It hasn't been quite a year yet since I had solar panels installed on my home from Sungevity. I have had quite a few people however ask if I've noticed a difference, and at first I had to tell them I didn't notice much, though my bill has been on the leaner side, but we also had a warm winter, so it was hard to tell. But then as the sun got higher and the warm weather moved in my wife and I got to use less of the furnace (which uses gas) and open up the house and turn on the AC a bit. So the last bills I paid were very good, and I will go in to some details on how good they looked. I don't expect every month to look like this, but if even a few do every year then I will be one happy camper for my decision to lease the solar panels.
Lets start with February.
Last year, in 2011, average temperatures were 30.5F. My energy consumption that month was 380 KWh. Not too bad, not the biggest part of my bill as I had to be heating the house then. This year, in February, the average temperature was 31.6F, so a little bit warmer. My energy usage, that is, what I paid for, was 257KWh. So a nice little drop and the bill that month was better for me than last year. Last year in February the cost of the energy we used was $43.80. This year it was $31.59.
Now, lets look at March.
Last year the average temperature in March was 42.2F and we used 406KWh of electricity. The cost for that was $46.27. Not a huge jump from the previous month. This year, however, we averaged a temperature of 43.8F, not a significant jump, but if you experienced the swing you'd know that windows were opened one day and the furnace was working overtime the next, it was a crazy month. But it was also very sunny. We used a total of 65KWh, and no, there is no typo, that is a 2 digit number. That cost me $13.47. Now that to me was something to celebrate, that's a wonderfully low bill. But that month wasn't yet my greatest joy...
Then there was April, I must say I really enjoyed this one.
Last year April was 48.4F on average and we used 369KWh which cost us $44.10. This year it was 53F on average and we used...
0, ZERO, NONE, NO KWh!!!!
Actually, that isn't even true, according to the bill we generated 3KWh more than what we used for the month. Our meter "spun" backwards (it's digital, it doesn't spin anymore). It cost us $7.35. Go figure, still got fees when you don't use any.
May, this is the bill I just got today!
Last year the average temperature was 48.6F, we used 378KWh and that cost us $45.73. This year the average temperature was 59.5F but we only used 94KWh which cost us only $16.89.
In four months that was a savings of $110.60 over the previous year during the same months and it is hotter this year (which would mean more cooling). You will notice I didn't talk about gas as that is my heating cost and is not offset by the solar panels. Out of curiosity I crunched the numbers of all our energy spending since August of last year (which was when we had our first full month of solar) and it shows a savings over last year of $234.25.
If this sounds pretty good to you, head on over to the Sungevity website and get a free iQuote. Don't forget to use my referral code! Instructions below.
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.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Garage Door Opener
Well, my fun for the last couple of days began Sunday morning. I was getting ready to go to church and went out to the garage. I pushed the button to open the door and heard a very loud noise, turned around to see my door still closed and heard the motor still running on the opener. My first thought was, "This is not good." I pushed the button again to stop the motor and then climbed into the bed of my truck to take a look at what happened. I saw the chain was very slack, though pulling on it revealed that it was still attached as it should have been. Looking at the opener itself showed a small plastic piece sitting on it, this of course couldn't have been that loud noise and since it was plastic would not have held a chain, however looking at where the plastic came from showed me a slightly uneven metal surface, which as I saw that also showed something on the floor I had walked past. The gear that turns the chain on my opener had been sheered off by the force created by the opener trying to open a door that had ice holding it down. Great, so I had a broken opener. I manually opened the garage door and pulled the vehicles out, I knew I would be frustrated having to keep opening and closing the door manually so it would be easiest to just park outside. After this I went to church, my mind still on the problem I now faced. I set things up and then gave my dad a call, he's a handy guy so maybe he knew how to replace a garage door opener (I surely didn't, I'm not that handy yet). He did, to my delight, and we decided it would be best to do the following day after work.
