Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

grim ryan @timryan.org · 8h

met a celebrity #NoKings

me posing next next to the Portland Frog in Boston Common. is this the original Portland Frog? no, this inflatable frog costume is sporting a tan scarf.

grim ryan @timryan.org · 10h

boston’s own Mayor Wu showing up for #NoKings

1 3

grim ryan @timryan.org · 2d

every git… has its last commit

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 3d

programming: all the fun of running through the woods in pitch dark hitting every tree. at home!

1 2

grim ryan @timryan.org · 3d

#notblessed

2

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

theoretically we'll produce more electricity in summer months (up to and maybe a surplus), and less in winter months, evening out over the course of the year to 75% of electric costs. now the electricity we do have to pay for in winter will be cheaper. good deal if it works out!

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

as for electric use: we have heat pumps for heating and cooling, so low costs in the summer, high costs in the winter (the inverse of many NE home's electric bills). MA is introducing discounted winter rates for homes with heat pumps installations through MassSave (huge)

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

we wanted to go through a family-owned or local shop but it just didn't work out. those groups can be price-competitive with bigger companies but under the short timeframe we had different tradeoffs, like faith in being able to make the EOY deadline.

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

the process of choosing an installer is tricky. recommendations from neighbors and friends didn't pan out and we went with one that contacted us through EnergySage. you're optimizing for lowest $/kW and total energy output, but also for a company that stays in contact consistently.

Compare and save on clean home energy solutions

EnergySage is the simplest way to shop for clean home energy solutions. Join over 50,000 homeowners who have electrified their homes with EnergySage.

EnergySage.com

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

it's actually easy to mess around yourself with your home layout with the free version of OpenSolar. it's helped me learn what to expect, where to push back, and influence the final design. several installers use the same software (the more professional software being Aurora)

Home

OpenSolar provides class-leading solar design accuracy, customer proposals and end-to-end tools to manage and grow your solar business, free.

opensolar.com

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

several neighbors have solar and that can be misleading: fire code changes adopted in 2022 by MA are much stricter about fire setbacks, including from the top of your roof (ridgeline) and walkways on the sides of the roof. pre-2022 installs had fewer restrictions. so in 2025 fewer panels will fit.

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

there's also more comical possibilities: what if Somerville YIMBY succeeds at upzoning residential (good!) and someone builds a six-story next to us? (lmao) so solar makes sense at this point through the end of the decade but less so as time goes on.

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

while it’s cool to get rooftop solar, Somerville has a community choice program that fixes a cheap rate through 2028. it also has a 100% renewables option which we’ve been paying for. so strictly speaking we’re going to be as “green” whether or not we go through with it.

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

up front we chose to do this if we could 1) pay the same amount for electricity and 2) pay it off in five years. rn payback period looks like it’s 4 years so pretty happy with that

1

grim ryan @timryan.org · 6d

started in August trying to get solar installed our condo. think we have like an 80% chance of it getting installed by EOY. though i’d skeet about the process

1