Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Solar Installation, Day 2
It's miserably rainy outside. The crew showed up this morning, got some work done, then decided they need to hold off until tomorrow. They tell me it's really close to being done, though!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Solar Installation, Day 1
In June, Timothy went to a neighbor's house to hear a presentation from a solar installer. That meeting sparked the Mueller Megawatt Project, with more than 30 households in our development collectively investigating solar systems. Over the next few months, we heard from five installers, who began vying for the lowest group installation price. One neighbor developed a sophisticated financial model that predicted five-year payback periods in many cases. I hired an arborist to talk about our neighborhood's trees and their growth potential. Timothy created 3-D models to help us understand the visual impact of solar and to show where panels would be shaded by our dormer or the trees out front. We obtained quotes from three different vendors and agonized over the decision. Finally, with two other households, we submitted applications to the Austin Energy solar rebate program through Standard Renewable Energy.
The next day, Austin Energy pulled the rug out from under us. During the month of September, the solar rebate program received $4.5 million in applications for the last $700,000 remaining in the fiscal year 2010 budget. Before the fiscal year had even begun, AE had already issued letters of intent for $3.3 million of the $4 million budget. Our chance at a rebate of $3.75/watt and a five-year payback period slipped away, as AE suspended the rebate program, returned all pending applications, and ultimately dropped the rebate to $2.50/watt.
After pleading our case to City Council and urging an increased budget for the solar rebate program to no avail, many neighbors just shrugged their shoulders and walked away. With only $700,000 remaining in the budget and no guarantee of an ongoing rebate program, Timothy and I decided the reduced rebate was still our best chance at obtaining cost-effective solar. We resubmitted our application at the first opportunity, on November 1. With a three-star rating in the Austin Energy Green Building program, our house met the new energy efficiency requirements and quickly received a letter of intent.
Following permit issues and the obligatory wait for approval from our property owners association's modifications committee, we weren't sure if we could still have the system installed in 2009 for purposes of the 30% federal tax credit. With installation occurring the last week of December, we'll just meet the deadline.
For peace of mind, our system has flashed roof penetrations, rather than relying on caulk to keep the water out. After marking the layout on the roof, the crew installed the standoffs, the flashings, the rails, and finally the 175-watt Suntech Black Label panels. In the meantime, our SMA Sunny Boy inverter was installed on the side of the garage, with conduit for the DC wires running along the back slope of the roof.
Standard Renewable Energy has been a pleasure to work with and has come through for us with all of the obstacles along the way. The crew working on our house today was efficient and has done a great job. Installation started this morning, and as the sun went down, the last of the panels were secured to the racking. Tomorrow, weather permitting, electrical connections will be finished and the system will be substantially complete, pending inspection by the City of Austin and installation of a new electric meter.
The next day, Austin Energy pulled the rug out from under us. During the month of September, the solar rebate program received $4.5 million in applications for the last $700,000 remaining in the fiscal year 2010 budget. Before the fiscal year had even begun, AE had already issued letters of intent for $3.3 million of the $4 million budget. Our chance at a rebate of $3.75/watt and a five-year payback period slipped away, as AE suspended the rebate program, returned all pending applications, and ultimately dropped the rebate to $2.50/watt.
After pleading our case to City Council and urging an increased budget for the solar rebate program to no avail, many neighbors just shrugged their shoulders and walked away. With only $700,000 remaining in the budget and no guarantee of an ongoing rebate program, Timothy and I decided the reduced rebate was still our best chance at obtaining cost-effective solar. We resubmitted our application at the first opportunity, on November 1. With a three-star rating in the Austin Energy Green Building program, our house met the new energy efficiency requirements and quickly received a letter of intent.
Following permit issues and the obligatory wait for approval from our property owners association's modifications committee, we weren't sure if we could still have the system installed in 2009 for purposes of the 30% federal tax credit. With installation occurring the last week of December, we'll just meet the deadline.
For peace of mind, our system has flashed roof penetrations, rather than relying on caulk to keep the water out. After marking the layout on the roof, the crew installed the standoffs, the flashings, the rails, and finally the 175-watt Suntech Black Label panels. In the meantime, our SMA Sunny Boy inverter was installed on the side of the garage, with conduit for the DC wires running along the back slope of the roof.
Standard Renewable Energy has been a pleasure to work with and has come through for us with all of the obstacles along the way. The crew working on our house today was efficient and has done a great job. Installation started this morning, and as the sun went down, the last of the panels were secured to the racking. Tomorrow, weather permitting, electrical connections will be finished and the system will be substantially complete, pending inspection by the City of Austin and installation of a new electric meter.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Giving Thanks
This Thanksgiving, in addition to being thankful for spending time with family and eating great food, I was thankful for the fluke of an amazing deal for a Danish modern coffee table on Craigslist. The poor guy who bought it off of eBay mismeasured, and it didn't fit in his living room. But it's perfect for ours!
It has drawers that open from either side, and a long, narrow slot for stashing magazines. Finally I can start to see how I've envisioned the living room. Now we just need a buffet/credenza, media console, couple of chairs and end tables, and we're set...
