CSE

Center for Sustainable Energy

1970s Fixer-upper Transforms into Sustainable Spotlight

In 2006, Patrick did not want to buy a fixer-upper, but his wife Sheila, an avid home designer, did. In addition to completing all of the stonework around the house, she played a large role in many of the home’s renovations including the installation of a solar water heating system to keep their pool warm well into the fall.

Solar electric came next. Patrick did a ton of research to educate himself about photovoltaic systems and discovered a new passion for solar and sustainable technologies. He uses two monitoring systems to track his production and consumption, including a BIDGELY monitoring package, which incorporates SDG&E Green Button Data to monitor home consumption and specific appliances. He can see how home energy use relates to solar production and its value in relation to SDG&E rates on a real-time basis.

“I was fanatical about watching the system production at first, which is probably pretty common with new solar owners, but now I’m happy with a daily summary screen shot,” Patrick said. “Green technologies make a lot of sense.”

 

Other Sustainability Measures

Renewable Energy

  • Solar water heating – 11 unglazed flat 
  • plate collectors (heat swimming pool)

Energy Efficiency

  • Noritz tankless water heater
  • LED lighting throughout the house
  • Double-paned glass on windows 
  • and French doors
  • Insulation in all walls
  • Energy-efficient pool pump

Alternative Transportation

  • Toyota Prius Plug-in
  • Tesla Model S