Getting the right size for your space and need is important when installing many different appliances and systems, including solar hot water heater systems. When systems are not sized properly, you can suffer from inefficiency and lack of supply. When sizing a solar hot water heater system, here are the two main factors we consider,

Size of the solar collectors

In order for your new solar hot water heater system to supply the amount of hot water you need, the system needs to have adequate collector coverage. The collectors of solar hot water heater systems for homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are typically sized as follows:

• 25 square feet of surface area is needed for a 2-person household
  
• For each additional family member, 12 to 14 square feet of collector surface area is necessary

Size of the storage tank

The storage tank of your solar hot water heater system holds all the water heated by the solar energy that your collectors absorbed. In an active system, you need 1.5 gallons of storage tank space per square foot of collector area.

• In general, households of two people need storage tanks with a capacity between 40 and 50 gallons.
  
• 3 to 4-person households have tanks around 60 to 80 gallons.
  
• 5 to 6-person households need a storage tank of approximately 100 to 120 gallons.
  
• If your household has a higher demand for hot water, you should consider a storage tank the next size up.
  

The experts at Smith Sustainable Design know how to size your solar hot water heater system the right way to ensure maximum performance and comfort. Call us to size and install a solar hot water heater system for your home this summer.

Geothermal heating systems don’t just require a heat pump. To create a system that can really keep you comfortable, proper ventilation is a must. Homes today are insulated very well to keep heat and conditioned air inside, reducing energy waste. Unfortunately, all this air sealing restricts ventilation.

Proper ventilation is necessary to keep you breathing fresh air indoors. Without proper ventilation, indoor air quality suffers drastically. Pollutants and humidity can easily build up without ventilation, diminishing your indoor air quality and contributing to various problems with your health and your home.

Air tight homes with geothermal heating systems need to have ventilation systems in place. Air exchangers can be used to minimize the loss of heating and cooling while providing fresh air. Common features of air exchangers include heat recovery ventilation (HRV) and energy recovery ventilation (ERV). Using HRV, an air exchanger transfers heat that is contained in air which is exhausted from the home to the fresh air coming inside. It eliminates the mixing of stale air with fresh air while still retaining your heat energy. ERV works to control the amount of humidity entering the home through fresh air supplies.

Don’t overlook the importance of a ventilation system when you install a geothermal heating system. Proper ventilation protects your home from damage and can prevent health issues caused by poor indoor air quality. Smith Sustainable Design is a geothermal heating system contractor in New Jersey who also installs important ventilation components. For more information about the benefits of proper ventilation, give us a call today.

You probably know that solar power is a low-cost way to power your home or business, but do you know why? When you install solar panels, you can drastically cut your monthly electricity bills. Here are a few of the ways that solar panels help you achieve lower electricity costs.

1. Reduced utility power use

When you install solar panels for your home or business, we design your system with a number of factors in mind, including your home or facility’s typical electricity usage. We use your usage to determine the optimal amount of power your solar panels should generate. While you will likely still need to use some utility power, your demand will be much less, which may qualify you for lower rates. Lower energy rates and less utility power used will cut your electricity bills significantly.

2. Sell your excess power

If your solar power system generates more electricity than you need, the excess electricity flows back to the utility grid. Depending on the agreement you will have with your local utility provider, you may be able to sell the excess electricity your solar panels generate. This results in credits for future power use or even payments from your utility company.

3. Avoid rising energy prices

Your local utility company likely uses fossil fuels to produce the electricity you use in your home or business. When fossil fuels are used, electricity prices are affected by the fluctuating prices of these fuels. When you install solar panels, you generate most of your home or facility’s electricity need, so you don’t experience these price fluctuations as much as others. If you have a solar lease or power purchase agreement, you can lock in low rates for long periods, avoiding rising utility prices altogether.

Installing solar panels isn’t just good for the environment; it’s also a smart move for your wallet. Smith Sustainable Design installs solar panels in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for homes and businesses who are looking for a way to lower electricity bills. Contact us today to learn more about the benefits you’ll get when you install solar panels.

If you’ve decided to install a solar thermal system at your home or business, you’ll need to think about how to place your solar heat panels. Your system’s efficiency depends on how much solar energy the solar heat panels can collect, so placing the panels appropriately is a top priority. At Smith Sustainable Design, we position solar heat panels using the proper orientation and tilt for optimum performance. 

Solar heat panels need to be placed in a space and direction that allows them to collect the maximum amount of solar energy each day. During a site survey, we will determine which direction is best for your panels to face. Typically, solar heat panels in New Jersey and Pennsylvania should face south. We will also consider the orientation of your roof if you’d like to have your panels mounted on the roof, and landscape features to determine how the solar heat panels will be affected by shade throughout the day.

