Transitioning Off Oil In An Older Home, One Family's Story

“When I saw the place my sons chose for a family compound in Southern Vermont, I worried about how they would afford to pay for heat on top of the high taxes. Environmentally conscious and spurred by the declining federal tax credit, I hoped the property’s two aging oil tanks could be replaced with solar. The purchase-and-sale agreement was written to allow for an assessment of the property’s solar potential, which was quickly performed by Southern Vermont Solar (SVS). A few months later, SVS had installed a 52 panel, 20kW, ground-mounted array high on a hill behind the house, out of sight, hooked up by wiring in a long, deep, invisible trench.

“It turned out that getting the solar array up and running was the easy part. Converting the heating systems to run on electricity was more challenging. . . . .”

Read the full article in Green Energy Times to learn how one family worked through the challenges to “say good-bye to oil-based heat forever” in an older Vermont home.