SOLAR SYSTEM UPDATE

End of day 3/21. Consumption

End of day 3/21. Generated

I've taken the meter readings for the last 3 days, and to say that I'm pleased with our new residential solar electrical generating system would be the classic understatement. The entire experience with Esmay Electric, from the initial sales process with Mike, to the interaction with owner Greg Esmay, to the flawless installation by the two man Esmay crew, has been a totally positive process. My conversations with the city building inspector, and with the Unisource (utility Co.) inspector, reinforced my decision to go with Esmay, out of several other choices for residential solar systems. Both inspectors had nothing but good things to say about Esmay, and without naming names, they said there are other solar companies that don't deserve to be mentioned in the same conversation with Esmay. Whether you believe that I totally did my homework, or just lucked into a great company, is something that I'll let you decide. The bottom line is that I will highly recommend Esmay Electric to anyone thinking about having a solar system installed on the roof of their home.

End of day 3/22. Consumption

End of day 3/22. Generated

The series of meter photos show 3 full days of both energy consumption by us, and the amount of energy generated by our solar system. The difference in kilowatt hours at the end of the day, represents the number of excess kilowatt hours that we have sent to Unisource. In other words, the difference is the number of kilowatt hours that has been placed in our so called electric bank account. As long as the the REC. hours (kilowatts sent to unisource) is greater than the DEL hours (kilowatts consumed by us), then we have a credit, and a ZERO energy bill.

End of day 3/23. Consumption

End of day 3/23. Generated

At the end of the first day of meter readings (3/21), we had generated 10 more kilowatt hours than we consumed. At the end of the second day of readings (3/22), our electric bank account was up to 22 kilowatt hours, and by the end of the third day (3/23), our credits were up to 30 kilowatt hours. So, for the last 3 days, our system has been generating approx. 10 more kilowatt hours per day than we have been consuming. Before I start jumping up and down with total excitement, our air conditioning and heating system have not run during these last 3 days. When the heat sets in before we leave, I have no doubt that running the A/C will probably balance the consumption and generation a little more evenly. There are also those cloudy days when the system doesn't operate at full efficiency. So, I'll only jump up a little bit, and exclaim that this adult toy is really very cool! The prospect of no electric bill for like ever, is pretty darn exciting! Now, if only I could come up with a way to eliminate those charges at the pump for gasoline and diesel.

LUNCH ACROSS THE LAKE

When we picked up Bob & Diana yesterday, we discovered their unique way of leaving the dogs when they're gone. They put Boo (white) and Buddy (black) in the garage, with the rear hatch of their car open. The dogs are perfectly happy inside the car while Bob & Diana are gone, and it's their way to secure the kids, rather than leave them in the house, or outside in the back yard.

After cruising through the channel, and under the London Bridge, we headed west across the lake to the Casino at Havasu Landing for lunch. The restaurant is small, but what a great view of the lake, and the city sitting on the eastern shore. We had to wait for a table, and the food was slow coming, however, the sandwiches and burgers were not bad. Thanks Bob & Diana for picking up the tab.

Havasu Landing is part of the Chemeuwavi Native American Reservation, located on the CA side of Lake Havasu.

The para-sailing boat was testing the chute with a weight, then later, we saw these two girls being pulled around the lake.

After lunch, we rode down to Copper Canyon, where there's always something going on. Another party was getting cranked up, and as usual, there were the steady stream of kids climbing up, and jumping off the 40 foot high rock.

With one more cruise through the channel, we headed back to the marina, and parked the boat. We only have a few more days before it will be time to pull the boat out of the water, and put it in the backyard for awhile. One week from today, we'll be picking up our Granddaughter Laila, and taking her in the motor home to the San Diego area for a week. Then, after we return, it will only be a few more weeks before Patty will be taking her trip to Paris, and I'll be heading for the Grand Canyon. Lots of happenings coming up!

Speaking of up, do you think that the back of bikini bottoms can get much higher?

More channel action.

BACK TO THE LAKE

I started washing and waxing the motor home yesterday, and by 2pm, that was becoming more and more like work, so we put a few drinks in the cooler, and headed down to the marina. As soon as we pulled the boat out into Thompson Bay, we noticed this huge crowd of spring breakers in a controlled access area of London Bridge Beach. Rockstar Energy drink was obviously the sponsor, as they had EZ ups & banners everywhere. There was a live band, and the kids looked like they were having a good time.

It's a good thing this boat was on the beach because with that many people inside, it may not have gotten very far on the lake.

