Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kassi on October 14, 2008 at 14:07

I know what you mean. I have used a wood stove to heat the house for years. Saves a ton on propane and it only costs some calories! Besides, it gives a great atmosphere to have the fire going when the Christmas tree is up. A programable thermostat also helps in the summer. Why pay for ac when you are at work?

Permalink Reply by Earth Mama on October 14, 2008 at 14:17

Yes Kassi, The old timers say " wood is the only fuel that heats you twice!"

Permalink Reply by Kassi on October 14, 2008 at 14:17

Amen to that! I have lost 37 pounds over the last 2 winters..lol

Permalink Reply by lambert park on October 14, 2008 at 15:31

I have a Franklin stove as a fireplace and it heats up the house really well. I love the smell of wood smoke. I haven't gone as far as growing my own vegetables, my health won't let me do much in that respect but I economize in other ways. No fast food fountain drinks or meals, plan my trips to the grocery store and to do other errands so that I drive the least amount.

Permalink Reply by A. Banks on October 15, 2008 at 0:55

We have solar panels (arrays are not on roof but mounted on poles at edge of property away from house). Our electric meter actually runs backward sometimes - not enough to sell back to utility co. (need more panels for that to happen) but enough to make a huge difference in utility bill. Also have had "solar" dryer (clothesline) for over a year and used my electric dryer only 4 times since then.

Permalink Reply by Earth Mama on October 15, 2008 at 6:58

A. Banks, where did you purchase them and how big of an investment were they? Also any tax break?

Permalink Reply by getoverit on October 15, 2008 at 7:14

I would like to know the same thing. I am considering purchasing solar panels for my next house and am wondering what type of investment I am looking at as well as any tax break they may provide.

Permalink Reply by A. Banks on October 15, 2008 at 8:14

Investment can be substantial but with the price of electricity going up, we think we can now recoup the investment in 8 years. Our electricity bills run around $50-$75/month. They would normally be around $200-$300/month. We are still on the public utility provider grid and only supplement our usage with solar generated power. What we paid 2 years ago (obviously might have changed since then) -- panels are around $500 each (we have 24), inverter to convert DC electricity generated by panels to AC for home use is $1,500-$1,700, plus installation. There were some additional minor costs since we did not mount panels on our roof and therefore had to run our wiring in a trench 200 feet from actual arrays to our meter. You can do as many or as few as you want re number of panels. They can be specific to just run a hot water heater, for instance. We found a website (can't remember which one but probably found it doing a search) with info to help us do an energy audit of our usage.

We are in East Texas and used a firm out of Austin (home office in Amarillo, Dave Regal and Kenny Grigar were our contacts) - Earth Solar. Here's a link to an article about Earth Solar and what they offer. It's an older article, 2 years ago, but info is still current. Yes, there are some tax credits/rebates available which are also mentioned in the article. There may be even more now. Our opinion - the cost is worth it and we would definitely do it again.

http://www.amarillo.com/stories/111206/bus_5907541.shtml

Permalink Reply by Bobi Carr ("parker") on October 15, 2008 at 8:19

I have a friend that really wants to do this. He said that the tax credits in Louisiana are substancial.

Permalink Reply by getoverit on October 15, 2008 at 8:42

What is the square footage of your home and do you have the panels running your entire home?

Permalink Reply by A. Banks on October 15, 2008 at 9:04

2100 sf. No, we are still on the public utility grid and just supplement with the electricity generated by panels.

Permalink Reply by Kassi on October 15, 2008 at 11:31

So do you have battery back up for when the grid is down?

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page