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We made a big leap forward on "greening" the house the past week. Radiant barrier, solar water heater, and polarized films on the windows. It was a special deal with a company where they figure out exactly what the energy savings are going to be for your house, and then finance the cost so that you're breaking even until it's paid for itself.
There were some interesting parts of the process. The solar water heater has these two very large black panels that go up on the roof, and are quite visible from the street. I had mentioned that our HOA might have a problem with that, though they've never been dicks about anything in the past, and he said actually, they can't legally have a problem with it. He handed me a copy of a federal statute that says any green energy improvements to a property are automatically exempt from any HOA rules, as long as they are professionally installed and maintained. I didn't know that. Also, because we obviously get more solar usage during the day, it's more efficient for us now if we are able to run the laundry and dishwasher earlier rather than late in the evening. I'm working on adjusting the schedule so that can happen, at least during the cold months.
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