--- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, murdoch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: In addition to the points I made in response to Todd, I want to add the feedback I got on the costs of installing solar panels. In this area, near Nogales, nobody else has really pushed the envelope yet, so I'm not yet certain that things will work out for me, but in Tucson, I'm told the deal is $11,500 for 1500 watts (less than that at the inverter) including inverter, and then you get back $3000 from some rebate, and another $1000 on your state taxes. This seems like a pretty good deal for 1500 watts installed. It has to be grid-tied for x number of years. The panels are BP. TEP apparently got a very low price on a bulk purchase.
Obviously, the economics of this are an individual consideration, but, taken in conjunction with all the conservation efforts recommended by Todd, maybe you could get your daily usage down low enough so that 1500 watts (maybe 1000 watts at the inverter for 5-6 hours per day?) could make a real dent in the amount left that you are using. In turn, if you are careful, I wonder how many years payback would calculate to. On Sun, 16 May 2004 13:55:00 -0700, you wrote: >Hi All, > >It's almost summertime, and for those of us in the Arizona desert that means >high energy bills for cooling. I am looking for a good list on how to save >energy (mainly to enquire on proper AC control.) > >If any of you can shed light on my problem, it would be much appreciated: > >I have a two story home (3,200 sqft) with two central air conditioning >units. The unit for the second story is smaller and uses less electricity >when in use. I have top-grade insulation and energy efficient windows and >doors. I have just purchased two Honeywell programmable thermostats to >control the units, and am wondering how to set them. > >My electric company offers an on-peak, off-peak plan that I am on. >Electricity costs 0.165 cents per kWh from 1:00PM to 8:00PM and 0.0369 cents >all other times. Therefore, I have set my units to run (for the most part) >before and after 1:00-8:00 PM. Basically the house will be cooled to 77 >degrees in the off peak hours and allowed to warm to 84 degrees in the >on-peak hours. Is this a good plan for efficiency? Can my upstairs unit >alone do the job of cooling the house efficiently during on-peak hours? > >Any ideas? > >TIA, > >Ryan --- End forwarded message ---
