Items in the Green Building Category
“Net Metering” vs “Buy-All-Sell-All” How North Carolina Treats Residential Solar Installations
Posted in Green Building, Solar Hot Water / Solar Electric - 21 January 2012Updated
It’s been over a year since I first wrote this blog post about “net-metering” vs “buy-all-sell-all” and it’s time for an update.
There is no national standard yet when it comes to small generators of renewable energy, i.e. wind and solar, which prompted this original post a while back. To further complicate matters, how these systems are treated varies not only state to state, but even within a state, variations exist between energy service providers. To get the installation that’s best for you, it’s important that your installer look at your particular situation and determine the most advantageous set up.
Let’s start with a few upfront assumptions: 1) since I’m writing from central North Carolina, most of our customers are interested in solar, but how our utilities treat wind powered generators is very similar 2) we are talking about grid-tied systems, not battery based systems, see my other post about when it makes sense to use a battery based system.
Next, before we talk about the difference between “net-metering” and “buy-all-sell-all” you need to first understand that renewable energy production is made up of two parts, each attributed a financial value: 1) the actual electrons produced, measured in kWh and 2) the “clean energy credits” assigned to these electrons, called “RECs” or “Renewable Energy Credits”. While it differs state to state, most states have something called a Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, which mandates that electric utilities produce some portion of the electricity they sell to customers from non-polluting, renewable energy sources. These mandates vary in each state and typically increase over time. Utilities have two options to meet these mandates, they can either produce clean energy themselves through large scale wind or solar farms, or they can purchase RECs produced by many small generators such as homeowners and small businesses. These RECs can be traded and purchased on an exchange and the price for RECs varies widely depending on where you live and the applicable regulations governing the sale of RECs in your state.
So now for some definitions:
Buy-all-sell-all means, you buy all of your electricity from the grid and you sell all of your electricity to the grid – which means you have two meters, one to measure what you produce (sell) and another to measure what you consume (buy). While the utilities sell you power at retail prices (anywhere from $0.11/kWh to $0.15/kWh) they are only required to purchase it from you at wholesale prices (about $0.07/kWh). You get a bill from your utility for the power you consume and you get a check from the utility for the power you produce.
Net metering is used with an electric meter that turns both ways, forward (consumption) and backwards (production) and where you are billed or compensated based on whether you use more or less than you produce. Your financial incentive here is “avoided costs”. A special meter is required for this, in order to track production vs consumption. In some cases this can be advantageous, as you are able to “sell” your power at the higher retail price since you are essentially building up “power credits” by “rolling back” the meter during the day.
Grid-Interconnected or Batteries?
Posted in Green Building, Solar Hot Water / Solar Electric - 7 January 2012Many customers assume that when they install a solar system, they are going to be able to “unplug” from their electric utility and are surprised when we explain that they probably don’t want to do that. Here are a couple of simple reasons why:
- Unless you’ve designed your house to achieve a very high degree of energy efficiency from the outset, you likely can’t afford to completely offset your electric consumption with solar. Most houses use far too much electricity to be able to affordably offset their total use entirely with solar.
- Solar is not consistent minute to minute, hour to hour or even day to day. Solar panels are highly affected by clouds and may be reduced to zero production for days at a time during a period of cloudy or stormy weather and our electric appliances really don’t like power fluctuations, so some way of ”regulating” that power is required.
- As you know, the sun only shines during the day when most people are at work and you are using little electricity at home. Most residential consumption occurs in the late afternoon when the sun’s energy is waning.
- Without storage, all that power you produce during the day will simply go to waste. You need to be able to store the power somehow and storage remains a sticky problem to this day. Batteries are currently the only practical method of storage for residential customers, but batteries present many challenges, such as cost, safety and maintenance.
So unless you are installing solar somewhere far “off grid” and it is prohibitively expensive to bring power to the house, your least expensive and most practical option is to remain tied to the grid. By installing a grid-interconnected system you are essentially buying into an insurance policy that provides you with consistent reliable power year round, regardless of the time of day or season. When the sun is shinning you are sending power to the grid and when the sun is not, the grid is returning you the favor. While most of us would love to “unplug” the reality is a little less dramatic, but nonetheless satisfying. The AC solar systems we install use Enphase microinverters which provide near real-time production data that can be monitored on the internet allowing you to see the positive impact you are having on the environment with your solar system. Contact us today for your free solar consultation.
Why you should wait on windows.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Green Building - 16 November 2011We have long explained to our customers that windows are usually not where they should focus their energy when looking to save money. While windows and doors have benefited from a lot of marketing dollars because of their high cost and associated profits, the benefits and savings of these have been grossly exaggerated.
