We had a similar 20 year journey improving our expensive stucco-covered cardboard box in CA. The last piece? Underfloor insulation as our well ventilated crawlspace made floors freezing all winter. Cheap and so much cozier! One underrated part of increasing insulation is how much quieter the house is.
We started in 2016. My son hasn't paid for gas since 2015 when he got his Bolt. California and Alameda County (even Berkeley) really push EVs and solar.
We put a battery on the side of the house in 2016 for our son to charge his car. It ran off the solar panels we had installed on the roof. In those days you could take $7000 off your taxes for this investment. Alternatively, these days, most gas stations now have chargers (!) and a lot of parking lots and grocery stores also do. Last year, 2025, we added a storage battery on the side of the house. We've never had a garage. It's an old house, built in 1926. I think you may have to pay for many charging stations at stores, but I don't know for sure. I think we/my son get lower electrical rates because PG&E charges less if you charge after midnight...
In Missouri, two big utilities will pay for the full cost of a money-saving heat pump and recover their cost over time with a charge lower than the estimated savings. They call it FastTrack with PAYS.
Illinois also just approved the rules for a similar offer, and one utility there is planning to offer rooftop solar and storage. They call it Equitable Energy Upgrade Program.
Nevada just approved NV Energy to offer inclusive utility investments, paying the full cost of money-saving insulation in places where grid capacity is tight, which reduces upward pressure on rates for everyone.
More than 10 states have set similar precedents to address the pervasive upfront cost barriers to participation in the clean energy economy.
So, Grok says the pvwatts calculator says your (Bainbridge) solar panels make almost 2/3 the energy of ones in the southwest U.S.? That is surprisingly good.
Is it de rigeur to trim the trees that would otherwise shade the rooftop panels? Or (since more diffuse light when overcast) is this less important in cloudy locales?
We had a similar 20 year journey improving our expensive stucco-covered cardboard box in CA. The last piece? Underfloor insulation as our well ventilated crawlspace made floors freezing all winter. Cheap and so much cozier! One underrated part of increasing insulation is how much quieter the house is.
We started in 2016. My son hasn't paid for gas since 2015 when he got his Bolt. California and Alameda County (even Berkeley) really push EVs and solar.
How does EV charging work in the many(?) homes without garages, in bay area?
We put a battery on the side of the house in 2016 for our son to charge his car. It ran off the solar panels we had installed on the roof. In those days you could take $7000 off your taxes for this investment. Alternatively, these days, most gas stations now have chargers (!) and a lot of parking lots and grocery stores also do. Last year, 2025, we added a storage battery on the side of the house. We've never had a garage. It's an old house, built in 1926. I think you may have to pay for many charging stations at stores, but I don't know for sure. I think we/my son get lower electrical rates because PG&E charges less if you charge after midnight...
In Missouri, two big utilities will pay for the full cost of a money-saving heat pump and recover their cost over time with a charge lower than the estimated savings. They call it FastTrack with PAYS.
Illinois also just approved the rules for a similar offer, and one utility there is planning to offer rooftop solar and storage. They call it Equitable Energy Upgrade Program.
Nevada just approved NV Energy to offer inclusive utility investments, paying the full cost of money-saving insulation in places where grid capacity is tight, which reduces upward pressure on rates for everyone.
More than 10 states have set similar precedents to address the pervasive upfront cost barriers to participation in the clean energy economy.
Whose state is next? Let’s goooo!
So, Grok says the pvwatts calculator says your (Bainbridge) solar panels make almost 2/3 the energy of ones in the southwest U.S.? That is surprisingly good.
Is it de rigeur to trim the trees that would otherwise shade the rooftop panels? Or (since more diffuse light when overcast) is this less important in cloudy locales?