10 Home Improvements You Can Offset with Solar

When most people look into going solar, they are looking to eliminate existing power bills that are accrued by the typical power usages : air conditioning, appliances, lighting, televisions, etc. Occasionally though, some homeowners contact us looking to install solar to offset a future home addition, as in, they want to install in preparation for a future electric bill increase caused by a planned home improvement. These additions can be for pleasure or work purposes, but either way, certain additions can add alot of usage to a power bill, but likely can be easily offset by installing solar.  To give you an idea of the types of improvements people are installing for, we compiled a list of ten common home additions that homeowners install solar to offset. 1. Pools / Hot Tubs The most common home addition that homeowners plan to offset with their solar are pools and hot tubs. When it comes to pools, the pumps needed to keep them clean have to be run around 8 hours a day. For those that don’t know, the pool pump is essentially the circulation system used to move the water through a filter and then back into the pool. Running that for 8 hours a day can use a ton of power, as the average 3 horsepower pump uses around 3.17kWh.  Hot tubs are another common home addition that homeowners will install solar to offset. While hot tubs don’t require the high powered pump systems that a pool does, the heaters that they use do a good amount of energy. An average 240 volt hot tub heater uses around 7.5kW, and while they don’t need to be run as long as a pool pump, they can still add a significant amount of electrical usage, depending on frequency of use. 2.  Electric Car Chargers Many homeowners are turning to electric cars to reduce their gas consumption. Part of the deal with electric cars is that you have to charge them at home, which can add a lot of electric consumption. Luckily for homeowners who install solar, they can offset the electric consumption required by the car charger, which means they basically are charging, and therefore fueling, their car with solar. Consumption will be based on electric car model and the amount the homeowner drives, but typically the added electric bill is anywhere from $50 - $250 a month, which saves hundreds of dollars in gas. Installing solar can easily offset this amount, which when you add the gas savings, really adds up. 3.  Garden Pond Pumps Another common offset that homeowners will ask about is garden pond pumps. Whether it’s a koi pond, a fountain, or just a decorative pond, many homeowners have these running in their yards constantly. While they use minimal power to run, they typically run all day and night, which can add up.4.  Industrial Sized Freezers / Fridges Some homeowners have large freezers or fridges for various reasons. Whether it’s a freezer for storing food for a home restaurant business, or a fridge for cooling medical supplies, large fridges and freezers can add some significant consumption. The average cost of running an industrial-sized freezer (8’x10’) is around $111 per month, which is probably more like $150 a month in San Diego.  5.  Photo / Video / High-End Electronics For those that are serious video producers, photographers, and even gamers, high-end computers and other electronics are required to get the job done right. The computers needed for these professions / hobbies use a lot of processing power, and therefore use a lot of electricity. So for those that need those fast processors - solar can be a good choice to keep power bills in control. 6.  Greenhouses Many homeowners who take to growing their own vegetables and plants at home utilize Greenhouses, which rely on electric powered irrigation systems and fans to maintain their plants. Depending on the size, these setups, including the lights, irrigation systems, fans, etc. could eat up a ton of power. It’s hard to estimate just how much power a greenhouse could use, but it is likely significant even for a small grow.7. Private Servers As more and more business owners move their businesses into their homes, that means that more of them are moving their IT into their homes. That means things like private servers are being be moved into the home, and that homeowners will be eating the power they use as an expense. Private servers use anywhere from 500 to 1,200 watts per hour, which can be a heavy addition to a home power bill.8.  Workshops Some homeowners with home workshops may use a lot of power by using their power tools. Tools like table saws, drills, routers, planers can all use a lot of power, especially if they are used for many hours a day. For homeowners who have a home business where they have to use power tools a lot, or are simply hobbyists who use tools frequently, installing solar could fully offset their usage.9.  Home Gyms These days, many homeowners are opting for home gyms as opposed to public gyms. Home gyms have their obvious advantages: uncrowded machines, privacy, clean equipment, etc. Depending on the type of equipment being used, and the frequency, a treadmill or standing bike may use a significant amount of power. Combined with the A/C required to keep the home gym cool, solar can help offset the extra costs those machines accrue. 10. Granny Flats / Accessory Dwellings With the price of housing going up, and rents along with it, more homeowners are adding granny flats and accessory dwellings to their properties either to rent out or to house family members. For either setup, homeowners can depend on electric bills going up due to extra usage by the occupant in the extra dwelling. By installing solar, homeowners can offset this increase, either to profit more from rentals, or to keep bills stable upon a new occupant moving in. So you can see that there are many applications for solar offset that aren’t plainly obvious - and these are just a few of them. Whether you're a business owner working from home, or are looking to rent a unit on your property, or simply just want to add a pool - solar can save you money, or even allow you to make more profit. Many of these additions can add value to the home, so solar is an easy way to offset costs early on that can lead to bigger profits off the home sale in the future. It’s also the best year to go solar EVER as the 30% Federal Tax Credit will be expiring after this year, so if you’ve been waiting to make that home addition or go solar, this is the year to do it.

