Our PV system cost us $8k out of pocket to install, provided $904 worth of electricity in the last year, and I just cashed a check on our first year of SREC sales of $1600. I don't expect the SREC numbers to stay anywhere near that high, but thats an ROI that blows away any other investment I have made. It should continue to crank out that power for the next 20-30 years. You may or may not agree with the public policy aspect of the subsidies provided, but as a homeowner you can't beat it with a stick. Last summer we ran up a $2200 bill for water, keeping a relatively small lawn alive (not something I would have done had I known!). If I had any intention of using that level of water a $10k investment to recycle would probably make a lot of sense. Not to me though; the lawn is on its own! We insulated and sealed the heck out of our place. Keeping the old house at 45 degrees for the winter before we began remodeling cost $1600 in oil. After doubling the size of the house and turning the thermostat up to 68 our gas bill was under $800 for the winter, with a bunch of sealing yet to complete. The payback will be much longer, but we also get the benefit of a very comfortable space, without the drafts int he old house. The beauty of insulation is that it should continue to provide that benefit for the next century plus, with no additional investment over that period. (Plenty of 2-300+ year old houses in the neighborhood, chances are good the house will survive). I expect my payback (taking opportunity cost into account) to be long, real returns of a few percent a year, with my heirs perhaps getting a better price for a quiet, well insulated house. I don't regret paying it forward in this way-- I appreciate the way our ancestors built with quality, and have a lot of satisfaction from creating a property that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

I designed my house and was active in reviewing the contractors recommendations based on the Manual J analysis. When all is said and done the old adage of 12,000 btu (a ton) for every 500 sq ft of floor space is pretty accurate, except I would modify that for any known major variable that you know would cause a problem. In my case, I had shade trees all around so there's less direct sunlight load, but I have 9' ceilings which is more air to condition. My split system has a 13 SEER that was sort of cutting edge for 1996, a single speed scroll compressor. The blower is a variable speed one, which is key to my system because I have a humidistat installed (inexpensive). During the heat of the S. Texas day it will run at higher speed for maximum cooling due to the heat load, but since it runs for like 12 minutes, humidity is totally wrung out. In the pre-dawn hours when the humidity is like 85%, but temp is 72, it doesn't run much cause there's no heat load. When it does run, the humidistat tells it its getting humid in here so it runs at slow speed so it wrings out the air, slowly getting to the selected temp setting. I have the humidistat set for like 63%, so if it achieves 64% or higher it automatically shifts to high speed. I like it alot. Last week it was 97 outdoors, the AC ran like 12 minutes then was off 18 minutes. Before you select your SEER, you should understand that number directly relates to your energy bill. Ex: Since a 16 is 33% more efficent than a 12 (diff of 4 divided by 12), an electric bill that would be $100 with a 12, will now be $67 with a 16 (of course a 16 costs more to buy, but rebates/tax credits help). Good luck.

Hey G!! sorry to hear about your knee..but glad you are on the mend. I think we got your summer...it was a hot one, but I prefer heat to cold, last winter...was pure hell for me. I've always been allergic, but like wasp stings the poison ivy reaction seems to get worse as I age. I swear all I have to do is look at it wrong..and it includes sumac, poison oak & just about every thing with leaves of three & red stems. being a yardie (new to me term for yard junkie) and living in the woods fighting these things is a neverending job. I must have gotten hold of some roots in one of the flower beds. and with our crazy weather last winter...I even got it in feburary. so whats the deal with the roof? doing a cool roof or something complex? or just having trouble with weather cooperating? sounds like you have perfect weather to get it done this weekend...just be careful up there! do you still have those wonderfully explained igu windows 101 posts from the building forum? I'd like to share them on another forum...maybe in general discussion part of the site as other areas are locked to the publc. I'd really like to get them into the building science forum...but its only for pro members...you wouldn't have an epa card by any chance?? anyway let me know. and again...great to hear from you. take care.

My first advice would be to find out how much insulation you currently have in the attic and what condition it is in. You should have at least R-30 of insulation. If you are adding more than it doesn't cost much more to increase it to R-40. I like fiberglass batts, but blown in insulation is fine as long as it is done properly. This is something you can do yourself or hire an insulation company. I am sure you were told that as part of the NJ Clean Energy Program you must seal your attic in order to qualify for any rebate. I have never seen any measured results of energy savings before and after sealing. The attic hatch should be sealed since in my opinion it is the biggest source of leakage. This is something you can do yourself. Several years ago I built my own insulated hatch for about $15. If you seen dirty insulation that is dirty in spots, then that is a source of a significant air leak. You can use silicone caulk to seal them, or you can have the insulation company seal and then insulate. I see that you have gotten some quotes. I also detect that some and possibly all have not done a load calculation for your house. Any HVAC contractor who quotes either a 2 or 3 ton AC for an 1100 sq. foot house in Middlesex County (I am in the same county) NJ obviously has not done a load calculation. If you are going to upgrade the attic insulation then do that first, and then get a contractor to do a real load calculation. If your windows are double paned and fairly tight, then I would think a 40K BTU furnace and a 2 ton furnace are the correct sizes. As far as equipment goes, I own Carrier Infinity equipment and so far I like it. The Bryant equipment is exactly the same. I am a fan of 2 stage furnaces and AC and in my opinion are worth the extra money. Trane/American Standard is also very good. I have no direct experience with Lennox, but from what I understand Lennox uses unique parts. The parts have to come from Lennox and are sometimes harder to get. I think you said your current furnace is 11 years old and 80% efficiency. Normally I would say to keep the furnace another 5-10 years. But if you plan to live in this house 10 or more years then you may want to consider replacing and keeping the correct matching AC. Here are my opinions on the quotes: Company #1 Quote #1: Carrier Performance AC is good, I don't think you need 2.5 tons and the price seems expensive. Quote #2 Carrier Infinity 58CVA furnace is very good, but it is only 80% AFUE. I recommend spending a little more money and installing a 95%+ AFUE furnace. The Infinity 24VNA9 is overkill for our climate. You can save money buy dropping down a model or two and getting an AC that has a SEER rating of about 16. If the AC is sized properly and is 2-staged then I highly doubt you need a whole house dehumidifier. That would be a waste of money in my opinion. Company #2 and #3 I am not an expert on Lennox, but I think some of these models don't compare that the Carrier Infinity in terms of features. The fact you are being quoted different AC sizes is a red flag for me. Company #4 Quote #1 Bryant Legacy 2.5 ton for $4600 seems reasonable. I would want to see a load calculation to see if you really need 2.5 tons. If you keep your current furnace you will have a mismatched system. It will work, but you don't know the SEER rating, Quote #2 Bryant Evolution is the same as Carrier Infinity. Very nice equipment but the price seems high. Here is quoting a 2 ton. So why is he quoting 2.5 ton in Quote #1? I see no size listed for the furnace. Quote #3 He now quotes the 3 ton size. I guess he thinks you may want to hang meat in your basement. A 3 ton AC, even if it were 2-stage, is going to short cycle and you will still have a humidity problem. Once you discover this he may suggest getting a whole house dehumidifier. Correct sizing is critical. This guy does not seem to care. In summary you haven't found a good contractor yet. Carrier rebates start March 1st. The March - April time frame is the best time to get quotes in our area. Contractors are not busy and the pricing is a little better.