After an anxious day at work, in which I educated myself on the different openers, I went home and my dad was already there. I talked to him about what I had learned and what my plan was, he didn't object to it and even said he didn't know a few of the things I mentioned. What I had told him was this: that I found 4 types of openers, a chain one, being the oldest design and likely cheapest, was also the noisiest and since it was the type that had just broke I had even more bias against it. The next one was a belt model, this one used a rubber belt, like the one in your car, to open the door, this was the quietest one. The next one I told him about was a direct drive model, it seems to be the newest type and the opener moves with the door instead of pulling it on its own towards it. There wasn't enough information on this one so I opted to avoid it. The last model, the one that my dad had experience in, was the screw drive type, this one was the 2nd quietest according to my research and delivered power in a more direct manner, this is what I decided I wanted. There were two models available to me, a 1/2 horse power unit and a full horse power unit. I already had been using a 1/2, so I knew it would work, but I wasn't convinced it was the right choice given that my door was pretty heavy. So, figuring there was no harm in it, we got the full horse power unit. Installing it wasn't too hard, it just took some time to do and it was good that there were two of us, and once we had it all properly set up and calibrated I got to push the button to close and open it for the first time, which would finish the programming. Closing it worked as anticipated, it closed smoothly and completely, and then opening it revealed a nice surprise. It started to open slowly, slower than my old unit, and then suddenly it took off and opened very quickly. I realized the slow part was to avoid the type of damage I had just encountered the other day and then the speed was impressive, even my dad said "Wow" to how quickly this thing worked.
So in the end my research paid off, I was an informed consumer and got what I thought would be right and it was much cheaper than paying someone else to do it. Though if I ever have to replace the door, I'm not doing it, I've heard some things about that and I just won't even try. So if you are like me and find that you have to replace the opener, don't worry, it can be done with a couple of people who don't have to be professionals, they just need some patience to understand the instructions and take it slow. Also, make sure you take the time to research and figure out what will work best for you, it will help you to make a more confident decision and hopefully lead to fewer feelings of making a mistake.
After an anxious day at work, in which I educated myself on the different openers, I went home and my dad was already there. I talked to him about what I had learned and what my plan was, he didn't object to it and even said he didn't know a few of the things I mentioned. What I had told him was this: that I found 4 types of openers, a chain one, being the oldest design and likely cheapest, was also the noisiest and since it was the type that had just broke I had even more bias against it. The next one was a belt model, this one used a rubber belt, like the one in your car, to open the door, this was the quietest one. The next one I told him about was a direct drive model, it seems to be the newest type and the opener moves with the door instead of pulling it on its own towards it. There wasn't enough information on this one so I opted to avoid it. The last model, the one that my dad had experience in, was the screw drive type, this one was the 2nd quietest according to my research and delivered power in a more direct manner, this is what I decided I wanted. There were two models available to me, a 1/2 horse power unit and a full horse power unit. I already had been using a 1/2, so I knew it would work, but I wasn't convinced it was the right choice given that my door was pretty heavy. So, figuring there was no harm in it, we got the full horse power unit. Installing it wasn't too hard, it just took some time to do and it was good that there were two of us, and once we had it all properly set up and calibrated I got to push the button to close and open it for the first time, which would finish the programming. Closing it worked as anticipated, it closed smoothly and completely, and then opening it revealed a nice surprise. It started to open slowly, slower than my old unit, and then suddenly it took off and opened very quickly. I realized the slow part was to avoid the type of damage I had just encountered the other day and then the speed was impressive, even my dad said "Wow" to how quickly this thing worked.
So in the end my research paid off, I was an informed consumer and got what I thought would be right and it was much cheaper than paying someone else to do it. Though if I ever have to replace the door, I'm not doing it, I've heard some things about that and I just won't even try. So if you are like me and find that you have to replace the opener, don't worry, it can be done with a couple of people who don't have to be professionals, they just need some patience to understand the instructions and take it slow. Also, make sure you take the time to research and figure out what will work best for you, it will help you to make a more confident decision and hopefully lead to fewer feelings of making a mistake.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Steel Cut Oatmeal
A little over a month or two ago I bought some steel cut oats with plans to start making them and increase the fiber in my diet by a bit. The oats I purchased sat there for a bit, my excuse was I wanted to get something else like dried fruit to put in to it. A few weeks ago we got the dried fruit and my laziness kept me from trying to make it for a bit yet, but this last weekend I finally got to it. I didn't hold any super high hopes in how it would turn out, I just found a recipe online that looked like something I could do and got to work making it happen. I modified the recipe as I needed to, my daughter is allergic to dairy and so I substituted soy milk for regular milk and I didn't feel like measuring the dried fruit. I also found the recipe didn't put enough sugar in it and I knew that without enough sugar my wife would hate it. Anyway, when it was all done after about 40 minutes of work we tried it out and found it to be a superb breakfast. My daughter liked it, exclaiming, "Mmm, yummy!" when she tried her first bite and my wife, after adding just a little more brown sugar, found it better than the packets of oatmeal we've bought in the past. I liked it as well, though I was sure I would when I got started anyway, and so we are now anxiously awaiting our next shopping trip to buy more ingredients and make this a common breakfast in our rotation. Below is the (rough) recipe to follow to make it in the way that I did.
