Home Solar Followup

What an interesting year it has been for me. Back in February, when I was hoping that the solar install would happen our energy provider decided to stop handing out rebates, which was essential for my lease to work. So I played the waiting game, following up every few weeks with my project manager to see what was going on and finally, after a few more anxious months, my panels were installed in July. Strangely though, the delay was actually a very good thing for us. You see, we got a good hail storm about a month and a half before the panels were installed and my insurance, after taking a look at my roof, bought me a new roof. So the same week we were looking at getting the panels done was the week we ended up getting a new roof and the following week the panels were up. Once they were there it took another couple of weeks before everything could be turned on, once again having to wait on our energy company. However, once it was all done and everything was hooked up I got to turn it on and then followed up on it every day for the first week looking at the numbers. Now, I don't think about it as much, its there and doing what it needs to, I've received two bills that were lower than they normally are, which is good.

One thing that made me a bit sad was that when the panels were installed a new meter was installed as well, a digital one, so I can't actually go watch it spin backwards any more. Oh well, it's not the end of the world, but it still would have been fun to watch. As of this morning my system has generated 855.4kWh of energy, this offsets about 253.9lbs of coal or saves about 3/5 of a tree or about a half a barrel of oil. It doesn't sound like much, but every little bit helps, plus my wallet and budget are a bit happier now and will stay happier longer as energy prices continue to go up.

To finalize my thoughts on it this morning I am still glad I went with this option, Sungevity was great to work with and I am very happy with product they have leased to me. I would definitely recommend anyone who can to check them out, they have been growing a lot lately and if they are in your area they might be able to save you some money in the long run as well. Be sure to use my referral number when you get your quote:


1.) Go to www.Sungevity.com
2.) Enter your address and information. When the site asks "How did you hear about us?" type in my referral code 44120 so you can get the $500 gift card bonus.
3.) In 24 hours, you'll receive your free, no obligation iQuote in your email inbox.

Solio Charger

Sometimes you find things you like, other times you are given things you like. A couple months ago I was given a Solio Classic Solar Charger, I haven't used it as much as I like, but that is mostly because I'm a bit lazy, but thinking about it, this device is great! I have no idea what kind of money I save using it, but I do like the fact that it is doing something for me. This device charges an internal battery using light from the sun, I just stick it in a window and let it sit there when I'm not needing it. Right now, because it is winter, it doesn't charge very fast, it takes a few days to get anything usable for me, so the only thing I charge with it usually is my cell phone. But even one device can make a difference. Each little thing you and everyone else does adds up, we can have a much greener existence if we all do little things. I'm not saying everyone needs to go out and get these little solar devices, but making any little change in your life can make things better for everyone.

My journey with solar is just beginning, since entering into a lease with Sungevity I have been looking more and more into what I can do. I am looking forward to the warm season because I have many things I want to work on, one of the biggest being the yard. My yard is currently a haven for weeds, I plan to change that this year. But I also have a shed that needs some work and my plan is to eventually get a solar powered light in there as well and turn the shed into a workspace for me. I'm looking forward to planting the garden, it uses the sun too. I have ideas and plans and things to try, I'll only get to do a few of them, but I wish I could do more of them. One of the things that I love about this little device I was given is the fact that I, being lazy, have unplugged the charger for my cell phone from the wall. Yeah, that should have been something I normally did, but I didn't. Having unplugged it I know I am saving more energy, those things draw power just by being plugged in, they don't have to be charging anything to cost you money. If I can keep that unplugged and charge my phone only using the solar charger I will be thrilled.

For me, this is more than just a choice, it is a challenge. I want to take some more time this year improving my life, greening it up in ways that I dream of but have not implemented yet and to find new dreams to pursue as well. I don't want to get my solar panels and say, "Great, I've done my part." I want to say, "Wow, look at that, what a great start. Now, what's next on my list?" This solar charger is more than just a neat device to me, it is a challenge to change, to make a difference with my life by making good choices and finding ways to improve it. Oh, how I love finding passion for things, now to fight to keep that passion going.

