Should You Get Photovoltaics for Your Austin Home?

As an architect who designs energy-efficient homes, one of the most common questions clients ask me is if they should install photovoltaics on their Austin home. So, in this post, I’ll share reasons to go solar and how to determine if it’s a wise investment for your Austin home.

Although there are a few scenarios where solar panels aren’t ideal, for the most part, they offer many practical benefits.  Photovoltaics are a fantastic ‘active strategy’ to generate surplus power when it’s added to a home that’s designed for energy efficiency with ‘passive strategies’.  When added to an inefficient home, it certainly offsets the high costs of utility bills.

In our sunny climate, solar energy is a fantastic renewable resource to tap into, whether you just want to be prepared for those power outages or want to build a net zero home.

First, how does a solar panel system work?

Simply put, a solar panel system works by converting sunlight into electricity.  TLDR: A photovoltaic (PV) charge creates direct current (DC), which is then converted into alternating current (AC) by an inverter.  AC is the primary way to fuel a home. While it can flow directly to your circuitry, you can also store it in a battery and use the reserves during power outages.

Here are the 5 components of a solar system and how it works together:

1. Solar Panels: 

   A solar panel contains a group of photovoltaic (PV) cells. Each cell is made of semiconductor materials, usually silicon, which absorbs sunlight energy and releases electrons, thus generating an electric current. Typically, you’ll have an array of solar panels, all connected together. See more info about different types of solar panels below.

2. Inverter:

   The electricity produced by the solar panels is direct current (DC). An inverter is required to convert DC into alternating current (AC), which is the type of electricity provided by the power grid and what most household appliances run on.

3. Electrical Panel:

   The AC electricity flows from the inverter to the electrical panel, also known as a breaker box. From here, it is distributed to power lights, appliances, and other electrical devices in the home.

4. Utility Meter:

   If the solar panels produce more electricity than is needed or used by your home, the excess can be fed back into the power grid through the utility meter. Many power companies use net metering, allowing homeowners to receive credits for the excess electricity they generate. Power companies may purchase your electricity through a Value of Solar (VOS) buyback plan.

5. Battery Storage (optional):

   You can opt to include batteries to store excess electricity for your own use when the sun isn't shining or when the power grid is down, thus providing you with a backup power source. A battery system is required when you live off-the-grid.

The size of your system will depend on whether you plan to use it as a supplementary energy source or as your sole energy provider.

Overall, a solar panel system provides a renewable, free, and clean source of energy by harnessing sunlight and converting it into usable electricity.

Components of solar - Inverter, PV Meter, and Electric panel

5 compelling reasons why solar energy is a good investment for your Austin home

Here are some reasons why you might want to incorporate an alternative power source in your home.

1. Rebates and incentives

Solar rebates are some of the highest in the federal rebate program, making it the top reason to install solar panels.  This may change, but as of April 2024,

• You can get a $2,500 rebate on qualifying PV systems that are at least 3 kWh in size. To apply for it, take the Solar Education Course and quiz.

• Another incentive is the Value of Solar Bill Credits which offers a 9.91 cents/kWh credit that can lower your electric bill. For example, if you used $120 worth of electricity in a month and your solar panel system produced energy equal to $114, you’ll only pay $6. Similarly, if it produced $135 worth of energy, the excess will get carried over.

• You may also be eligible for a 30% federal solar tax credit that offers a reduction in your income taxes.

Lastly, you could qualify for a property tax exemption when you mount solar panels on your roof. However, I’m unsure how beneficial that could be since it lacks a grandfather clause which can seriously impact your return on investment.

2. Lower utility bills

Austin Energy’s residential rates follow certain tiers. This means that the more energy you consume, the higher your bill.

Luckily, a solar panel system can potentially offset your grid power consumption.

Additionally, Austin is scheduled to implement a 5% increase to the Power Supply Adjustment (PSA) rate beginning March 24, 2024, so installing solar panels could offer you some protection against inflation.