Steel Cut Oatmeal
1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (you can use any type of sugar really, honey works too)
1/2 cup dried fruit
Combine water, milk and salt into a medium size sauce pan, cook over medium heat until it begins to boil, stir often (the milk will boil over quickly if you're not paying attention)
Add the oats to the boiling mixture, allow the mix to start boiling again (won't take long), stir often
Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, covered, stirring often
Add dried fruit and sugar, simmer for another 15 minutes, covered, stirring often
The oatmeal should be thick, whatever your preference is really. Makes 4 servings, it refrigerates and microwaves well, getting slightly thicker in the process (so you may need to add more milk when you reheat it). The recipe I followed also says it freezes well, I haven't tried yet, but I'm sure I will when I make a large batch.
Steel Cut Oatmeal
1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (you can use any type of sugar really, honey works too)
1/2 cup dried fruit
Combine water, milk and salt into a medium size sauce pan, cook over medium heat until it begins to boil, stir often (the milk will boil over quickly if you're not paying attention)
Add the oats to the boiling mixture, allow the mix to start boiling again (won't take long), stir often
Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, covered, stirring often
Add dried fruit and sugar, simmer for another 15 minutes, covered, stirring often
The oatmeal should be thick, whatever your preference is really. Makes 4 servings, it refrigerates and microwaves well, getting slightly thicker in the process (so you may need to add more milk when you reheat it). The recipe I followed also says it freezes well, I haven't tried yet, but I'm sure I will when I make a large batch.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Followup on Homemade Laundry Soap
Well, we've been using the homemade stuff for awhile now and still like it. We've made it easier on ourselves by getting a bigger food processor, one that has the power to take care of the soap. One thing I did start to notice recently was that our towels were starting to smell like mildew. I knew our washing machine had to have the door left open to keep it from smelling that way, but this was getting worse every week, so I had to do some more research to find a solution or else we'd have to replace our towels and likely go back to commercial detergents. Luckily my research gave me something to try and it has worked. The recipe for our detergent is now:
2 cups of grated Fels Naptha soap
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of Washing Soda
1/2 cup of oxygen cleaner (like Oxyclean, but we didn't buy the name brand stuff)
It took probably a good half dozen washes to finally start getting the smell out (it was really set in), but in the end we saved our towels and my nose. :)
2 cups of grated Fels Naptha soap
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of Washing Soda
1/2 cup of oxygen cleaner (like Oxyclean, but we didn't buy the name brand stuff)
It took probably a good half dozen washes to finally start getting the smell out (it was really set in), but in the end we saved our towels and my nose. :)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Social network? How do you figure?
I just read a comment someone wrote about Facebook. It wasn't long, it just contained a short quip about the user's mom and what she said about it. What she said was that ever since Facebook became popular and everyone started using it she, being one of the few who doesn't use it, has lost track of what is going on with the people she knows. She used to get the occasional e-mail or phone call, but now, nothing. This brought to mind the fact that, though they call it a social network, Facebook is more like a social cop-out. I know some of you will argue this, that it is a great way to be more involved in the life of others, but I am going to post my thoughts on it.
Now, to make sure it is clear, I hardly log in to Facebook, let alone actually use it. Every time I log in to it I see random comments that to understand I would have to read millions of posts from many people to get a somewhat hazy picture of what the poster might actually be talking about, I just don't have the patience to figure out someone else's drama, so I avoid Facebook and if anyone messages me on it I usually don't see it until much later. Anyway, that being said here is why I feel that using a social network to connect with others is really just a way to not do it.
Our communication skills have been getting worse as our technology improves. It used to be you had to travel somewhere to talk to someone and that made it a very special occasion to get to catch up with them. Then at some point we started sending messages, like mail, with someone to be delivered. This made it possible for us to keep up on the more recent events but it was still special to see people, this was actually an improvement. The next thing that happened is we could call someone and talk to them, hearing someone's voice can be very comforting and also gives us a more instant connection to people, talking on the phone can still be quite personal, though a letter is more heartfelt and visiting in person is still the best way to connect with someone. The next things that happened were technology, we started sending e-mails, still something we could personalize, like a letter, except that it arrived nearly instantly. We eventually moved on to paging people or sending text messages, which limited the things we could say which changed our language and degraded our skills in actually writing. Then we continued down this path and eventually arrived with social networks. Now, instead of sending a person a letter, calling someone specifically or using any other of the past points of contact we can just post our thoughts to everyone in general and if we want to connect with someone specifically we "like" their post or say something short and truly pathetic in terms of comfort to what we previously had. So, instead of making single, personal connections that take time out of our lives and let people know we care, we instead can put this little "social" blurbs about what's going on and let people know we saw they wrote something. Don't you feel so much closer now to the person who said, "Yeah, that sucks" to you when you shared your absolutely worst experience ever with them? Yeah, I don't either.
