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Home Improvement - Undoing Previous Owners "Landlord" Specials

unofan said:
The usage charge on a TOU rate isn't going to be the killer - generally the per kWh charge during peak times is similar to current standard rates or only moderately higher - the off-peak usage charge is just heavily discounted because overnight load drops so low that marginal pricing can turn negative at times (but the generation keeps going because of production tax credits).
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This is my experience with DTE's changes. The off-peak rates are actually quite a bit lower than standard, and the peak rate is only slightly higher than our previous combined rate. They have yet to announce demand-based charges, but I think it's inevitable. IT/Big Data and computing power are at the point where so-called "dynamic pricing" based on real-time demand is taking over volatile industries and markets. If there's an opportunity to nail particularly heavy power consumers during that 4-8p window, they have the means to determine who those households are, and they're going to do it.
 
unofan said:
The usage charge on a TOU rate isn't going to be the killer - generally the per kWh charge during peak times is similar to current standard rates or only moderately higher - the off-peak usage charge is just heavily discounted because overnight load drops so low that marginal pricing can turn negative at times (but the generation keeps going because of production tax credits).

It's the demand charge for maximum peak usage that will be killer. Random weeknight in August you get home from work and crank up the A/C, start a load of laundry and cook dinner while the kids shower (causing your tankless water heater to run), turn on a TV and a computer, etc. and your peak demand spikes. Even if every other night you space out your usage, that one spike will fark your bill for the month/quarter/year depending on the utility's tariff.
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I get that. From what I understand, it's a set rate and is NOT like Texas where it's a spot price. Off peak is like $0.05/kWh and on-peak is roughly $0.26/kWh. On-peak is only 9 AM to 9 PM on non-holiday weekdays. Off-peak is the big federal holidays, all day on weekends, and 9 PM to 9 AM on weekdays.

I don't believe we're going to a peak demand charge. I think it's purely a different rate/kWh. I could be wrong though! The meter is capable of reading peak demand.
 
I’ve not had great luck with this whole home sale thing.

We are now forecast to get three inches of rain this upcoming weekend. That’s over a months worth of rain in a few days. That’s after we got two inches in one day last week.

this is why I don’t want to own a home again. I am almost expecting water to finally breach basement now that house is for sale. What’s another 30k or so to drop on house while it’s for sale ???

sadly I think these events are just gonna be common up here. Were no longer in a draught we’re gonna be in a surplus it looks like

oh my god it’s now forecast for close to 4 inches
 
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All the forecasts point to the strong possibility of a rapid switch from the El Nino winter we just had, to a La Nina summer. Apparently, the previous 6 times in recorded history that that has occurred without a transitory stop at ENSO Neutral (aka "La Nada"), Michigan has cooked in July and August.

That said, could this be the year my 25 year-old a/c condenser finally gives up the ghost? Probably should hold back/earmark some money just in case.
 
FadeToBlack&Gold said:
All the forecasts point to the strong possibility of a rapid switch from the El Nino winter we just had, to a La Nina summer. Apparently, the previous 6 times in recorded history that that has occurred without a transitory stop at ENSO Neutral (aka "La Nada"), Michigan has cooked in July and August.

That said, could this be the year my 25 year-old a/c condenser finally gives up the ghost? Probably should hold back/earmark some money just in case.
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Same thought process for me here on the opposite side of Lake Michigan. This summer is going to be unbearable IMO. Would love to be wrong about it.

So glad my wife has rejoined the working world (what a struggle that has been) so we can squirrel away savings.
 
I got quotes to replace all my gutters and am awaiting quotes to improve drainage. I'm going to guess they will combine at $10-12k, but we'll see. It sure would be nice to have a dry basement.
 
Yeah, that would be grading, any trenches, dry wells, etc. And there are two areas - one of them has some kind of power buried and also my irrigation system lines. The other is under a big stone patio and also needs to cross irrigation lines. Neither are simple. And this is a very old neighborhood so who knows what else is buried.


Gutter replacement quote was about $3000 alone.
 