3. Increase property value

According to the real estate platform Zillow, residences equipped with photovoltaic energy systems sold for 4.1% more on average than ordinary homes. Meanwhile, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that every dollar saved on electric bills through solar panels increases a home’s values by $20.

As home buyers are becoming more conscious about the environment, the demand for solar panels is higher than it’s ever been. How much exactly they contribute to home values depends on where the property is located and the quality of the solar energy system.

Note, however, that a house with solar panels doesn’t automatically become more expensive. If the system is poorly designed, outdated, inefficient, or isn’t functioning, it will negatively affect the home’s value.

4. Helps you enjoy continuous power

The 2021 Texas Freeze affected more than 4.5 million homes, proving that the state’s electricity supply requires greater oversight. Aside from the inconvenience of not being able to use home appliances, power failures have several notable disadvantages:

• Damage to electronics

• No air conditioning or heating

• Risk of carbon monoxide poisoning (the fuel used to produce alternative energy sources for cooking, cooling, and heating can lead to a hazardous build up of carbon monoxide inside a home)

• Refrigeration loss, leading to food spoilage

It’s no wonder that so many homeowners are looking to equip their homes with solar energy. In fact, a significant percentage of the population has already adopted it, prompting the Frontier Group to rank Austin as one of the cities with the most solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2022.

5. Lower environmental impact

About 40% of the total energy consumed in the United States is used to generate electricity. This has a massive environmental impact. It increases the carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere along with other pollutants.

By harnessing solar energy, you can lower the rate of climate change. Consider this—an acre of solar panels can reduce more emissions annually than an acre of trees. Research also suggests that most solar panel systems installed in homes can reduce our annual carbon emissions by 3 to 4 tons. That’s like planting over 100 trees a year! 

Like electric vehicles, solar panels do not produce any greenhouse gases, however, electric vehicles still rely on electric grids which may draw power from power plants that produce harmful fumes (e.g. coal-powered plants).

The Photovoltaic Panel Technology

There are four types of PV panels.

1. Monocrystalline solar panels

Sometimes called single-crystal panels, these panels employ a single pure silicon crystal that is divided into several pieces. They are ideal for small spaces and last the longest. Since it takes a lot of silicon to manufacture a monocrystalline cell, this type of panel is very expensive. Tesla’s Solar Roof, uses this type of panel. The Tesla Solar Roof comes with a battery called Powerwall.

2. Polycrystalline solar panels

Polycrystalline panels utilize several silicon crystals. Silicon is melted and poured into square molds, resulting in less waste and a lower price tag. They are larger than monocrystsalline systems, less efficient at energy conversion, and cannot tolerate very high temperatures.

3. Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) solar panels

These offer higher efficiency than conventional monocrystalline cells because of the way they process light. They collect more energy while taking up less space and are less expensive than traditional panels.

4. Thin-Film solar panel variations

Thin-film solar panels are not made from crystalline panels and silicon. They’re manufactured from different materials like amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium selenide. The raw materials determine the panels’ efficiency and cost.

FAQs

How much does it cost to install Photovoltaic Panels?

Here’s the all-important question for most families —can you afford it? You’ll be glad to know that the cost of photovoltaic panels has been dropping steadily since 2009 as the demand for renewable energy continues to grow. In the last decade, prices have gone down by over 50% in the residential space, and the downhill trajectory is expected to continue. It’s a good idea to take advantage of solar panels now while there are tax incentives and rebates available, especially since it’s uncertain how long they will be offered.

Now, let’s talk prices. EnergySage reported that 5kW solar panel systems in Austin cost between $10,000 and $14,000. While that may still be several thousand dollars too expensive for many homeowners, funding from SETO can help offset the cost of your initial investment.

There are also rebates and incentives to consider.

Are there any solar energy rebates and incentives for Austin homeowners?

