Planning a owner building home build need advise on some solar

[RUMBLON]

OK, first off Im brand new today. Im not new to forums as I am on many to learn over the years but I have no experience with any type of solar or knowledge, except that I am under the impression ts expensive First off I am planning a home build on my 175 acres in Idaho. My primary goal is to be debt free and this land and all thats currently on it, is paid off and I plan on keeping it that way. My plan for sping is that I will do an downer/ builder build of a 30x40 ft home thats has a 16 ft plate line, meanng two story or in this case a loft. It should be between 1800-2000 sq ft depending on the loft size when the plans are done. I MAY get the foundation done prior to winter. I am hiring out the concrete and am gong to hire a framer for the framing just because I am getting a bit beat up and a professional framer can get it enclosed and dried in in a month. And I dont want to be 26 feet in the air. I have build all that you see here and except the main 30x40 shop roof and poles, I have done all of this alone except concrete in which I had help.

I have loved here three years and been building almost every day during summers as I can and my 55 year old body is getting a bit wore out. I will do the siding on the new home, and the rest of the interior build and most of the electrical. State law requires an inspection of the main breaker and I have a guy who will install it. I will run my own wiring.

That said the building will be kind of a cabin feel and faces a 2 acre pond that we will live on and also faces SOUTH-WEST .


I am stuck with this orientation for our views. I have also built a passive solar greenhouse that 30x14 that is pictured. Roof is sheeted on one side. The other side is all windows and will have poly roof panels. I may try and little solar in here first.

OK, sorry for the long description but my goals cant be understood without knowing what out here. The buildings that are already built are a 1200 sq ft shop with a 1000 sq ft attached building that we can call a man cave.

THE NEW HOME

I think I have enough money to enclose the new home. After that it will be out of pocket month by month, so money will be tight. I WONT have big bucks to throw at a solar system. I do want to at the very least try and make some sort of emergency lighting system where I can light up important rooms if need be. More if I can learn how to afford it.

I will NO garage attached and anything utility wise will be upstairs in the loft in a room built for the water heater, HVAC ect. My pressure tank for my well ect are in the shop, located 70-80 yards from the home

The county here is easy to work with and there is no real time frame for having it done. So I can learn, save and do the work myself, including solar to make it more affordable. Here are a few picsof the greenhouse where I would like to try a small solar panel to test and of my build site.


GREENHOUSE


BUILD SITE

[RUMBLON]

GREENHOUSE

[organic farmer]

OK, first off Im brand new

Welcome

... First off I am planning a home build on my 175 acres in Idaho. My primary goal is to be debt free and this land and all thats currently on it, is paid off and I plan on keeping it that way. My plan for sping is that I will do an downer/ builder build of a 30x40 ft home thats has a 16 ft plate line, meanng two story or in this case a loft. It should be between 1800-2000 sq ft depending on the loft size when the plans are done. I MAY get the foundation done prior to winter. I am hiring out the concrete and am gong to hire a framer for the framing just because I am getting a bit beat up and a professional framer can get it enclosed and dried in in a month. And I dont want to be 26 feet in the air. I have build all that you see here and except the main 30x40 shop roof and poles, I have done all of this alone except concrete in which I had help.

Cool.

I designed and built our house too. No debt, on 150 acres of Maine forest with 1/4 mile of river frontage. We have 2400 sq ft of house and 2500 sq ft of covered carport. We are 10 years into our build, and just got the solar power up and running in September 2015.

Orienting your house for the views may subtract from both passive solar heating and from Photovoltaic use. But you knew that much.

How big of a system do you want?

In my region I know of off-grid homes with only 500 watts of panels and others with 10,000 watts.

[RUMBLON]

I honestly dont know whats size I want or need. I guess I need to do a lot of reading first. I dont even know if I do a small emergency if I can use the same lighting or if I need a smaller system for emergency lights.

[organic farmer]

I assume where you are located there is no grid power or phone lines. Is there any cellphone signal? Will you be wanting a satellite dish for communications?

If the only electric use you plan is LED lighting than you can go with a very small system.

I assume you have a hand-pump for your well, did you want to add an electric pump also? There are 12vc pumps that are lo-flo and are usually used to move water into a cistern. Regular well pumps are huge current loads. The biggest load in our house was our well pump, and that truly drove our system design.

[RUMBLON]

I assume where you are located there is no grid power or phone lines. Is there any cellphone signal? Will you be wanting a satellite dish for communications?

If the only electric use you plan is LED lighting than you can go with a very small system.

I assume you have a hand-pump for your well, did you want to add an electric pump also? There are 12vc pumps that are lo-flo and are usually used to move water into a cistern. Regular well pumps are huge current loads. The biggest load in our house was our well pump, and that truly drove our system design.

Actually Im on a county road and have power, high speed internet ect. I have reasonably cheap power as Idaho has hydroelectric power. But I want some solar in case of an emergency. And to help out because I only have a 150 amp panel available for the home.

[J.P.M.]

Actually Im on a county road and have power, high speed internet ect. I have reasonably cheap power as Idaho has hydroelectric power. But I want some solar in case of an emergency. And to help out because I only have a 150 amp panel available for the home.

NOMB, but if emergency power is the main reason for the PV, with utility power available, depending on how reliable that source is, I'd get a correctly sized, quality generator and call it a done deal for a lot less $$.

[organic farmer]

I got the impression that you were remote.

I am also on a county road, grid power and phone line is available here. But the grid is not reliable here.

All grid power is much cheaper power as compared to solar power.

The less expensive option for you will be a generator.

[SunEagle]

First off I truly support solar power.

But if you have grid power then for emergency backup the best bang for your buck would be a generator(s) that can run different types of fuel (gasoline, propane, etc.).

A solar/battery system for emergency power will not be cost effective.