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20 Years of altE Store – Part IV

Location, Location, Location   In real estate they say the three main indicators for a desirable property are “location, location, location.” This held true for altE, and Sascha also found that location can make for a good story. In May...
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The Story of Love Muffin: How the Family of Disabled Child Relies on Solar

Solar can help people in ways you can’t imagine. As a solar company that’s been in business for over 20 years, we’ve heard all types of stories from our customers about the beneficial impacts solar has had on their lives, and they are all inspiring. Once in a while though, we come across a solar story that is truly breathtaking, which is why we wanted to share the story of Love Muffin. “Love Muffin” is an alias given to the child of one of our customers, Rob Knecht. Love Muffin is a three year old with a rare neurological condition caused by brain damage at birth. Due to her condition, Love Muffin has to be hooked up to medical equipment and has to be in a temperature controlled environment at all times to stay alive. Due to this, keeping her healthy has been a huge expense on the family - as powering her medical equipment and keeping her cool requires a ton of energy, and therefore was costing Rob and his family an unmanageable amount of money in power bills.  So unable to keep up with the ridiculous electric bills required by Love Muffin’s condition, Rob turned to us to install solar on his home. Now, about a year and a half after his installation, we reached out to Rob to get the full story of Love Muffin and how solar has helped with their financial situation. Rob was kind enough to answer our questions and fill us in on the journey he’s gone through with Love Muffin, and how solar has helped along the way:Give us a quick summary of how you met your wife, and how you ended up in Escondido with your family. After serving with the Marines overseas between 2011 and 2013, I received orders to go to San Diego, CA. I was so excited that I jumped onto Match.com, a dating website. About a month later, I met my wife. The moment I heard her voice, I knew that we were right for each other. I visited her in June 2013, before moving home to Downtown San Diego in September. We were engaged in June 2014. After three years together, we purchased our home in Escondido, where we now live with our daughter, Love Muffin, and two dogs, Kirby and Rosie. How old is “Love Muffin”, and what is the disease she has called? Love Muffin is 3 years old! She will be starting pre-school in the fall with Escondido Unified School District but has been basically in school since she was 6 months old. She’s been participating in occupational and physical therapies multiple times per week and has been participating in speech therapy for the past year. She also previously received therapy from the County Regional Center. The condition Love Muffin is working to overcome was caused by hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which she incurred at birth. HIE is caused when the brain loses access to oxygen, which she did when her placenta gave out; for about 24 minutes. As a result, her basil ganglia (the part of the brain responsible for fine muscle movement) was injured, and she therefore is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. When did you find out that she had this condition? Love Muffin was formally diagnosed just after we moved into our new house, around January 2018. I remember hearing the term “cerebral palsy” (“CP”), which I’d heard many times over my life but never really understood. I sat in our new living room and watched a YouTube video that described it. It’s basically paralysis caused by the inability for the brain to control a portion of the body. Some people have it, but it’s so minor you wouldn’t know. Some have it so severely that they are literally paralyzed, can’t speak, and need things like respirators. If the first case is a “1” and the last case is a “10,” Love Muffin is about a 4. What were some of the early warning signs? The most obvious warning sign came on the night of Love Muffin’s birth. My wife labored for 26 hours; her fluid was already very low and the baby was breach. We were trying to give Love Muffin a natural birth in a comfortable place; our home at the time—which was then in San Clemente, California, but at about 1:30am the OBGYN announced that a natural birth was off the table. We’d carefully selected a back-up OBGYN that was willing to do a natural, breach birth in a hospital setting. However, his hospital was an hour away, in Glendale, California. After arrival, the nurses monitoring the baby’s heart rate announced that it was dangerously low. My wife was taken back for a stat cesarean section. I thought it would be a while, so I started to settle into the waiting room. But they came and grabbed me within only a few minutes. They were already doing CPR on Love Muffin. The Lead Nurse was telling me that she was delivered deceased and the nurses were doing everything they could do to revive her. About 10 minutes later, she updated me: they would be giving up soon and would officially declare Love Muffin deceased. Then, miraculously, Love Muffin’s eyes sprang open. I yelled to the Lead Nurse, but she tempered me, telling me that it was caused by adrenaline they had given as a last-ditch effort, and that they were going to call off the CPR. Shortly after calling off the CPR, Love Muffin’s heart monitor began beeping. “We’ve got a heartbeat!” yelled one of the nurses as they wheeled Love Muffin past me in a gurney. Quickly, she was rushed her into hypothermic treatment to help stop further injury to her brain.  Love Muffin remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for about 2 ½ weeks while she was tested and monitored. She earned the nickname “Miracle Fighter,” as she achieved all of the milestones needed to be taken home, including eating out of a bottle.  