To encourage more people to have solar panels installed, there are certain rebates and incentives in Texas that you can take advantage of:

• The Value of Solar Bill Credits offers a 9.91 cents/kWh credit that can lower your electric bill. For example, if you used $120 worth of electricity in a month and your solar panel system produced energy equal to $114, you’ll only pay $6. Similarly, if it produced $135 worth of energy, the excess will get carried over.

• Austin homeowners can also avail of the Austin Energy Solar Rebate which offers a $2,500 rebate. Customers of Austin Energy may qualify for it by taking an online solar education course and hiring an Austin Energy Participating Contractor to install their systems. You can check out the full list of requirements here.

Lastly, you could qualify for a property tax exemption when you mount solar panels on your roof. However, I’m unsure how beneficial that could be since it lacks a grandfather clause which can seriously impact your return on investment.

What’s the return on investment?

You can calculate your return on investment (ROI) in 2 ways: payback time and the lifespan of your solar panel system.

1. payback time

A typical payback period for a residential solar system is 7 to 10 years.

Of course, this will vary based on factors like the system size, amount of sunlight the home receives, local energy prices, utility rates, incentives on offer, and so on.

Want to get a rough estimate for your home?

Take the costs of the solar panel purchase and installation. Subtract the rebates and incentives from the government and monthly savings on utility and you get your payback period.

For example, suppose you spent $20,000 on photovoltaics and received a $2,500 rebate from Austin Energy. That brings your expenditure down to $17,500. Assuming it reduces your yearly electricity bill by $1,500, it will pay for itself in 11 to 12 years.

2. system lifespan

Solar panels don’t have many moving parts, so a good system will last around 25 to 30 years before its efficiency starts to degrade and produce less energy.

This means that if you’re saving $1,500 a year on energy bills (not considering fluctuations in utility rates) with photovoltaics, you’ll be able to pay back the cost of the energy system and enjoy big savings throughout its lifespan.

Since most residential solar panels remain operational for around 25 years, conservative estimates illustrate that you can save $21,000 if your system lasts for 14 years to $28,500 for a system that lasts 19 years.

When does it make sense to consider PV systems?

As an architect with twenty-plus years of experience designing energy-efficient custom homes, I generally recommend PV systems for all-electric homes. Electric-powered HVAC systems and water heaters are energy hogs and are responsible for the majority of utility bills. So an all-electric home will have higher bills than a home that uses gas for heating and cooking. Using solar energy to offset the high utility cost will reduce your ROI timeline.

Alternatively, if you want to be self-sustaining or you want to live in a net-zero home (a home designed and built to only use the energy it produces), PV systems are a smart choice. 

Does your home meet the requirements for PV systems?

Not all homes are good candidates for a solar panel array. Here are some examples where you might want to think twice:

• Roofs with a steep slope. Your best bet is a south-facing (or west as a second resort) roof with a 10 to 40-degree angle for maximum exposure.

• Rooftops in serious need of repair. Ideally, it should be stable and sturdy enough to last the lifespan of the solar panel system without requiring replacement.

• Rooftops that don’t get enough sun due to tree cover or improper orientation. This limits the amount of energy that the panels harness.

• Roofs with insufficient surface area. The roof is either divided into several small surfaces or not large enough to accommodate the panels.

  If your roof is not a good surface for a solar array, but you have the land area to support one, consider a ground-mount solar system.

What type of roofing material is best for PV systems?

Among the different roofing materials, standing seam metal is the top choice but clay tile and composite shingles can also work.

Do solar panels come with a battery?

When you buy panels, they usually don’t include a battery. So it is a separate purchase.

Architecture by George:

for contemporary, energy-efficient, Austin custom homes

In my humble opinion, generating solar energy is an “active strategy” that is supplemental to good design for an energy-efficient home. When slapped on a typical American house that is an energy hog, it is missing the point.

