?
9. Is your new home serviced by the same utility company as your old home? (rates differ)
10. Do you have or plan on purchasing a Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV)?
11. Are there any other major changes in your lifestyle that you will be making in the new home?

Of course, you can see where these questions are leading. There are many other pertinent questions, depending on your specific requirements, lifestyle and design. The absence of these questions will let you know immediately that you are talking to the wrong contractor, and the presence of these kinds of questions that will at least assure you that you are speaking with someone who MAY be qualified to design an appropriate solar plant for your new home.

New homes are a very specialized sector of the solar marketplace. There are hundreds of solar contractors in California but only a small percentage of those are qualified to design and install solar for new homes, and secure the generous New Solar Homes Partnership Program (NSHP) Rebates for their customers.

For more information contact Tyler Michael at his email, TMichael@HelioPower.com

Tyler Michael is HelioPower’s resident expert for the application of solar in new home construction.  This week he is participating in the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Green Building Expo, a forum for sustainable building technologies, in San Diego.  The Green Building Expo is part of the ULI’s Smart Growth awards program and will be staged May 14 starting at 5:30 in the venerable Wonderhaus downtown.

The ULI provides leadership in the responsible use of land, and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. According to their website, as “the ‘go to’ land use organization for real estate issues in our region, the ULI San Diego/Tijuana District Council facilitates the open exchange of ideas among industry leaders, practitioners and policy makers.”

We asked Tyler about his interest in this region.

E. Tyler, are there special motivations that inspire you to be part of this San Diego Green Building Expo?
T. As a HelioPower specialist in solar for new construction, this event and the people and concepts that I encounter there are critical to my own growth and to my ability to contribute.

I believe that in San Diego/Tijuana we truly share a single urban landscape that is divided by a political line only.  We are in the same region with the same beauty and the same challenges.

We are interdependent in resources and in the conservation of those resources.  In my lifetime, I’ve seen Tijuana transform from just another “border town” to a thriving center of international commerce and I’ve seen San Diego transform from a quiet Navy town to a national force in research and technology. It seems only natural that we become an international leader in sustainability as well.

E. What in your background motivates your interest?
T. After moving to Chula Vista in 1952 and growing up within 7 miles of the Mexican border, I developed a real affinity for the bi-national mindset.

In my late teens, I became a true bi-lingual after studying Spanish for 8 years and hosting 26 Argentine foreign exchange students with others in my high school.

I’ve lived in Spain, Argentina, Ecuador, and nearly 14 years in Mexico. My time in Mexico and the lasting friendships I developed there have brought me a first hand awareness of the serious environmental sustainability practices being put into practice there.  My career in solar for new construction in San Diego has broadened my perspective on sustainability in general and in green building methods in particular.

E. Do you have a vision for the area?
T. The resources we share tie our destinies together. Recognition of those who have dedicated themselves to the careful preservation of those resources is both inspiring and necessary to bring forth the future leaders in this field who are poised to make their contribution.

For more information on the event, click here.

From USA Today, April 6, 2009: “More states want solar power to be option on new homes”

A growing number of states are moving to require home builders to offer solar electricity and hot-

New home solar power system in California installed by HelioPower

water systems in new homes, right alongside more traditional options such as fancy kitchen countertops and special window treatments.

"It's just like the granite countertop upgrade or the two-car garage or the larger closet — these are options the homeowner can choose to purchase," said Jeff Lyng, the renewable energy program manager for Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's Energy Office.

In Colorado, lawmakers are considering a bill that would require builders to offer a range of options, from pre-wiring the home for solar power to full installation of a solar system. The legislation would also require builders to tell buyers they can roll the cost of the system into their mortgage, reducing up-front costs, Lyng said.

"What this begins to do is standardize things. We're trying to build Colorado's infrastructure to be ready for solar," Lyng said.

The Colorado proposal has passed in the state House and awaits Senate consideration. Ritter, a Democrat who had solar panels installed at the Governor's Mansion in Denver several years ago, said he plans to sign the bill.

Elsewhere:

•New Jersey lawmakers approved a bill last month that would require builders in developments of 25 homes or more to offer solar panels to home buyers and to discuss during construction the benefits of clean energy.

•A California law taking effect in 2010 will require builders to offer solar panels on homes in developments of more than 50 houses.

•Hawaii, starting Jan. 1, will require all new single-family homes to include solar hot-water heaters, said Russell Pang, a spokesman for Gov. Linda Lingle, a Democrat. Hawaii imports 90% of its fossil fuel energy sources, Pang said. "Living on an island, that's not the kind of thing we want to be depending on."

•New Mexico home builders must offer solar-ready wiring but are not obligated to offer solar installation, under a law that took effect last year.

The federal government is offering a 30% tax credit for homeowners who install solar panels or solar water heaters through 2016, said Karen Schneider, spokeswoman for the federal Energy Star program. The credit covers materials and installation costs, with no ceiling on claims.

Colorado officials hope at least 10% of the 12,000 new homes expected to be built in the state this year have solar systems installed, creating at least 300 jobs for installation technicians, Lyng said.

Daniel Glick, of Lafayette, Colo., helped persuade more than 25 families in his neighborhood to install solar systems over the past several years. Glick said residents agreed to use homeowners association dues to make low-interest loans to their neighbors to cover installation costs. Glick now gets a monthly check from his power company because his home is generating more power than it uses.

"It's not just the right thing to do. It makes economic sense," he said.