What was your initial reaction to the diagnosis? It was good to have a better idea of what we were up against. We felt like we were part of a community. A community of families whose children suffered HIE, cerebral palsy, special needs. But it also felt more permanent. Not knowing gives you hope. What are some of physical / mental effects of the disease? Mentally, Love Muffin is all there. One of the beneficial side-effects of having part of her brain non-functional is that it enables more energy to be given elsewhere. According to doctors, her brain is “overcompensating” in the part of her brain responsible for intelligence. I like to think this means she can be the next Stephen Hawking. Physically, Love Muffin is extremely limited. She has basically no muscle tone, which makes it harder for her to do everything; from grabbing something with her fingers to walking. She uses a wheelchair to get around, but also has other orthopedic devices, such as a Hart Walker and a Gait Trainer that enable her simulate walking on her own. As she gets bigger, she will have her own SUV/van to transport her and her equipment, including a larger wheelchair. Overall, she has a great demeanor. Her nickname “Miracle Fighter,” she lives up to constantly. She smiles liberally, she loves with her whole heart. She loves to communicate, though her speech continues to also be delayed—she is super expressive. How has it been adjusting your life to caring for her? For my wife and I, this is our “normal.” Love Muffin is our first and only child. We know no other way. Something people say, “that must be so hard” or “I can’t even imagine.” We have no other frame of reference. This is our life. How expensive are her treatments, and what do they entail? In terms of the expense, I continue to serve as an Activated Marine Reservist in large part because TRICARE insurance covers Love Muffin’s treatments, medications, equipment, and therapies.  What kind of medical equipment is required at your home for her? At home, Olive uses a Kangaroo eternal feeding pump to provide her with formula via a gastrostomy tube (G-Tube), which she had installed at 9 months due to a separate medical emergency that caused her to be separated from my wife, breaking her from breastfeeding. However, what’s even more relevant is that Love Muffin’s baseline temperature is elevated due to the hypothermic treatment she received at birth. Particularly when she was very young, she could easily overheat. As a result, for both herself and her pump, we kept the air conditioner (AC) on 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. How much, if you know, did those add to your power bill? Of course, our AC bills were high. However, in August of 2017, we received a bill for over $4,000. This was too much, we had to go onto a payment plan. Clearly, this was unsustainable, our savings was rapidly diminishing to nothing.  What made you look into going solar? That November we moved into our current home, which came installed with a 6 SunPower solar panel system. It wasn’t enough. This was my opportunity to do something good for both our ecosystem and our family. I moved immediately to install more. What made you choose SunPower by Stellar Solar? Before November was through, I had called Stellar Solar and was connected to Marc Cirelli. In December, he’d completed an estimate and I made the purchase. I put as many solar panels on my roof as would fit: 18 more, for a total of 24. That brought the system to about 7.59 kilowatts and included two 240-volt outlets that Marc had installed for me in the garage. These were great, and I got a 2017 Chevy Bolt to go with them. How was your experience with SunPower by Stellar Solar? My experience with Stellar Solar was great, and still is. I will continue to sing Stellar Solar’s praises. I was able to refer two of my friends to install Stellar Solar systems and even held a “Solar Open House!” Marc and I remain in contact and I gladly hand out to his number to anyone interested. I also love to share Stellar Solar’s posts on social media and watch their “Solar Cribs” series on YouTube. How much would you estimate you save with solar? Right off the bat, I save at least $200 a month that I don’t spend on gas by powering my Chevy Volt with electricity. My monthly payment for the loan I took for the additional 18 solar panels is $160 a month, so I’m already net gaining $40 a month there. Then, I’m at about net zero on my electricity payment, so I’m running the house electricity essentially for free. If I was to continue paying an average of $500 a month for electricity during non-Summer months and $3000 a month during the three Summer months, I’d be paying about $10,500 per year for electricity. So, paying $160 a month is worth it. To draw it all the way out, that is about an $8,580 net gain per year—money that we are not having to pay to an electric company. Are you able to put some of those solar savings towards Love Muffins care? In December, the Knecht family will be investing the funds we’ve saved into a down payment on the SUV/van. Right now, we’re on the market seeking the right size and fit for Love Muffin, her wheelchair, and other equipment. We were hopeful to purchase another electric vehicle, and do recognize the savings we would achieve by saving the approximately $300 we expect to pay each month to fuel this type of vehicle. However, unfortunately, the price point for an electric vehicle SUV/van is a bit out of our reach right now. Following the purchase, we’ll begin to look towards modifications to the SUV/van to enable rear or side power-loading of Love Muffin in her wheelchair. From there, who knows! But things seem like they’re just going to be more and more expensive as she grows. So maybe we will invest future energy savings while the market is hot! What ongoing challenges do you deal with (financial, bureaucratic, emotional) in keeping Love Muffin healthy? As she gets bigger, her equipment does, too. That also means her care is becoming more expensive. I won’t remain an Activated Marine Reservist forever, so I need to complete my transition from active duty into a new career field that will enable me to ensure that her quality of life and access to equipment, medications, and therapies she needs will continue. She has the mental resilience to do her part. She just needs me and my wife to continue to do ours. What is your hope for her future? Our hopes are that Love Muffin will walk, that she will be capable of self-care, that—one day— she will go off to college and discover the answers of our universe. We hope that she will transform the way we view the universe, and the way we view those with her condition. We hope that she will also, along the way, find a partner that will love her as intensely as my wife and I do.  What have you learned about your own life through caring for Love Muffin? I’ve learned that family is the most important thing. I’ve learned how to truly love and be loved. Any message to other parents dealing with similar situations?  We are a Team. The answer exists, you just have to find the network and ask all of the questions. The only thing separating you from what your child needs is information and a sense of empowerment. There are compassionate, empathetic people out there that want to help. Keep moving. When you get to the other side—or just have enough time to take a breath—, reach back and give the next parent a hand.    Oh, and get solar panels.  

