Re: [Phys-l] Insulation catch 22, was lots of things

[Robert Yeend <ryeend@sbcglobal.net>]

I used to have a rental place, and it seems to me a reasonable  
approach would be for the owner to discuss this with the tenants,  
then make the improvements, paid for by a rent increase (offset by  
the tenants' lower heating /  A/C bills) and the tax benefit already  
offered for capital improvements. This isn't a huge tax benefit, as  
it has to be depreciated over the life of the improvement, but it's  
non negligible.

Bob Yeend

Justin-Siena High School
4026 Maher Street
Napa, CA 94558
Ph: 707-255-0950 ext. 527



On Apr 15, 2009, at 8:21 AM, Joseph Bellina wrote:

> Not a bad idea, except most home heating is with fossil fuels not
> electricity so there would be little impact on the need for power
> plants.
>
> It is a very tough but important issue, and the solution is economic
> and political not technical so we should be able to negotiate some
> way to do it.
>
> joe
>
> Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. Ph.D.
> Professor of Physics
> Saint Mary's College
> Notre Dame, IN 46556
>
> On Apr 15, 2009, at 10:38 AM, Rick Tarara wrote:
>
> > Another ploy though is to have the power companies subsidize the
> > upgrades.
> > The idea is that reduced demand will keep the power company from
> > having to
> > build a new, expensive power plant.  So, even though they sell less
> > energy
> > (they can always jack up the price, especially BECAUSE of their
> > philanthropic insulation program) it is to their advantage in the  
> > end.
> > That might work in some areas and would have worked a few years
> > ago, but it
> > would seem that the Power companies have discovered WIND.  The
> > advantage of
> > wind is that they can add capacity in small increments at small
> > capital
> > costs.  The total load covered by wind is still small enough that the
> > companies can handle 'calm days' by maxing out their coal/nuclear
> > or by
> > drawing from the grid.  This is ultimately a way to higher profits
> > (I think)
> > than giving away insulation.  Down the road, when the U.S. reaches  
> > its
> > stated (semi-short term) goal of 20% of electricity from wind, the
> > calm day
> > may well produce some local brownouts.  If and when wind might take
> > over a
> > larger percentage and of the whole energy demand, that grid better
> > be damn
> > smart!  Well at least IBM is working on that.  ;-)
>
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