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Energy and clean air are two hot buttons for Utah residents. As electricity rates rise, more people are interested in ways to save money on their bills. Solar is really the only alternative most Utahns have to utility power. For most Utah consumers, air conditioning units represent the majority of their electrical usage.
Combining both can provide compelling ways to make your home more environmentally and financially sustainable for the future.
Kelly Curtis from Solaroo Energy, a local South Jordan solar and HVAC contractor, explained how the two factors could create bigger savings for customers.
Air conditioning units
For years, saving energy with your AC unit really meant, “How hot are we willing to keep our house in the summer?” Not a fun conversation to have, and even less fun to experience, Curtis said.
Air-conditioner efficiency has significantly improved during the past 10 years. From 1992-2006, the SEER ratings (SEER rating: how efficient an AC unit is — low numbers are bad, higher numbers are more efficient) for most AC units were between 10-12. Since then, a minimum SEER rating standard of 13 was established, but ratings of 19 – 21 can be achieved with high-efficiency AC units. Some mini split wall units can even get into the low 30s for SEER ratings.
Curtis explained, “Your standard 4-ton, 10 SEER AC unit that was installed in 2006 would require the equivalent of 10-11 solar panels worth of electricity just to run that unit. A four-ton, 19 SEER AC unit would use only about five solar panels worth of electricity to run. A 30 SEER mini split unit could be only three solar panels. That amounts to a lot of electricity savings and a lot of money.”
Curtis also said addressing the electricity load of the AC units in a house is a primary objective of analyzing the solar requirements for Solaroo’s customers in 2018. “It makes sense to look at the ways a house is wasting energy before we put solar up. You could be putting up 5-7 more panels than necessary just for an old AC unit that you’ll replace in 2-3 years anyway.”
Solar panels
Solar still remains one of the only practical alternatives to utility electricity. A choice is what many Utahns want: a choice between fossil fuels and renewable energy, a choice between fixing energy costs with solar and having your price fluctuate and increase over time with utility power, and a choice between self-reliance and grid dependency.
In January, the federal government imposed a new tariff on solar cells and modules imported into the United States, but Curtis said he thinks it will have little impact on the cost advantage solar has against utility power.
“Solar will still be the price leader against most utilities in our state even after the tariff is imposed.” Curtis said, “Solaroo still has good manufacturers that will produce here in the U.S. and won’t be subject to the tariff. Our price for some manufacturers might go up, but others it won’t. Our customers will continue to save by going solar.”
For more information on this article, saving energy, solar or efficient air conditioning units, go to solarooenergy.com.
