Solar power in Arizona seems like the right thing to
do. With the amount of sunshine
available most days of the year it only makes sense to have a solar array on
your roof. But, here in the Phoenix area
there is a war going on between those who sell and install the solar arrays and
the local power company. There are many
houses with solar panels installed on the roof but not as many as you might
expect given the incentives to do so.
Part of the problem here is the power company’s bottom line is suddenly
taking a hit as more people opt for solar power and the power company is
required to purchase any excess power from the solar arrays. Since most of the installers of solar power
are not affiliated with the power company the company has proposed increases in
the cost to connect to the grid as well as paying less for the excess power and
higher rate charges to solar users.
There are other issues but it comes down to a state with lots of sunshine,
customers who want solar independence, and a power company whose bottom line is
and will continue to shrink if they don’t do something to recover their lost
revenue. There is a lawsuit pending and
it will be interesting to see the outcome.
Nearly every government group offers incentives to conserve. Add up the cost including the new rate
charges from the power company less the incentives and it doesn’t seem to be
such a good idea. Many are now waiting
for the outcome of the lawsuit.
It gets extremely hot in the desert unless it decides to be
very cool. We have been here in the KOA Park
in Picahco for several days and the temperatures in the area are reaching
record numbers. Our expectations for
this region at this time of year were mid to high 70’s with some eighty-degree
days. Instead we are getting upper eighty-degree
weather with this week forecast to be in the lower nineties. We have already hit that ninety number a
couple of times. The RV air conditioning
unit is not made to perform under these types of conditions. It will eventually cool down the rig a few
degrees but nothing seems to cut through the desert heat.
We have a few things that help during the day. We close up the trailer and put reflective
foil over all the windows and in the vents whenever we are gone. If we are home we just shade those windows
hit by the sun and leave the vents and other windows open. It actually cools better if there is a slight
breeze and the temperature is in the nineties than it does if we are in the
eighties and closed up. Most of the time
we are gone during the day. We then have
the air-conditioned comfort of the truck or whatever place we happen to be
visiting. Unfortunately we must return
to the trailer and find a nice, hot box waiting for us. We put down the awning, but often the winds
dictate whether or not you can leave it down and with the exception of using
the microwave to cook we choose to cook outside over our little propane grille.
We have discussed what we would have done differently were
we to purchase the trailer after this experience. I am sure we will encounter more heat along
with humidity as we head to the northeast this summer. One of the things that I have often laughed
about is a trailer with outside kitchenettes.
I will laugh no more and can obviously see the need for keeping anything
hot out of the main trailer during these warm days. Right now, I am considering having a
Fantastic Fan installed in the kitchen vent.
Today the weather forecast for the valley is ninety-six
degrees and it is off to an early start.
Mia has a seminar she will be attending this morning and I suspect we
will spend the remainder of the day just hanging out. We are thinking about spending some time in
Phoenix tomorrow.
I originally didn’t want a slide in the trailer we
purchased. Having spent eighteen days in
our trailer has led us to the conclusion that we should have opted for a slide
even if we purchased the same size trailer.
That extra twenty-four to thirty-six inches of space would come in very
handy. It would make a huge difference
if our dinette slides out just the short twenty-four inches. Space is always at a premium but when one of
us is cooking the other one can’t be moving back and forth in the small aisle between
the stove and the table. Plus, we like
to exercise each morning before we leave and floor exercise would be much
easier. I just didn’t like the reviews
of so many folks who had issues with slides.
Hope all is well and thanks for visiting.
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