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The HERS ratings are a code thing, but they are also a nationally recognized an industry standard way to calculate out the energy usage of a residence. A 10 hers rating in Colorado is the same as a 10 HERS rating in California or New York, it is not just a system in place where I design. The thresholds however are decided upon by the jurisdiction. the code compliance is a BIG thing, and should be accounted for when talking about efficiency. The code dictates what construction method is going to be used in a given design. I gave two examples earlier of homes built with very similar construction methods, same insulation values, same wood frame construction same framing methods, and same locations. They fared equal when the energy audit was conducted. yes, it may take more energy to heat and cool a larger house, but you DO have to take into account that most places that use the HERS rating or energy star rating systems will have these houses producing some if not all of their own energy, thus negating the taxation on the grid. Smaller houses do use less materials to build, but the materials used ARE renewable, thus Eco friendly.
you cannot just take out variables because they are not giving you the numbers you want.
But you can build or retrofit a small house to be as energy efficient as you want, regardless of what the codes call for regarding HERS ratings. And a small house with the same HERS rating as a larger house would use less energy from the grid, wouldn't it?
But you can build or retrofit a small house to be as energy efficient as you want, regardless of what the codes call for regarding HERS ratings. And a small house with the same HERS rating as a larger house would use less energy from the grid, wouldn't it?
as I have stated befores unless the larger house was meeting the HERS rating and had a PV system that removed its useage from the grid and placed it on its own system, which is happening quite frequently now.
I believe the poster was referring to the cost of the PV system, which is what dropped the bill $100. Count on roughly $5000 per installed kw (and that's on the lowish side) - didn't I read in that thread that it was a 15kw installation? That's $75,000 to save $100 a month, which will pay for itself in 750 months, or approximately 60 YEARS.
I believe the poster was referring to the cost of the PV system, which is what dropped the bill $100. Count on roughly $5000 per installed kw (and that's on the lowish side) - didn't I read in that thread that it was a 15kw installation? That's $75,000 to save $100 a month, which will pay for itself in 750 months, or approximately 60 YEARS.
the 15kW system was on a house that is currently on my desk. The local electrical company has a 55% rebate program for installing solar on a house.
the 15 KW system works out to be $52,181 with excel energy rebates. without rebates it is roughly a $121,460 system, a large house does indeed use more electricity than a smaller house I don't have the figures of what a 6000 sqft home that is energy star rated would use per month in electricity, I do not have the HERS file in front of me for this house, I do know they are projected to be putting several KW of energy back into the system per month.
you should also factor in the increase of grid power vs. the flat rate of solar energy, it will pay for itself faster as grid energy costs rise.
the 15kW system was on a house that is currently on my desk. The local electrical company has a 55% rebate program for installing solar on a house.
the 15 KW system works out to be $52,181 with excel energy rebates. without rebates it is roughly a $121,460 system, a large house does indeed use more electricity than a smaller house I don't have the figures of what a 6000 sqft home that is energy star rated would use per month in electricity, I do not have the HERS file in front of me for this house, I do know they are projected to be putting several KW of energy back into the system per month.
you should also factor in the increase of grid power vs. the flat rate of solar energy, it will pay for itself faster as grid energy costs rise.
Actually, I should factor in the time value of money and the fact that 60 years is far longer than the expected system life (by a factor of 2-4x), which will make the payback look even worse.
Dunno what electric utility the house will be built in, but, assuming it's in an area in which the state legislature has forced the utility company to allow net metering and actually pay for excess power, the utilities usually pay a fraction for the electricity that they would have charged. So, while it's thrilling to watch the meter spin backward (alas, not all of them do) it tends not to pay for itself.
But someone building a 6,000sf house likely doesn't care.
Let me add to this - most people I know that are using PV are building off-grid homes where every square foot counts. Materials have to be trucked in, generators have to be used during building and it all adds up, so they are going for a maximum of long-term absolute, not relative (as in the case of HERS), efficiency.
Let me add to this - most people I know that are using PV are building off-grid homes where every square foot counts. Materials have to be trucked in, generators have to be used during building and it all adds up, so they are going for a maximum of long-term absolute, not relative (as in the case of HERS), efficiency.
this is the same thing for smaller homes, and in such cases the builders of these smaller homes are doing so with several hundred homes in a sub-division, plus the cost of roads, setting up infrastructure to support the small homes, lighting for the streets, continued support after for road clearing after a snow storm, and much much more.
small homes just dont pop up out of the ground when planting a seed, and they cannot go without infrastructure support and public works
a large home on a lot outside the city that is energy independent does not need someone to come clear the drive, does not need street lights, does not need an entire infrastructure built up to support it.
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