When it comes to energy savings, whether you are a homeowner or a small business, we have always maintained that the best approach is to first understand how you use your energy, then look for ways to reduce the energy you use and finally, look for ways to produce your own energy through renewable energy generation (specifically for the triangle area, solar hot water and photovoltaics) – hence our “Measure – Reduce – Produce” company philosophy.
See this video from the Department of Energy on the Home Performance with Energy Star program, and how a home performance contractor differs from your typical contractor. Home Performance with Energy Star
The Critical (And Most Overlooked) Issue of Moisture Management
Posted in Green Building, Healthy Home - 24 September 2011
Example of a roof leak using a thermal imaging camera
Today we were discussing renovation plans with a customer and as we walked through the house and her upcoming plans, we noticed some fairly pervasive and significant moisture issues. As we discussed this in the context of the other work she wanted us to bid on, a recent article in the local Chapel Hill News came to mind.
The article entitled “Home Inspector’s Top 10″, listed the top 10 most common problems inspectors find when examining homes. Two of these were moisture related and the #1 issue was “inadequate drainage”. For anyone who has built any kind of structure, understanding moisture management has always been a critical and sometimes vexing element of successful construction.
We have always maintained that durability is the first principle of ”Green Building” and the single most (more…)
Building It Right From The Start.
Posted in General, Green Building - 15 September 2011Since we founded Sundogs Solutions about two years ago, we’ve had the opportunity to work on over one hundred houses in the greater Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Raleigh area and have seen it all, from well intentioned, though misguided efforts at construction and energy efficiency, to downright fraud, abuse and dangerous practices. No matter what we’ve faced when working on a building, we’ve approached our energy efficiency retrofit work with an eye to understanding our client’s objectives first and then designing a plan using building sciences to best achieve this goal. At times, this has proven extremely challenging, having to work in areas that are difficult to access, are sealed off and completely inaccessible, or sometimes simply not cost-effective to modify.
So it has been a real pleasure to have the opportunity to build something right from scratch. Last year Lori and Mark called us after seeing our ad in the local “Independent”, and asked us if we would be interested in building an energy efficient (more…)
The Real (low) Cost Of Certifying Energy Star Homes
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Green Building - 30 May 2011
If there is one thing that sets me off more than anything else, it’s the scams and lies some (production) builders use to get out of certifying homes with the Energy Star label. Does this sound familiar? “Oh, we build the home to Energy Star standards, we just don’t certify it because it’s too expensive.” All too often the home buyer not knowing any better and wanting to believe that he or she is not being taken advantage of doesn’t press the matter. This is no different than a used car salesman trying to sell a potential client the “paint sealing package”.The truth is, that certifying a home for Energy Star, usually costs less than $1,000 and with that certification, the home buyer typically gets a discount (more…)
Breaking Ground On An Old Concept
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Healthy Home - 21 May 2011Last week, as we broke ground on the passive solar home we are building in Wendell, it dawned on me that we’ve come full circle on concepts of energy efficient building design. When people ask us about the design of this home, I’m always a little surprised at the perception that this is somehow going to be an exotic looking home, or will be more expensive than a traditional home. If I were to line up 5 different plans, some passive solar some not, most would not be able to pick out the passive solar design. Furthermore, an energy efficient home doesn’t have to cost more, it simply requires some knowledge of building science, attention to detail and proper management of heat and moisture. In many cases, it simply requires that tradespeople do the things they are supposed to do to begin with, like a proper load calculation for the heating and cooling system. Passive solar designs have been around since people began building homes.
In fact, we’re really just building homes the way they should be built. Over the past few decades, our insatiable quest for profits through “efficiency” a.k.a. wringing every penny out of the cost of production/manufacturing and the “Walmart” effect – the disposable product – have driven builders to cut corners and standardize building plans at the expense of sound design and common sense in many cases (like the 6″ overhang). With the downturn in the economy and (more…)
On Magical Moments.
Posted in Green Building - 30 March 2011As most of our clients know, we are a new company just over a year old now and launched at a time of national economic hardship. Unfortunately, we are also in an industry saturated with cynical companies who see”green” and “renewable energy” as simply another marketing campaign to capitalize on. You don’t need to go any farther than some of your local “Green Home” tours which feature 5,000sf homes boasting of energy star appliances and some form of low VOC recycled paint as their only qualifying features. When was the last time you bought an appliance that wasn’t energy star?? Nonetheless, we take heart every time we meet other professionals in the industry who are truly committed to improving the way we use energy.
