A Worthwhile Investment

Details: Created on Thursday, 29 September 2016 16:24; Written by Aiden Pichette

Saint Johnsbury- For many, Vermont is seen as a leader in the renewable energy front. However, is this a trend that one may see on a smaller scale in rural Vermont, or simply found in the hubbub of cities like Burlington.

For one Saint Johnsbury couple, the renewable energy movement sits very close to home… about 5 feet off the side of their house. Jim and Alice Wuertele spent a little over a year adding a solar array to their property as an alternative source of water heating compared to costly oil.

The whole process began in 2006 when retired Jim decided that their home wasn’t efficient enough; he started doing serious work in the summer of the following year, and by October 2007, his home had been renovated with better insulation, triple paned glass, and a solar array on site. After retirement, Jim said "I needed something to keep myself busy...so I sat down and started planning." This plan was fast in the making, and Jim soon had more than enough to do.

Every home has a different energy efficiency rating and typically, the average home loses most of its heat or cooling from the basement and the attic. So Jim’s post-retirement activities began in his basement, by spray-coating the walls with 3 inches of foam insulation as well as replacing their old cellar windows with triple paned glass. This process wasn’t easy, Jim and Alice said, "in fact, we were both pretty overwhelmed."

After reaching out to multiple contractors, the Weurtele's discovered that the overall cost would come out to roughly $7,000 for the entire home renovations. However, because of Jim’s solar array, the government sent them some money to help with the project, and the couple ended up paying closer to $4,000 in loans for the renovations.

According to Jim, the most expensive part of the renovations overall was the triple paned windows, which are crucial to trapping thermal energy from the sun and keeping internal heat contained in the home. Back in 2007, the price of the panes was much more than it is now.

The initial start up cost of any solar project is typically what keeps homeowners away, simply because they can seem like a trivial investment. However, Jim says that the money he and Alice invested has already paid itself back, and the typical return on the initial investment is anywhere from 2-5 years depending on the panel’s output. Once the system has paid for itself through energy credits, the only other worry among “solar farmers” (as Jim lovingly refers to himself as) is the maintenance of the system.

The arrays are temperature controlled with fluid-filled tubes so the cells don't burn themselves out, and every 4 or 5 years, the fluid needs service. Beyond that, general maintenance is well worth it, Jim says, as he has had no major issues with the array or the heating system in his house.

Alice, Jim’s wife, says that while the process was worthwhile for them both, but after a few months of work, "I was getting sick of seeing a port-a-potty in our backyard". Jim agreed the house had been pushed to its limits.

While this complete overhaul of his home could be done by anyone who has a house or rents property, there are other options. One of these options is to rent a solar panel or array from a larger ‘farm’, such as the one in Groton Vermont or In Waterford. These panels can be rented or bought, and the energy they produce can be sold back to the company to deduct costs from your homes electrical bill. Jim bought 11 panels and the energy provided by those panels, as well as the small array at his home, is enough to cover his monthly energy usage.

This means that anyone with property can invest in a more energy efficient system as well as invest in their states solar production, and in turn, receive benefits from the state and federal government. All that it takes is a little bit of research into reputable solar companies, as well as into good energy efficient contractors.

Jim also developed a ‘calculator’ that can be utilized for any home or residence, which applies the cost of all the materials to a square foot. Both Alice and Jim want to increase awareness for their community, and really anyone interested, about how worthwhile and attainable energy efficiency actually is. The couple welcomes any school or individual to reach out and ask questions, and to come and see their home. Jim has spent years calculating his energy output, both before and after the renovations, and told me he was willing to pass on this knowledge to anyone with interests in environmental efficiency.

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Jim in 2008 after the array had been set up

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The goal of energy efficiency is no longer unattainable for the general public, and people like Jim and Alice, as well as all of their contractors, are working each and every day to raise awareness surrounding solar power and energy efficient options for every home in America. Vermont can continue to show the rest of the country, and hopefully the world, that being passionate about our planet and environment is a worthwhile investment in all of our futures.