After checking out the big Rockstar Party, we cruised into the south channel, and parked across from the daily spring break party. We sat there for awhile, watching the boats cruise by, and enjoying the really good weather of 80+ degrees, and virtually no wind.

Later, we cruised through the channel, taking in some of the party action, then headed across the lake to Copper Canyon. There's usually something going on over there, and if nothing else, it's always fun to watch the kids jumping off the big rock.


When we got into the canyon, I watched this guy get ready to jump, and when he did take the leap, it wasn't just a jump into the water. He did a front flip off the approx. 40' rock, and fortunately, landed feet first.

If you click the above picture to enlarge, you'll see that this guy is upside down, and half way through his front flip.

On the way back from Copper Canyon, we cruised around the island, and noticed this gathering at one of the RV parks. Thinking that this might be another spring break party, I idled into the cove only to discover that it was a large group of seniors, doing their version of what the kids were doing on the other side of the island. I guess you might call this "Geezer Break".

We cruised through the channel one more time before putting the boat away, and I took this shot of the London Bridge from it's north side. It was another good day on the lake, with lots of things to see. Today, we're picking up Bob & Diana, and taking the boat across the lake to the Casino for lunch.

DRVING MISS NANCY

With our winter storm system long gone, and clear sailing ahead, Miss Nancy set a course for CA in her new motor home. After we had our morning coffee, and a bite to eat, Nancy backed out of our yard, with the first destination being the Love's truck stop at I40 and Hwy 95. I rode with her one more time, for a last 20 mile tutoring session, while Patty followed in the Jeep. At Love's, she topped off her diesel tank, we said our goodbyes, and we watched Nancy drive her new house away. She called later in the day, letting us know that she made it home OK, and that she was relieved to be parked in her driveway, after a 500+ mile drive.

Nancy handled her new motor home like a pro, quickly adjusting to the feel of controlling a large vehicle.

The last step in the activation of our new residential solar system was the installation of the 2 new meters by the Public Utility - Unisource. At a little after 12pm, the new meters were plugged in, and we were officially making electricity. The shot below, shows the solar meter after the system had produced it's first kilowatt hour.

By the end of the day, when the sun had set over the lake, we had produced 15 kilowatt hours of juice, and we had used a total of 5 kilowatt hours. Hey, that's 10 in the bank! I just checked the meters, and last night, we used up those 10 hours, so we're just about back to square one. Hurry up Mr. Sun, I like putting stuff in the bank!

I'll know more today, but I think our system will produce 20-25 kilowatt hours on a full, clear, sunny day. That's 500-750 hours per month, and our usage runs between 500 to 800 kilowatt hours each month. So, maybe this investment will indeed pay off, and we'll lower our electric bill to almost nothing. I feel like a kid with a new toy!

The meter on the right is the solar meter, showing the amount of kilowatt hours produced by the system. The meter on the left measures the amount of juice we send to the grid, and the amount we consume.

A LITTLE OF THIS & THAT

Our winter/spring storm blew out of here, and it was mostly sunny yesterday, with just a few clouds. While Nancy & Patty were running around town, I started some spring cleaning in our motor home. Going through drawers, bins, and bays, I reorganized, and either moved some stuff to the house, or just plain threw it away. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate, in just a relatively short period of time.

When the girls returned from their first shopping safari, I asked Nancy if she wanted the plastic removed from her carpet. The dealer had stapled a heavy plastic carpet protector onto the floor, and it took awhile to find the right method for removal. Needle nose pliers were the first choice, but finally, I found just the right width flat screwdriver that would get under the staple. With that job completed, I cut a small piece of plywood, to cover a gap under her bed. With the bed slide out, there was a small area about 8 inches square, that her small dogs would be able to get under the bed, and into an area where the electric motor is located.

With that task completed, I tried out our new Dyson DC35 hand held vacumn cleaner on her floor, and with the long floor attachment, it really does a good job. The best part is that when mounted in the motor home, it is accessible, and very easy to use.

On a different subject, the city building inspector came by, and signed off on the building permit for our solar system. While inspecting the installation, he told me that Esmay Electric has an excellent reputation for doing these solar systems, and they always go a little farther than required by the building code. For example, they use a heavier wire (#8 instead of #10) than required by the engineered plans, and they install a ground rod that's not required by the code.
I'm really pleased with the quality of the work, and the overall experience with Esmay Electric.

This morning, Nancy will be leaving in her new motor home, and driving back home to Atwater, CA. She's getting one more short session of tutoring, as I will ride with her up to I40, where a stop at the Pilot, or Love's will top off her diesel tank. Patty will follow in the jeep, and from there, we'll say farewell until we get together again.

