Power Outage
I figured, how better to spend a power outage then playing on my laptop. After all, it is battery operated and telling me it has a 4.5 hour charge. Great idea, I think. Until I realize that my internet connection is connected to my cable tv, which is powered by the very electricity that is MIA. Oops! So much for that idea.
What I did do is move up when I planned to go to the grocery store by about 50 minutes. I had planned to go after watching In Plain Sight, and drying my hair since I had just gotten out of the shower, but with no power by which to watch tv, it made waiting seem a bit pointless. But now that I have been to Wegmans, and have replenished my supply of Zyrtec, which dwindled to nothing, what am I to do in the dark? Even Nanook, who can see in the dark when she wants to, is a bit perplexed.
Do you know what everyone in Syracuse does when the power goes out at night? Apparently they get in their cars and drive around. You would think the fact that the power outage happened at about 10:10 p.m. would deter such behavior, but apparently not. There was an unusual amount of traffic when I went to the grocery store a little while ago. In my own defense, I had to go to the grocery store anyway. It was either go then or after 11 p.m.
The rest of my Sunday evening chores are bit impossible at the moment. Laundry requires electricity, not only to run the machines, but I also need to see in order to sort my clothes. I still need to take out the trash, but I cannot see at the moment in order to pick up the bits and pieces around the house that need to go out as well, plus there is the fact that I do not really want to open the fridge any more than I must at the moment. But I suppose I can always collect the trash by flashlight, if I must. I still needed to do something for my mom for Mother’s Day. In my defense, I feel asleep earlier today, and woke up only a short time before the power went out. I had almost decided what to get her – at which time I would have also sent an e-card – but now I cannot even connect with the internet. I suppose now I have a good excuse as it slowly creeps up on 11:30 p.m. here.
But now what do I do?!? I really do not feel like doing any of the work that I brought home. I suppose I could watch the last DVD I have, provided I can find it in the dark. I still need to watch Pineapple Express. I should be able to watch it on my laptop. Maybe if I do that, it will entertain Nanook to some extent as well, as she seems to be acting a bit oddly. Or maybe this is just what she does at night after I have gone to bed.
I think I am going to try the DVD. And I really wish National Grid would get off its butt and fix the power!! After all, I have certainly paid them enough money in the last several months to warrant prompt service!!! Hmm, maybe this is punishment for installing energy efficient equipment in place of my gas and electricity chugging old equipment. . . .
Well, the power is back on now. It was off for about two hours. I also figured out why it went off: I reset the time on the oven clock this afternoon. Every time I set the time on the oven or microwave, the power goes out within 24 hours. It never fails. I guess that is why I the time is usually wrong.
Mission Accomplished!
I was finally able to cross my HVAC projects off of my 2009 to do list and house improvements list yesterday. It took two days to install the new furnace, air conditioner, and tankless water heater. The first two were mostly done Thursday, leaving the water heater for yesterday. They had to re-route one of my pipes in order to accommodate the enormous exhaust vent, and there is water everywhere in my basement at the moment due to a few problems they had getting the valve open – let’s just say he had to break my old water heater in order to drain it – but it is finally done after months of waiting.
The new furnace is about two-thirds the size of the previous one. I guess they were not lying when they told me it was grossly oversized for my house. And it is so quiet! I had to run the furnace yesterday since my house was a bit chilly by the time they finished, and it was cold last night. Hopefully by the time I am able to switch off the heat for good in a week or two the “new furnace” smell will have burned off.
I have yet to run the air conditioner as it has been a bit cool. Looking at the forecast, I do not see a need for it for at least the next week, although I could have used it last weekend when it was in the upper 80s. I have missed central air! I have not had it since I left D.C. in 1995 to move to Syracuse. I suppose it is nice to live somewhere where you can get by with window air conditioners, fans, and open windows, but I miss having a cool house. Maybe if I was native to this area, I would not miss it so much. I now plan to sell my two window air conditioners for a small sum.
The tankless water heater is much smaller than I anticipated. It is about the size of a suitcase. They managed to put it on the wall over my washing machine. It delivers hot water almost immediately, which is nice since I was afraid I was going to have to start waiting. My old water heater did not have a wait before the hot water started coming out of the spout, especially in the shower on the second floor. The new one appears to deliver hot water almost as quickly. Now that is what I call “on demand”!
I programmed the thermostat this morning. It was set by someone who (a) went to work before I even get up in the morning, (b) goes to bed much, much, much earlier than me [10pm?!?], and (c) likes the house colder [in the winter] and hotter [in the summer] than me. I took care of that. The summer temperatures will need some tweaking, especially the nighttime temperature since I cannot sleep in a hot house. Hopefully, I will be able to keep the house a couple of degrees warmer in the winter and still have cheaper utility bills than my first two winters in this house.
I have had a number of people, when they are through being jealous at the concept of endless hot water, comment upon the price of the tankless water heater, suggesting that it is not worth the additional expense. From where I stand, I will recoup the extra cost within a year or so. The tankless cost $2,200 to install. I will receive a $500 rebate from National Grid and a third of my $1,500 tax credit is $500, leaving a balance of $1,200. I needed to replace my water heater anyway, and wanted something larger than 40 gallons. I was probably going to get something between 60 and 75 gallons, which would have cost around $900 to install [I was quoted a 40 gallon for $675 by one contractor]. The cost savings for not having to heat a standing tank of water all day long is about $300 a year, and would have been more for a larger tank. Thus, I will recoup the difference in cost in about a year, and the overall cost in about four years. So to all the naysayers, I will be enjoying nice long, hot showers, without that almost daily rush at the end to get the conditioner out of my hair before the water becomes completely frigid because I lingered too long.
In short, I do not have any regrets about this project, depsite the cost. Yes, it is expensive, but it will also save me money on a month to month basis, which is where I feel it the most. It will also make my house much more comfortable, especially in the summer. I know that it does not get that hot around here, but after my time on the High Plains of Texas, I can no longer handle the humidity in the summer. Now I just need to work on some insulation issues in the attic this summer that will hopefully resolve the huge icicle issues I have in the winter.