At Architecture By George, my goal is to design homes that are conscious about energy usage. The main aim is to minimize heat gain (the metric that is pertinent to the hot-humid climate in Austin), so we don’t use as much energy to cool the house down. I employ “passive design strategies” that acknowledge the climate, and build a house that uses less energy. We use measures to lower your energy costs - high-performance systems and materials, such as insulated glass windows and doors, better insulation and ac systems, optimizing the building envelope, minimizing infiltration and thermal bridging, etc.

If you have questions about whether or not photovoltaics are right for your Austin home, lets talk. You can schedule a free call with me, Sharon George.  We can go over some ideas and find the best solutions to help you realize the home of your dreams.

Whether you’re looking to build a new home or renovate an old one, I’m ready to help.

Cheers,

Sharon George.

Modern vs Contemporary Design - Clearing Up Common Misconceptions

As a custom home architect specializing in contemporary design, one of the most frequent misunderstandings I encounter has to do with architectural styles - namely, the difference between “modern” and “contemporary” style homes.

Many clients come to me looking for a “modern style house,” only to realize that after discussing their vision in more depth, what they are truly after is a contemporary-style residence. 

The confusion of verbiage is understandable - we use “modern” to describe anything current or en vogue (“modern man”, “modern family”, “modern life”). Even home magazines and architecture articles often use terms interchangeably when discussing design and showcasing homes. But when it comes to architectural styles, ‘modern’ and ‘contemporary’ refer to distinct design eras, ideologies, and aesthetics, especially to an architect.

Sure, it’s semantics - but is it? 

Why does it matter how you describe your style preferences?  How do you choose between a modern or contemporary architectural style for your custom home? 

At a minimum, you might miscommunicate with your architect as you try to describe your abstract vision of your ideal home.  But most importantly, without understanding what defines each style - their origins, philosophies, visual trademarks, and functionality considerations - you risk a) hiring an architect who specializes in an architectural style that does not reflect your personal values, style, or personality and b) making design decisions that are unsuitable for your needs and your lifestyle.

With this blog post, my goal is to demystify modern versus contemporary home design styles so you can make aesthetically and functionally-aligned decisions for your own home. By understanding the contrasts, you gain clarity and vocabulary to communicate your custom home aspirations with your partner, design professionals, and builder. 

Let’s explore what sets contemporary architecture apart from its modern architectural predecessor.  Think about what resonates with you as you envision your dream home!

defining distinct architectural eras

Modern Architecture: A 20th Century Design Revolution

Modern architecture originated in the early 20th century alongside a progressive social movement which revolutionized art, literature, and many cultural aspects of society.  Modernism rejected traditional rules and embraced a new expression, experimentation, enlightenment, and social equality. The modern architectural movement was pioneered by leading architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, to name a few.  

Modernist architects sought to reinvent design, focusing on functionality and efficiency of space, using new industrial materials and construction methods made possible by technological innovations, advancements in engineering, and mass production. For the first time, there was a universal design language.

Key hallmarks of modern architectural style are:

• Time Period: Early to mid/late 1900s.  So in fact, the modern architectural style is as much a "historical style" as classical style or any other style of the past.

• Philosophy & Ideology: Reflecting progress and equality, embracing technology and innovation. Rejecting historical styles and ornamentation in favor of minimalism - “Less is more”;  Focusing on function and comfort through pure forms - "Form follows function" - Louis Sullivan. 

• Character & Materials: Simple, minimal, asymmetrical, clean lines that emphasize horizontality or verticality, strong geometrical shapes, cantilevers, flat roofs, and open floor plans enabling larger spaces. Celebrated form, space, light, and the honest expression of materials and their capabilities. Abundant use of mass-produced industrial materials like concrete, steel, and glass. Floor to ceiling glass allows ample natural light, airflow, and connection to the outdoors.

