Car or renewable energy. Which is the better value?

I just finished up the Habitat for Humanity Home and Garden Show here in Traverse City. I had a pretty steady flow the whole weekend. But the common theme seem to be "Boy that is expensive!"

So I got to thinking about this statement. It has been something that I've wanted blog about for awhile.

Lets take my truck, the one that I would use to bring material to your project. I am going to use rough numbers for this example when I compare the $16,500.00 solar package that I had listed for the show, which is still available for this price until the end of the month.

I purchased a new 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD it cost around $30000.00. I managed to pay it off in 3 1/2 years. But since then it still continues to cost me money, a lot of MONEY!!! I will be using 4 years for the example not 5 years because I have not owned it for 5 yet.

Fuel: $ 20,800.00 ($100 to fill up average over 4 years)
Oil Changes: $990.00 ( I have 110000 miles and I change the oil every 5k miles)
Repairs $ 4000.00 (Brake job twice and a transmission replaced)
Tires: $1800.00 (3 set of tires every 30k miles)
Misc: $500.00
Insurance: $6000.00
Total $34,090.00 ( That does not include the truck and the interest that I paid for the loan.)

Now this is not typical of someone that may have a car and this is just to illustrate how the solar package that I am currently offering is a great deal compared to a vehicle.

But if I didn't have to have this vehicle I could have bought about 4 solar systems. Lasting me 20 plus years with little or no extra costs. Which would eliminate my electrical cost to the power company for years to come.

If you do the math for a vehicle and how much it costs. Which people have no problem spending that kind of money. When in about 7 years they will turn around and buy another and start all over again with the cycle.

So what sounds like a better value to you in the end?

Have you had your energy audit yet?

I just dropped off a quote for a new solar energy system for a couple that uses about 700kWh a month, pretty average. This person had me quote a 3 panel system mounted on the roof, no problem. This system will generate about 72 kWh a month or 1/10 of this persons power, with perfect sunny conditions. But here is the thing the guy was surprised that it was not going to produce more power then that. I told him that this would be considered a starter system, if someone doesn't have a lot of money but wanted to start somewhere so this is what you would do. Because the system is capable of being added on to in the future. This is what I have decided to do at my home. I will be installing just 2 panels and adding on from there.

Before I decided to do this I got an energy audit from Empowerment Energy Analysts first. Well I have received my report and now I am in the process of doing some of the recommendations. This weekend I started building boxes to go over the top of the recessed can lights that are in the house and I sprayed foam on the regular light fixture boxes to block any heat from escaping through the holes. So that is where I started to try and reduce our energy costs. I am looking to reduce our energy cost even further. We currently use about 500 -600 kWh a month. I need it to be around 400 -450 kWh a month which is going to be hard because we have an electric dryer and stove. But I was informed that I need to put up a clothes line in the backyard and in the Summer we won't have to run the dryer as much. So that alone will help us cut down on energy usage.
The problem is that most people are not willing to give up their luxuries or gadgets that use electricity to achieve this .

So lets take the guy that I dropped the quote off to and use his energy usage as the example. To take the same 220watt panels to get the 700kwh that he uses, you would have to install 29 panels on the roof. Now the average cost to install a system of this size is around $45000.00 roughly. Now if he were able to reduce the amount of power that he uses down to 500 kwh a month. He would need 18 panels at 220 watts. The cost to install that would be about $25000.00 roughly. As you can see by dropping just 200 kwh a month the solar system drops in price by almost 1/2. So this is why it so important to get your energy usage under control. You end up saving thousand of dollars by doing so on a renewable system.

So the moral of the story is get an energy audit, get your power usage down to a more manageable amount and then buy renewables from me. Then you will have a win, win situation every time.

Here are three companies that I know that can help you with your energy audits. (You maybe able to get yours for free or at a reduced rate from your utility company)

Empowerment Energy Analysts (231) 218-3521
Paradigm Energy Services (231) 237-9293
Northern Auditor, LLC (231) 492-5136

Energy Audit

Back a few weeks ago I wrote a blog posting on how I was going to get a home energy audit done on our house. Well we just finished our energy audit yesterday. As soon as I receive the official report I will share it on my blog. But while we were doing the audit I produced a video to show how TJ Ewing did a home energy audit. It was quit interesting to see where the cold spots are in the house. The areas where we thought would be the problem were not there at all but in other areas of the house. If this something that you would like done for your house then you can find TJ Ewing on the web at Empowerment Energy Analysts or call (231) 218-3521. Also if you buy a renewable energy system from me, you will receive a home energy audit after the system is installed showing you how you can maximize that new investment in your home.

Pro and Cons of solar power (photovolatic or PV).

Pros of solar power:

1. Solar is a renewable source of power.


2. Solar energy does not give off harmful substances. Except for the process involved to manufacture.


3. The sun is everywhere.


4. The sun's fuel is free.


5. Small systems are easily installed.


6. The systems have low maintenance.


7. The systems are quiet.


8. The systems have no moving parts.


9. The systems generally have twenty-five year warranty on the panels.


10. The sun is more constant then wind.


11. Solar is being advanced all the time.


12. Solar has become more popular in the past few years.


13. The cost of solar has dropped in price.


14. Even when cloudy the panels continue to work.

Cons of solar power:

1. The initial cost can be very expensive.


2. No good way to store the power.


3. Not ever location is good.


4. Snow can cause the system to stop working.


5. The panels need to be cleaned to minimize dust buildup.


6. Cloud cover can slow power production.


7. Solar does not work at night.


8. Solar systems need room to be installed.

These are just a few pros and cons of solar systems. This the second part of a three series that I am blogging about. If you missed the first blog of this series the pros and cons of wind turbines here is that link.

The third and final part of this series will be on, "What is right for me here in Michigan." The next section will take a little long then the other two so please back periodically the latest blog.

You can also follow me on Twitter for the latest information.

Schools getting renewable energy.

I just received this email tonight about schools that would like to qualify for a possible renewable energy system for their school. I currently bidding on this project for a possible 2 -10kw units for two different schools. So here is how you can get your school involved.

he following is being submitted by the Michigan Public Service Commission on behalf of Energy Works Michigan. Please direct any questions to Energy Works at the contract information below.

Michigan K-12 schools,

Energy Works Michigan has been awarded a grant by the Michigan Public Service Commission to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures at public and private K-12 schools throughout Michigan. Energy Works is an unbiased technical resource helping build foundational capacities in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries.

For the Michigan Renewable Schools Program, Energy Works developed a coordinated set of programs for Michigan K-12 schools designed to demonstrate energy technologies, raise public awareness, and educate the next generation so that they can fully contribute to meeting and exceeding the 2030 and 2050 carbon reduction targets.

Schools are invited to apply for the programs by submitting the Expression of Interest Part 1 Application attached to this email. The application and answers to frequently asked questions are also available on our website: www.energyworksmichigan.org.

Thank you for your interest in the Michigan Renewable Schools Program,

The Energy Works Team
215 E. Washington, Suite 201
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
www.energyworksmichigan.org.