Secules/CoreFocused Solar Hot water

Residential - January 2009

Solar Hot water showers are the best.

Quick Facts

Average Annual Savings

$510

Energy Needs Met

25% to 49%

of hot water

Net Investment

$8,645

Return on Investment

5.9%

Property

Owner:: Secules/CoreFocused, LLC
Type:: Residential
Address:: 136 Wheeler Road, Hollis, NH 03049
Size:: 2,650 sq ft
Energy need met:: 25% to 49% of hot water
Designations:: Passive house
Event Participation:: NESEA Green Buildings Open House 2012 Host

Technology

Type:: Solar Hot Water
Installed:: January 2009
Size of System:: 2 collectors
Purposes:: To heat hot water

Financial Details

Gross Cost of System:: $12,350
Value of Tax Credits:: $3,705
Net Cost of System:: $8,645
Annual Savings:: $510
Own or Lease:: Cash Purchase

Professionals & Suppliers

Products:: Heliodyne
Installers:: Shift Energy, LLC

What You Need to Know

Description:

2009 Heliodyne solar hot water system - 2 Gobi 408 panels & 115 gallon tank retrofitted to 1987 energy efficient home.

Other Benefits:

The Heliodyne system includes a Delta T Pro control unit which allows for the vacation mode to be enabled, avoiding any potential for overheating. The control unit also interfaces with Heliodyne headquarters, providing a real time case study of the system set in the North East corner of the United States. A solar dashboard is available for viewing on: www.corefocused.com click on studio news and then look for the October 2012 open house description and click on the link labeled "solar dashboard".

Maintenance Requirements:

2009 install by GroSolar of VT In 2011 Dawn Solar of NH corrected GroSolar's plumbing mistake - the glycol now flows up the roof. Also in 2011 Dawn Solar of NH upgraded the heat exchanger with a wireless Delta T Pro Control Unit which allows the owner to monitor the system & set the unit in vacation mode to avoid overheating. In 2012 Shift Energy of Maine who is well known for many large installations in New England and also for "This Old House" solar Hot water system expertly serviced our system - replacing a failed roof sensor & educated the owner on all the capabilities of the Delta T Pro control wifi/ethernet unit.

My Motivation:

We wanted to protect our budget against the rising costs of fossil fuels (we previously relied 100% on propane to heat our water).

Advice:

We would recommend Shift Energy of Maine to do the installation of your Solar DHW System. They helped us when the first two installers/maintainers of our system either stopped servicing Solar DHW systems or went our of business altogether. Shift Energy came with an excellent resume, having installed a Solar DHW system on the Barrington Beach House on "This Old House" television show on PBS.

Experience with Installer:

The original installers mis-specified the size of the water tank, such that the tank they delivered to the site did not fit through the interior doors. They also confused the pipe runs from the roof, causing the flow of glycol to be reversed. They also incorrectly plumbed the replacement tank (one they were not used to working with) causing the system to be very inefficient. They also used pipe insulation on the exposed exterior pipes that was not of the best quality.

Open House Info:

Come observe and ask questions regarding a roof mounted Solar Hot water system, Geothermal Heating & Cooling system & Energy efficient construction at the Secules Home and CoreFocused, LLC - a Pilates studio in Hollis, NH on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

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