All of us at Green Energy Times are proud of the fact that our volunteers and workers do their part. Here are three more examples of their own stories.
The Kropowski’s 20kWsolar system is enough to power the house, geothermal heating and cooling and 35 miles of electric driving per day. (Courtesy photo)
Mark Koprowski – New Hampshire volunteer distributor
We have a solar system that is just shy of 20 KW, which is enough to power the house, geothermal heating and cooling and 35 miles of electric driving per day. We also have a Tesla S and Chevy Volt. The Tesla gets an MPGE of 103. The Volt 35 miles of range before gas engine kicks in.
We used Green block for the house construction (not just basement but walls as well) which gives an R-30 with no air infiltration. The house was built with poorly fitted fiberglass batts at an R-30 level in the attic. My wife and I rented a blower from Lowe’s and installed an equivalent of R-65 (total with squeezed down fiberglass) of cellulose insulation on top of the fiberglass. A propane boiler still heats our water. We will install an air heat pump water heater in the future. The propane for this one-use costs us $1.84/day.
Last year, we bought a golf course. Thus far we have spent $4,988 on gas for the carts and mowers. Our lease on the carts runs out in 2023. We will definitely go electric on the new lease for the carts and install roof and parking lot solar. Golf course mowers will be tough to go electric. Electric models are hard to find. We plan to visit “green” courses and see what they have done.
We use a self-propelled electric grass mower and weed wacker for the house and love them.
Tim Roper – Distribution volunteer, Chester, VT
The Ropers reduce their environmental footprint by using solar to power their home and heat pumps. One of the two heat pump condenser units is at the right side of the house. (Courtesy photo)
I’ve been an amateur ecologist for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until entering the solar energy industry in 2007 that I began focusing on gradually lowering my emissions footprint. Since that time, we’ve added solar to our own home, installed heat pumps, insulated our home to exceed government recommended R-values, air-sealed the building envelope and purchased a plug-in hybrid vehicle. By adding battery backup to our home, we’re also able to help supply the electric grid during peak demand events which further reduces the need for the utility to purchase oil and coal-fired electricity generation during those events.
Having played a role in driving solar adoption as a solar company sales director, I wanted to identify and help drive the next movement in reducing society’s systemic emissions. That opportunity arose with the advent of high-quality electric lawn care equipment coming onto the market, prompting me to start an all-electric, solar powered and organic lawn and garden care company. My intent is to reduce my customers’ lawn care related emissions and to create awareness of the technology’s advantages, hopefully prompting others to make their own switch away from highly polluting gas- and diesel-powered lawn care equipment and into cleaner, electrically fueled machines.
As a result of these shifts, operating costs for our vehicles, equipment, home and business have all been cut drastically. The lesson: Gradually making sensible changes to reduce emissions is a big win-win-win!
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