julie78787's Discussions

You also need to consider the age and number of occupants in the house you're buying compared to the house you presently own.Your own habits will play a large role in the energy consumption at the new home.  When looking at utility bills, you can normally find the amount of energy needed for "life style" versus "environmental control" by examining the billing history.  The yearly minimums for electricity, gas and water should reflect the minimum it takes to operate the home with seasonal variations removed.  Those yearly minimums will change based on number of occupants, with changes in seasonal utility consumption based on personal preferences, such as thermostat settings.

Unless you are willing to have your walls wired using conduit (plastic or metal pipes that hold the actual wires), it is best to consider possible changes in technology or personal interests.Here are some common areas to consider --Pre-wire all ceiling lights in living spaces (bedrooms, den, living room, game room) for ceiling fans.  You may not like them, but a future home buyer might and the increase in costs during construction is small compared to the long term benefit.Pre-wire all living rooms, as well as the kitchen, with Ethernet wiring -- Cat5E or Cat6 -- using "structured wiring".  Many new devices, such as media and entertainment centers, communicate using computer networks.  You may not have a computer in the living room, but you may wish to have one of the network media players there.  Wired network connections are faster, more reliable and more secure than wireless networks.  Wireless networks are acceptable when walls aren't pre-wired, but wired networks are vastly superior.If your climate and yard are suitable for the addition of a deck or spa, consider having a 50A 240V electric connection added near where the deck or spa might go.  In a few years, once you've settled in to your new home, you'll be glad you had that added ahead of time.  Be sure to specify a 4 wire connection -- two lines, neutral and ground -- so you can use the same connection for outdoor lighting around your new deck as well as power for the spa.

The cost to generate power for my system is about $0.23 / KWh.  Electricity from my utility is about $0.15 / KWh.  So, it's very close, and getting closer every year.The real answer depends on your own electric consumption, willingness to conserve, and federal, state and utility rebates.  In favorable locations, solar power systems can repay themselves in 8 years or less.  In less favorable locations, it may be significantly longer.  But one thing is sure -- once you have solar power, the risk of skyrocketing utility rates is greatly reduced.

I started with lights, then moved to all the major appliances, and finally took out a 2nd mortgage and installed solar power.Result: last month's electric bill was $24, with $9 of that being monthly fees.  I have, and use, all the modern conveniences and live in one of the more expensive areas for electricity in the United States ($0.20 / KWh last month).Overall payback for everything is, as I recall, about 8 years, and that is assuming utilities stay fixed, which they won't.  The house is also much more comfortable to live in and has even more "creature comforts" than before.  The long term energy savings and environmental benefits are an added bonus.

As I wrote, we're not there yet without government or utility incentives in most of the U.S.  However, we most certainly ARE there in many parts of the U.S. with the available incentives.Based on recent calculations I did (my company also designs solar systems, as well as performing energy audits to reduce waste), the current cost of solar power is about $0.17 / KWh, without rebates or tax credits.  That's a 26% drop in costs from 2 years ago.  Assuming a 30% federal tax credit, the cost falls to $0.12 / KWh.  That is close enough to the national average that solar is affordable for much of the country, with just the 30% federal tax credit.I've not put together the marketing material yet, but in the very near future my company will be offering a service to real estate agents to evaluate properties quickly and cheaply for solar power potential.  We will be offering this service throughout the U.S. as most of the needed information for a preliminary evaluation ("yes" / "no" / "maybe" ) can be had on-line.