The tilt of your solar heat panels is another important factor that helps us maximize your solar energy collection. The angle of your roof plays a part in helping your solar heat panels collect the sun’s energy to heat your water. Most panels today are mounted flat to the roof, so the roof pitch will also be the same angle as the tilt of the panels. A flat mount looks better to many homeowners than a rack mount. The angle of your roof will be used to help us determine the appropriate sizing of your entire solar hot water system.

Positioning your solar heat panels properly is crucial to the performance of your system. The solar heat panel installers at Smith Sustainable Design and specially trained to consider orientation and tilt to develop an optimal installation plan for your equipment. Contact us today to schedule your site survey.

Maintaining the right temperature is essential to maintaining your comfort. One factor that affects your geothermal heat system’s ability to maintain your comfort is humidity. When you use a geothermal heat system, it’s important to manage humidity levels by using a whole home dehumidifier.

Many people don’t realize how much humidity can affect one’s comfort. Too much humidity indoors can leave you feeling sticky, like you’ve been outside on a humid summer day- nobody wants to feel that way inside. It can cause your skin to feel clammy and even cause odors throughout your home.

Using a whole home dehumidifier with your geothermal heat system will help you improve indoor air quality. Excessive moisture is one of the many factors than diminishes indoor air quality and can affect your health. A whole home dehumidifier improves filtration and ventilation, along with providing moisture control.

A whole home dehumidifier manages indoor humidity to keep you comfortable and protect your home. Too much humidity can cause damage to your home’s interior and structure. Moisture affects woodwork such as flooring, trim, cabinetry, and furnishings. Excessive moisture can cause paint and decorative finishes to crack or peel. When humidity levels are not controlled in your home, the excess moisture can create a breeding ground for mold and mildew, which can cause serious damage to your home.

A whole home dehumidifier can improve the performance of your geothermal heat system and your home. Smith Sustainable Design provides quality geothermal heat system installation and design, as well as installation of whole home dehumidifiers. For more information about how dehumidification solutions can improve moisture control and air quality in your home, contact us.

Electric solar energy systems do more than just produce affordable, efficient power for your home or business. The solar energy industry has a major impact on our economy. Let’s take a look at some of the many ways electric solar energy systems help everyone.

Obviously, an electric solar energy system saves you money. With a system installed at your home, you’ll save hundreds of dollars every year on energy expenses. With more money in your pocket, you will be able to spend less on utility power and more on other goods and services, boosting the economy. When you take advantage of solar power to provide electricity for your home, you can drastically reduce or eliminate your electric utility bills each month.

With solar power gaining popularity, more new jobs are created in the industry. Electric solar energy installer job opportunities are growing. Also, more workers are needed to manufacture system components, skilled employees are needed to design solar energy systems, and electric solar energy contractors need to add new employees to keep up with demand and keep customers satisfied. The growing solar energy industry creates new jobs for your neighbors, and others across the world.

One last important way electric solar energy helps the economy is by reducing energy dependence. The United States is largely dependent on oil sources abroad, but the sun is not owned by any one country. By harnessing solar power for our energy needs, we can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and lower energy prices by eliminating taxes and tariffs. Once your electric solar energy system is installed, you don’t have to worry about fluctuating energy prices. Solar energy is a smart move towards energy independence.

Gain the personal advantages and boost the economy when you choose an electric solar energy system to provide for your home’s power needs. Smith Sustainable Design has a skilled team of electric solar energy installers to design and install your new system- call us today to learn more.

Whenever you install a new system or appliance in your home, efficiency is an important factor. Different systems and appliances measure their efficiency in various units. For a solar hot water system, efficiency refers to one of two things: the thermal energy output or the amount of energy the system offsets from a conventional gas or electric system. The units used to determine the efficiency of solar hot water systems are ones you may be unfamiliar with, so let’s take a look at each.

Solar Energy Factor (SEF)

Energy delivered by the system / conventional energy input = SEF

Solar Energy Factor values range from 1 to 11, and most residential solar hot water systems have a water heater rating of 2 to 3. The higher the number, less conventional energy is being used to heat water.

Solar Fraction (SF)

The solar fraction refers to the amount of the total hot water heating load which was produced by solar energy. A higher solar factor means more solar energy has contributed to heating the household’s water. Solar factor values range from 0 to 1, and most residential solar thermal systems have solar factors between 0.5 to 0.75.

