One of the unexpected side advantages of solar power is it gives you the opportunity to keep a careful watch on your whole family’s energy consumption. At least insofar as it makes their energy consumption habits a bit more conspicuous.
Author: Richard Christie
Richard Christie runs a small motel on the Kapiti Coast and also writes the Balance Transfers blog. He is interested in how businesses can play a role in improving environmental outcomes, and the challenges associated with doing so. Although this is a blog nominally about the topic of inflation, one of the key recurring questions this blog covers is 'what will be the financial cost and financial impact of climate change?' The blog covers micro economic and business-specific topics relating to the business landscape in New Zealand.
Is it worth travelling 16km for cheaper petrol?
Otaki is 16km away from Levin, and Levin has cheap fuel. Is it worth making the 16km return journey to score petrol at a significantly lower price?
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Ammeters: The First Step In Going Solar
For guys my age, solar power systems are the equivalent of a model train set. We know we’re too old for this shit, but we can kind of get away with it, because it helps the household save money and it’s also in the interests of the environment. Here’s why ammeters are a critical piece of the puzzle.
So Far, So Good – One Month In and Solar Is Outperforming Expectations
It’s a bit early to do a case study on solar power for the Otaki Motel, because quite frankly, we haven’t received enough data yet to assess how much of an impact our 1.5 kWh solar power system has had on out energy use across all weather patterns and seasons. What we have had is our first electricity bill come in.
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Why Solar Power and Slow Cookers Go So Well Together
The motel solar power system has now been successfully installed. I’m able to log in to my inverter system (through Enphase Enlighten) and get a near-real-time reading of the energy consumption versus production through the solar panels. This reading quickly threw up an unintended side effect, which is that the motel solar system is producing way more power at present than the original estimate.
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Solar Power Economics: Calculating the Value of a 1.5 kWh Solar Power System After 10 Years Have Passed (Using the Discounted Cash Flow Method!)
In last week’s article I made the on-the-surface ludicrous claim that the value of a solar power system at the end of ten years may be greater than the value of that same system at the date of purchase and installation, even when accounting for the loss in energy efficiency of said solar system over 10 years. Today I will explain how I reached that conclusion.
Using the Discounted Cash Flow Method to Calculate the Value of Solar – Key Assumptions
There are some assumptions that I need to make you aware of when using certain valuation methods, including the Discounted Cash Flow Method, to calculate the value of a solar power installation once ten years have already passed. Explaining and outlining these assumptions may go some way to support my on-the-surface outrageous conclusion that, for many households, the value of a solar power installation may be worth more ten years from now than it is on the date of purchase and installation, even when considering the loss in energy efficiency that occurs over time.
Solar Power From the Actual Experts
I must confess I am just about the furthest thing from an actual engineer – while I have a great deal of curiosity about the nature of solar power and its possible impact on household energy consumption at a micro level, on certain technical matters I will be a small kid with armbands swimming in the deep end.
What do we do when we are potentially out of our depth? We consult a real world expert. So for that reason, this week we speak to Martin King and Bryn Bennett of Degree Limited, who specialise in the installation of all things heating and cooling.
Why It Helps to Start Planning a Year In Advance When It Comes to Solar Power
In last week’s article I wrote about the need to calculate your own power consumption before investing in any solar power proposal. This week I want to talk about how extending the timeline for your data set well in advance can help you to improve the data accuracy of your energy saving calculations.
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Why It’s Important to Calculate Your Own Power Consumption Before Buying Solar Power
In a past article I talked about how the main environmental benefit of installing solar power systems in New Zealand is that it reduces demand on the grid during periods of peak consumption. This time I’m going to look at the flip side of that equation – if you want to receive the maximum economic benefit from your solar power installation, you need to begin with a clear understanding of your own home or business actually uses power.