Community Chat

[deepwaterdotter]

@Spurt  I expect that there will be rolling brown-outs here in Wisconsin with so many days of high temperatures.  We were warned earlier trhis year that our grid needed updating.

[Spurt]

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@JamandBread wrote:

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@On It wrote:

The wind has been eerily still. The flags were hanging limp against the flag poles Saturday and Sunday. We could not recall the last time we saw that. It is always windy. Solar should be working with all the intense sun we are having.

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Isn't Texas the oil capital of the US? I didn't realize Texas had invested so much in green energy.....

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@JamandBread 

Cant get into that discussion here---google it---someone stopped it....

[SilleeMee]

@ThinkingOutLoud 

The company I hired to evaluate my home for energy efficiency was how I found out about the DOE weatherization program for homeowners. Before that I wasn't aware of any such program. They told me how to apply and I qualified! 

[Spurt]

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@granddi wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

I read that part of the issue is not enough wind for the wind turbines. Seems green energy isn't all that's it's cracked up to be.

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Yes , that has been reported that the high pressure system parked over Texas has reduced wind and thus the wind turbines. It is easy to blame the power shortage on wind, but our system is old and outdated. Not enough upgrades have been made to accommodate the increase in population. 

I wish stores would reduce power use like residences are doing. 

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Totally agree!

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@ThinkingOutLoud @granddi 

I remember one winter way back when a town by the name of Crystal City ran out of power, and SA agreet to help them---so in order to keep enough reserves for ourselves all the malls and stores either turned off their heat or reduced it to 68 or below---Since it was winter everyone was wearing coats and sweaters and we didnt really need the heat in the stores....Usually when you wear a coat or sweater in the winter the stores are so very warm you take the coat/sweater off...It was a pleasant change of pace that year...

[Spurt]

@Porcelain 

If they dont conserve they are going to get it SOCKED to them in the form of their bill---Our city implemented 2 rate increases one to make up for the market rate for energy during the artic storm, and another to pay for needed upgrades.....so if they run their A/C at 60 along with the usual "fuel adjustment" we pay for in the summer here, they are probably going to have to add a second mortage to their home to pay their energy bills......

[JamandBread]

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@JamandBread wrote:

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@ninjawife wrote:

What are people supposed to do when everyone supposedly has an electric car?  Some ideas are just not well thought out. 

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Can you still gas up your car in Texas if you lose power? Here, if the power goes out, gas stations can't pump either.

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The thing is though, you can store a bit of gas in a gas can. Don't know of a way to store extra electricity.

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After that 5 or 10 gallons is gone, you are still in the same position as someone who has no charge left on their car.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

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@JamandBread wrote:

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@ThinkingOutLoud wrote:

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@JamandBread wrote:

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@ninjawife wrote:

What are people supposed to do when everyone supposedly has an electric car?  Some ideas are just not well thought out. 

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Can you still gas up your car in Texas if you lose power? Here, if the power goes out, gas stations can't pump either.

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The thing is though, you can store a bit of gas in a gas can. Don't know of a way to store extra electricity.

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After that 5 or 10 gallons is gone, you are still in the same position as someone who has no charge left on their car.

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Not necessarily. That bit of gas might just be enough to get you somewhere else. Maybe to family or friends that have more resources, etc. Some gas is better than being left with nothing.

[Spurt]

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@JamandBread wrote:

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@granddi wrote:

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@JamandBread wrote:

It seems that people are saying that Texas is highly dependent on wind energy and when there is no wind, you have rolling blackouts. Is that true? I didn't realize that the majority of energy generated in Texas is green. I just assumed it was fossil fuel, since I've always viewed Texas as a major oil producer. I'm frankly a little shocked.

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According to ERCOT website, Texas energy comes from the following:

46% natural gas

23% wind

18%coal

11% nuclear

 2% solar

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Thanks for this info. With 77% of the energy coming from non-green sources, why are the green sources being blamed for the shortage?

Maybe it's a talking point put out by the state to take the focus off the real problem.

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@JamandBread 

But that is definitely NOT the right mix for the population and for the grid to remain reliable ...........And we are supposedly adequately prepared for our usual hot summers, emphasis on USUAL....and this is only the 7th hottest summer going back to 1885....but in the past we relied on coal, natural gas, and nuclear and had no problems no blackouts...hmmmmmmm

Our city councilman was on the Energy Crisis Committee and he shared the findings of the report with those of us living in his District...

[FiddleDeeDee]

One of the things we looked into was how to make our house more energy efficient. We knew the landlords did nothing so we are dealing with all original parts. Let's just say we were shocked at what we found out:

1) To move to solar, we would lose money monthly and in a huge way. Due to the nightmare of roof fraud in FL, the fact that you can (and often are) required to replace your roof after 10 years is a huge expense....especially if you have solar panels. You need to pay someone to remove and then reapply them and the average cost is $5500 right now (that is IF you can find someone to do it). IF you damage the panel in any way, you are required to purchase a new one. Also, a high quality roof is a waste of money due to the replacement situation. If you wish to sell your home and the buyer does NOT want to accept the solar costs, you lose the sale. A renter can also deny being charged more in their rent as well as any fees from the power company related to the panels. Then there are the new taxes/fees they are placing on solar panel users as well as not being required to refund you for the excess power you provided them. It's a MESS and is why so many are NOT going with solar where we are.

2) We have single pane windows. To upgrade them to double pane and tinted (very smart to do in Florida), we would NOT recoup ANY cost for at least 15 YEARS because they are THAT expensive.  We've done new windows before; the cost was more than TRIPLE what it was just before COVID. Nope, can't afford it.

3) We already have appliances that are efficient so that's not an issue.

We can add more insulation but we have to be careful due to how the roofs are in FLorida and how they allow heat/moisture to escape. Nothing like we had in MD. 

So, like others, upgrading our home to be more efficient is simply not possible. The cost has made it this way. 

[Kachina624]

I left Texas in 1999.  We never had electricity problems when I was living there and supervising things.  What happened? 

I use an evaporative cooler at my house.  The only electricity it uses is to run a small pump and a fan, no compressor.  It also uses some water.  Costs maybe $35-40/mo to operate. It has advantages and disadvantages.  It makes my house very cold; I'm constantly turning it off because I get too cold.  They only work in dry climates.

@On It. You could possibly use a small portable evaporative cooler at your house if you live in Midland or Odessa as its dry enough there.  When I lived there I noticed many people used them as their cooling source.