Rich’s Oakland Home

RENEWABLE ENERGY & EFFICIENCY

• Attic Insulation and Ventilation: Atticare replaced my old, highly flammable cellulose insulation with fiberglass insulation (R38, 16”, unfaced). The company also installed plywood floors throughout the attic, which added roughly 800 square feet of usable storage space and facilitated air handler installation by Got Watts. Separately, Northern California Roofing installed a ventilation fan in my attic, which activates when my attic is 100 degrees or warmer. The fan makes it easier to maintain cooler temperatures in the living spaces beneath my attic. 

• Custom and Factory Windows: The front of my house has beautiful, custom windows that were crafted in 1915. I chose to replace the custom windows on the second story of my home (where my bedrooms are located) to improve their safety, fit (less smoke in the house), noise pollution, and energy efficiency. Angel Gomez manufactured and installed beautiful, like-for-like replacements with single pane, laminated glass (made of two or more plies of glass with a vinyl interlayer between). He also replaced all the generic windows in my house with dual-pane, low-E windows manufactured by Andersen. I am very happy with the final product.

• Solar and Battery Storage System: Got Watts installed a 5.44 kW photovoltaic system on my roof (16 solar panels covering 309 square feet) and a 20.16 kWh battery storage system on the side of my house (two Enphase Encharge 10 kWh batteries). As part of the solar upgrade, Got Watts also replaced my aging main service panel (200A) and installed a new essential loads sub panel (100A) on the side of my house.  My new solar panels produce over 35 kWh on long and sunny days, which is roughly my average daily energy consumption. Additionally, my new Enphase batteries have sufficient storage to keep my home off the grid from 5-8 PM, when PG&E’s time-of-use electricity rates are highest. In fact, on sunny spring or summer days I am 100% energy independent, which means I import no electricity from the grid.  My smart battery system is programmed to retain a minimum 30% charge – If my house loses power during a storm, my essential loads (like sump pump!) will still be powered by my battery. Enphase Enlighten app has tools that make it easy for me to monitor my daily energy generation and use. Each Enphase Encharge Backup Battery: 10 kWh of useable energy, 3.84 kW rated continuous output, 5.7 kW rated peak output; Each Solar Panel: 340 Watt Hanwha/Qcell QPeak Duo Blk-g2 340-AC. 

ELECTRIFICATION

• HVAC: Got Watts Electric replaced my existing, single zone natural gas HVAC system with a multi-zone, ducted, electric heat pump system. The two‑zone system is easy to control with in-wall smart thermostats and/or with Mitsubishi’s Kumo Cloud app. Air handlers have a cleanable electrostatic HEPA filter, which removes smoke and other contaminants from the air. Got Watts coordinated with BayREN.org to acquire a four‑figure home energy efficiency rebate for me! Heat Pump: Mitsubishi MXZ-8C60NA-U1, 19 SEER, 13 EER, 9.6 HSPF. Zone 1 Air Handler (located in our crawl space): Mitsubishi M Series model SVZ-KP36NA, high efficiency, high static, multi-position, 36k Btu, 1200 CFM max output. Zone 2 Air Handler (located in our attic): Mitsubishi SVZ-KP24NA, high efficiency, high static, multi‑position, 24k Btu, 800 CFM max output.  

• Washer and Dryer: I replaced my antiquated electric washing machine and natural gas dryer with electric, energy efficient units manufactured by LG.  They have a much smaller carbon footprint when washing clothes. I no longer worry about my gas dryer catching on fire and burning down my home. 

• Outdoor Heaters: A2Z Remodeling replaced the natural gas heater on my back deck with two electric heaters. The electric heaters are easy to operate and are much smaller and more aesthetic than my old gas heater. Electric Heaters: Electric Infrared Tungsten Patio Heater Commercial SunWave 3000W 220V with Remote Model MUS15222.

WATER CONSERVATION

• Sprinkler Controller: I have multi-zone, low-flow irrigation throughout my property. I recently replaced the two analog controllers that service my irrigation system with a single B-Hyve smart controller. The new controller is connected to the internet and adjusts irrigation levels in response to the weather. For example, the controller suspends irrigation when rain is forecast within the next 24 hours. Additionally, I can easily control my irrigation zones and watering times using the B-Hyve app.

• Irrigation Controller:  Orbit B-Hyve Programmable 6 Zone WiFi Sprinkler Timer.