So I checked on my parcel information at the county web site to see if my exemption had been applied since I didn't get any response in the mail. I could see that a $5600 exemption had been applied but my property value had been increased. So the net result is a higher taxable value than last year. I wasn't expecting that.

I contacted the county office and the very nice lady explained that under Prop 13 they are allowed to raise property values by 2% each year which explained my increase. I guess no one has really cared for a few years since the property values were going up way more than that. She also explained that I could request (by asking on the phone) Prop 8 which means they will do a market valuation of the property. Whichever is less (Prop 13 or Prop 8) value is what will be used. However I'm too late as this years roll is already closed. So I'm down for 2008 and I should find out July'ish next year. Here's hoping there is a plummet in market value when they do the valuation and a sharp rise afterwards.

Proposition 8 Decline in Value Reassessment Program

Original post California Home Owners Property Tax Exemption

Everyone agrees solar is a good thing free electricity with no pollution. However of course the equipment is expensive (about $40,000 for a home) so even if the the tempting federal and state incentives half the cost of installation your still looking at 10 years to pay it off. Not many people can be sure they'll be in the same house for that long.

Citizenrē has a great solution with their REnU program. Instead of buying your own system Citizenrē will install one for a $500 deposit. Then you just buy the electricity the solar system generates, from Citizenrē, at the same rate you currently pay your electricity company. The rate you pay is fixed over your 1, 5 or 25 year contract. So that means in your first year you may not save anything but as the years go buy your rate stays the same as the electricity companies rate increases. Your saving is the difference between the two. Over that contract Citizenrē is responsible for all maintenance of the system. There is a lot more detail on their web site Citizenrē REnU.

However it is possible that all this is too good to be true. Jeff Wolfe certainly thinks so. I have to say that as soon as I see multi level marketing especially with large commissions I get worried. If people have to work that hard to sell something how good can it be?

I think procrastination is definitely an asset on this one. I'll be waiting to see how it pans out. I do hope it succeeds.

There's a battle going on out there. It's between the spa dealers, spa owners and Costco. You only have to go to a Spa forum like www.poolspaforum.com to see this battle being waged. Any posts that mention Costco Spas or in particular the Costco Platinum Elite I, II or II which are manufactured by Hydro Spa quickly turn into a holy war. The problem seams to be that Costco is undermining what appears to be an almost 100% markup by the spa dealers. The reaction to this from many spa dealers is attacking the Costco product.

A $4,000 Spa can't be anything close to a $8,000 one... right?
This would seam to be a logical because you don't get anything for free. However it seams like the Spa industry is very much like the PC industry. Most of the components are standard and produced by a very small selection of manufacturers. So Spa's are very modular and a Spa manufacturer just selects from a catalog of components and assembles those to make up their particular spa. Kind of sounds like a bike.

So what does this mean?
My Costco Spa which was around $4,000 has the same features and is made from the same components as many other spas costing double or more from a spa dealer. The jets and plumbing manifolds are from Waterway Plastics. The same for the audio speakers. The pumps are Aqua-Flo and so on. So how can my spa be that different from the others?

It can't all be good.
Of course there are benefits to buying from a dealer. You can go to their showroom and actually try out the Spa's. They will often include delivery and installation (sub-contracted out). You will get help with service and parts later on if you have problems (also sub-contracted out). But don't expect to be able to price compare. Your unlikely to find 2 dealers locally selling the same spa.

The question you have to ask yourself is what is this worth? Are these benefits worth the 100% markup?

I spent $200 for delivery (same guy used by most of the local dealers) and $800 for an electrician to install the electrical supply which is 125 ft from the main electrical panel (most likely more than the standard included by a dealer).

P.S.
I also learned the correct use of the various words people use for Spas.

• Jacuzzi/Whirlpool - Brand names but generally used to refer to indoor bathroom jetted tubs.
• Hot Tub - Essentially just a big tub of hot water with no jets.
• Spa - Outdoors above or below ground with jets etc (what I'm talking about here).

So I still haven't bought one but my brother bought 2 of the Airscape 1.7 Whole House Fans. He is the proud owner of a 3,400 sq ft home and a $700/month (summer) electricity bill.

Installation
After a quote for $800 for installation of one of the fans he decided he liked the idea of installing it himself. So he placed an order for the 2 fans on a Friday and received them on the Monday. I went over to give him a hand after work and by the end of that evening we had one of them installed. It took us no more than 4 hours. We like to think of ourselves as being handy but we certainly are not professionals. The installation was very straightforward. We did install it near the attic opening and an existing electrical outlet which eased the installation.

First Impressions
The fans are surprisingly compact but they certainly seam to do the job. His house was down to 72 degrees in no time. Anyone sitting near an open window complained of being cold. The fan is also very quiet and you may wonder if it is on. Certainly nothing like the ratter tat tat and rumble of other Whole House Fans. No one had problems sleeping. Stand underneath it and the draft created will let you know its on.

Does it save money?
It's early days right now. Stay tuned for another update...

