01What they asked for
An 11 kW array, based on an online estimate that had sized the system from roof area rather than from consumption. The house used 9,900 kWh and 720 therms in the preceding twelve months, so the array would have exported a third of its output at a lower credit value while the house carried on leaking heat.
02What the test found
12.6 air changes per hour at 50 pascals. Thermal imaging showed the usual 1950s picture: open top plates above the interior partitions, eleven uncapped can lights, an uninsulated attic hatch and a rim joist that was essentially open to the outdoors along the north wall.
03What we did instead
Two days of air sealing, then blown cellulose to R-60 and two inches of closed-cell foam at the rim. Retest came in at 5.1 ACH50. Only then did we design the array, at 6.8 kW DC, which covered 92 percent of the reduced consumption.
04The result
The envelope work cost $4,900 and the smaller array saved roughly $11,600 against the original proposal. Measured first-year production was 9,640 kWh against a model of 9,440, and gas use dropped 31 percent (all sample figures).