Here are a few solar energy and energy conservation projects selected from the Project areas of Build-It-Solar that:

1. Are quite inexpensive to build

2. Have very short payoff periods

If you think "one year payback solar" is an oxymoron, have a look below.

More cheap ways to save energy:

• Some "Free Frugal" ideas ...
   

• The Half Program Top 8 Projects ...
   

• Ten Projects with One Year Paybacks ...  (some overlap with ones below)

Questions? 
Report Broken Links ...

Details Here ...

If you have any more, please let me know.

New Installation Instruction Sheet (8/15/06)
 

AND, The Card Board Shutter
Based on the popularity of this Bubble Wrap window treatment, here is a Cardboard Shutter

Added some small updates to instructions 11/13/05.
Instruction sheet added 8/15/06

Added the Card Board Shutter -->

http://www.urbanoptions.org/ ...

Plus a nice energy saving check list for the most important items.

Chest Fridge Full Article (68K pdf)

This article is from the Mt Best -- Australia solar house site: http://mtbest.net/  A very interesting solar house with several unique features, and a bit more info on the chest fridge.

Comment: This chest freezer converted to conventional fridge is amazing.  If you can pick up the freezer cheap (used), the conversion is not expensive.  The saving per year might be (700KWHR - 40KWHR)($0.1 per KWHR) = $70 per year in electricity.

Plans for two very simple batch water heaters are listed below -- payoff periods could be well under a year if you can scrounge some of the materials.  More plans for in the water heating section.

Download this book

This book is out of print, and difficult to get, but David Bainbridge has agreed to make it a free download.

Thanks to David, the full content of the book is available here as a free download.

Maine Solar Primer

Courtesy of the Maine Solar Energy Association.

Comment: If the pipes running to and from this collector are protected from freezing, this design could be used through the entire winter.  You just have to be careful to make sure the lid gets shut on cold nights.  A reflective material on the inside of the lid would help winter performance greatly.  The cost for this project could be very low depending on the state of your scrap pile.  Used water tanks are typically free -- just be sure to test it before use.  This might save a family of 3, using 15 gals each per day, and heating with electricity at 10 cents per kilowatt hour. 

(45 gal/day)(8.2lb/gal)(365days/yr)(120F-50F)(0.7)(1 BTU/lb-F)(1 KWH/3412 BTU)($0.1/KWH) = $190 per year.

For natural gas water heaters the saving (assuming gas at $1 per therm) would be about half as much.

Nick Pine and I are working on a much improved version of the experimental "DHW Pond" water heater shown on this page that will be efficient and very cheap.

http://www.solaror.org/Publications/Batch_Plans.htm

(Note: this link is temporarily unavailable while they reorganize their site -- try searching their site for something like "batch heater")

Comment: Another simple batch heater -- spring, summer, fall use only.

www.appropedia.org/ ...

 This uses surplus heat from a large compost pile under the greenhouse floor to heat water for the house.  You get water heating and greenhouse space with the same structure!

I hesitate a bit to put this project in here, as it seems a bit experimental, but it looks like its a potentially good idea that provides both water heating and greenhouse space for cheap.

There are some other inexpensive solar air collectors on the space heating and Sunspace pages.

These simple, cheap systems will save as much energy and greenhouse gas emission as a $20,000 solar PV system!

Comment: This is my barn heater.  The same concept could also be used to heat a home or cabin.  The total cost of this 160 sqft solar heater was $350 with all new materials.  On a sunny day it produces heat equivalent to burning 2 gallons of propane in a furnace.   The payback could be inside of a year in some climates.

Low-Cost Versatile Hoop Houses for Home Heating

George DeVault

Mother Earth News

http://www.motherearthnews.com

More information on this concept from the William Shurcliff book:
www.builditsolar.com/Experimental/ShurcliffPart1/PolySpace.htm

If you liked this Shurcliff idea, then have a look at lots more of his ideas here -- this is my all time favorite solar book: Shurcliff "100 Daring Schemes"

Good article on building and using “hoop house” greenhouses, which provide a very low cost per sqft greenhouse.  Some construction detail.  This technique could also be used for inexpensive sunspace for generating solar heat for your house.

Many other construction variations here: Sunspaces

Comment: This type of sunspace can be built very inexpensively, and can provide substantial heat to an attached house, and some plant growing space for some of the year.  The best idea for transferring the maximum amount of heat to an attached house is to 1) build the sunspace large, 2) include very little thermal mass in the sunspace, 3) transfer heat during the day, and close off house to sunspace connection at night, and 4) do something to keep the sunspace floor from absorbing heat (e.g. garden bark covered with black poly).   The sunspace can also be built as a quarter of a cylinder against the house's south wall, rather than the full half cylinder version shown above.

9/22/06 -- Completely updated  from earlier description.

http://www.motherearthnews.com

If you can scrounge the blower from an old furnace and find some used lumber, this collector probably takes the prize for lowest cost per square foot -- about 10 cents per sqft.  The payback period where I live is well under a month!

The Black Roof Collector

http://www.pvcplans.com/

Laren Corie

http://www.rebelwolf.com/essn.html
Download the Feb, 2005 issue

Ed's Zero Cost Sunspace ...

A good article by Laren Corie on how to build and experiment with inexpensive sunspaces.  The example used in the article cost a grand total of $22, and went together in a couple hours!

A free download.

 

Here is another very low cost (actually zero cost) sunspace done by Ed.   Details ...

This shows how inexpensive and easy it is to turn a porch into a sunspace that is pleasant to spend time in, and can supply some heat to the house.

Energy-Saving Landscaping for Your Passive Solar Home, NC Solar Center (pdf)

www.sustland.umn.edu/design/energysaving.html

http://www.eere.energy.gov

www.smartpool.com/website/sunheater/s220.htm

Installation Manuals

"Three gallons of oil refined and burned provides 400,000BTU ... Once.   Three gallons of oil, made into a 4 by 12 foot solar collector, can provide over 10 million BTUs per year ... year after year"

About $110 for one panel and $170 for two (the picture shows two panels.

Comment: Pool heating is one of the most cost effective solar heating applications.  The collectors are unglazed, inexpensive, but still very efficient.  See the Pool Heating section for more.

Small cars (e.g. the Honda Fit) get nearly 40 mpg, and are a lot more comfortable and safe than small cars used to be.  Scooters, electric bikes, bikes, ... can save tons of money and green house gas, and can offer a short payback.