This efficient solar energy powered home uses six 80 watt solar panels (2 now on the house and 4 on the adjustable mount shown below), a Trace 60 amp charge controller, a Trace 2500 watt true sine wave inverter, and fifteen 105 AmpHour batteries. With a little conservation and replacing the power hungry appliances (like dryers, heaters, electric stoves, etc.) with gas or other alternatives, I have all the electrical conveniences of modern living without the electric bills and no connection or dependency on the utility power grid. In the winter, sometimes heavy snow takes down some power lines & I watch on TV that my neighbors are without power.With wood heat and no greedy electric appliances, this system runs a 10 cubic foot refrigerator, a desktop computer with efficient LCD monitor, a 27 inch Energy Star compliant color TV, a 1200 watt microwave oven, and assorted other lights and devices. In the summer when I produce more power than I normally use, I have enough energy to run a 5000 BTU Air Conditioner for the 1 or 2 hours a day that I need it when it gets over about 95 degrees F. The earth sheltered design (click the small pictures for more views) keeps it pretty cool most of the time. Usually, my ceiling fan is all that is required.
I have been using between 60 & 80 KWH (KiloWattHours) of electricity per month. When I was hooked up to utility power and did not really know anything about conservation, my KWH usage was closer to 500 ! Look at your KWH usage on your electric bills and you will see the results that conservation and more efficient appliances can produce. A family of 4 would probably require 16 or more panels but conservation would still be part of the equation. Check out About Solar Power for some examples of larger system costs.
