www.HoustonSolarTour.com

T t  ted 

Houston Renewable Energ Group

(HREG)

• Cit o HoustonHouston Adanced Research Center

(HARC)

• Discoer Green Conseranc

Peented Ntn 

American Solar Energ Societ www.ases.org/www.NationalSolarTour.org

Wt ea ta t Reat Eergy ad TXU Eergy

Real Places or Real People, Real Solutions or Energ Independence

2

GeeH Bde

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architecture, LLCSpecializing in LEED and greenresidential projects.Designer of the

ﬁ

rst LEED GoldHome in Houston.713.432.7377www.rdarc.com

Proud Coordinators of the 2008 Houston Solar Tour

Houston as a solar city

Under the leadership o Maor Bill White,Houston has come a long wa to broaden thewa we think about energ to include energecienc and renewable sources o power.On the energ ecienc ront, we haeupgraded our building codes or greaterenerg ecienc, we hae implementedretrot programs or eisting buildings toreduce their energ consumption, and we arepromoting green building standards to continueraising the bar. On the renewable energ ront,the Cit through its purchase o 40 MW oTeas Wind power is now recognied b theEPA as the number one municipalit in thenation or the purchase o renewable energ.And with respect to solar, the Cit o Houstonhas been selected as a DOE Solar America Citthis past spring to accelerate the deelopmento solar power in the region. Things arehappening in Houston as we lead the wa onenerg ecienc and renewable power.Solar power is especiall eciting here inTeas since solar generates power when weneed it the most, during those hot das whenair conditioning sstems are running at ullthrottle. This is when power is most epensiesince Teas power prices are determined bmarket clearing transactions drien b suppland demand. As “time o use metering”

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sPEcial tHanKs to our in-KinD sPonsors

becomes aailable here in Houston oer thenet seeral ears, the true economics or solarpower can be realied b the end-user, theconsumer.Still the cost o solar power is quite a bithigher than the power we can purchase romthe electrical grid. As new technologies comeon-line such as thin lm solar and ossil uelcommodit prices continue to increase, therewill be a cross oer point in the near uture.Howeer, olks installing solar sstems todaare doing it or more than just saings on theirutilit bill. The are doing it as a wa o showingindependence and reedom rom man o theissues surrounding energ toda.Solar energ is aailable to us all here inHouston toda. It is ree o global greenhousegases, ree o rising utilit costs, and ree ogeopolitical issues. It is a great long-terminestment or us as indiidual homeowners,as a communit, and as a nation.

C Ete, PD

Chie Ocer or Sustainable GrowthMayor’s Oce, City o HoustonThank you or radio advertisingThank you or radio advertisingThank you or advertising

Also, spEciAl ThAnks To:

HARC or creating the new Houston Solar Tour web site

•

Kelley Wright, Standard Renewable Energy or coordinating PRStephanie Edwards-Musa, www.turninghoustongreen.com

•

Discovery Green and Whole Foods Market

•

City o Houston

Tour CoordinatorTour Coordinator

Kathleen Reardon

•

Susannah Deine

Thank you or designing thisSolar Tour handout

71.540.4698

www.

LostArtGraphics

.com

sEabrook iNTErmEDiaTE

sCiENCE magNET Program

2401 Meyer Rd., Seabrook, 77586

RENEWABLE ENERGy SySTEM: SOLAR ELECTRIC, 1.1 KWINSTALLER: CSG DATE INSTALLED: 200APPROxIMATE ENERGy PROvIDED: 1000KWH/yRAPPROxIMATE COST SAvINGS AT 20 CENTS/KWH: $200/yR

DEsCriPTioN o iNsTallaTioN:

Seabrook Intermediate isone o 16 schools in Teas to receie a small-scale solar energsstems rom the State Energ Conseration Oce, along witha renewable energ educational curriculum. Green MountainEnerg also proided matching unds or the 1.1 kilowattphotooltaic sstem. The Pv arra is connected to the building’selectrical suppl sstem with a Sunn Bo inerter and isclearl isible rom the ront o the school. The arra consists o 8 SP-140-PC modules. Students at the school candownload their sstem’s data rom the Internet each da at http://www.soltre.com.

owNEr’s NoTEs:

In the 199-94 school ear, Clear Creek ISD began oering a Science Magnet Program housed atSeabrook Intermediate School or students in grades si through eight. The Program proides a unique sciencecurriculum including additional science electies and partnership opportunities or students enrolled in the Program.

sCoTT rEsiDENCE

201 Hunters Ln., Friendswood, 77546

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RENEWABLE ENERGy SySTEM: .5 KW SOLAR Pv INSTALLER: GREEN ELECTRIC TExASDATE INSTALLED: MARCH 2008 SySTEM COST: $24,000

DEsCriPTioN o iNsTallaTioN:

This home includes 20, 175 WattSuntech Panels, 4Kw Sunn Bo inerter. The 20 Suntech panels aregrouped in two strings, approimatel 70 olts per string. The are inconduit to the DC breaker attached to the inerter. The output o theinerter is in conduit to an AC disconnect and the output o the AC dis-connect is connected to a 20 amp double pole breaker in the main breaker bo. Theinerter and breaker bo are located outside the house and ou will be able to seehow this works on the tour.

