Homeowner saves money by going green

Sarah Campbell / Salisbury Post Ken Clifton, a professor at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, explains how micro-inverters turn direct current into alternating current, which is used to deliver power to his home. Clifton makes about 80 percent of the electricity at his home through the solar panels, evacuated tubes that heat water and biomass to power the furnace.

Sarah Campbell / Salisbury Post Ken Clifton, a professor at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, stands under the solar panels at his home on Hartman Road on Monday.

Sarah Campbell / Salisbury Post Ken Clifton, a professor at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, explains how the solar meter works Monday at his home on Harman Road.

Sarah Campbell / Salisbury Post These solar panels at Ken Clifton's home on Hartman Road are helping him reduce his carbon footprint. He makes about 80 percent of the energy used to power his home through a variety of green methods.

By Sarah Campbell

scampbell@salisburypost.com

Ken Clifton has already generated enough solar energy to power more than 3,600 light bulbs or 1,200 computers for a day.

By powering about 80 percent of his home with solar energy, he believes he has also offset his carbon footprint by about 2,000 pounds, the equivalent of planting 24 trees and saving 106 gallons of gas.

And, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s only been about three months since Clifton, a computer-technology instructor at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, installed his first solar array at his home on Hartman Road, but he says the results have been phenomenal.

“It works so well I decided to install another one,” he said. “We are pretty close to a zero carbon footprint.”

Now, Clifton’s home has two solar arrays each made up for 12 photovoltaic panels and 12 micro-inverters, which convert direct current into the alternating current used in homes.

The solar panels have shaved about $60 a month off his utility bill, and he anticipates that figure doubling during the summer months.

And Clifton’s other environmentally friendly initiatives have already been saving him serious green.

Since 2007, Clifton has been heating his home with a biomass furnace that burns corn kernels.

That alone has saved him about $2,400 each winter, while producing no greenhouse gases.

Though the furnace cost about $3,200 at the time, Clifton said it’s been worth the cash.

“It is 100 percent paid back,” he said. “And we are still using it.”

Clifton also installed thermal collectors on his roof last July to heat his water supply, which saves about $30 a month.

The tubes in the solar collectors, made by Virginia-based Solar Panels Plus, and the solar water tank for it cost about $7,000, but 65 percent — $4,550 — was recovered through state and federal tax credits.

“For somebody just starting out this is very cost effective,” he said.

Clifton said in comparison a new energy saving heat pump water tank would cost about $1,500.

“And you still have to pay for electricity,” he said.

Adding solar panels

Clifton decided to add solar panels to the mix after reading about micro-inverters in the Wall Street Journal.

After doing some research, Clifton learned that the micro-inverters cost $200 a piece, a fraction of the cost of a standard inverter that typically has a pricetag of about $4,000.

Micro-inverters are guaranteed to last 119 years, while standard inverters need to be replaced every five years or so.

“This is really game changing technology,” he said.

Before installing his own photovoltaic system, Clifton had to receive approval from Duke Energy.

“You’ve got to be driven to do it,” Clifton said of all the steps that must be completed before installation can begin.

Clifton chose a net metering system that provides energy for his home and any excess energy is delivered to the grid, where it can the power generated by a home system can be used to offset the monthly bill.

Another option is interconnecting a solar-power system back into a grid, which is then outright purchased by Duke Energy.

Clifton said he opted for net metering because the excess energy can be carried over to the next month, which he considers more cost effective.

“The idea is to never make more than you use,” he said.

Jason Walls, a spokesman for Duke Energy, said Clifton is one of about 200 customers in the Carolinas who using solar power.

“I think it’s a recognition by some of these customers that they really want to contribute to providing greener energy for North Carolina,” he said.

Duke services 2.4 million homes.

Looking at the numbers

Although each of Clifton’s solar arrays cost about $17,000 each, he said after the 65 percent tax credit they ring in tallies about $12,000.

“Over half the cost is paid for by the government,” he said.

And, Clifton said the project would have cost him less if he had a south-facing home.

“I would have been able to install the panels on the roof instead of buying the poles, which are a large part of the expense,” he said.

Clifton said people don’t have to create an entire array of 12 solar panels and micro-inverters.

“You can just buy one panel and one micro-inverter,” he said. “You can make a difference in the environment with a small step.”

The cost savings of at least $720 a year will pay for the investment in about seven years, Clifton said.

“The numbers are just incredible,” he said. “In the long term I think it’s very valuable.”

Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.