As with most new companies, we also work long hours covering the many roles larger companies can afford to pay several people to do and these past several weeks have been particularly busy with training, submitting new bids, interviewing and hiring and participating in the recently launched Chapel Hill-Carrboro energy efficiency program named “WISE“.
A few weeks ago now, Chapel Hill and Carrboro jointly unveiled their new energy efficiency incentive program at the Century Center to an eager audience of people from as far away as Raleigh and Pittsboro. By all accounts, the launch was a success and we enjoyed the many conversations with home owners, business owners and other service providers and vendors. It was a room full of people interested in creative and practical solutions to reducing the amount of energy we all use. Topics discussed included new control systems for appliances, the benefits of net metering vs buy all sell all solar plans, the payback on solar hot water systems, the purpose of energy audits, Renewable Portfolio Standards and new construction techniques and building materials. It was both enlightening and heartening to see how informed our customers are and very exciting to see a room full of companies with innovative ideas who are providing legitimate services to their customers. Sometimes we just need to step back a little in order to find the good among the noise.
At the end of the event, we headed home with a renewed sense of optimism for the future, some new friends and new clients. That evening turned out to be a beautiful spring evening as we capped off the day with a glass of wine on the porch and played with the kids. Buoyed by our day with the Chapel Hill WISE program and watching the kids run around the yard, it was easy to forget the stresses of work, the challenges we face and the fears we carry with us about the uncertain future facing our children. For a few moments at least, I felt like our kids running around, without a care in the world.
We all deserve some magical moments.
Habitat for Humanity – Orange County
Posted in Community, Green Building - 10 July 2010With the work site shut down for the week of the 4th of July, I figured it’s a great time to give a shout-out to a great cause. Habitat for Humanity Orange County is in the process of building about 50 energy efficient homes in a small community off of Rogers Road in Chapel Hill, called “Phoenix Place”. With 5 homes completed, they still have a long way to go before they wrap this location up. (more…)
So What Is a HERS Index?
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Green Building - 8 July 2010
If you are in the process of looking for a new home, or inquiring about energy efficient homes, you may have heard of a HERS Index. So what is a HERS Index anyway? Here is the definition taken form the RESNET website: “The HERS Index is a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home (based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code) scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0. The lower a home’s HERS Index, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the HERS Reference Home.
Each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS Reference Home. Thus a home with a HERS Index of 85 is 15% more energy efficient than the HERS Reference Home (more…)
What is “Green Building”?
Posted in Green Building - 25 March 2010So just what makes a building “Green”? The truth is that the answer depends greatly on your point of view and I think also the surrounding area. Taken to the extreme, one could say that a house is green when it uses only as many resources as it generates for itself and when it is made up solely of highly renewable and sustainably made materials, created locally. How’s that for a high bar? The truth for most of us, is that most buildings can be made greener than they are but as some point, there is a practical and economical aspect to any project that needs to be accounted for. What is important is that prospective buyers or homeowners looking to improve either their energy footprint or seeking more sustainable building materials and practices go into any transaction with the proper information.
(more…)Do Your Part for a Better Planet
Posted in Benefits, Green Building, Healthy Home - 22 March 2010Whichever side of the “Global Climate Change” debate you fall on, all you have to do is listen to our local ozone warning report during the summer months to witness firsthand how humans have an impact on the environment in which we live. In North Carolina, we see the adverse effect we have on our environment, in trail erosion to sedimentation of our lakes, in neighboring mountain tops removed for our coal to rivers we can no longer swim or fish in. With so many local examples, most can agree that it would be better for all if the water from the lakes we swam in or the air we and our children breathed every day, were cleaner.
“Greening” your home does not have to involve an expensive array of solar panels or anything that exotic. True, for some this is both a statement of their commitment to a cleaner planet, or an economically sound investment, sometimes both. For most of us however, it can be as simple as replacing our traditional incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Are you due for a new hot water heater? Do you have good exposure on a southern face? A solar hot water system makes great economic sense. With a typical payback of 5-7 years and lifespan of 10-15 years, that system provides you with “free” hot water for anywhere from 3 to 10 years and often longer. Like most things in our lives, we get used to how things are and are reticent to change what we know.
At Sundogs Solutions, we seek to educate our customers with the facts and tailor solutions that fit their needs and goals. There are a lot of spurious claims both on the benefits and ills of various “Green” and “Renewable” options for homeowners. Sundogs Solutions will gladly work with you on any project you have in mind to assess the practicality of the implementation both from the project cost and the payback time-line.