A WINTER STORM

Finally, the weather has acted like it's still winter, even though we're into spring break, and the other states have sprung forward into daylight savings time. A storm system rolled through the area yesterday, with wind, rain, & even some lightning. When I went down to check on the boat at the marina, the channel was almost empty of spring breakers, and hardly a boat was to be seen cruising through the party zone. I'm glad Nancy was parked here at the house, and not out on the road on her way back to CA.

While I took care of some chores here at the house, the girls were off flea marketing, and doing some shopping. They stopped at Bob & Diana's house before returning home, so that Nancy could see their new winter home. In their absence, I took a much closer look at Nancy's new Phaeton motor home, and I must say that I'm very impressed with the quality & workmanship. I fixed a few minor things, and arranged her utility bay so that the hoses are in one spot, and hooking up will be much quicker, and easier.

When the girls returned, we watched some TV, and then Patty fixed a Mexican style soup that was delicious, and not to spicy for my less than Latin taste buds. Nancy wasn't sure if she was leaving this morning, or waiting one more day on the weather. She doesn't have to be home until Wednesday, so she may stay one more night.

Another hurdle should be jumped today, when the city is supposed to inspect our solar system, and sign off on the building permit. After that happens, the utility company Unisource, is supposed to be here in the next couple of days to install the new solar meters. When that is completed, we'll officially be an electrical generating plant, sending power back into the grid, and hopefully, reducing our utility bill to zero. Stay tuned..........

BUS DRIVING 101

By the time we reached the south city limits on our way to Yuma yesterday morning, it was about 8:30 am. We made the trip in about 2 hrs, arriving at LaMesa RV, where we met Nancy. She had flown back to Yuma on Thursday, when she took delivery of her new Phaeton Motor Home. We had planned to meet her after she had familiarized herself with the new rig, and the dealer had gone over everything with her. Of course she was nervous about driving the motor home for the first time, but she knew that eventually, she had to get behind the wheel. Fortunately, LaMesa RV had moved most all of their inventory to the mall for an RV show, and there was plenty of room for Nancy to do some slow speed driving in their parking lot.

After just a few minutes of learning the basics, she said she was ready to go. I rode with her as Patty followed in the jeep, and we headed north on Hwy 95 toward Lake Havasu.

Nancy, and her new Tiffin Phaeton Motor Home

Despite her apprehension about driving a large motor home, I knew she would do fine, and she did. With a few lessons on how to use the exhaust brake, and a few other pointers, she handled the big rig like a pro. We ran into some wind north of Parker, but again, she had no problems, and got the feel of driving a big sail in windy conditions.

When we arrived at the house, she drove right into the yard, and parked next to the garage. I think I heard a big sigh of relief, when she put it in neutral, pulled the parking brake, and turned off the key.

We invited Bob & Diana over for dinner, and they got the new motor home tour. Diana brought a delicious lemon cake desert, and that finished off a Lasagna & salad dinner. We all visited for awhile, then shortly after Bob & Diana left, it was time to call it a day.

"OK, if you push this button, maybe the damn thing will turn on"

SOLAR INSTALL - FINAL DAY

The 20 solar panels arrived yesterday morning.

The last of 4 installation days began early in the morning, with the arrival of our 230 watt photo voltaic panels. The 3 prior work days of installing the mounting brackets on the roof, all of the conduit & wiring, and the new inverter and associated hardware, preceded the final task of mounting the panels on the roof.

As I've mentioned before, our system is relatively small, primarily due to the fact that on an annual basis, we don't use a lot of energy. When we're gone during the summer, we set the A/C at 90 degrees, and with a well insulated house, it doesn't run that often. During the spring and fall, we go for weeks without using the cooling or heating systems, and during the coldest winter months, the heater doesn't come on that often.

The capacity of this system was designed around our annual usage, and we'll know pretty soon if we indeed cut our electrical bill down to almost nothing. When the guys were finished with the panels on the roof, they temporarily plugged one of their meters into the solar D.C. side of the system, in order to test it's operation. With the inverter on, I watched the Unisource meter start running backwards, as the panels were generating more electricity than the house was consuming. A check of the inverter panel indicated that the system was generating about 4,300 watts (4.3 kilowatts) of electricity. Cool!

On Monday, the city will come by, and do a final inspection. Then, Unisource will install two new meters, and the system will be functional. By the end of next week, we will be an electrical generating plant, sending all of the power back into the grid. By design, our power consumption should equal what we produce. That's the theory at least.

