SOLAR IS HERE TO STAY
Having placed the land in a conservation easement, and designed a house suited to aging in place, these homeowners also sought to make the building efficient and sustainable. Solar energy costs have dropped five-fold in the past 10 years, they remind us, while electricity cost from utility companies has increased more than 50% in the past two decades. The economics of solar power are compelling.
The average cost of an installed system is now less than $3 per watt. Through the end of 2022, the federal government will help fund your system with a 26% tax credit (it drops to 22% in 2023, and then will be eliminated). Not only is there savings in generating your own electricity, but also, in many areas, you can earn money by selling SRECs (solar renewable energy credits). You generate one credit for every 1000 kilowatt hours of electricity your system produces, and each credit can be sold for varying amounts depending on the state you live in. The average payback time for an installed system is eight years. An installed system generally increases a home’s value by $14,000.
BE WISE BEFORE INSTALLING A SYSTEM 1. Check with your local electrical utility
about net metering, interconnection requirements, and any limitations on the size of a system, before proceeding.
2. Get estimates from several installers.
System quotes should include all costs for installation, permits, solar panels, wiring, mounts, and inverters. Backup battery systems are optional.
3. Do a site survey.
Ideally you should have a south-facing site with no or minimal shading. Solar maps of the proposed site can identify shading issues.
4. Choose the type of panels.
Most use monocrystalline silicon flat panels that have good efficiency and durability; these should last at least 25 years.
5. Consider the mounting system.
For fixed mounts, formulas calculate the ideal angle to the sun for your latitude. If you have mounts that can change their tilt angle, this can increase power production based on the sun’s seasonal changes in its position in the sky.
6. Battery backup can provide reliable power
for essential appliances like your refrigerator and freezer.
7. After installation, claim your tax credit
and find out about selling your SRECs.
The kitchen is next to the entry hall, minimizing steps when bringing in groceries. The kitchen ceiling is eight feet, lending comfortable intimacy, while the living room beyond has a 14-foot ceiling and banks of floor-to-ceiling windows that bring in light while allowing views of the surrounding forest. The house nestles amidst native redbud trees in a scene teeming with wildlife. Stained-glass panels in the entry door depict the trees.
Jim Pierce’s design expertise is evident in the living room. The focal point is an asymmetrical fireplace in ledgestone (also used on the exterior). Inspired by rectilinear Limbert furniture, Jim drew plans for furniture to be built by Brett Johnson of Craftsmen Studio. Antiques here include a Gustav Stickley rocking chair, a Limbert desk chair, and a pair of Art Deco tubular chairs by Gilbert Rohde. They sit next to a black-lacquer and chromed steel table by Wolfgang Hoffmann, the son of Wiener Werkstatte architect and designer Josef Hoffmann. The monochromatic serenity of the interior is punctuated by gleaming or colorful collections: chrome and copper Chase Company metalware, today’s Ephraim Pottery vases, an antique wisteria table lamp by Handel.
EACH OF THREE BEDROOMS ON THE MAIN FLOOR HAS A VIEW OF FOREST AND A SMALL PRAIRIE AROUND THE HOUSE. NATURE IS CELEBRATED IN EVERY ROOM.