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KATHY kramer & MICHAEL may’S San Pablo Home

Bird-friendly Features: “Dark Skies at Night”-approved lights and CollideEscape screen on our picture window to stop bird / glass collisions. 

The CollideEscape screening we used on our large picture window is “Charcoal” https://www.collidescape.org/tinted

Double hung windows were installed as they have exterior screens, which prevents the glare and reflection that result in bird/glass collisions.

MCE (Marin Clean Energy) is our non-profit energy provider.  All electricity provided from clean, renewable sources through their Deep Green program & generous buyback program for excess energy generated from rooftop solar. 

Skylights with solar-powered shade: 26% federal tax credit on the both the purchase and installation.

Induction Stove: 30" GE, and a 5 year extended warranty. Plus $300 rebate from BayRen. Mike’s recommendations for research and comparison shopping: Wirecutter, Consumer Reports, and Home Depot and Amazon reviews

HVAC: Ducted mini-split heat pump installed by EcoPerformance Builders. The compressor is located outside of a bedroom, in the setback on the side of their house. The air handler is in the attic. The system is very quiet. We received a $1,000 rebate from BayRen for sealing up the house. The cost was about $23,000 to provide a brand-new heating and cooling system for our 1,500 sq. foot house.

Reflective Roof: Our light grey roof reflects the sun rays, instead of absorbing them. 

Foundation Materials: Our foundation was a special mix designed by Verdant Structural Engineers. The mix contained fly ash to offset the carbon footprint of the concrete. 

LED lighting is used throughout the house. 

Double-paned windows. 

California native plant garden with a pond and a dozen fruit trees on a 5,000 sq. ft. lot. The garden was designed by Michael Thilgen of Four Dimensions Landscape Company, and Kelly Marshall of Kelly Marshall Garden Design 

General Contractor for the major home remodel project was Sebastian Francese General Contractor

Architectural advice provided by Vol Carter, volcarter@gmail.com.  510-507-1379

Brondell 1000 bidets: The bidet saves trees, the water needed to produce the toilet paper, the chlorine used to bleach it, and the energy needed to produce, package and transport it. Scientific American article on bidets.

Rooftop Solar System: 8KW system installed by SunWork, a non-profit that specializes in installing solar panels on homes with low electricity bills. Sunwork estimates that it can install solar on small homes for 30% less than for-profit companies. We received a Federal tax rebate of 22% and bought our system for $13,650 (after the rebate)

First day online: Tuesday May 11, 2021 - e-mail Kathy at Kathy@KathyKramerConsulting.net and ask how much power our panels have generated since they were installed!

Panels
Number: 23
Brand: Q Cells
Model: Q.PEAK Duo-G6+ 350
Power: 350W nominal (standard test conditions, 25C cell temp & 1000W/m2 insolation)
260W at nominal module operating temp (43C) & 800W/m2 insolation
Efficiency: 20.1%
Cells per panel: 120 (2 sets of 60)
Degradation: max 0.54%/yr
At least 85% power in 25 years

Inverters and Other
Brand: Enphase
Inverters: IQ7+
Max AC output: 295W
so, max array output: 6785W

Communication gateway: IQ Envoy