Berry Home – Athens, Georgia

A centuries-old challenge

Homeowner William Berry was concerned about the amount of energy he was using to heat and cool his 1800s Colonial home in the Georgia countryside. With the original windows still intact, the house was somewhat drafty. And with 6,000 square feet to cool in the summer, Berry needed to find a way to keep utility bills under control.

Searching for solar innovation

A major proponent of clean energy and an overall green lifestyle, Berry had tried installing solar on his property before, but at the time, “the technology just wasn’t where I needed it to be.” But, as the cost of liquid propane continued to rise, he needed a quick solution.

“I figured out if I installed a heat pump, it would pay for itself in about two years.”

A more efficient solution

Stanfield Air Systems Sales Manager Corey Ingram was ready with an answer. First, he replaced the propane furnaces with two high-efficiency Dave Lennox Signature® Collection SLP98V furnaces. Then, he offered the Dave Lennox Signature Collection XP21 heat pumps with the SunSource® Home Energy System.

Berry found this system more efficient than the panels he placed on his pasture just three years before, because the way the panels collected energy from the sun was not as efficient as having several panels collecting the sun’s energy in tandem, as in the SunSource system.

With Berry on board for solar-ready HVAC, Ingram determined the roof offered enough room for 30 solar modules, or two SunSource Home Energy Systems.

Preserving architectural features

But the installation process was not without obstacles: First, two mature trees that were “perilously close to the house,” according to Berry, had to be removed, since they shaded a large area of the roof and thus would interfere with solar collection. Second, the house had a metal roof that Berry did not want the system to penetrate.

Luckily, said Ingram, “we were able to use the mounting system grates over the roof’s standing seams. The brackets wrapped perfectly around them.”

Complete customer satisfaction

The added bonus? The home has a “nice, south-facing roof,” said Berry, essential to collecting the most sun and keeping the system working at its highest efficiency. “As soon as I fired the system up, it was absorbing more energy than I was burning.”

To date, Berry’s system has produced 3 megawatt hours, the equivalent of planting 55 trees, or enough to power 102 houses for one day*.

“Overall, I am thrilled with the entire Lennox/Stanfield experience,” said Berry.

*Through June 2011