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Art,
Yes our house is off grid with a battery bank. There are 24 large workaholic batteries. But we still have a helco connection for wich we pay 22.13 per month. You get charged for 40 KWH a month if you use them or not. So we run our well pump with it and it never goes over the 40 KWH per month. The reason we still have the connection to run some of our shop machinery. Its a great feeling to be self-sufficient. Also we do use propane for cooking and clothesdrier. Hot water is an on-demand heater, but soon to be solar as well.
HPP4me,
We also have an in-ground pool. We simply turn on the pool pump when there is plenty sun. The pool heater is solar and works great. In fact it could make it too warm if we use it to much. One time the temp got into the 90's. If you have an average sized pool you should be fine, the bigger the pool the more work and electricity it takes. There are also DC pool pumps that work directly off of the sun. As far as prices, I really couldn't give you more than a guess because we got some really good deals and did all the work ourselves. It can get pricey. If you plan on starting with a basic system and then expanding as you go, the initial cost will be more due to the cost of the inverter and cables, battery bank, and charge controller. Later you can add more panels (and maybe charge controllers), and batteries. Thats how we did it. Its a good idea to have more than you need.
To get back to the original question, I saw a beautiful home windmill today on a hill above waiohinu. (that's in ka'u)
Daniel R Diamond
Daniel R Diamond
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One of the smaller AirX wind generators would be a good addition to a power system but they only put out about 400 watts or so, I think. I'd have to go look up the specs again. We are planning on adding one to our small four panel (600 watt) solar array eventually. We also plan to double the amount of panels but just haven't gotten around to it.
There are some folks near here who have a huge photovoltaic (solar electric) system and they have an electric stove and oven. Sheesh! They are completely off the grid, too. They also have three AirX wind generators. We went past their house to see if the wind generators were very noisy and they were actually quite quiet.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
Posts: 325
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quote:
We also plan to double the amount of panels but just haven't gotten around to it.
Have you received pricing recently? My understanding is that prices have fallen considerably.
Also where do people in Puna/Hilo go for theri solar panels/installation? This isn't a home depot thing, is it? Is there a company that does it all, or do you buy the panels and then call an independent electrician to put them in?
Edited by - hpp4me on 08/31/2007 13:31:13
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There was an excellent article recently in Mother Earth News on the subject of wind power: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Alternati...Power.aspx
My recollection from previous threads on this subject is that, surprisingly, Puna may not be windy enough to make these effective. That will probably depend on location, though, as there are certainly many microclimates in Puna. One evening, I went from coastal HPP where the wind was mild to nonexistent to coastal Hawaiian Beaches where the wind was brisk enough to fly kites! The article makes clear that the tower will need to be taller than anything that obstructs the wind, such as your house, a neighbors house, or trees.
Also, in Hawai'i, we have the additional problem of wind that can be just a little too strong, such as that brought by Flossie or her sisters.
My conclusion was that solar power was the answer. Solar power will pay for itself in Hawaii, and probably sooner, rather than later. We have reached "peak" oil now -- and production will go into decline in years to come. In 20 years, only the very rich will be able to fly to Hawai'i.
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We are finally going to move to BI within the next year and I am house hunting on the net. Does anyone know how a ballpark figure on what it costs to build an inground pool there?
I have had a pool for 30 years and am not sure I can do without one.
I noticed not many houses there have a pool and figured there must be a reason why.
Thanks! 
Posts: 942
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I'm not sure -- but a client of mine was quoted about $50,000 for one (she's on solid blue lava), so they can be expensive. She opted for a very nice high-end above ground with nice Trex decks around it for far less.
John Dirgo, R, ABR, e-PRO
Aloha Coast Realty, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.hawaiirealproperty.com
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PirateLady,
My house has a pool that on the MLS indicates that it is below ground. Although I can't be certain just yet, I think that is only partially "below 'ground'".
It was done in a very clever way, using the topography of the land. There were "pukas" or depressions on my property (I think the actual Hawaiian word for depression is "kapoho" but you get my drift.) The house was built on post and pier in such a depression. The lanai appears to be at ground level because it is built on the edge of the puka. The topography drops off from there. You cannot tell that the house is on post and pier until you go under it on one side. It is "ground level" on two sides.
A patio was built over this depression, and a pool was built INTO the depression. It is possible that there was some blasting for the pool, but not as much as if you were building the pool flush with the ground. A catchment tank was also built below the patio. I will send you pictures. The pool is gorgeous and is actually above ground, mostly, while appearing to be BELOW ground. It appears to be below ground because it is below patio level, and the patio is built over the depression.
The topography of the lots on my streets includes a lot of depressions, suitable for such a design. Your results may vary. I concur with John's estimates for a pool.
I am fairly well versed on pools now.
There is a house for sale on my street that has a pool.
Meanwhile, back to tilting at windmills!
Google
pvc pipe windmill
Also good motors (high output / low rpm ) on ebay for 30 - 40
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Thanks all for the info on pools. Kind of what I figured. I may have to look at prebuilt swim spas and surround them with deck. I really like a pool on level with the house, not higher up so I am sure there are some ways to do that.
Thanks Glen, your pool is beautiful.
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HPP4ME,
When we built here 3 years ago, we got our solar system from a company in Hilo called Provision, and have no hesitation about recommending their services. We ended up with 16 panels, 12 batteries, and two inverters to balance the input from the 16 panels. Pete did a full year of data collection on our energy use and production of the system. Since we went up to 16 panels from 12 and the second inverter, we've had very little trouble maintaining a reasonable lifestyle. With this years' good weather, I only think we've had the generator on a few times.
We purchased light fixtures that would work with the CF bulbs, have solar water (Solarhart which doesn't require a pump) with a Takagi flash heater. Propane stove and drier, though we almost never use the drier. Watched out for those trickle-current things. Our biggest energy guzzler is the fridge... anyone want to buy a used 27 cubic foot side-by-side? We'd love to down-size!
Of course, we also run a 1 HP pump becuase of the volume needed for greenhouse watering.
We don't get nearly enough wind to even consider it, so solar was the only way to go.
Jane
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