Thread: solar power for home?

Originally Posted by Disco Steve

I just put a solar Hot water system on a mates house. We made everything ourselves and it only cost $250

Don’t be shy, give us some details.

So far this thread is proving to be quite an education

A month or so back, I bought some books on DIY solar energy projects, I’m interested in building a water purifier of some form and later on, when time permits, a hot water room heater.

Keep the ideas coming.

Originally Posted by 6.5rangie

As you said, they are basically a fridge, so not that complex (well to me anyway), but yes more than a basic element though.
These will heat 24 hours a day unlike solar that requires a boost (i'm talking electric here), and over a 12 month period they are are still cheaper to run. They cost around the same as a solar unit ($3000 give or take) and you still get a rebate

1. As you say, basically a fridge - so why do they cost so much more than one?

2. Rebate? Nobody offered me a rebate to install solar hot water! I think the rebate may depend on what state you live in.
I did get a rebate to install solar power, but the rebate about equalled the extra cost required to meet the required standards, plus the inspection - and would have been paid for installation of a mains connection as well.

John

Originally Posted by JDNSW

1. As you say, basically a fridge - so why do they cost so much more than one?

2. Rebate? Nobody offered me a rebate to install solar hot water! I think the rebate may depend on what state you live in.
I did get a rebate to install solar power, but the rebate about equalled the extra cost required to meet the required standards, plus the inspection - and would have been paid for installation of a mains connection as well.

John

Yeah they need to knock atleast $1000 off, as they are a fridge that holds/heats water.
Rebate in Vic.
All thing electrical i look at how many amps they pull, and to me this is another cheap/cheaper alternative to run

OK here is a probably rhetorical question , just jumping on the general energy saving bandwagon.
Mty house has 34, count em 34 QH downlights.
I have put 20W bulbs in many of them.
I stuck my head through the manhole the other day, to find that every QH light has its own HARD WIRED transformer, thus legally needing an electrician to change to plug.
How do I economically save more energy than replacing the 50s with 20s. The Lounge has 5 downlights.At present I mainly use 2CFL standard lamps instead.
Already investigated.- LEDS apparently do not run on modern transformers, not enough drag.
Compact CFL needs an electrician to rewire every transformer. pLus $30 for each bulb /socket.
Any innovative ideas?
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by PhilipA

OK here is a probably rhetorical question , just jumping on the general energy saving bandwagon.
Mty house has 34, count em 34 QH downlights.
I have put 20W bulbs in many of them.
I stuck my head through the manhole the other day, to find that every QH light has its own HARD WIRED transformer, thus legally needing an electrician to change to plug.
How do I economically save more energy than replacing the 50s with 20s. The Lounge has 5 downlights.At present I mainly use 2CFL standard lamps instead.
Already investigated.- LEDS apparently do not run on modern transformers, not enough drag.
Compact CFL needs an electrician to rewire every transformer. pLus $30 for each bulb /socket.
Any innovative ideas?
Regards Philip A

We did some rennos on our house a few years back and our power bill doubled. There were many things added, like downlights in the living and dining areas, dishwasher, fish tanks, new home entertainment system, and a large inverter airconditioner (replacing a couple of smaller units). To make it more difficult to work out this was timed with our first child so we went from home at night and on weekends to home 24/7, more washing etc.

Clearly the AC was responsible for the summer increases, but even the winter doubling was puzzling. I've replaced all the bulbs in the house that don't dim with flouros. I've relplaced the downlights with lower power bulbs, but apparently depending on the transformer type this might not make too much difference. So, we put a nice lamp in the corner with a flouro in.

I'm also tweaking the fish tanks around to see if I can reduce their power usage a bit.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

From a technical point of view, it is difficult to make a case against nuclear power, but I can't see it becoming politically acceptable in the foreseeable future, although it may be remarkable what a big increase in power costs would do! As with other non-emitting power sources, nuclear power needs an increase in electricity prices be viable, but has the advantage that the costs and technology are well understood and available, and fits in well to the existing electricity distribution infrastructure and concept of central generation.

John

The thing that annoys the S#$t out of me is apparently the US are budgeting 168 BILLION per year they are in Iraq. Imagine if they invested that much money into alternative energy research. Technologies such as Thorium nuclear which are close now could be brought to fruition, along with a raft of other stuff. If these technologies were given to developing countries IMHO it would be a **really** good thing.

Clearly we need to do what we can with renewables in the meantime. However if we want to get off oil for land transport, then we're going to have to generate LOTS of power. Electric cars are here and now, and with hybrid technology it gives the ability to run electric only for shorter trips, and have the ability to travel further on oil. However if you think turning on the AC is causing trouble with the grid wait till everyone plugs their car in when they get home.

Originally Posted by Ralph1Malph

Nice setup.


Why does everything now days have to do with being green

I grew up in a rural community where everyone was "green" some 20 - 30 years ago
Remember when farms had windmills? Ours pumped the water, but many ran small battery banks to power radio comms stations, electric fences etc.
We also had a thunder box, zero water use. Tank water, short showers. We composted most of our waste, no recycle bins then, owned and killed our own chooks - no packaging and significantly, our solar hot water, like many in the district, was lots of meters of black poly pipe on the shed and house roof which was stored in a 'normal' hot water system tank courtesy of some towny who had broken it!

Don't get me wrong, I love solar but does anyone know the $ cost and environmental footprint to make and run a square foot of panel? I can guess.

Not meaning to hijack the thread but I believe from scientists that I work with, that solar would be even better if coupled with wind generation. Is that possible? with a system like that?

BTW, for the record, I am a nuclear energy supporter, but thats for another thread in the soap box section

Ralph

Great minds think alike, we were inundated up here, during the last state erection, by the local greens candidate and his enviro friendly house and lifestyle even down to the news reports with his hairy bra-less partner.
Whilst my comments may offend the purists and the converted. I feel for the sake of aesthetics your creating more of a problem. In a necessity case like JD's, its easy.
But as ralph said, look at the cost, what is in the cells, how do they get it, manufactor, more cells required more manufactoring, and batteries, do they have lead in them I guess so, that has to come from somewhere and when they fail what happens to them.

I posed a series of questions to the green candidate in a letter to the editor, asking him for the real cost of conversion from the ground up, including the manufactoring of everything needed to become 'green'
then the actually environmental damage that would occur in the process.
To date I am still waiting for a reply!

Whilst it may be fashionable to be seen as green, in my opinion, the infrastructure required to create green is not that friendly.
If you want to be fashionable buy a chihuhaua and carry it around in a handbag.


john

Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot

We did some rennos on our house a few years back and our power bill doubled. There were many things added, like downlights in the living and dining areas...

I was looking to add some downlights in the kitchen above the benches. That was until I discovered that each one was 50w and that adding to the current approx 21w fluoro that does the job now would have been 200w of light just for the benches Would have been nice but no way I am doing that. I looked into LED too but it was about $60 per light and they looked cheap and nasty.

A friend's new place is entirely down lights (as most new places seem to be). I forget what the wattage added up to but it was over 2000w.