OUR SECOND NETZERO SOLAR HOME RENOVATION

Being netzero means that you produce as much energy as you use.

Goals For This Home and Our Mission

1. Keeping the Project Realistic in This Economic Environment

2. Make Sure It’s an Investment First

3. Keep the total cost under the median average home price of the area.

4. Ensure it can rent out for 10-15% above all ownership costs, including long-term maintenance.

The Home Itself – Why I Chose This one

The short answer of why I chose this home is because it was on the market, and we had a slight chance of actually going under contract. That’s it.

White Bag
Off-White Arrow

Blower Door Testing: Measuring the Air Leakage

White Bag

Garage Bathroom Renovation

White Bag

Before

Garage Bathroom Renovation

White Bag

After

Hallway Bathroom

White Bag

Before

Hallway Bathroom

White Bag

After

Kitchen

White Bag

Before

Kitchen

White Bag

After

Master Bedroom

White Bag

Before

Master Bedroom

White Bag

After

Bedroom

White Bag

Before

Bedroom

White Bag

After

Hallway Ceiling

White Bag

Before

Hallway Ceiling

White Bag

After

Living Room

White Bag

Before

Living Room

White Bag

After

Roof

White Bag

Before

Time for Solar Energy!

White Bag

More Solar Panels vs. Energy Efficiency Projects

So it’ll work, you just need more panels, which also assumes you have enough roof space. This also means your ROI will be a little bit lower (with your payback higher), but in my case, it still made tons of sense.

Yearly Energy Usage For Both The House and Electric Car

After running the calculators, I estimated the house and car would use about 10,600 kWh per year in energy combined, so I designed the solar array to match that by using both the east and west-facing roofs.

The Cost of the Solar Electric Install

The total cost installed was $16,720.00. After the 26% solar federal tax credit, , the net cost is $12,373.00. We got it at $2.20/watt installed. This is considered pretty low.

There are many other nitty gritty details which played a key role in this renovation.