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June 4, 2015 at 1:34 PM in reply to: Solar Heating for Pool – seeking product and contractor recommendations #787000June 3, 2015 at 11:35 AM in reply to: Solar Heating for Pool – seeking product and contractor recommendations #786967
LAAFTERHOURS
ParticipantI live in San Elijo Hills so not as much marine layer as point loma but most days last week were foggy. Since about last Friday, we have had sun daily. I just ran my chem tests and checked the temp and its 83 degrees.
June 2, 2015 at 9:37 PM in reply to: Solar Heating for Pool – seeking product and contractor recommendations #786956ParticipantNew pool owner here. I bought a solar cover two weeks ago (over-sized that I cut to size) and installed the thing in about 10 minutes. Cost on amazon was about $170. Its a blue bubble cover 12 mil. I keep the cover on all the time unless we are going to swim or do my weekly scrub and vacuum. I can pull the cover and fold it up in 10 minutes on my own. I can pull it back onto the pool on my own but with my 8 yr old it takes about 5 minutes.
In terms of performance, my neighbor has a smaller pool and has solar panels on the roof cycling his water (both pool and panels are roughly a year old and all of our specs other than size are the same). I cover both the pool and the spa that dumps its water into the pool for 8 hours a day. I open the skimmer 75% (close the robot to 25%) and open only the floor return. I am not sure if this is helping cycle the water from the top of the pool through the bottom but its what I am doing. Last Friday, my pool temp (on the heater and the floating temp gauge) was 78 degrees. My neighbors hit 78 as well that day. Today, my temp is at 84 degrees while my neighbors is at 82.
Im not telling you to avoid solar because I will probably put it in eventually but the other benefits of the cover are things to consider. The chlorine stays constant with the cover on, the heat loss at night is non existent and I have not added water to the pool since I put the cover on. The last point on evaporation is huge considering our water restrictions.
ParticipantSorry double post.
Participant[quote=meadandale]Based on what I’ve read and after discussing this issue with a solar project manager, net metering is going to run out by the end of this year which means that the window to get a project complete before it does is quickly closing. Most contractors have a 2-3 month delay if you were to sign the contract today. The project has to be ONLINE by the deadline in order to qualify.[/quote]
Currently its projecting to runout by end of q1 in 2016. http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?18214-SDG-amp-E-NEM-Cap/page4&highlight=metering
Participant[quote=OwnerOfCalifornia]Recurring theme that one should plan on spending money for “quality labor and materials” for artificial turf.
What does this translate to in ~~~ $/sqft (contract cost, pre-rebates)?
TIA[/quote]
Cheap Material can cost upwards of 2 dollars a sq ft. Quality material can go as low at 2.50-2.75 a square foot but you need to hunt for it.
Labor varies a lot. If you call up some of the larger mainstream companies, their total price includes their labor and its the only way to warranty the product. You will pay a premium for that warranty and I am not sure the value of it is worth it. Or you can hire someone that says they do it and save a buck. The last approach (recommended) is to use the turf company’s recommended vendor list.
I looked at roughly 10 different companies material companies, some of which were a one shop outfit all the way up to looking at synlawn and easy turf. I didnt see the value in dropping 9-10 per sq ft to get synlawn or easy turf.
ParticipantI am thinking about filling in a back slope with the UC verde. I will never cut it though, which is the look we are going for (tall prairie grass). My only concern is whether it will take over trees or plants in the same area.
Participant[quote=skerzz][quote=LAAFTERHOURS][quote=skerzz]When you are under a net energy metering (“NEM”) agreement, SDGE will net your monthly over/under production on an annual basis and bill or refund on the net amount. ex. If I use 1,000kWh more than I produce Jan – May, and produce 900kWh more than I use June – December, I’ll pay SDGE for the 100kWh at the annual true-up period. I believe there’s a cap on the amount of systems that can be installed under the current NEM agreement, so these rules may be changing soon (my understanding is that the new NEM agreement will not be as favorable as the current NEM).[/quote]
best site for all of these answers is solarpaneltalk.com. Based upon a thread in that forum, the NEM will run out middle of 2016 at its current install rate. The rate you get at the end of a 12 month period is something like 35 cents so yes better than tier 1 but not enough to make up for oversizing considerably.[/quote]
Per SDGE, the rate paid for excess is somewhere around .04 per kWh. Tier 1 rates are .17 per kWh. Cost of solar per kWh is somewhere in the range of .06 – .07 per kwh in Southern CA, so it’s not economical to pay for a system that overproduces.
