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15 years is too long of a payback time!
First, the lifespan of physical devices.
Second, the lifespan of the solar panels (efficiency drops, bird droppings).
Here, the average person stays in the house for 7 years. You never get back
what you paid into it. It's worse for an 8yr loss of "payback". You need
the buyer to pay 50% of what it cost to put in, and then you are breaking even.
Living in FL, I looked into solar at a serious level. The sun here is so
strong, that it literally eats the solar panels over time. Now, our roof is a $28,000
roof. Adding a solar panel to it, is much more expensive than "normal", and city codes
get involved. But I checked with others who bought systems with a 10yr payback, and
they said that effectively, the solar panels all needed replacement at or BEFORE 10yrs!
So, lets say the best case is that after 15yrs, you break even? Why bother?
Worse, you have repairs every 5 years = 10% cost. Even worse.
Instead, I did a bunch of research on A/C. I installed a highly programmable thermostat.
I set it up to cool when the sun is not out. We heavily tinted 400 sq feet of glass that
catches a lot of sun. And, during the summer, we close a few hurricane shutters to keep
the sun out. I can say I have the lowest electric bills on the block.
The tinting had a 1yr payback. I have been in the house for 21 years, did this all 18yrs ago.
I am saving $50 to $100/mo (it fluctuates). FPL used to come out monthly to make sure I was
not stealing electricity!
Oh, and I lowered the temperature on my electric water heater. This was a huge savings.
==
Finally, a friend had a solar Hot Water Heater her in FL. The 3rd time the pump for the water
heater died, he had trouble finding other parts, and just got rid of the system. It was the
only thing I was considering, because it gets to be 110 degrees in my garage, that helps the
water heater work less.
So, before you install such a system, find someone who has a 5yr or 7yr old version, and see
how happy they are. Also, see if AFTER that experience they kept installing similar technology.
Look at the whole picture. But a 15yr payback... I would find a 10% savings you could do NOW!
With any work, you could probably save 20% (Heck just reading the electric bills in some countries,
I learned that they charged more for electricity in the 6:30am-9am time frame. Because people were
turning down the thermostats to go to bed, then cranking them up to take their showers, etc). Huge savings, programming the thermostat in reverse, to basically shut off during those times!
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Our entire office is run on two parking pads roofed with PV panels, linked by 20+ microinverters to produce a peak power of 28kVA. It produces enough surplus in the daylight to pay for the grid power used at night. From what I've seen recently, a breakeven point at 15 years seems about right, maybe just a tad too long. The life of the PV panel should be about 20 years, so you'll have a few years of free stuff before you have to pay all over again.
Will Rogers never met me.
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Luton is a magical place...which probably explains why so much stuff goes missing there.
I had a Girlfriend from Luton once. When she put her Pyjamas on I didn't know if she was going to bed or going shopping.
The kids in Luton are thoughtful. I saw a bunch of them hanging up a "Happy 30th Grandma" banner the other day.
They filmed a series of CSI:Luton but no cases got solved as nobody had any Dental Records and all the DNA was the same.
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My girlfriend from Luton did quite the opposite. She went out in her pyjamas, I still wonder where she went.
I've got it already, my coat.
Life is too shor
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P0mpey3 wrote: Happy 30th Grandma
If you had 30 Grandmas, you'd probably want to keep that quiet.
Damn Lutonians, don't know how to use a comma, mumble, grumble, ...
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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Yep. The only decent thing is to draw a line at 29.
Life is too shor
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P0mpey3 wrote: They filmed a series of CSI:Luton but no cases got solved as nobody had any Dental Records and all the DNA was the same
Ok, now THAT's funny
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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It would be wrong to post this to Dave, wouldn't it?
veni bibi saltavi
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Why not post it on his blog/website? Sure will make his constituents remember him!
Life is too shor
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I assumed he still lurks, even if he doesn't post.
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The magistrate has ordered him to stop that. It's just creepy.
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Was he put into the stocks for something he posted before?
The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a f***ing golf cart.
"I don't know, extraterrestrial?"
"You mean like from space?"
"No, from Canada."
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P0mpey3 wrote: Luton is a magical place
There be wizards?
if(this.signature != "")
{
MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found");
}
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No, but they've got a magic bean counter
veni bibi saltavi
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: No, but they've got a magic bean counter
i see...[^]
if(this.signature != "")
{
MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found");
}
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A few old witches perhaps.
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
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P0mpey3 wrote: They filmed a series of CSI:Luton but no cases got solved as nobody had any Dental Records and all the DNA was the same.
Plus when they turned the UV lights on half the kids' faces started to glow.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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Are you sure they needed the UV for that?
veni bibi saltavi
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P0mpey3 wrote: They filmed a series of CSI:Luton but no cases got solved as nobody had any Dental Records
How is that different than anywhere else in England?
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Sounds like every city here in the States...and I mean, every city.
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Are you trying to lure DD into making an appearance?
"If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough."
Alan Kay.
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Rob Grainger wrote: Are you trying to lure DD into making an appearance It would take more than a few minor insults to his town, he an aspiring politician, hide like a rhino.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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Three things a Luton girl should ask a man before dating him:
1. Do you have a job?
2. Do you have a car?
3. Do you live in it?
(okay, it's a recycled Bullhead City joke, but it works as well...)
What do you get when you put 6 Luton girls in one room?
A full set of teeth.
I've got more, but I'll fetch my coat instead...
Will Rogers never met me.
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It's tougher than expected, making up these clues. Anyway, here's my offering :
For a blanket covering, can one erupt violently?(11)
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It is harder than you think, isn't it?
COUNTERPANE - anagram of CAN ONE ERUPT
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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