Category Archives: energy retrofitting

Make a Home from Shipping Containers

Posted on June 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Tim Bessell has spent the last 25 years crafting surfboards for world-class athletes out of his understated shop near La Jolla’s Windansea Beach.

The 54-year-old Bessell, who grew up in La Jolla, says the thinning custom surfboard market in the United States and a lifelong appreciation for architecture have pushed him toward another passion: sea-container home building.

The idea is to take discarded, yet still-sturdy steel containers found at ports and convert them into habitable spaces. Container home advocates say this type of construction is more “green,” and over time, can be more cost-effective.

Bessell and business associate Claude Anthony Marengo hope to break ground soon on their first custom project in Pacific Beach, believed to be the city of San Diego’s first certified factory-made home constructed from steel shipping container material. The closest structure to that is the Periscope Project in downtown San Diego that hosts art shows and serves as office space.

Bessell spoke with the U-T San Diego about his current project, a three-story home slated to be done by September, how it will be built and the costs involved.

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Assessing Whether Solar Panels Make Sense for You

Posted on June 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

As reported in The Times, legions of companies will offer to install a system at no upfront cost and promise customers cheaper, cleaner electricity over the course of 20 years. Some are small and local, while others, including SolarCity, Sunrun, Sungevity and SunEdison, are larger, with national or even international reach. Some large manufacturers, like SolarWorld, even offer financing plans for home installations.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your solar value questions.

For residential customers, the deals can seem attractive. The company arranging the financing for the system usually owns and operates it, selling the electricity back at a rate generally lower than what the utility would charge. Depending on the company and the state, the details vary. In some cases a customer pays a preset rate for the electricity used, known as a power purchase agreement. In others, the customer leases a system, paying a set monthly charge for a guaranteed amount of power.

Part of the appeal here is that customers can not only reduce their energy costs but fix them for a long period of time, avoiding the unwelcome surprise of a suddenly high bill because, say, natural gas prices have shot up again. Customers also avoid having to figure out how to claim the various incentives and benefits for which they qualify as a renewable energy producer.

But there are some things to look out for. Going solar does not mean going off the grid. A typical roof array will not handle all of a home’s electricity needs since it produces power intermittently. So customers will still get a bill from the utility, though probably a much smaller one. Many contracts also have escalator clauses, with the payments increasing over time, so it is important to determine if your energy costs are likely to go up or down if you were to stick solely with the utility.

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SolarWorld Wins Steep Tariffs on Chinese Solar Products

Posted on June 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

SolarWorld blazed toward victory in its trade fight Thursday as the U.S. government announced plans to slap tariffs ranging from 31 percent to 250 percent on Chinese solar panels and cells.

But managers of the solar company, aiming to preserve jobs that include 1,000 in Hillsboro, hinted that the duties aren’t high enough to help U.S. manufacturers prosper. They hope the U.S. Commerce Department will soon announce additional tariffs, even as China appears set to retaliate as soon as next week.

U.S. solar stocks jumped Thursday on news that the Commerce Department would impose 31 percent tariffs on exports by companies including SolarWorld’s two largest Chinese competitors, Trina Solar Ltd. and Suntech Power Holdings Co.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Category Archives: energy retrofitting

Make a Home from Shipping Containers

Assessing Whether Solar Panels Make Sense for You

SolarWorld Wins Steep Tariffs on Chinese Solar Products

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