Per the SDGE website (http://www.sdge.com/clean-energy/excess-generation-credit/annual-compensation-excess-generation):
“Compensation is made up of two components, one for the wholesale value of the commodity, and one for the Renewable Energy Credit (REC). The wholesale compensation price is a rolling average based on the utility’s Default Load Aggregation Point (DLAP) price from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is a wholesale market price that the utility pays other generators. It’s currently averaging just under 4 cents per kWh. Your account will automatically be credited for the wholesale value should there be any excess generation after your annual true-up. We’ll multiply the number of excess kWh you have by the average price applicable to your true-up month. See true-up table below.”[/quote]
Sorry you are right. I meant .039 cents so .4. I got my numbers wrong initially.
Participant[quote=skerzz]When you are under a net energy metering (“NEM”) agreement, SDGE will net your monthly over/under production on an annual basis and bill or refund on the net amount. ex. If I use 1,000kWh more than I produce Jan – May, and produce 900kWh more than I use June – December, I’ll pay SDGE for the 100kWh at the annual true-up period. I believe there’s a cap on the amount of systems that can be installed under the current NEM agreement, so these rules may be changing soon (my understanding is that the new NEM agreement will not be as favorable as the current NEM).[/quote]
best site for all of these answers is solarpaneltalk.com. Based upon a thread in that forum, the NEM will run out middle of 2016 at its current install rate. The rate you get at the end of a 12 month period is something like 35 cents so yes better than tier 1 but not enough to make up for oversizing considerably.
ParticipantIs that before or after the tax rebates?
ParticipantI am starting to look at this and wanted to know if anyone used this: http://www.affordable-solar.com/residential-solar-home/Residential-Calculator
I assume we are in the 5.5 or 6 sun days area? I am looking to zero out my bill and possibly swap out some gas components to electric (like the gas pool heater) so want some wiggle room. Based upon the calculator, its look like I need a 7 DC Kw system.
Participant[img_assist|nid=20790|title=grass|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=33]
I just ripped out about 4k sq ft of grass and installed roughly 1500 sq ft of fake turf. I went with a product from Purchase Green, which was normally 3.89 a sq ft but was on sale last month for 2.89 a sq ft. With the 2 dollar per sq ft replacement, it was a no brainer. I also put in pavers, drought tolerant trees and plants and a pool but decided to use my paver guys to do the grass as they claimed it was their in the wheelhouse. They screwed it up so I ended up hiring a guy named Tony from Purchase Green who repaired it and was very reasonable ( would definitely recommend).
A couple thoughts on the grass: Dont go cheap on the material or labor. Try to keep the seams as minimal as possible.
A couple thoughts on the rebate: You must first get your project approved before starting which includes photos of existing landscape. You then need to knock out the project and go back online and submit receipts, photos of completion etc and then it takes roughly 8 -12 weeks to get your rebate so be prepared for this.
ParticipantThe home we bought in June is a 10K sq ft lot and moving from Denver with a water bill of 30 a month, when I saw how much grass we had I was concerned. Then I found out that the previous owners were rocking a 300+ monthly water bill. After reviewing the sprinkler system, they were watering 9 zones at 15 minutes a pop twice a day (one in the middle of the day). A few of the heads were busted which was also unloading a ton of water. We reduced the watering by half but the plan is to remove all of the grass, put in a pool (will require a lot of water to fill) and plants requiring no more than a drip system.
I already swapped out a toilet because the rebates are too good to pass up. If anyone wants a 1 year old toilet, hit me up. Free for rehab projects.
ParticipantI am a beer snob and found out about 5 years ago that having kegs of craft at home is much better than bottles. I also like to stock bombers of some special stuff at all times. Most breweries will provide you with kegs and some dont charge deposit. A sixtel (5.5 gallons) for 50-70 bucks with 56 12 oz or 42 pints is a solid deal for fresh brew. I am picking up a keg of Lost Abbey Lost and Found when I arrive in town this week.
My wife thinks I am a PITA when we go out to eat because I take longer to order my drink than her based upon the beer list.
ParticipantStay safe over there..
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