I want to preface this with the fact that we have been at my FIL's place helping him with medical issues more than we have been at our place this year. But we got our annual reimbursement check from the local energy generation concern for the excess electricity we have sent to the grid from our solar panels, and it is a few hundred dollars more than we have paid to PG&E for the year for gas and grid transmission. So we made money on our gas/electric for the year. Yes whenever we get back full time it our usage will of course go up, but, like, we were a few hundred in the black, so we still have quite a but of wiggle room there.
 
French Rage said:
I want to preface this with the fact that we have been at my FIL's place helping him with medical issues more than we have been at our place this year. But we got our annual reimbursement check from the local energy generation concern for the excess electricity we have sent to the grid from our solar panels, and it is a few hundred dollars more than we have paid to PG&E for the year for gas and grid transmission. So we made money on our gas/electric for the year. Yes whenever we get back full time it our usage will of course go up, but, like, we were a few hundred in the black, so we still have quite a but of wiggle room there.
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Good that it’s both cost-effective and responsible. You live in a nicely temperate zone, depending on where in the Bay Area you live. A wide range there, but it’s all pretty temperate year-round. For solar, I suppose fog could be an issue in some areas.
 
I’ve been doing landscaping the past few weeks. I’m getting old and feeling it.

We started out by tearing out the old landscaping, such as it was, and I then put into new edging - 6”x8”x4” blocks that are 30*(?) angle on the outward face to give some character. 16.5lbs for each brick, but first I did it proper by carving out some a bed deep enough to add a base of sand, and then installed the backing supports to lock it in place. Then it was adding some dirt? The 12 or new plants, and the easy bits with putting down the fabric and mulch.

Now I’m in the backyard, and I’m trying to re-tame some yard that was basically lost to the location of the old shed that I replaced with the one I built back in 2020. Reclaiming it from the weeds and rock used as the base is no bueno. Oh, and my wife wants to
eliminate the garden that she’s been neglecting, so that’s been a thing, too.

28 years ago, when I was in college and in shape, and landscaping to pay for school, this would’ve all been a breeze. I’m not that kid anymore.
 
alicestevens said:
What can you tell me about water solar panels? Are they worth it?
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been on my house since the early 90s, taken down to replace roof, went back up and have never touched them other than that reroof. Work great but I doubt a bean counter would tell you they are worth doing unless you can do it yourself.
 
Home improvement projects can be incredibly rewarding but also a bit overwhelming at times. For me the most difficult thing was to set a budget and stick to it. Every time unexpected costs arise, so it’s always good to have a little extra set aside for emergencies. If you need assistance managing your home improvement budget or dealing with contractors, you might want to check out everee customer service. They offer great tools and support for managing payments and ensuring everything runs smoothly.
 
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FadeToBlack&Gold said:
All the forecasts point to the strong possibility of a rapid switch from the El Nino winter we just had, to a La Nina summer. Apparently, the previous 6 times in recorded history that that has occurred without a transitory stop at ENSO Neutral (aka "La Nada"), Michigan has cooked in July and August.

That said, could this be the year my 25 year-old a/c condenser finally gives up the ghost? Probably should hold back/earmark some money just in case.
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Make sure the coils are clean and you have a replacement capacitor handy. They're cheap to buy, but your AC company will rake you over the coals to install it or try to upsell you a whole new unit. It's not that hard to replace, just make sure the right wires go on the right terminals and you've pulled/turned off the breaker.
 
Raccoons have been emptying our feeders at night.

bought a motion sensor and setup an automation to turn on the impact sprinkler and shoot them. We'll see if it works.
 
LMAO. So I also had the porch camera record the mayhem.

Around 2 AM, a raccoon got treed underneath my deck right below the motion sensor. It continuously triggered for like 30 minutes. Eventually it came down and sped off like it was running from a chlorine trifluoride leak.

Otherwise it was just a persistent mouse that got scared off.
 
lol. Back for more. This time he didn't get stuck. Just ran.

On a related note... Ironically I can now tell when the bird feeders are empty on the deck. The motion sensor (without the sprinkler armed - it only goes off on motion between 10 pm and 4 am) stops detecting squirrels climbing the deck. Real abrupt stop to visits.
 
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