Why We Went Solar

When we built our home ten years ago, I asked our builder about installing solar for our electricity needs.  He poo-pooed that idea and did his best to make me feel like an ignorant California greenie fruitcake.  I dropped it.  I wanted the house built more than I wanted solar.  I always regretted not standing my ground and insisting on solar.  It just seemed to make sense from, yes, a green standpoint but also because we live in on the edge of the desert in sunny Southern California. 

Fast forward to last summer.  Solar panels started popping up on roof tops all over our community.  When I had researched solar energy in the past, the cost had been prohibitive.  We certainly didn't have $30,000 laying around for that.  But, with all the rebates and credits available it was suddenly affordable. 

I talked to some of our neighbors who had made the switch.  They were almost giddy with pleasure at watching their electricity gauge run BACKWARDS.   They said the rebates covered their upfront costs.  So, I took a survey to measure our usage against the cost and it penciled out to be a wash -- or slightly better. 

Our regular electricity bill has averaged $170 per month.  We hardly ever use our air conditioner and are relatively frugal with our appliances and lights and such.  However, we have one of these:

We use solar to heat the pool, but it still requires a lot of electricity to run the pump.  And, we have one of these:

This is our "pond."  It is a huge stock tank filled with water and a smattering of goldfish.  It is the water source for the horses and donkeys.  To keep the water sparkling clean, it has a very strong pump, large filter, and UV clarifier to zap all the nasty bacteria.  All that equipment runs 24/7.   The horses love the water.

Winston: This hotel has great food and water.  I hope I get to stay a long time.

Jackson: It's the Hotel California.  You can check out but you can never leave.

Me: Jackson!  Don't go freaking the poor boy out.  Go away and take a mud bath or something.

Are you done taking pictures?  It's dinner time for Pete's sake!

 There are a number of ways to structure solar installation and maintenance.  You can buy it outright and go completely off the grid or do what we did.  We generate electricity from our system whenever the sun shines.  Any excess not used by us, we sell back to the electric company.  We buy electricity for the dark and rainy hours from the electric company and we get a "net" bill from them each month.  We should net close to zero.  Maybe a credit some months, maybe a $5 payment others.  We will be making payments on the solar system for fifteen years at $150 per month.  That price includes maintenance and repair of the system.  If we sell the house, the payments go to the buyer.  Of course, we have no intention of doing that but in case you wondered, now you know. 

At the end of the day, my electricity bill is pretty much the same.  But instead of buying electricity, I'm making payments on a green energy source.  Our down payment was our rebate money.  So, no up front cost to us at all. 

I'll leave you with tonight's sunset which is typical of what we see.  We don't get much "weather"; no clouds to catch the sun's rays and bounce them around the sky in a spectacular show of color.  In fact, if we get an orange sky we immediately think "Fire!!" 

Not that I'm complaining.  It was 70F today -- not bad for January.  (and not typical but I'll take it -- and all the electricity we made).

We've Got Power!

This morning we woke to steady rain.  The horses were all standing outside their stalls, getting drenched, while they waited for us to feed.  Silly boys. (that's the neighbor's house and cars behind them).

Kalvin, Flash, Jackson and Winston

After feeding, we changed into dry clothes and got our breakfast.  I settled on the couch with my coffee and my laptop - to read blogs of course!

We watched the movie "Buck."  Wow.  Amazing horsemanship.  Sign me up for one of his clinics!

We went to yoga mid day -- what else is there to do when it rains?  Besides, I'm trying to get myself in shape for training Winston.  It's not fair to expect him to be an athlete if I don't do my part too.  I joined a gym.  Shocked myself.  You know, the hamster on a treadmill places?  I hate them.  But a couple times a week, I am going to go after work and do elliptical and also take a yoga class once a week.  Maybe my hips will shrink.  I can hope, right?

This afternoon, the call came in that we have been waiting for months to get.  Edison, our electric company, finally made the decision to allow us to turn on the solar power we installed months ago.  FINALLY!  To say we were irritated with Edison is an understatement.

In September, we decided to switch to solar.  It took a few months to get all the permits pulled and then in early December the panels were installed on our roof.  All 24 of them... or 26... some number like that. 

I was pleased with the end product.  We have a black roof so they don't stand out like a sore thumb.

The County came up the following week (mid-December) and did their inspection.  Then we waited for Edison to flip the switch.  We waited and waited and waited.  Finally, today we got a phone call with authorization for Brett to flip the switch to "on".  Yippee!! Solar on a rainy day!!

We will use solar for our electricity needs during the day on sunny days -- which is most everyday in Southern California.  The excess electricity generated by our panels will be sold back to Edison.  Electricity we use at night and when the sun doesn't shine, will be offset against what we provided to Edison.  We should net at pretty close to zero based on our usual usage -- it's how the number of panels on the roof was determined. 

Side note in response to some comments on my previous posts:   Yes, Jackson is a bit of a bubba boy.  I have reduced the amount of hay he is getting which is all I can adjust since he doesn't get any grain.  The poor boy isn't in work anymore so he just isn't burning the calories.  And to think, once upon a time I had trouble keeping him in good weight!