Don and Gerry Grant produce much of their home’s energy from the solar array located near their house.
Visiting Don and Gerry Grant’s home feels a bit like being in a tree house. Built into a southern facing slope that looks out over a creek valley, the view brings you eye-level with the old growth red pines that surround the house.
Constructed in 2007, their 2,400 sq. ft. home incorporates passive solar design techniques into a round footprint, creating a comfortable, and sunny living space all throughout the year. As a result of their energy efficiency work, their home was awarded Energy Star status, receiving a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index of -24. The HERS Index is the nationally recognized system for inspecting, testing and calculating a home’s energy performance.
On the HERS scale, a lower number means greater energy efficiency. So, how is it possible to have a negative score? It turns out, when you receive a negative score, it means that your house is producing more energy than it uses.
And how, exactly, is that possible?
There is only one way to accomplish this, and it requires the sun’s help.
When the Grants built their house, they started out as independent users of solar photovoltaic (pv) power, unofficially known as living “off-grid.” Their first system was 2.6 kW, with a battery storage back-up and a generator to help them through low-power days. This system brought in plenty of power, but on very sunny days, after the batteries were fully charged, the excess power had nowhere to go, and was in a sense, being wasted.
In 2011, the Grants upgraded to a 3.7 kW “grid-tied” system, which allows them to sell back their excess power to their electric co-op. In the Grants’ case, their solar pv system, along with their solar hot water system, provides 165 percent of their electrical needs. On sunny days, they are literally making money, while helping to offset the amount of energy produced by non-renewables.
By converting to renewable energy systems, and making careful choices about their appliances and lighting, Don and Gerry have successfully reduced their carbon emissions to less than 1 ton per year. To compare, a car that gets 25 mpg emits 4 tons of carbon emissions every 10,000 miles. This means that their carbon emissions are 15 percent of a “conventional” home.
We walked down the hill, to see the solar array; two sets of panels positioned for maximum exposure in the front yard. Back inside, Don and Gerry explained the inner-workings of their basement solar hot water, a three-tank system designed to provide all of their domestic hot water needs. According to Don, “the system is working well.”
Returning to the front room, we discussed the differences between living in a grid-tied house vs. living in an off-grid house. The Grants admitted that even though there is a “learning curve,” the paybacks definitely outweigh the minor lifestyle changes that are required when you make the switch to renewable energy.
Back upstairs, we were treated to a rare bird sighting, a brown creeper winding its way around the trunk of a red pine, inches away from the window.
The Grants are just one example of local homeowners who are choosing to change the way they source their energy. As more people explore alternative ways to power their homes, cabins and businesses, our local, state and national outlook, like the view from the Grant house, is undeniably good.
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