• Contrast to previous architecture:  Modern style was a conscious departure from the elitist and opulent spaces of the previous era of Victorian architecture, characterized by symmetry, brick exteriors, steep pitch roofs, intricate stained glass windows, sash set windows with small panes of glass or divided lites; decorative moldings, ornamental carvings and details that showcased craftsmanship and wealth.  Interiors were rich and layered, just like their couture - wallpaper with bold patterns and florals, rich colors and jewel tones, natural materials like silk and marble; ostentatious draperies, etc.  

• Famous Examples of Modern style residential architecture: Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright, Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe, Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier, Glass House by Philip Johnson.

The Mid-Century Modern (MCM) style which became popular in the 1950’s, was in many ways a reaction to the starkness of early modern architecture.  MCM incorporated natural materials like wood, clay tile, and brick to add warmth.  Later, Postmodern and International styles further evolved. 

Contemporary Architecture: Blending Old and New

The contemporary architectural style emerged as a successor to modern architecture at the end of the 20th century and continues to the present day.  Although contemporary architecture does not follow a strict aesthetic style, it seeks to soften some of modernism's austere tendencies while emphasizing simple lines and forms.  

Although many contemporary architects are loath to classify their work as any particular style, they may draw inspiration from historical styles (including the modern style) and often mix visual characteristics of various styles to create a cocktail that fits the current context.  So, while a contemporary home may be of a "modern style," it can also reference a traditional style. 

Hallmarks of contemporary house style:

• Time Period: 1980’s, 2000 to today.  As the name suggests, contemporary style is the current style practiced today. 

• Ideology: Energy efficiency became an important topic after the energy crisis of the early 1970s.  Architects respond to the call to action to be sensitive to the planet, design for the climate, and use fewer resources to build and operate homes. Promotion of vernacular architecture as more appropriate for different climates.  Sustainability and environmental consciousness are at the forefront of the contemporary architectural movement. 

• Character & Materials: An eclectic blend of historical interpretations and progressive design.  Aesthetically, juxtaposition plays an important role in contemporary architecture.  Innovative use of geometric shapes and asymmetrical compositions. Combines elements of modernist style with the softness and warmth of other architectural styles - open floor plans; organic shapes, flowing curves, and rounded forms; sloped roofs; a few ornamental flourishes, variety in design elements and accents contrasted against a plain background. Natural and industrial materials, like wood, recycled materials, concrete, steel, and glass, coexist. Craft is evident in contemporary architecture as seen in woodworking, paneling, steel, and ornamental iron. Symmetry and asymmetry occur at the same time.  Victorian elements such as sash set windows with divided lites, natural materials like marble and limestone, bold colors and patterns, occur in open spaces with large glass sliding doors bathed in natural light. 

why i design contemporary homes…

At my architecture firm, I design contemporary homes for modern families.  Contemporary architecture is about blending the best of historical styles with progressive, sustainable design principles to create beautiful and responsible homes.

I believe it's crucial that today’s architects understand building science and design high-performance green buildings that acknowledge the climate, take advantage of local materials, and tap into the latest construction technologies. There are so many innovative materials coming to market, advancements in solar panels, 3D printing, smart home systems, and better construction practices.  Many US cities require that new buildings meet minimum energy efficiency standards.  Many architects and builders are specializing in net zero homes and building to passive house standards. 

Modernist architects had their agenda and their style reflected their goals. The irony is that if contemporary architects simply copy a modern style, they are being traditionalists, conforming to the attitudes of the past…. everything that modern architecture was vehemently against! 

what’s your architectural style?

Have you ever thought about the philosophical underpinnings of architectural styles?  Based on the ideologies and aesthetics described above, which architectural style resonates with you and your values?  Are you more modern or traditional in your thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs?  Or do you fall somewhere in between?  

How do you want to be perceived? How do you want to live?  What do you want to feel in your home? How do you intend to use spaces, entertain guests?  What degree of connection, openness, and privacy do you want?  These aspects and more are intertwined with the architectural style you choose. 

Ultimately, the decision comes down to personal preference and what makes you feel at home. The most important thing is that your home reflects who you are and serves its purpose in your life. After all, it's your home to make your own!