Original post New generation of Whole House Fans

If you live in a warm area where the temperature drops at night you know this is a good idea as it will save you a bunch of money. But they're noisy, expensive to buy and expensive to install... right? At least that was my excuse for not having one. Well maybe not anymore. There is a new generation of whole house fan out there that look as if they fix those problems.

Noise
They've done away with the big noisy single belt driven fans and instead they use multiple smaller fans that they say are much quieter. Apparently not much more than the average refrigerator.

"In a real world setting, with the AirScape 1.7 on low speed, some effort is required just to hear it. Sound level is rated at two sones — just above a modern refrigerator (three and a half sones on high). So the unit is QUIET."

Installation Cost
Since they don't use 1 big fan the unit is now small enough to be installed between standard joists which makes mounting the unit much simpler. It also comes with a standard electrical plug so that it can be plugged into the nearest outlet. This adds up to being within the skills of the average handyman. So I DIY install saves a lot of money.

Airscape Installation

Installation Video

Fan Prices

• The AirScape 1.0 for spaces up to 1,500 sq ft is $479.00.
• The AirScape 1.7 for spaces up to 2,500 sq ft is $769.

Each one as an optional hand held remote for $69.

I'm not sure these fans are much cheaper but at least buying them direct online means there is no dealer or installer adding on a mark up. I find it hard to believe that the $1,000 + more I was quoted for was all installation.

Why don't I have one still?

Good question and I don't have a good answer. I'd better get my finger out and buy one. Stay tuned for an update when I do.

AirScape Whole House Fans

I received a letter the other day from a company telling me I'm missing out on the California Home Owners Property Tax Exemption. For a fairly small fee they we're offering to process the exemption for me. I looked into it and found that it was not bogus.

"EXEMPTIONS HOMEOWNERS: A property owner may claim a Homeowner's exemption in California on a residence that is both owned and occupied at 12:01 a.m. on January 1; or files within 30 days of a change in ownership or new construction for which a supplemental assessment is levied. The exemption reduces your assessed value by $7,000 and reduces the tax bill by at least $70. It is the homeowner's responsibility to apply for the exemption. To receive the full exemption, you must file with the Assessor's office between January 1 and February 15, or within 30 days of a Notice of Supplemental Assessment. (A late filing is accepted from February 16 to December 10 for 80 percent of the exemption). Your exemption automatically continues each year as long as you continue to own and occupy the property as your primary residence. It is also the homeowner's responsibility to terminate the exemption when no longer eligible. Please contact the El Dorado County Assessor's office for the Homeowner's Exemption form at 530-621-5719."

El Dorado County Assessor's Office

Fair enough I thought, they brought it to my attention and if I haven't found this in the 2 years I've been a CA homeowner I probably never would have. One problem though... they need the SSN's of the homeowners. Screw that, I'm not sending my SSN to some random company. So I called Assessor's Office myself and asked them to send me the form. A very simple form arrived in the mail within days and I posted it back within weeks. I'll update when I hear back.

So if your a California Home Owner contact your county assessor's office and get your exemption sorted. If not maybe your state has something similar.

When you spend a bunch of money on something like a new TV you go to the store and test them out right? And you know what to look for? Well maybe not the latter but if you go to the store armed with a test disc you stand a much better chance of making an informed decision.

When You Can't Trust Your Eyes, Trust A Test Disc

I'm originally from Europe where higher energy costs and space restrictions have long since persuaded people to move over to tankless water heaters and even heating. I have often looked into doing the same thing since I moved to the USA. It still seams to be a relatively new idea here although there are many products available. But I guess that is unsurprising since energy is much cheaper and most people have a basement or garage to install those large hot water tanks. However as energy prices are rising even in the USA and with the increasing focus on protecting the environment I think they are sure to become more popular.

What are the benefits?

• A traditional water heater stores hot water in a large tank (40 gallons +). That water is kept hot 24x7 whether you need it or not. That wastes a lot of energy however well the tank is insulated. A tankless water heater heats the water on-demand so there is no energy wasted heating water that you are not using.
• When you take away the tank you greatly reduce the size of the water heater leaving you with more precious space to store those things you just can't live without.

What are the options?

• Natural Gas - If you have Natural Gas in your home this is the best option.
• Electric - If like me you don't have Natural Gas in your home all is not lost as there are also many Electric Tankless Water Heaters available.

How Much will it cost?

• Natural Gas - $800 - $1000 + installation should cover most homes.
• Electric - $500 - $800 + installation should cover most homes.

How Much could you actually save?
Tankless Water Heaters should save 10-20% in energy costs. How about looking at some real figures created by the people selling them?

"The United States Department of Energy has calculated that a family of four will use 64.3 gallons of hot water per day, not including dish washing or clothes washing. The chart below provides an approximate monthly operating cost comparison between a 40 gallon hot water tank and the TANKLESS™ Whole House Electric Hot Water Heating System."

paragraph and chart from here

That's quite a saving. If you take the middle example of 60 gallons the new Electric Water Heater should pay for itself in 2 years.

So why don't I have one yet?

If my current Water Heater goes up in smoke then this will be a no brainer. However I'm not sure I can bring myself to throw away a Water Heater that probably still has many years left in it.