Tag Archives: san diego

Apartment Project Lures Residents With Free Solar Power – San Diego

Posted on March 31, 2013 | Leave a comment

Solterra

Location: 9685 Erma Road, Scripps Ranch

Description: 114 1- and 2-bedroom apartments, 741 to 1,127 square feet

Amenities: 3,200-square-foot club room with gaming center, cybercafe, restaurant-style bar and professional culinary kitchen, sports club, stand-up tanning salon; saltwater pool and spa, sun deck, free Wi-Fi, barbecue and fire pit lounge.

Energy saving features: Smart thermostats and in-home virtual net-metering displays, Energy Star General Electric appliances, prewiring for electric vehicle charging in garage

Projected rent: $1,495 to $2,255

Status: First move-ins, May; completion in June

Solterra, H.G. Fenton’s 114-unit apartment project nearing completion in Scripps Ranch, boasts a saltwater pool, games-filled clubhouse and stand-up tanning salon.

But what may prove to be the deal closer when the luxury project opens in May is free electricity to residents.

In San Diego County’s first such “net-zero” energy project, enough solar power cells are being installed to produce all the energy needed for average users as well as the common areas at the 4-acre site just east of Interstate 15 at Mira Mesa Boulevard. If residents don’t exceed the average use projected, they can expect a rebate check in the mail.

Company President Mike Neal said even at a time when vacancies are dropping, there is still stiff competition for landlords to attract tenants, especially in the luxury market.

“We want them to choose us,” he said.

And it’s the energy-saving features that he hopes will make the difference.

“With our apartment communities we’ve previously put photovoltaics on, we noticed our customers had a real interest in it,” Neal said. “Some of them would say, ‘How could that benefit my unit?’ We took it upon ourselves to take this project and try to answer that question by providing it and seeing how the customer likes it.”

Disclaimer: For information and entertainment purposes only

San Diegans Get Reimbursed for Your Rain Barrels

Posted on November 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Investing in a rain barrel in San Diego may seem like an exercise in wishful thinking, but the city Storm Water Department is so sure it’s a good deal that it will help pay for it.

The department will reimburse 50 cents per gallon of rain barrel storage to residents who install the vessels at their homes, for a total rebate of up to $200.

The barrels connect to a home’s gutter spout and capture water flowing from the roof to irrigate yards and gardens. Rainwater harvesting is a technique dating to the Greek and Roman empires, where sophisticated collection systems captured rainwater for domestic and agricultural use.

In San Diego, rainwater collection can help preserve potable water for indoor use, officials say.

“Over 60 percent of S.D. water is used to water landscape, turf and other plants,” said Maureen Hall, a water conservation analyst for the Public Utilities Department. “Whatever small percentage we can save per person, per residence, is going to add up to a good amount of savings for San Diego. That’s more water for us to use for drinking, for bathing, for cooking.”

Collecting the water before it spills down streets and sewers also helps prevent stormwater pollution, Hall said.

Although the San Diego region only gets about 10 inches of rain per year, a 1,000-square-foot roof collects 625 gallons for every inch of rainfall.

A typical rain barrel holds 50 to 200 gallons, and easily fills up in a single storm, Hall said. Even the condensation from foggy nights and dewy mornings can top off a barrel, she said. Her own rain barrel collected enough precipitation to water her rose garden all summer, she added.

The rain barrel rebate, introduced early this year, has paid $6,285 in rebates to help install 115 barrels at 57 homes.

For information, call (619) 533-4126 or visit utsandiego.com/rainwater.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

The Eyesore next door: What You Can Do

Posted on November 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

With millions of homes in foreclosure — and millions more owners having difficulty paying their mortgages — there’s likely to be one in every neighborhood: the property that has gone to seed.

Maybe the green lawn next door that you once envied has turned an ugly brown because it hasn’t been watered, or the flower beds have been overtaken by weeds that have grown up to the windows. Or perhaps the grass hasn’t been cut in weeks and the house is surrounded by what looks like a wheat field.

Will foreclosures effect the value of your home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your value questions

If the neighborhood eyesore has been abandoned, the house has probably deteriorated. The windows may be broken or boarded up, the gutters could be sagging, the garage door might be hanging off its frame and the roof could be covered with debris.

Perhaps the place has been taken over by rodents. Or maybe the neighborhood kids are using it as a hangout. Or homeless squatters could be using it as shelter — or drug pushers might be using it as their place of business.

It’s not a pretty picture. Yet scenes like these are playing out everywhere. No neighborhood is immune, and the effect on local property values can be chilling, even when the distressed property is occupied and well-maintained.

Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland shows neighboring property values sag by as much as 3.9 percent when a nearby house is in the foreclosure process but is occupied. When the offending house is vacant and the taxes aren’t being paid, the negative effect on neighboring property values can be twice that much.

“Vacant homes can be more than just an eyesore. They can have substantial negative impacts on the surrounding community, impacts that are felt most acutely by the neighbors and communities that must cope with the dangers and costs of vacant buildings,” Federal Reserve Board governor Elizabeth Duke said in a recent speech in New York.