Thank you again for coming out to the Yazzies and making the repairs. The young man from Flagstaff re-did the duct testing and found the broken ducts that we suspected were hidden in the attic. This and the extra insulation has made a 50% improvement in the heat getting into and staying in the house. 

Georgia sent me the latest electric bill. It reflects the great improvement. NTUA is still not crediting the solar production. 

Meter # 97019574 has a surplus from solar production of 2,283 kW (+)
Meter # 97019573 has a surplus from solar production of 842 kW (=)
4,125 kW total solar production

The consumption is the power being used at night. 

Meter # 97019574: 231 kWh.
Meter # 97019573: 243 kWh.

Subtracting the consumption there is still a credit of 3,651 kWh. 

In September of 2007, NTUA removed the original meters that had a credit on them. From my calculations there should have been 6,000 to 7,000 kWh of credit going into the winter in September. The production of the two solar PV systems since they were put into operation a year ago is 15,472 to date, a total of 4,543 hours of solar production from the inverter internal production meters.

The wind generator production has been an average of 100 kWh per month production. This makes a total of 16,472 kWh of power production. The credit from last fall and the credit now would have gone a long ways toward the electric bills from winter. 

What would be fair in my thinking would be for NTUA to give the Yazzies a 11,000 kWh credit now and offset the current bill then all summer they can accumulate a banked credit for next winter. 

I called NTUA in Chinle and I asked for a manager to try to get Georgia credit. I was told they would call me right back. No call!

Georgia said Cindy Yurth from The Navajo Times is a friend with their Alternative Energy and Energy Efficiency consultant. I called Cindy I had met her during the build and I asked her for her assistance. She is going to see if she can help get the net metering set up and get the man out to the house.

Georgia said she has received the replacement flooring but no-one has contacted her to install the floor. She is preparing for Gerrilyn’s and McKensie’s wedding. Can you update Georgia with a schedule?

Georgia shared with me the balance of the efficiency and house repairs that are to be done. Can a timetable be setup for this week before the wedding?

I have contacted the provider of the windmill, Sacred Power, and we are working on removing the windmill, selling it and installing one or two more solar trackers. We want to build up a large surplus of power over the summer for the winter. 

I spoke to Dave at Sacred Power. He said that the windmill was donated by Southwest Wind Power. It was a very cheap windmill and is only worth $2,000 to $3,000. There is a woodstove program at low cost from Navajo Housing. We will contact them and get donations for the project.

To accomplish this we have to minimize the summer cooling expense. The young lady that came out from the east did not understand that it gets up to 104 degrees F in the summer (see records and averages).

Pinon is high desert not just a cold Mesa in the winter. For three moths it is very hot and dry in the daytime. At night fortunately it is cool to cold. We need to have the attic vents that were covered over with insulation opened. That will allow Georgia to use our night ventilation, which is very economical, instead of the conventional air conditioning that requires 20 times the energy.

We don’t want ABC to have to pay any more bills.

I do not believe it is fair or reasonable to have to fix what your consultant and insulating people did after I begged them not to. I have been back to the home 6 times in a year to help the family at my expense. I have also paid the young Navajo contractor Danny over $2,500.00 to make repairs that were not my responsibility. I don’t know why she did not find the broken ductwork with her duct testing?

Fortunately the more experienced man from Flagstaff tested the ductwork and found the broken ducts and other problems she missed.

I had recommended that closeable shutters be installed at each of the vents, bimetallic vents can be used on the smaller roof vents that close fully on their own at 35˚F and open fully at 45˚F. On the larger vents the family will close them seasonally.

Georgia and the family are very motivated to keep their costs low. When the balance of work is done, please fix the damage that was done to the Night Ventilation System. Danny, the local carpenter will provide a bid for this work. He has been a big help identifying the problems with the house. 

I know your intentions are good but a seven-day build without intense commitment does not create a quality home that fits into our net zero energy model. I made a personal commitment to ABC, Homelife, and the Yazzie family and I will see it through. 

I know you were to be done with it. Can we work together to help Georgia have the house finished in time for one of the most important events in her and her daughter’s life?

Please put together a schedule and get it done. You build houses all the time in seven days. This is not that hard. Please help Georgia and Gerrilyn have their dream. Thanks!


Sincerely,

Mark E. Snyder

> Master Electrician 
> Alternative Energy Expert 
> Energy Systems Consultant 
> Energy Efficiency Expert 
> Fire Investigation Expert 
> Forensic Electrical Expert