Solar Hot Water Talk

On Thursday, October 14, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, we will host a workshop by Philip Shelton titled "Designing and Building a Photovoltaic Powered Solar Hot Water System with Internet Enabled Energy Monitoring." Please join us at the store for this free talk.

Solar hot water systems are a common upgrade to many high performance homes in Maine. While free solar energy heats the water in these systems, many of them rely on house electric power for the pumps that circulate fluid between the solar collector outside and the hot water tank inside.

"Why add to your electric bill when you can power your solar hot water pumps from the sun too?" asks Phil. "After being told by a 'professional' that it could not be done, I set out to design and build a system that was truly Zero Net Energy."

Phil's free workshop will cover solar hot water system design, basic plumbing techniques and low cost system monitoring devices. He will show how you can use a solar photovoltaic-powered pump on an evacuated tube solar hot water system. Harnessing solar energy for your pumps provide two advantages. First, your solar hot water system is more reliable; it continues working even during power outages. Second, your pump speed matches the available solar energy: when more heat is available, your pumps circulate faster.

During the workshop, find out how to design and install a monitoring system that provides a more accurate measure of the hot water actually being delivered for use. You will learn how to use inexpensive monitoring hardware to determine how much energy -- and money -- your solar hot water system is actually saving.

"All the energy for my entire system, including radiant heat for our greenhouse, comes from the sun," says Phil. "The performance of our system is posted live on the Internet at www.sunnyhotwater.com."

Phil is perhaps best known for designing and building the world's largest rotating globe for DeLorme Mapping in Yarmouth, Maine. Computer controlled, 42' in diameter and built with 3 miles of aluminum tubing, it made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999.

Phil honed his skills as a wooden boat builder on Long Island, New York, before heading to the wilds of Washington County, Maine. He bought 30 acres of woodland, three miles from electricity, and built a log cabin from the trees on the land. After living for five years without electricity or running water (unless you count "running water" up from the stream with galvanized buckets) and with a second son on the way, Phil decided to move towards civilization. He landed a job at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine, and taught boat building for ten years.

His lifelong goal, as a boat builder, was to design and build his own boat and sail around the world. After ten years of off and on construction, the 42-foot gaff rigged cutter "Iwalani," equipped with a modified wind generator, was finally launched. Phil and his wife Amy left Maine in 2000 and successfully returned three years and 30,000 miles later. At Williams Farm, in Georgetown, Maine, they continue to pursue a self-sustaining lifestyle.

This talk is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly talk is held on the second Thursday of the month at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Space is limited, so if you're interested in attending we encourage you to call the store at 729-4050 to reserve a seat.

Solar Hot Water, August's Sustainable Living Talk

F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine St., Brunswick, will host a talk by George Doughty, of George F. Doughty Plumbing and Heating, titled "Free Hot Water from the Sun," on Thursday, August 14, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. The talk is free and open to the public.

Solar hot water systems heat water for domestic uses such as showers, dish washers, clothes washers and sinks. During the day, heat from the sun is collected and then transferred to a storage tank, providing hot water whenever needed. Most systems in Maine are designed to operate all year round. Often solar hot water systems work in conjunction with electric heating elements, which provide back up heat in periods of cloudy weather or excessive hot water use.

Doughty's talk will explain the basics of solar hot water systems for people interested in reducing their exposure to high energy costs. Attendees will learn how much solar hot water systems cost, how much hot water they can provide, and how much energy they can save. The talk will also cover common pitfalls, and recommend cost-effective strategies whether building a system yourself or hiring a contractor.

George Doughty brings more than 3 decades of experience to the subject, having installed his first solar hot water system in 1980. George F Doughty Plumbing and Heating is a full service father and son team. In addition to his plumbing and heating business of 35 years, George has been a promoter of alternative energy since the 1980's when his business, The Back Forty, sold hundreds of solar systems throughout New England as a supplier for the National Solar Water Heater Workshop. George is a Master Plumber, Master Oil and Solid Fuel Technician, Certified Solar Installer and was an instructor for the Solar Installer's course.

This talk is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly talk is held on the second Thursday of the month at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Space is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to call the store at 729-4050 to reserve a seat.

September's talk will feature Gerard Gagnon of Ace Insulation, sharing home insulation tips and tricks from a professional.

Fossil Fuel Free

On May 22, 2008, crude oil hit $135 per barrel. The next day, gasoline reached a record U.S. national average of $3.88 per gallon. Will our American way of life soon be unaffordable?

Nope--we'll just use less fossil fuel.

Consider life in the United States in 1856. Our modern conveniences depended on oil. We used it to light our homes, lubricate our clocks, and keep our trains running. But it wasn't petroleum--it was whale oil.

What happened? In 1857, a commercially viable kerosene lamp was invented. Within four years the market for whale oil had collapsed.

You probably find it hard to believe that we'll give up fossil fuel as easily, right?

Well, here's my family's plan to be free of fossil fuel without waiting for a magic "kerosene lamp":

1. We're becoming energy efficient. We switched to energy-efficient lights and appliances and now use just 10 kilowatt hours of electricity per day. If we were designing a new home, we'd choose passive solar heat, built tight and super well insulated. But we like to walk or bike to work, school and shopping, so we decided to stay in our in-town 1828 federal-style house. We did an energy audit, then installed weatherstripping, added insulation, and upgraded from forced hot air to radiant floor heating.
   
   
2. We'll use electricity and solar heat instead of oil or gas. We'll install solar hot water for showers, dish washing, etc. We're planning to replace our oil boiler with a solar-assisted electric heat pump. Before too long we hope to trade in our gas minivan for an electric model (we're excited to have Maine Electric Vehicles at our store for a talk on June 12).
   
   
3. We'll generate our electricity without fossil fuel. Today for about 21 cents per kWh, we can choose "green electricity" from hydropower dams and wind farms instead of the "standard offer" from fossil and nuclear fuel. For about $3 per day, we could generate our own electricity with solar panels, as Bill and Debbi Lord do at the Maine Solar House.

Fossil fuel won't disappear entirely from our lives, just like whale oil didn't disappear completely. (Did you know the last bottle of whale oil in the U.S. was sold in 1978?) But the high cost of fossil fuel will disappear from our budget, as we choose better alternatives.

Related Information and Resources

• www.EnergyStar.gov - energy efficient appliances
• hes.lbl.gov - home energy audits
• www.RevisionEnergy.com - solar hot water
• www.MaineEV.com - electric vehicles
• www.EnergyMaine.com/mresignup/ - green electricity
• www.SolarHouse.com - Maine Solar House