Btu/(ft²day)

Btu/(ft²day) indicates how much thermal energy is produces per square foot of collector space each day. Btu is the abbreviation for British thermal units, a measurement of thermal energy needed for water heating. Higher Btu/(ft²day) measurements mean fewer square feet of space in the collector are needed to heat the same amount of water. This rating is used for most models of solar collectors.

If you have any questions about determining the efficiency of your solar hot water system, give us a call. Smith Sustainable Design’s team of solar hot water systems contractors are happy to discuss solar options for your New Jersey or Pennsylvania home.

When choosing a geothermal heating and cooling system, there are many models from many different manufacturers to choose from. At Smith Sustainable Design, we install systems built by several reputable manufacturers, including Hydron Module. 

Hydron Module geothermal heating and cooling systems are built with high quality components and excellent craftsmanship. These systems are made in America, and undergo rigorous testing to assure quality. Combining the best components with innovative design allows Hydron Module to offer quiet, efficient operation on systems that last longer than the competition. Heavy gauge steel cabinets are used to ensure tough construction and more protection compared to other brands.

Hydron Module systems offer higher heating capacities than competing models, meaning you’ll have less need for supplemental heating, saving you more on heating costs. Oversized heat exchangers which come standard on Hydron Module equipment exceed the efficiency levels required by ENERGY STAR for additional energy savings.

Hydron Module geothermal heating and cooling systems are flexible and appropriate for numerous applications. Go hybrid with a split system-combine with a new or existing furnace to provide for all your home’s air conditioning needs and 80-90% of your heating requirements. Hydron Module water-to-water systems offer chilled water for air conditioning, eliminating the need for a supplemental air conditioning unit. In fact, there is a Hydron Module system built to fit every residential application!

When choosing geothermal heating and cooling systems, there are many options available to you. The experts at Smith Sustainable Design offer reliable geothermal heating and cooling system design and installation, and can help you decide which equipment is best for your home. For more information about Hydron Module geothermal systems, contact us today.

You may have heard a lot of different information about the efficiency of solar panels, and how solar panels for homes can help you use less energy. Well, lower energy use has benefits to the environment along with your wallet. Installing solar panels for your home can help you save money, and even make money. Here are just a few ways your solar energy system will help lower your bills.

When installing solar panels for homes, the federal government currently provides tax credits to offset your installation costs. These credits effectively lower equipment and labor costs, so your system pays for itself sooner, with a shorter payback period.

Obviously, your solar panels will produce a portion, if not all, of the electricity you need each month. For every unit your system produces, it is one less that you have to purchase from a utility provider. With solar panels for homes producing a significant portion of the power consumed by a home each month, your utility bills will be much lower, if not zero.

Depending on the arrangement with your utility provider, you may be able to sell back the excess electricity produced by your home’s solar panels. This can happen when your system produces more energy than you need each month. Selling back your excess electricity can earn you a credit on your next utility bill.

Residential and commercial solar installations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania produce Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs). Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are energy commodities that represent proof that 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) or 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity was generated from an eligible renewable energy resource (renewable electricity). In conjunction with state and federal incentives, solar system owners can recover their investment in solar by selling their SRECs through spot market sales or long-term sales.

So you see, solar panels for your home can really help you save money, and in some cases, make money. Use your solar panels to your advantage to lower your utility bills, and provide cheaper, more efficient power for your home. Contact Smith Sustainable Design to learn more about solar panels for homes and all the advantages they provide.

Anytime you install a major appliance in your home, you likely compare many types to see which is the best for you. When installing a solar thermal system, many homeowners like to try to determine just how much savings it will help them achieve. To estimate your solar thermal savings, consider these factors.

Every household has different needs and different usage. How much you will save with a solar thermal system may differ from your neighbor. Your savings depends on these factors:

• Your hot water usage
  
• How much solar energy you’re able to collect
  
• System performance
  
• Financing and incentives
  
• Conventional fuel costs for your backup system
  
• The efficiency of your backup system
  
• How often you rely on your backup system
  

For most homeowners, a solar thermal system will save anywhere from 50% to 80% on hot water heating bills. By comparing the monthly operating costs of a solar thermal system to a gas or electric water heater, you can see how these different systems measure up to one another. Remember- solar energy costs nothing, while utility power may increase in price each year.

To estimate the yearly operating cost of a solar thermal system, you’ll need to know the solar energy factor of the system, as well as the fuel type and costs for your backup system. Smith Sustainable Design’s team of solar thermal installers can help you calculate the yearly operating costs and payback period for a new system. Solar thermal systems are a great alternative to gas and electric water heating, and can help you save hundreds on your water heating bills each year. Contact us to learn more.