Photos: The solar house that Mike built

Dear Mike,

Wondorful.

i am interested in your product. Please let me have details and price.

Regrds

Kapoor

Impressive I must say; as in: impressively inimpressive. How many years will this house need to be lived in, and by how many, before there will be any net energy savings in light of its construction and ongoing maintenance energy consumption? This would only be fit for a really big energy hog.

"The solar panels cover the 1,000-square-foot roof of a nearby building."

Doesn't that mean that it's not a self sufficient building since it need to use roof of a nearby building to gather enough energy to sustain it. It also says that it can generate 60% more energy than it uses in summer but skips the winter part.

"The project, called the Hopewell Project, cost about $500,000 to plan and build. Owner Strizki contributed $100,000 of his own money to fund the project, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities chipped in with a $225,000 grant, and various commercial sponsors donated equipment such as batteries and piping."

Here in lies the problem, it just cost too much too much to build a house that is self sufficient in energy. Don't get me wrong I think it is a good idea and whe should be striving to use environmentally friendly, non polluting, renewable energy sources. However I believe the solution lies in using multiple technologies that are suited to local conditions then using a grid to supplement the time dependant shortfalls in one area with the surplus from another. Trying to generate all the energy that a house requires autonomously just isn't practical but a cooperative, multi technology, distributed solution may just work.

Ignoring the fact that it cannot possibly pay for itself when all factors are taken in to consideration (such as battery life, panel degredation, etc, etc, etc), I am impressed that they managed to get so much sponsership money from the public utility board. Given that the owner only spent 1/5th of the project cost, he actually may be able to break even (if he also gives paid tours to the house).

Lets just give these projects the attention they deserve, as test platforms for the new technology and developments that in the future, will actually work. Remember, you cannot run before you learn to walk.

Of course, the invertment's return ( ROI) is more then 10 years, so how we know, practically solar panels are installed in California (the highest # of sunny days/solar energy received fron Sun)

How much is the house? Price before installation? How much is the premium for insurence? How many percent/$$ the owner may deduct from his State and Federal taxes?

Joe

I wonder how much energy it took to refine the steel, and form those big hydrogen tanks, as well as refine the lead in all those batteries. Did those batteries and glass (as well as the wood and the paint to build the house) come from his own land or were they trucked in? I see no passive solar heat or trombe walls...though to be fair, maybe the photographer didn't think to feature such "innovations". And that roof...is it really an asphalt roof? What is his strategy for replacing the batteries when they quit on him in a year or two? I think it takes more energy to create such a house than it will ever save. As a proof of concept, there are better on the market.

Bill

stag@cyberus.ca

GOOD , I INTERSTED IN MORE DETAIL OF THIS APPLICATION FOR OUR CONTRY IS ALL TIME SUMMER TIME, 40° C AVERAGE A YEAR.

Is import for apply this concept for local power is very spence.

thanks

gabriel

A quick question, in a "super insulated" house, if some Joe schmo were to use something in there that out gasses which would be tolerable in a normal house, wouldn't it really build up in a house sealed up that tight? Moving air is very important to keeping an area "livable" Right?

I don't know that the complete energy independance of the house is what is of value here. Clearly everyone doesn't get to have one. The grid will allways be with us. It doesn't have to be a provider only system. The key is how, on a systems level do we integrate technology(s) into a flexible energy genertation / collection system that makes "Mikes" additional 60% power generation available. In my mind the key to the whole energy independance issue is not some magic bullet but integration of many technologies on many levels in a way that reduces dependance on single source power generarion.

Hi Pepper,

"In my mind the key to the whole energy independance issue is not some magic bullet but integration of many technologies on many levels in a way that reduces dependance on single source power generarion."

I see you and I think alike and I agree with you totally. I believe the answer is a totally distributed multi technology system where the technology being used is the most suitable for that location. For example a windy area could use it's surplus wind generated electric energy to subsadise an area that use solar at night and vice versa when there was no wind.

A system like this could be achieved with current technology and to a great part by the existing power distribution system. The question is why aren't we doing it?

I plan to start a discussion on this in the near future on my An Engineer's Look at the Future of Energy blog so get ready to push the idea.

Mike should have planted trees and burned them in a stove and use a Stirling engine to make electricity. Much more environmental neutral than this thing.

How polluting was the construction?

Good that it are dollars, not Euros (or it was also my money) that have been spent.

Can we give Mr. Strizki just a little break. Obsession does have its place, after all. Especially for those who can best afford it. Besides tourist venue; this place looks just about right for a nice restaurant (bed and bath, too, if it has a view). Then maybe it could pay for itself.

I agree. Keep in mind that a 3000 square foot house in New Jersey WITHOUT the energy efficient technology will cost most of that $500,000.00

Fine that you support the project.

I'm also agreeing that it is a better spending of the money than gambling.

I assume that the investment that is mentioned is the add on for the zero energy installation.

The bulky price is also due to the fact that there is no series production of this equipment.