John Dalhaus
28th December 2006, 09:32
Upon seeing my PV system, people often ask “How much are you saving on your electric bill?” They seem surprised when I tell them “almost nothing.” My PV system is small, only 170-watts of PV and 420ah of battery storage, and while I hope to significantly reduce my electric bill someday, that’s not my primary goal. I’ve used my system as a backup source of electricity several times this year during power failures. Recently, when an ice storm knocked out power to my home for a week, I used my PV system to provide electricity to run a corn-burning stove. While outside temperatures varied between 9 and 36 degrees, I kept my home warm, and avoided frozen pipes.
I decided to install a corn-burning stove not only to serve as an emergency source of heat, but also to reduce my heating costs. I use the stove to supplement my natural gas furnace when outside temperatures are low. Corn, I learned, is perhaps the least expensive heating fuel. Modern corn stoves draw combustion air from the outside, and are therefore clean and efficient. They are also easy to use and maintain. The electricity needed to run the blowers and auger is modest, and my small PV system can easily provide enough power to run it for an extended period of time.
When contemplating a solar PV installation I was tempted to wait until I had enough money saved to build a much bigger system. For many reasons, I’m glad I decided to start small. This has been a great learning experience, and I apply what I’ve learned as I enlarge my system. I’m saving a significant amount of money on home-heating costs with my corn-stove, and apply that money to PV system upgrades. In addition to keeping warm in the event of a power failure, I’m able to run a chest freezer to prevent food from spoiling. I can cook meals, run a vacuum, keep cell phone batteries charged, watch TV, listen to the radio, and light up every room in my home. I’ve learned to conserve, and have replaced most of the lights in my home with compact fluorescent ones. I’m glad that what I’m doing helps to reduce carbon emissions and that I contribute less to global warming.
I write about my experiences here: http://solarjohn.blogspot.com
Here is a great source of corn-stove-related information: http://www.iburncorn.com
I decided to install a corn-burning stove not only to serve as an emergency source of heat, but also to reduce my heating costs. I use the stove to supplement my natural gas furnace when outside temperatures are low. Corn, I learned, is perhaps the least expensive heating fuel. Modern corn stoves draw combustion air from the outside, and are therefore clean and efficient. They are also easy to use and maintain. The electricity needed to run the blowers and auger is modest, and my small PV system can easily provide enough power to run it for an extended period of time.
When contemplating a solar PV installation I was tempted to wait until I had enough money saved to build a much bigger system. For many reasons, I’m glad I decided to start small. This has been a great learning experience, and I apply what I’ve learned as I enlarge my system. I’m saving a significant amount of money on home-heating costs with my corn-stove, and apply that money to PV system upgrades. In addition to keeping warm in the event of a power failure, I’m able to run a chest freezer to prevent food from spoiling. I can cook meals, run a vacuum, keep cell phone batteries charged, watch TV, listen to the radio, and light up every room in my home. I’ve learned to conserve, and have replaced most of the lights in my home with compact fluorescent ones. I’m glad that what I’m doing helps to reduce carbon emissions and that I contribute less to global warming.
I write about my experiences here: http://solarjohn.blogspot.com
Here is a great source of corn-stove-related information: http://www.iburncorn.com