We have been looking at investing in solar power for a while now. It seems that for now the systems are way out of our price bracket. Last month our electric bill ran about $220 for 2362 Kwh for the month. I was wandering if this is a bit excessive energy consumption or average. I live in the east Tennessee area which tends to use more power anyway. Is there anything I can do to get this usage down a lot. We already have all the lights CFL. Could this be attributed to freezers or refrigerators. I know someone for example who has two upright freezers and has a pretty large bill. I have read about guides to help you MAKE your own solar panels from buying solar cells and constructing them yourself. From the sites I’ve been to this is mainly for 200-400 watt power generation to use emergencies, RV’s and other off-grid applications. Has anyone had experience with these guides, and can they be used to make say a 3kw grid-tie system?
We do have electric heat opposed to gas, however we haven’t used it. Lately we have used the AC only about 30 minutes a day. The only thing I can think it would be is possible the water heater which is a 50 gal tank and most likely uses tons of energy to keep that water ready-to-use. I have thought about actually kicking the breaker off for it till we need to shower or do dishes or clothes. Hopefully this will help.
You should consider solar water heating before looking into solar electric. It is 85% efficient, as opposed to < 20% efficient for electric. That translates to a lot bigger bang for your buck.
http://www.altestore.com/store/solar-Water-Heaters/Climate-freezes-Closed-Loop-Systems/Closed-Loop-Systems-for-1-4-People/Closed-Loop-PV-Powered-w-Tank/AET-PV-w-80-Gal-Tank-64-SqFt-Collectors/p172/ (A thermosyphon system is not appropriate for your location, you need more freeze protection than it can offer. A solar powered system like the this also uses no electricity, or more accurately, it makes its own)
You should also get an energy audit to see why your bill is so high, that is a lot of energy you are consuming. Many utility companies will offer them for free or at a discount.
Also get a Kill-a-Watt meter that you can plug devices like refrigerators into to see how much power it is consuming. http://www.altestore.com/store/Meters-Communications-Site-Analysis/Meters-Battery-Monitors/Power-Meters/P3-International-Kill-A-Watt-P4400-Kill-A-Watt-Power-Meter/p932/
If you have older fridges and freezers, they could be using a ton of electricity, it may make sense to replace them with a new energy star appliance.
Tenn doesn’t have a rebate for solar, but the federal tax credit will save you 30%. There are also tax credits for improving your energy efficiency, http://dsireusa.org/.