Going Solar with Sungevity

Back in October while I was working on my fictional blog I saw an ad talking about getting solar panels for no money down. My first thought, "Too good to be true, ignore it." However I was curious and wrote down the company name. I would have just clicked on the ad but that is forbidden, I am not supposed to click my own ads. Anyway, the company leases solar panels, which is how the no money thing works. More specifically, they give you a quote based on the information you provide and how your roof looks that would save you more money per month than the lease would cost. Essentially giving you a discount on your monthly bill without having to put any money forward. Now, the lease is for 20 years, so you have to think about how long you intend to be in your current house, however if you do move you can work it out with the next owner to take over the lease or you can pay it off in advance and then try to work it out in the price of the house so that you don't lose any money, so I think it is definitely worth a look if you want to save a bit on your energy bill.

For us, the panels have not yet been installed, there is a lot of time involved in getting everything ready, but I'm hoping that next month will be when the install is, though we will have to wait and see. I am anxious about it, I've been wanting to get solar but never could figure out how I'd save enough money to get it and this company provided me with a better solution, not only will I now have solar but I didn't have to spend a lot to get it and I will have someone else to maintain it for me if it were to break, so it's a win/win in my book. If you are interested in getting solar and you live in Colorado, Arizona or California check this company out, and be sure that when you get a quote from them to include the below code to use me as your reference, that way if you go with a system from them you will get a $500 Visa gift card when the system is installed. Here are the steps:

1.) Go to www.Sungevity.com
2.) Enter your address and information. When the site asks "How did you hear about us?" type in my referral code 44120 so you can get the $500 gift card bonus.
3.) In 24 hours, you'll receive your free, no obligation iQuote in your email inbox.

When my panels do get installed I will definitely give an update here, I look forward to being able to go out and watch my meter spin backwards and will be so excited that I won't be able to contain it. Anyway, if you live in other areas you might be able to find a company that will do the same type of lease for you, but if you're in the areas that Sungevity services then I would highly recommend them, they were knowledgable and were able to answer any questions I had.

Lighting

So, one of the first things I did when I wanted to start making my life greener after getting a house was to replace the light bulbs. I went with the fluorescent bulbs, but did some research first. I wanted to be able to get the right ones without making it pointless to spend more. In my research I found that there are a couple different types of them, there are your normal ones and then there are the instant on type. The major differences between the two was the maximum life and how they were intented to be used. I saw that, though they had the lower life on them, that the instant on type were what I would need more of. We don't like leaving all the lights on in the house and with standard fluorescent bulbs you need to leave them on to warm up because a lot of on/off will eventually make them only last as long as standard bulbs, but the instant on could handle it a little better without losing so much life. So I went and got these. The power output is much greater than traditional bulbs, and if you want to stick with something close to what the traditional bulbs gave you then you would want the yellow light (not yellow bulb, that's for a different use) variety. I mixed it up a bit and chose different types for the different rooms. For the kitchen and dining area I wanted a bright, clean light so that I could see what I was doing a bit better and for the downstairs area where the TV was I wanted something a little more subtle and chose the ones that give a more yellow light instead of the bright white. Now, I didn't personally notice a major difference in my energy bill, this is mostly because I hadn't lived in the house long enough to get a feel for it before making this change, I just knew I wanted to consume less energy in the long run, so for me this was more of an environmental green choice, but it was very nice to have some good light in the areas that I wanted it most.

For the future in lighting I have been hoping to see more LED lights, I want to see what they bring to the table as far as energy savings is concerned but they are not very high in availability and so I'll wait a bit longer. Another thing I was looking at was into solar lighting, there are plenty of outdoor lights that use solar and I will probably have a good collection of them as I make my yard something I'd be more proud of, but I also saw some solar lights that I could install in my shed to get some light in there without having to run some conduit and power out to it, these lights I definitely plan to get as I get to work fixing up the shed. Anyway, I know this is a very well advertised thing, but I figured I'd give my thumbs up on it too, get those CFL bulbs and save some energy and go greener in your life, just also make sure you read up on how to dispose of them properly too, we don't need more mercury in our landfills either.