Harnessing the Sun
Solar panels provide extra warmth at Walloon Estate
Rick Gross may have retired from a career in research and development for Dow Chemical, but his passion remains in engineering, and his Walloon Lake retirement home is now his latest project.
Gross and his wife, Donna, have installed six solar panels on the roof of their expansive, still-under-construction lakeside home of 8,000 square feet.
“I’ve always been interested in energy,” said Gross. “And I always wanted to do something with solar.”
The Grosses have long been summertime Wallooners, moving down the lake to land at the sloping acreage they purchased in 2006. When they started building, with solar energy in mind, the first step was to ensure the panels faced due south and that they were high enough to capture the sun’s rays over the tree line and in the winter when the sun is lower.
(Given the dimensions of the house, it would appear the height issue wasn’t too much of a concern.)
The system the Grosses have installed is intended to fulfill their domestic hot water needs, as opposed to a “photovoltaic” solar panel system that some homeowners use to provide electricity, Gross explained. Situated under the six panels are connectors for an eventual photovoltaic system, which the Grosses plan to install once it becomes more cost-effective for a house of their size.
The six solar panels in place now — each 4-by-8 feet — collect the sun’s rays to heat an antifreeze-type of water solution that runs through the house, similar to a geothermal system (which the home also has).
The water gets heated to about 180 degrees and is stored in a 512-gallon tank in the basement. The system works even on overcast days, Gross noted, similarly to how it’s possible to get sunburned even on a cloudy day at the beach.
Hot water distribution is controlled by a wall of valves that direct it to various places in the home — the bathrooms, the laundry and in-floor heat in Donna’s garage in the wintertime, for instance. The basement of the home looks like a ship’s belly, with dozens of gauges, pipes, timers, tanks and equipment that are the brains behind both the solar and geothermal systems. The home is zoned heating with various thermostats to control heating and cooling in each zone.
Without getting too complicated, Gross explained that essentially the solar panels will work most months out of the year to serve domestic hot water needs, with the geothermal switching on during the colder months. Two back-up hot water heaters are available for when the Grosses have a full house, which includes three adult children and three grandchildren.
“One or one-and-a-half panels will handle the domestic hot water for my wife and I,” Gross said. “… When all the kids are here and we start losing water temperature, the electric hot water heaters will kick in.”
A unique feature of the solar panel system is how energy can be stored and directed for future and specific use. For instance, Gross said he won’t use the geothermal to heat the garage floor, but rather will use stored energy from the warm months and direct the solar panels’ limited winter collection ability to that specific purpose. (At that time of year, the geothermal system will be activated for the home’s hot water needs.)
Because the home, nearing completion this summer, will be the couple’s full-time residence, Gross said they intentionally looked for ways to make it more “green,” while indulging his interest in research.
Donna, a retired schoolteacher who Rick says would’ve made a terrific engineer or architect, had an equally integral role in the home. She was the designer behind its stunning structure and layout, including a “keeping room” off the kitchen that befits the couple’s New England roots.
Extra, enviable touches include radiant floor heat that even extends outside onto two decks, where Rick likes to head out each early morning for a cup of coffee in bare feet. He does not plan to expend any extra energy to heat the decks, but rather to direct the solar panel heat to them when appropriate. “That would be over the top” to use electricity to heat them, he said. “It goes against my grain.”
Both solar and geothermal systems cost more to install up front because of the equipment and set-up. Gross said the payback comes after about nine years, when lower energy bills will have compensated for the extra initial outlay. Further, the systems have a lifespan of up to 30 years, more than a typical home heating/AC system.
“I would say one of the drivers of doing this, first and foremost, was the environmental aspect,” said Gross. “Plus, I spent 40 years doing research. This is fun for me.” HL
Where to look for alternative energy
• Gross home geothermal installation, Great Lakes Plumbing and Heating
• Solar supplier, Renewable Services of Acme
