This morning, I was working in my office when I heard a scraping sound on the side of the house. I went outside, and there was an AEP-PSO repairman, taking the cover off my electrical meter box.
“Hi,” he said. “We got word that there must be something wrong with the meter … that it’s going backwards.”
Not again, I thought.
“Well, the meter is going backwards, and I’ll show you why,” I said. “Take a look on the roof.”
He stepped back a few feet and saw the solar panels.
“Well, I’ll be,” he said.
He turned out to be a nice guy. He peppered me with questions about the system … how much it cost, how much power I was getting from it, etc. He thought it was cool that we were getting so much power from it.
He shook his head a bit.
“I think we need some training on this,” he said sheepishly. “We just don’t see hardly any systems like this. There’s one other one I know about, and he has the same problem — the power company’s always checking to see why the meter’s running backwards.
That sounds familiar, I thought.
He started to walk down the driveway. “Well, sorry to bother you. I’ll try to explain to them what’s going on so we don’t keep coming out here,” he said.
****
On a semi-related note, the system generated 134 kilowatt-hours of electricity from Jan. 20 to Feb. 20. That’s an average of 4.32 per day.
We’re really starting to generate juice now. The cool temperatures, combined with lengthening daylight, and we’re seeing days of 7 KWH and higher.
6 comments
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February 27, 2008 at 1:23 pm
jeanjeanie
I have a completely unrelated question. My husband and I are planning to move to Tulsa from the rural Claremore area (so I don’t have to commute two hours every day), and we’re getting ready to start looking for a house. Are the Red Fork and surrounding areas generally pretty safe? I found a house listed in Carbondale that I think I love, but it had an iron security door on the front, which kind of raises a red flag. Are there a lot of break ins or other shenanigans going on out there that you’re aware of?
Thank you. And so as to get back on topic and not hijack your blog: that is kind of awesome and hilarious. Wherever we end up, we’re definitely fitting up our new house with solar panels at the first opportunity.
February 27, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Ron
According to the data I’ve seen, crime is Red Fork is very low. I’m not as certain about Carbondale.
The last homicide anyone can remember was in January 2007, and that was a domestic in which the perpetrator was mentally ill — so ill, in fact, he was ruled incompetent for trial.
It’s a close-knit neighborhood with a lot of dogs in backyards, which discourage burglars. And we’ve found that crime tends to happen to other criminals.
February 27, 2008 at 4:55 pm
jeanjeanie
That’s really helpful. Thanks for answering me.
February 27, 2008 at 6:52 pm
redforkhippie
If you want to go solar, west Tulsa is definitely the place to do it, for three major reasons:
1. The houses aren’t expensive. Red Fork is safe, but it’s not fashionable. Important distinction, and one that saves you a boatload of money if you understand it. Of course, the less you spend on the mortgage payment, the more you’ve got left for solar panels and Energystar appliances.
2. The houses are small, which is something to look for when you’re thinking of going solar — the less space you’ve got to heat and cool, the less power you need.
3. No land covenants. Nobody in this neighborhood stands around yanging about property values; our neighbors all just think it’s cool that we share eggs and cucumbers and the occasional jar of honey with them. (Try raising chickens or painting a Lorax mural on your garage in south Tulsa and see how far you get!)
February 28, 2008 at 2:34 pm
jeanjeanie
Yeah, that’s kind of what I was thinking, and why I was looking at west Tulsa. Husband’s a city boy, but I’m used to rural areas where we don’t have to worry about covenants and zoning licenses and such. We also eventually want to get into vegetable gardening, and we want a pet friendly neighborhood. So thanks again for the info. You’ve given me some ammunition to use in convincing Husband.
July 9, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Self-sufficient power « The House of the Lifted Lorax
[...] After seeing their KWH totals go lower instead of higher, it wouldn’t surprise me if AEP-PSO repairmen come out for a third time to replace the meter. It’s not like that hasn’t happened before. [...]