It has drawers that open from either side, and a long, narrow slot for stashing magazines. Finally I can start to see how I've envisioned the living room. Now we just need a buffet/credenza, media console, couple of chairs and end tables, and we're set...
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Little Color
This weekend, Timothy and I made a floral arrangement for the dining room. Finally, there's a small splash of purple in our purple room.
Laika's growing like crazy. At 8 months old, she's almost as big as her big dog friends Angus and Jet.
She's still not sure what to think of all this rain we've been getting, though.
Laika's growing like crazy. At 8 months old, she's almost as big as her big dog friends Angus and Jet.
She's still not sure what to think of all this rain we've been getting, though.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Holistay
This past week, I took some time off work to finish projects around the house. Only two small tasks actually got done, but at least I had time to relax during my holistay. (I don't care that Merriam-Webster has formally adopted "staycation," John Hodgman's suggestion on the Daily Show is a far superior term.)
The dining room now has sheers. You can't tell in the photo, but the fabric is a loosely woven grid, appropriate for the square room of square things.
And we finally planted a couple of houseplants in the vintage ceramic pots acquired on our last trip to Abilene.
On Wednesday, I drove to Waco for dinner with my mom, who was there for the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors' Bureaus conference. We saw a lot of bridges and a few historic homes while I was there.
Today was Laika's last day at puppy class. She was more distracted than usual by dogs outside the classroom door and only won two of five contests. Kerbey was better at returning when called, leaving distracting toys and goodies, and musical sit. Laika more consistently stayed, and we're teaching her to read. If you don't believe me, ask for a demonstration next time you're over!
The dining room now has sheers. You can't tell in the photo, but the fabric is a loosely woven grid, appropriate for the square room of square things.
And we finally planted a couple of houseplants in the vintage ceramic pots acquired on our last trip to Abilene.
On Wednesday, I drove to Waco for dinner with my mom, who was there for the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors' Bureaus conference. We saw a lot of bridges and a few historic homes while I was there.
Today was Laika's last day at puppy class. She was more distracted than usual by dogs outside the classroom door and only won two of five contests. Kerbey was better at returning when called, leaving distracting toys and goodies, and musical sit. Laika more consistently stayed, and we're teaching her to read. If you don't believe me, ask for a demonstration next time you're over!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Finally!
The landscaping is going in for the last house to be constructed across the street from us. The end is in sight!
We've also heard that the lot for the Meritage construction trailer, across from the other end of the block, has gone on the market. Once the trailer is moved and the house built, all of the construction in our immediate vicinity will be complete.
We've also heard that the lot for the Meritage construction trailer, across from the other end of the block, has gone on the market. Once the trailer is moved and the house built, all of the construction in our immediate vicinity will be complete.
Monday, August 3, 2009
I Wanna Be Sedated
Thursday was a busy day. Laika got spayed. We went to the last of five presentations from solar companies seeking to do a group installation in our neighborhood. And we attended the opening ceremony for Mueller's solar Sunflowers, public art over a year in the making.
"Sunflowers: An Electric Garden" is a scattered line of 16-22' tall blue flowers with 30 kilowatts of solar-panel petals. The panels are grid-tied, but a small part of the power they produce lights electric blue stamen at night. They are very eye-catching from Interstate-35 and provide illumination for the hiking trail of the Northwest Greenway.
The dedication was attended by Brewster McCracken, former city councilman and mayoral candidate, and head of the Pecan Street Project; Councilwoman Laura Morrison; artists Mags Harries and Lajos Héder; and many of our neighbors. The sunflowers slowly light of their own accord, without timers. When we left, only three were illuminated. We need to go back later in the evening with a tripod for some better photographs.
Laika feels fine after her surgery; in fact, she's painfully bored. We've been feeding her sedatives, but this is going to be a long week. Her favorite outside toy is a piece of wood she dug out from under the neighbor's fence. Look at those big dog teeth!
More to come on solar once we've gotten our first quote.
"Sunflowers: An Electric Garden" is a scattered line of 16-22' tall blue flowers with 30 kilowatts of solar-panel petals. The panels are grid-tied, but a small part of the power they produce lights electric blue stamen at night. They are very eye-catching from Interstate-35 and provide illumination for the hiking trail of the Northwest Greenway.
The dedication was attended by Brewster McCracken, former city councilman and mayoral candidate, and head of the Pecan Street Project; Councilwoman Laura Morrison; artists Mags Harries and Lajos Héder; and many of our neighbors. The sunflowers slowly light of their own accord, without timers. When we left, only three were illuminated. We need to go back later in the evening with a tripod for some better photographs.
Laika feels fine after her surgery; in fact, she's painfully bored. We've been feeding her sedatives, but this is going to be a long week. Her favorite outside toy is a piece of wood she dug out from under the neighbor's fence. Look at those big dog teeth!
More to come on solar once we've gotten our first quote.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Gardening, Part II
After months of obsessing over landscape design, reading books with gorgeous pictures of plants that don't grow here, and generally making no progress on what to do with the front flowerbed, we went to a plant sale at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in south Austin. On impulse alone, we grabbed an assortment of drought-tolerant perennials: purple coneflowers, bush sunflowers, winecups, yellow trumpetbush, scarlet penstemons, wright's skullcaps, and an array of salvia.
