Rollins Residence

From the time that Carol and Andy first moved into their new home in 1994, they thought about installing a solar electric system. It wasn’t, however, until passage of Amendment 37 and the Xcel Solar Rewards Program that they were able to act on this dream. In purchasing their system, return on investment while important, took second place to a desire to become self-sufficient. As Carol noted, “We understood the long term benefits of adding a PV system; partially because of rising energy costs, and also an appreciation of not wanting to pay high electric bills as we aged.” Their 4.57 kW system was installed during the spring of 2007 and provides nearly 85% of the home’s monthly electric needs. The system includes twenty-two Sharp 208 watt modules and a Xantrex GT 5 series inverter.

Being curious about the system’s performance, Andy installed some proprietary data monitoring software on his home computer.

The Rollin’s are passionate about energy conservation and have taken a number of steps to reduce their consumption. They recently replaced all of their indoor lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs, as well as more efficient windows. In addition, they upgraded their washing machine and dryer with more Energy Star appliances. A recent remodel of the basement included R40 insulation and replacement of their ‘ornamental, but inefficient’ gas fireplace with a more economical model.