Some of the questions that I'm being asked about solar systems are ones that I was asking a few months ago myself. Here are a few answers.
1. What does it cost? As of Jan 1, 2012, some of the incentives have changed, but to buy the system we just had installed would have cost us $30,130. I chose a 7 year lease, with a buyout at the end of the 7th year. Our cost upfront is $9,286, with an $885 buyout in 7 years. Total investment - approx. 10 grand, and we own the system at the end of the 7 year lease.
2. How much will we save? The system was designed to lower our utility bill to $O. Over the course of 20 years, with an average utility inflation of 4-6%, we will save approx. $31,505. The system is a built in hedge against utility rate increases. When the utility raises the retail rate, they also raise the wholesale rate that they credit us for the electricity that we generate. At our age, looking at savings over a 20 year period might not make a lot of sense, but on a shorter range, the system will be paid for in about 9 years, and our return on investment will be in the 8-9% range. Where today, can you get that kind of return on your money?
3. What kind of warranty comes with the system? Very simple. The performance is guaranteed for 20 years, or we get our money back. 10 year warranty on workmanship.
4. What other cost options are there? Other than our 7 year lease, with an upfront payment, there is also a 7 year lease with no down payment. In our case, the lease payment would have been pretty close to what our monthly utility bill is. The buyout at 7 years, would be close to what we put up front, approx. $10,000. Over time, this would be more expensive, but no capitol would be required up front. As mentioned previously, our other option was to buy the system upfront @ $30,130. Again, some of the rebate rules have changed, so I'm sure most, if not all of these figures have changed.

Watching the Unisource meter on the left run backwards, was almost worth the cost by itself!

This morning, we're off to meet Nancy in Yuma, where she has stayed the last two nights in her new Phaeton Diesel Pusher motor home. For the first time, she'll drive it back here to our house, and stay probably a couple of nights until the wind dies down a little. Hopefully, it won't be too bad on the drive north from Yuma.

SOLAR DAY 3 & AN "R" RATING

The new 5,000 watt inverter.

It was day 3 of the installation of our residential, solar powered, electrical generating system. When 2:30 rolled around, all of the metal conduit had been installed on the roof, in the attic, on the back wall of the garage, and inside the garage. The guys finished up with pulling the electrical wire through the multiple conduits, installing one of the new meters, and the disconnect switch on the back of the garage.

Today, the meat of the system gets installed. The twenty, 230 watt panels will go up on the roof, and by the end of the day, we should be generating our own electricity. When the city does it's building permit final inspection, and when Unisource installs a solar meter, we'll officially be up and running. By the end of next week, we'll be putting a bunch of watts back into the grid, and that should balance out what we actually use.

The new disconnect switch and Sunpower meter.

Whenever there's food around, Sami's like a jack in the box, quick to sit up and beg.

At 3pm, the solar guys were gone, Patty had some snacks & drinks packed, and we headed down to the marina. With only a gentle breeze, and temps in the mid 80's, it was a good time to be in the boat. This was quite a bit later in the day than our normal mid day usage time, but we quickly learned that the party in the channel was going stronger than ever.

The "R" rated photos are coming up, so if anyone is offended by some scantily clad young spring breakers, you best not scroll down any farther. This party action was on a Thursday afternoon, in the heart of the channel, with wall to wall kids. If I animated some of this action, the "R" rating might have to be upgraded to "X"! Some of these kids have taken dirty dancing to a new level. I guess the main thing is that they were all having a good time, and oblivious to folks like us, taking a peak into their testosterone/hormone fueled party,

We first parked in the shade, away from the big party, and watched the continual parade of boats passing by, while we ate our snacks, and fed the ducks. Every time we threw anything into the water for the ducks, I'm sure Sami was saying "wait a minute, what about me". When our duck food ran out, we cruised by the party a couple of times, then made a lap around the island.

If these protesters really thought they were going to stop the spring break party, they needed a healthy dose of reality.

No words necessary, the pictures speak for themselves.

By the time we parked the boat back at the marina, it was pushing 5 pm, so we headed home, and called it a day.

We haven't heard from Nancy since she was due to fly back to Yuma yesterday, and take delivery of her new Tiffin Phaeton Motor Home. I think we'll be driving down to Yuma tomorrow, and we'll finalize that plan today when we talk to her, or perhaps go to plan B.

SOLAR INSTALL DAY 2

This is the time of the year when the solar installers get to sleep in a little bit. With temperatures in the low 80's, they start their day at sunrise (about 6:30), and they're done by 2:30. During the summer months, when it's well over 100 degrees every day, they try to start much earlier. Working with lights in the early morning hours, the coolest part of the day, they're usually done by noon.

