2018 Report from Maine | Print |
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Written by Administrator   
Monday, 31 December 2018 16:01

December 31, 2018 - Another year comes to an end at the Maine Solar House. We've been a solar landmark since 1995.

pv2018decPV Output - 2018's annual PV output was 3,785 kWhrs. We have regularly hit 4,000 kWhrs or more annually except for last year when it was 3,995 kWhs. So the question is: Was this an excessively cloudy year or an output trend? Output in 2016 was 4,315 kWhrs...so at this point, I'm undecided but watchful. Next check will be at the end of 2019.

Solar Comfort - The house continues to work on our behalf. Passive solar gain on a sunny day in December can cause the south-facing rooms to heat up to 78 degrees. The Florida-like interior slowly dissipates its warmth during the night leaving our home's interior at around 68 degrees at sunrise. Nothing to complain about here.

Location - As I've mentioned multiple time (and will continue to repeat), our property is adjacent to a section of the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has multiple parcels along the Southern Maine coast protecting valuable salt marshes and estuaries for migratory birds. Our section has a tidal river bisecting the land and our daily views are priceless. We have a resident red-tailed hawk family, an eagle or two annually and various great blue & white herons, egrets, Canada geese and other coastal birds. The enclosed video was shot by our drone on Christmas Day of this year. It ends with Three Lords a Leaping - grandson, grandfather and son. The White Mountains of New Hampshire are visible on the horizon.

Conclusion - Our solar home continues its unending effort to reduce our carbon footprint without sacrificing comfort. In fact, our comfort continues to be significantly enhanced thanks to a decision we made in the 1990s to "go solar!"

Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 December 2019 19:37