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SunPower Vs. Tesla Solar (2019)

There’s no doubt that, thanks to their electric vehicle success, the Tesla brand has become ubiquitous. When Tesla owner Elon Musk purchased SolarCity in August 2016 for $2.6 billion, the Tesla magic subsequently became associated with “Tesla Solar.” Unfortunately since then, the company’s rank (based on number of U.S. solar installations) has fallen from #1 to #3 so the magic may not translate to new industries. But folks who are researching solar for their homes are naturally asking, when it comes to product performance and value, how does a large company like Tesla (with many different products)  stack up against a company like SunPower, which has exclusively specialized in solar energy systems? To answer, let’s take a look at solar panel quality, warranty, and track record to see how these two solar companies stack up. Tesla Solar Roof Tiles vs. Tesla Solar Panels But first, we should  address the difference between “Tesla solar roof tiles” and “Tesla solar panels.” Tesla has gained a lot of attention from its claim to be reinventing solar by incorporating the solar cell into the roofing material itself, calling this new product a "solar roof." However, while this sounds good in theory, the company has not yet had much success in rolling this out in real life. The issues with the Tesla solar roof tiles continue to plague the company’s efforts. The problems include: 1) very small production number beyond their test houses; 2) higher than expected installation costs which makes the solar roof cost not very competitive with traditional solar panels; and 3) long-term durability issues because water and electricity does not mix and protecting the electrical connections between tiles over time has proven to be problematic. So since the Tesla solar roof tiles have been realized to not be a legitimate solar solution for the foreseeable future, for the sake of this article, we will be discussing Tesla Solar panels, and not solar roof tiles.  SunPower vs. Tesla Solar Panels SunPower solar panels are known to be the most efficient panels on the market, especially now with the recent release of their 415 watt panel with it’s record breaking 22.3% efficiency. They’re also known to be the most durable panel on the market, with a longer useful life than any other panels, which means they produce more power for longer. They also boast the most comprehensive and all-encompassing warranty of any panel on the market, assuring that the panels will work better for longer.  So, we know that SunPower panels are top of the line, but what do we know about Tesla solar panels? Well, what we do know is that Tesla does not manufacture their own panels. According to their website, the company currently installs Hanwha 315 watt Q-Cell Panels. So let’s do a comparison of the new SunPower 415 with the Hanwha 315 to see how they compare.Efficiency Comparison Obviously, the most important aspect to any solar panel is how much power it can produce. This is known as ‘efficiency’ and is measured by power output and efficiency. Here is how the Hanwha 315 and the SunPower 415 stack up:For those that don’t know, ‘rated power’ is a panels output under ideal testing conditions, measured in watts. Clearly the SunPower 415, with 415 watts of output, is superior to the Hanwha 315 in its electric production potential. This means that the SunPower 415 can produce more power given the same conditions as the Hanwha 315. Solar panel efficiency, measured in percentages, is the amount of sunlight that the panel can turn into usable electricity. So in comparing the Hanwha 315 and SunPower 415, the SunPower 415 produces 3.6% more power than the 315 given the same amount of sunlight. If you consider that percentage increase of the course of a day, month, and year, you can see that the amount of power that the SunPower 415 creates a substantial amount more power given the same conditions, which means that homeowners can produce more power with the same amount of roof space, or produce the same amount of power with fewer panels. Degradation Rate The power degradation rate of a solar panel is the rate at which a panel loses its production efficiency over time. There are two types of solar panel degradation. The first is what is referred to as LID degradation, or “light-induced degradation”, and it is caused by a chemical reaction that occurs when sunlight first strikes the new solar panel. Most