They spent most of the morning on the roof, installing the rails for the solar panels. They also ran some of the roof wire inside metal conduit, and finished the day, installing the 150 pound inverter in the garage. I added a little extra muscle, while they guided the 5,000 watt inverter onto the bracket. The residential inverter is what converts the DC electricity generated by the solar panels into AC current, then sends it through a meter, and back into the electrical grid. We will have two utility meters. One to measure the amount of electricity we consume, and one to measure the amount of electricity we generate. Hopefully, they will balance out to zero.

Today, the guys will be running wire from the roof down to the inverter, and from the inverter to the outside wall near our electrical panel. The new meter and disconnect switch will be installed near the current meter. I learned that Esmay Electric has 5 crews of at least 2 guys each, doing mostly solar installations. After watching these two guys for a couple of days, it's obvious this ain't their first rodeo, and I'm impressed with their work so far.

When completed, this solar system will be very similar to what we have on the motor home. The big difference is that the solar panels on the motor home are regulated by a charge controller, and the energy produced, goes to a battery bank. This residential system has no regulator per se, as all of the energy is sent to the electrical grid, which unlike batteries, has an infinite capacity.

When the guys pulled the inverter out of the box, I started looking for the dreaded Made In China disclosure, but was pleased to find this label on the box.

SOLAR INSTALL DAY 1

At 6:30 yesterday morning, Patty said "do you hear something outside"? My answer was "no", and I thought to myself, that's almost like asking Ray Charles if he can see the sunrise. What she was hearing was the two guys from Esmay Electric, starting to install our residential, electric, solar charging system. They were supposed to start at 7:30, but just as it was becoming light outside, they were about an hour early, and were climbing up on our south facing roof over the garage. It's now 6:27 am, and they just pulled into the driveway this morning.

Fourteen 230 watt panels will go on the roof over the garage, and 6 more will be on the back roof which faces east. All of the solar panels will be tilted toward the south, in order to maximize their exposure to the sun.

For 8 hours yesterday, the effort was to get all of the mounting posts secured to the sub roof, with the concrete tiles cut to fit back over the posts, and the metal flashing placed underneath the tiles. I didn't count the mounting posts, but by the time the guys left, there were somewhere around 30-40 of them. In some cases, up to 4 tiles had to be cut in order to secure one post to the roof. This was not an easy job, and this crew worked non stop, finishing for the day around 2:30 pm.

Today, the work will continue on the roof, and the residential inverter will possibly get installed inside the garage. This entire project is expected to last through Friday, and maybe into next Monday.

Patty talked to Nancy yesterday, and she will be flying back to Yuma tomorrow to pick up her brand new Tiffin Phaeton Motor Home. Before we left Yuma, she agreed that it would probably be a good idea for her to stay in Yuma for a night or two, and get more familiar with all of the systems on the new rig. By doing that, if she has any questions, or if anything needs to be fixed, she will be right there. La Mesa RV has a store in the Sacramento area, so she will have the resources of her selling dealer fairly close to home. We'll be headed down to Yuma, probably Saturday, or Sunday, to help with the transition, and I think the plan is to drive back here, before Nancy heads off on her own.

IT'S OFFICIAL

Patty and I have been kind of in limbo for the past couple of months, regarding what we'll be doing this coming summer. Before leaving the Grand Canyon at the end of last summer, we both expressed an interest in returning to our respective jobs, but were both told that there were no guarantees. As was the case last year, our return this year is dependent on me working for Paul Revere Transportation as a public transit bus driver.

Yesterday, I called the south rim and spoke to Paul Revere's Manager, and was told that I had a job if I wanted it. I will have to be there the first week in May, for a work start date of May 12. Even though that start date was a little earlier than we had planned, I accepted, and we're making plans to return to the Canyon.

Patty has a call into the new Human Resources Manager for Delaware North, but I would be shocked if they didn't have a position for her. The big if for her, is the fact that she won't be back from Europe until June 7th, and about the earliest date she could start will be around June 10th. That's after the summer season has started, and they might not want to hold her position open that long. She should know in a day or two.

In any event, at least " if the creek doesn't rise", we'll both be spending the summer once again at one of the most spectacular places on earth. It's good to have firm plans in place. This not knowing what we will be doing was kind of driving us both crazy. If the jobs didn't come through, we had talked about taking the motor home north to our former home - Alaska. That will have to wait until perhaps next summer.

The solar installation got pushed back one day, and it's due to start at 7:30 this morning. The thought of a zero, or very low electrical bill is kind of exciting!