DiREcTions:

From I-45 South (Gul Frwy), take exit 25, NASA-1, FM-528 exit. Con-tinue on west FM 528, continue west E. Parkwood Ave. Turn let on S. Friendswood Drive. Turn right on Hunters Lane.

sChoTTEl rEsiDENCE

4829 Hawthorne St., Seabrook 77586

RENEWABLE ENERGy SySTEM: HOT WATER SySTEMINSTALLER: HARvEST SOLAR, JOHN MIGGINS, NOW WITH STANDARD RENEWABLE ENERGyDATE INSTALLED: OCTOBER 2007SySTEM COST: $4,00 ($,010 WITH TAx CREDIT)

see te ar water eater ae rm te treet tted u at a age,te water ta ytem  te garage ad te utm deg requred tru e t te r & ba.

DEsCriPTioN o iNsTallaTioN:

• Consists o a 50 gallon drain back sstem with ull electric backup• Auiliar tank adds 6 additional gallons o capacit• Utilies two Snerg Solar rootop panels• Electric backup sstem can be congured to turn on and o basedon a timer, turned on in a ull backup conguration, or turned oin a ull solar mode

owNEr’s NoTEs:

The electric tank sstem we bought would cost$410 per ear on aerage to heat our water, according to the USGoernment Energ Guide sticker on the tank. It would thereoretake 7-9 ears to pa o the dierence on our solar hot water sstem,depending on how oten we run the electric backup in the winter.

DiREcTions:

From I-45 South, take Bay Area Blvd. east about 6 miles & cross over Red Blu Blvd. Turn Right on Port Road (just past the railroad tracks), cross under Highway 146, staying on Port Road. Pass the new Bayport ShippingTerminal, and the road does a quick snake. Go straight at the stop sign crossing Todville Road and you will be on El Jardin. Turn let on Hawthorne (just past park on right)

boyEr rEsiDENCE

1406 Thornwood, Houston 77062

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RENEWABLE ENERGy SySTEM: SOLAR ELECTRIC, .4 KWINSTALLER: STANDARD RENEWABLE ENERGyDATE INSTALLED: OCTOBER 2007SySTEM COST: $24,7APPROxIMATE ENERGy PROvIDED: 4,046 KWH PER yEARAPPROxIMATE COST SAvINGS AT 20 CENTS/KWH: $809.20

Tur  exterr y

DEsCriPTioN o iNsTallaTioN:

This homeincludes a .4 kW DC solar Pv sstem with 20 BP170 modules grid-tied with a SunnBo 00. The sstem consistso one arra oer a porch patio and another on the top o the house, both in back acing South.

owNEr’s NoTEs:

We purchased this sstem recogniing the need or a sustainable energ econom and wanting tostart implementing the solution. First, with energ ecienc improements (new 15 SEER AC, added insulation, andCFL’s) we reduced our electric consumption b 25%. Now, the Pv sstem proides 70% to 80% o the electricit we useduring the all, winter and spring, and 40% - 50% o the electricit we use running the air conditioner in the summer.

grEEN builDiNg ExTras:

Electric ehicle, organic ruit and egetablegarden, and an energ monitor.

DiREcTions:

From I-45 South (Gul Freeway), take the Clear Lake City Blvd exit and go East about 2 miles, turn Right on Whitlock Dr and take it until it ends.Turn Right on Oak Chase Dr and go 1 block, turn Let on Chesnut Springs Ln.and go 1 block, turn let on Providence Pine Trail and go 1 block, turn Right on Thornwood Ln. House is 2nd on the right. (Tour map on center spread)

kohrs rEsiDENCE

3933 Rau Dr., Dickenson, 77539

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RENEWABLE ENERGy SySTEM: SOLAR POOL HEATER DATE INSTALLED: SEPT 2008INSTALLER: ALTERNATIvE POWER SOLUTIONS, LLC SySTEM COST: $6,900.00APPROxIMATE ENERGy PROvIDED: 8.19 MWH NET GHG REDUCTION: 2.08T OF CO2APPROxIMATE COST SAvINGS FOR 20 LIFE (IF OFFSETTING GAS HEATER) = $21,60

DEsCriPTioN o iNsTallaTioN:

600 S o Heliocol solar pool heatingcollector panels installed on the West side o the house on the roo ora 60 SF in-ground pool. There is 1 pool heating controller.

owNEr’s NoTEs:

At the beginning o September Mr. and Mrs. Kohrs wanted to etendthe swim season o their pool beore the all weather set in. The like using the pool oreercise and wanted to keep the temperature at 85 degrees. We installed their sstemin a ew weeks and now the can get much more enjoment out o their warm pool.

iNsTallEr’s NoTEs:

This installation etended the swim season to 10 months per ear instead o the normal 5months since the do not own a traditional gas heater. The will also be able to cool their pool down this summerb circulating the pools water through the collectors at night.

DiREcTions:

Take Gul Fwy/I-45 S toward Galveston, Take exit 19 toward FM 517/Dickinson, Turn right at 517/Farmto Market Rd 517W, Continue Hal a mile and turn let on Rau Dr. The House is on the right.