solar panels experience at least 2-3% LID degradation in the first few weeks of operation; not so with SunPower panels, which experience zero LID degradation due to their unique cell composition. So, if all other numbers are equal, SunPower panels will produce 2-3% more power than the competition, right out of the starting gate. The other type of power degradation is one that occurs slowly over time. All solar panels experience some degree of degradation over their lifetime, but some more than others. Part of a panels’ warranty is usually a guaranteed minimum output after the end of a certain period. Let’s look at the guaranteed minimum output of both the Hanwha 315 and SunPower 315.So as you can see, the SunPower 415 has a lower degradation rate than the Hanwha 315. This  results in a significant difference in power production (and therefore savings); in fact, SunPower estimates that its panels will produce 60% more power over their lifetime than standard industry solar panels. SunPower Vs. Tesla Warranty Besides protecting customers from dramatic power output “drop-off” early in the lifetime of the solar panel (the solar production warranty), a second part of the warranty covers the length of time the solar panel will be repaired or replaced with no cost if it should stop working completely; this is called the “product warranty.” Obviously, if the solar panel’s lifetime is 25 years, you would expect that the solar panel’s product warranty would also be 25 years, right? Unfortunately, the Hanwha panels used by Tesla are even covered for half of that time!So as you can see, SunPower’s product warranty is much longer than Hanwha’s. That means if anything goes wrong with your Hanwha system after the 12-year mark, you will need to pay for the repairs, unlike with the SunPower system.  Tesla Vs SunPower Panel Aesthetics Most homeowners care about how their panels will look on their roof, which is why another factor that has to be considered when comparing solar panels is solar aesthetics. There are many features of a solar panel system that can determine its overall aesthetic appeal, including the cell, the panel backsheet, the frame, the racking system, and size. SunPower is known for creating the sleekest and most visually appealing solar panels on the market. Let’s look at why.  Below is a picture of the Hanwha 315 and the SunPower 415 side by side.While these panels look mostly similar with a black frame and white backsheet, if you look closely you can see that the Hanwha panel has small lines within each cell. That look is called “wired” and is typically seen as a negative when it comes to solar panel aesthetics. If you look at the SunPower 415, you can see that those cells don’t have it. That’s because the wireless cell look is exclusive to SunPower, and is actually a patent of theirs. So that clean, flat black cell is something you will only see with SunPower panels. So there you have it, the differences between SunPower and Tesla solar. SunPower boasts the most powerful panels on the planet, with the lowest degradation rate, longest warranty, and best aesthetics. Tesla uses inefficient panels, with a short warranty, high degradation rate, and “wired cell” appearance. SunPower has superior customer service and a network of highly qualified service techs, Tesla makes great electric vehicles. We think you can make your own decision based on this information. Just remember, your solar system will be on your home for 25+ years, so what company you choose will decide how your solar experience is for decades to come.

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20 Years of altE Store – Part III

The Human Factor   To mark altE’s twentieth anniversary this May, I sat down with founding CEO Sascha Deri to learn more about the company’s formative years. This is the second part of that interview. Approaching July 4th we reminisce about...
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Best Solar inverter 2019

If you are looking for the best solar inverter for your home, the answer does not necessarily come from a “best solar inverter 2019” list. There are four different inverter solutions you will want to consider, depending on your particular home and your personal preferences. This blog will help you easily navigate your way through the nightmare that is choosing the best solar inverter for your home. We’ll start by comparing leading “shade solutions” and […]

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