Ripper Hollow

I’ve been wanting to be more green at home. I’ve already looked at solar, which would make me at least 50% independant from PG&E, but is way over my budget and wouldn’t pay for itself fast enough.

I’ve changed all of my light bulbs to CFL’s. That’s great on energy savings, but it definitely isn’t near enough. I’ve considered going with LED lighting, but I think it’s a bit more expensive than the CFL’s. I’ll have to look more into that.

I need to start replacing my appliances with energy saving ones. Appliances such as my refridgerator, dish washer, washer and dryer. I’d also like to replace my water heater with a tanless water heater. I’d also like to replace the hvac system with a multiple zone system. But that’ll have to wait until after I have the room addition over the garage, which probably won’t be for another 5-10 years.

Being a computer geek, I have several computers. In my office, I have my main computer running Ubuntu Linux (also my file server), and my media machine that runs Windows 7 Ultimate. I rarely turn these computers off. I’m going to start turning off the media computer when not in use. I also have a 24″ iMac in my bedroom.

As for outside the house, I’d like to get a rain barrel connected to a gutter downspout and water my trees and plants using rainwater. That way I use less water from the water company and it’s environmentally friendly.

I’m already being green when it comes to mowing the lawns. I have a battery powered lawn mower that I charge once month. My next yard project is to install sprinklers.

What are you doing to be green and reduce energy usage?

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It’s February 2, 2010.  Wow, the last 3 years have flown right by for me.  I’ve been neglecting my 26 gallon aquarium the last few weeks.  I need to do some major maintenance on it this week.  My goal for this month is to keep up on my aquarium maintenance.  The top is overgrown with Duckweed, and my Cabomba furcata is also growing wild.  I need to do a big trim.  Hopefully, by the end of the week, I’ll post a video on YouTube of my maintenance routine.  Stay tuned!  =)

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Happy New Year!  It’s time to write down my resolutions for 2010.  There are so many things I need and want to do.  This will probably be a rehash of my 1 Year Plan series (here and here) that I wrote a while back.  Here they are, in no particular order:

1.  Sky Diving – I plan on going sky diving for the first time this upcoming year.  Probably in mid Spring, so it’s not too cold or too warm.

2.  Passport – I’m not sure when I’ll be crossing any borders, but to do that, I need to have a passport.  I have the application all filled out, but I haven’t made an appointment at the post office to file it and get my photo taken.

3.  Bonus Room – Finish designing a bonus room above my garage.  This includes a home theatre and a wet bar.

4.  Sprinkler System – Install sprinklers in the front and back yards, so the grass doesn’t die again.

5.  Fitness – Get into shape and loose 35 pounds.

6.  Aquaria – Set up my 20 gallon aquarium.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

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Since 2009 is coming to a close, I thought I’d reflect on what I achieved throughout the year.

1. I bought my first home in April of 2009. This is a big achievement for me. It’s a 3 bedroom, 1 den, 2 1/2 bath house.  I have a huge front yard on a corner lot.  The backyard isn’t so small either.  This was a foreclosed home, and it was on the market for a few months with no offers.  I think I was the only offer on the house.  The house didn’t need much work done to it.  I had to have the upstairs bathroom floor and tub replaced due to water damage, but that was it.  I still need to finish replacing the power receptacles in 2 bedrooms, the den, and the bathrooms.

I’m also working on plans to build an addition on top of the garage for a bonus room/home theatre.  That will probably include moving the upstairs bathroom, the furnace closet,  and possibly the stairs.  A friend of mine is going to work on a couple different plans for it.  I’m already saving up for the work.  I’m guessing it might cost upwards of $30-50k.  It seems like a lot of money, but it will definitely add value to the house.

2. On May 1st, I hit my 2 year mark at Chevron, becoming a Operator Trainee 3. I love working at the refinery, and am happy I landed such a great career. In May I’ll become a full Operator.  I started working at Chevron Richmond Refinery in May 2007.  The business unit I work at is RLOP (Richmond Lube Oil Plant).  We have 4 outside jobs, which includes 6 different plants.  I already have 3 outside jobs under my belt.

I’m not sure what my career goals at the refinery are yet, but I’ve got at least 30 years to go.  I’ve got plenty of time to think of that.

I’m also on the fire brigade at the refinery.  I only train a couple times a year, and I get to help out when there’s an emergency.  We don’t have many fires or spills anymore, which is a good thing.  I’m content with the training and the occasional helping hand to the department.

3. I’ve been working on my 26 gallon planted aquarium since about March or so. I started it with too few plants, so the tank didn’t really take off all that well.  I recently ordered a bunch of new plants, so the tank is now heavily planted.  I’m still battling a few different types of algae, but hope to rid myself of it soon.  Right now I have 7 neon tetras, 4 blue mystery snails, 3 Chinese algae eaters, and a bunch of plants.  I plan on getting 3 more neon tetras, 4 nerite snails, and 5 or 6 otocinclus.  I also use dry fertilizers for the plants.  I have a whole regiment for it.

After I set up my 20 gallon shrimp tank early next year, I’d love to get a 100 gallon tank.  I figure the more tanks I have, the happier I’ll be.

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I’ve been working on my 1 Year Plan (Part One, Part Two), 5 Year Plan, and 10 year plan lately. Although I’m not finished posting my 1 Year Plan, I wanted to start sharing my 5 Year Plan.

In no longer than 5 years, I want to purchase and install a backup generator for my house. In case I lose power for any reason, I want a backup generator so that I can keep doing what I do. I want to be able to keep the house cool or warm, and I want to be able to work on the computers. I want my fish tank to keep running without the filter stopping and the fish dying.

Setting goals for 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year plans are difficult. I’ve been thinking hard about what I want to accomplish in my life, and it’s no easy task (thinking hurts, you know).

Do you have experience with backup generators in your home? What kind have you used? Propane, natural gas, or diesel ran? What kind of maintenance did you have to do for it?

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