So, to keep with the theme of this blog, your life will be quite a bit greener if you take some time to really connect with others. Give someone a call or write them a letter, it will make them feel better and in turn you'll feel better as well, especially if they take the time to write a letter back.
As a side note, I must add this as well. Social networks aren't all evil, they do have some benefits for people that really don't have much time in the day and need to connect somehow. My wife for example pointed out that it helps her feel less lonely in the day and she doesn't really have the ability to call someone or write a letter when she's watching two young children. So yes, they have their place, but my argument is that they aren't always as social as they are made to be.
Now, to make sure it is clear, I hardly log in to Facebook, let alone actually use it. Every time I log in to it I see random comments that to understand I would have to read millions of posts from many people to get a somewhat hazy picture of what the poster might actually be talking about, I just don't have the patience to figure out someone else's drama, so I avoid Facebook and if anyone messages me on it I usually don't see it until much later. Anyway, that being said here is why I feel that using a social network to connect with others is really just a way to not do it.
Our communication skills have been getting worse as our technology improves. It used to be you had to travel somewhere to talk to someone and that made it a very special occasion to get to catch up with them. Then at some point we started sending messages, like mail, with someone to be delivered. This made it possible for us to keep up on the more recent events but it was still special to see people, this was actually an improvement. The next thing that happened is we could call someone and talk to them, hearing someone's voice can be very comforting and also gives us a more instant connection to people, talking on the phone can still be quite personal, though a letter is more heartfelt and visiting in person is still the best way to connect with someone. The next things that happened were technology, we started sending e-mails, still something we could personalize, like a letter, except that it arrived nearly instantly. We eventually moved on to paging people or sending text messages, which limited the things we could say which changed our language and degraded our skills in actually writing. Then we continued down this path and eventually arrived with social networks. Now, instead of sending a person a letter, calling someone specifically or using any other of the past points of contact we can just post our thoughts to everyone in general and if we want to connect with someone specifically we "like" their post or say something short and truly pathetic in terms of comfort to what we previously had. So, instead of making single, personal connections that take time out of our lives and let people know we care, we instead can put this little "social" blurbs about what's going on and let people know we saw they wrote something. Don't you feel so much closer now to the person who said, "Yeah, that sucks" to you when you shared your absolutely worst experience ever with them? Yeah, I don't either.
So, to keep with the theme of this blog, your life will be quite a bit greener if you take some time to really connect with others. Give someone a call or write them a letter, it will make them feel better and in turn you'll feel better as well, especially if they take the time to write a letter back.
As a side note, I must add this as well. Social networks aren't all evil, they do have some benefits for people that really don't have much time in the day and need to connect somehow. My wife for example pointed out that it helps her feel less lonely in the day and she doesn't really have the ability to call someone or write a letter when she's watching two young children. So yes, they have their place, but my argument is that they aren't always as social as they are made to be.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Netflix
After ditching the cable oh so many years ago (has it really been 4 years already?) and going with over the air television for quite a while, I decided, after hearing about their streaming service, to try out Netflix. I have to say, it was great. It was affordable and so long as we watched at least 2 movies a week it paid for itself when compared to Redbox (which is another good option for the occasional movie watcher). However, with recent changes I have rid myself of Netflix's services. The prices have gone up and they separated their DVD and streaming service. I would have kept the streaming except for one thing I heard. They were losing their deal with Starz, which wouldn't have affected most people, but for us it is a real deal killer. You see, the streaming was great for my daughter who loves to have the TV on, not to watch, usually, but to have the noise. With the coming loss of that content our selection would be pitiful and so I had to say fair-well to them. This however gave me a hole in my budget, I already had allocated money for Netflix and so now I could take this money and move it towards buying more DVDs, which I have done. So, with this change and going back to using our local library and Redbox some more, I am probably saving more money than I was spending, just without the convenience. I will still recommend the service as an alternative to cable, but not as a way to get what you weren't getting anyway.
Now for my next task in making life convenient for my family, figuring out how to create a digital media center for all those DVDs so I don't have to get up and put them in the tray and then wait for them to load.
Now for my next task in making life convenient for my family, figuring out how to create a digital media center for all those DVDs so I don't have to get up and put them in the tray and then wait for them to load.
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