Then we commenced the overly ambitious project of rearranging what seemed like virtually every plant in the front bed. The deer muhly that previously crowded the graceful trunks of the wax myrtle now softens the edges of the front steps. The loropetalum moved over to make room, and an extra copper canyon daisy had to come out. The mondo grass and inland sea oats, neither of which were thriving in the full sun, made way for the wildflowers.
Nearly a month later, we finally finished spreading the last of the mulch on the beds and trees last night. The project is all but done; when my parents come to visit over Memorial Day weekend, we'll swap a couple more of the copper canyon daisies for some iris bulbs.
Meanwhile, in the backyard, our experimental tomatoes are growing! The plants in the sunnier spot definitely seem to be doing better, though there are a couple of little cherry tomatoes on the shadier plant.
Speaking of growing, Laika grew five pounds in three weeks! At three months old, our goofy puppy weighs 18 pounds.
She's learned a lot of tricks, thanks to Timothy's patience. We ought to teach her to pull weeds, rather than eating the weeds I've already pulled and pulling up the grass.
We thought she'd like her own puppy pool to splash around in, especially given how hot she gets with that black coat, but no such luck. Look at her miserable face!
Then we commenced the overly ambitious project of rearranging what seemed like virtually every plant in the front bed. The deer muhly that previously crowded the graceful trunks of the wax myrtle now softens the edges of the front steps. The loropetalum moved over to make room, and an extra copper canyon daisy had to come out. The mondo grass and inland sea oats, neither of which were thriving in the full sun, made way for the wildflowers.
Nearly a month later, we finally finished spreading the last of the mulch on the beds and trees last night. The project is all but done; when my parents come to visit over Memorial Day weekend, we'll swap a couple more of the copper canyon daisies for some iris bulbs.
Meanwhile, in the backyard, our experimental tomatoes are growing! The plants in the sunnier spot definitely seem to be doing better, though there are a couple of little cherry tomatoes on the shadier plant.
Speaking of growing, Laika grew five pounds in three weeks! At three months old, our goofy puppy weighs 18 pounds.
She's learned a lot of tricks, thanks to Timothy's patience. We ought to teach her to pull weeds, rather than eating the weeds I've already pulled and pulling up the grass.
We thought she'd like her own puppy pool to splash around in, especially given how hot she gets with that black coat, but no such luck. Look at her miserable face!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Speechless
The pendant light in our kitchen - our beautiful, unique, mid-century light - has been reproduced. The folks at Satellite did a pretty good job, but the original is more graceful. I have to say I'm somewhat offended by the idea that "color is where the fun is". No need to meddle with the perfection of the brushed aluminum cylinders.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Wildflowers
Laika in the wildflowers of the Southwest Greenbelt's restored blackland prairie, because every girl growing up in Texas has to have her photo taken in a field of bluebonnets.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
NOLA, ELISSA, Laika
In mid-March, I went on a trip to New Orleans for the US/ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) International Symposium, Preservation in Peril.
Last weekend, Timothy and I went sailing on the 1877 tall ship ELISSA.
(More to come for both of those albums, we just haven't had a chance to sort though it all yet!)
On Thursday, we brought home Laika, our very sweet 8-week-old puppy. She into everything, but Timothy already taught her to come and sit over the weekend. With persistence, I'm sure everything else will fall into place.
My friend Laura's dad still has eight other adorable puppies from the pregnant stray he took in, so please let me know if you or someone you know would like their own bundle of joy.
Last weekend, Timothy and I went sailing on the 1877 tall ship ELISSA.
(More to come for both of those albums, we just haven't had a chance to sort though it all yet!)
On Thursday, we brought home Laika, our very sweet 8-week-old puppy. She into everything, but Timothy already taught her to come and sit over the weekend. With persistence, I'm sure everything else will fall into place.
My friend Laura's dad still has eight other adorable puppies from the pregnant stray he took in, so please let me know if you or someone you know would like their own bundle of joy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Spring is Here!
Of our trees, the little Carolina Hawthorne budded out first. The leaves start off with a reddish cast and later turn bright green.
The sycamores and other trees are standing free now that we've removed their stakes.
This chinquapin oak, which we feared would die after last spring's hail damage, seems to be doing fine.
Mom and Dad, we've found a new place for you to live in our development. Streetman is building row houses along Berkman, the main north-south artery through the neighborhood. They'll be right on the future streetcar line and across what will hopefully be a small corner market at the base of the tower. The downstairs plans are open enough to serve as a photo studio, and some will have a separate entrance for an office.
The future of the tower is still in limbo. The developer has said that stabilization will come first, followed by restoration of the exterior. Let's hope the new barbed wire fence is at least somewhat effective at deterring further vandalism.
Elsewhere, the Parade of Homes is progressing towards its May deadline. On the left is the Barley & Pfeiffer house, on the right our favorite, designed by Michael Hsu.
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