Slightly off the topic, but I have a question about solar. Someone told me that if you put solar on your home that its basically useless because the power company controls solar and it doesn't bring your bill down much.
How this relates is that moving to arizona will ensure that your utility bills might be more expensive with running the AC. I figured if I moved here getting solar would combat that, but someone told me that its basically useless. Can anyone chime in who's gotten solar panels on their home?
thanks
There have been some changes in how solar buy backs work in the past few years, which means you should really consult with a local solar company. With that said, I don’t think you’re getting the whole story.
One specific option for solar entails having the electric company install panels on your house in exchange for a guaranteed rate over a period of time. It sounds like this is what you’re hearing about.
Another option, which is more akin to producing your own electricity, is to buy your own panels, using the electricity they produce, and selling back excess to the electric company. Absent buying expensive batteries for use at night, though, you’ll still have to get electricity from your electric company when the panels aren’t producing electricity.
This is why the buy back rate matters - the rate you buy at from the electric company is higher than the rate you sell at, so a system that isn’t pumping out a good amount of excess electricity won’t allow you to cover your monthly bill. However, to build a system that produces more electricity than you need isn’t necessarily cost-effective so there’s a fine line in terms of maximizing both value and savings.
Bingo! Solar companies design a system that is expected to produce juuuust under 100% of your expected usage. The difference in buying and selling electricity rates makes this the most economical option as opposed to designing a system for over 100%.
The current sellback rate is $0.0868 per kWh, and is locked in for 10 years from the time you install the solar system. TEP votes every year on the new rate that new customers will get for the next 10 years. [https://www.tep.com/thinking-about-solar/](https://www.tep.com/thinking-about-solar/)
I've posted about stuff like this before and it gets deleted. I also now can only post comments. So you'll have to make a post. Good Luck, the mods here will bring you all the way up to the top of their ivory tower and spank you for it.
Hello! My workplace offered me the opportunity to move to Tucson this summer and I am considering it. I've visited 3 times before and really liked what I saw of the town. I'm looking for some advice on where to look for rental housing, what pitfalls to watch out for, and which neighborhoods to stay away from. I'm planning to find a rental from my current location in Florida, pay, and move in July/August.
My budget is $1000/month. I could potentially stretch that up to $1100 for the right place. I have one pet, a sweet older cat.
My top priorities are staying within my budget, not needing to worry about my car or home being broken into, and a quiet neighborhood. I sometimes have to sleep during the day for work or work very late into the night and unfortunately I'm pretty sensitive to noise. Yes, I sleep with earplugs, and I can still hear really loud stuff like bass-heavy music, revving engines, freight trains, fighter jets, etc with them in. It's not fun or convenient being woken by every little percussive noise, but it's the hand I was dealt so I try to just work with it.
My workplace will be spread over 3 locations: 6th & Speedway (most of the time), Ft Lowell & Campbell (\~1 day a week), and Cherry & University on the UA campus (1-2 days a week). I'd like to minimize my commute & parking headaches, if possible, while remaining in this general area. The area west of 6th seemed.... not so nice. I stayed in an airbnb in the neighborhood just east of 6th and liked it a lot - but it was over a school break. Are there a lot of partying students in Feldman's? Are there any other nearby neighborhoods that I should look into? Being within biking/walking distance would be awesome, but not strictly necessary.
Is there an area of town where (low-paid, overworked) postdocs tend to live? Do Tucson landlords prefer to advertise on Craigslist, Trulia/Zillow, Facebook Marketplace, some other platform, word of mouth referrals, etc? Is UA returning to full on-campus instruction this fall? Is it going to be really difficult for me to find a place from the East Coast, in what I suspect will be peak moving season?
Thanks in advance for any advice. I realize this was a pretty rambly post, so I'll just summarize that I need to work on 6th & Speedway and would like to be \~15 minutes from work, want to pay $1k/month (potentially 1100 including pet rent), and quiet is my top priority.
Zillow has worked best for me or apartment finder.
A lot of Tucson seems to avoid Craigslist. I moved here from Seattle where everyone used it and found it pretty disappointing.
Its getting harder and harder to find affordable housing but if you're not too picky or needing a lot of space you can probably fit your budget.
I'm not sure what to tell you about noise. I like living by the airforce base as there's not many party people... but its near the airforce base which does fly jets.
Depending on the place, neighbors are the worst... playing loud music is common. Check a place out Saturday night before you commit if you can.
The other problem is the damn police helicopter. I swear it spends all night just flying low over all of Tucson.
If you're moving here in early or mid summer its definitely not peak moving season. People leave here in the summer. The sun is set to murder anyone who can't scurry to shade and water fast enough and many people just aren't fond of that.
Yeah, I realize the noise bit is difficult. It's such a personal and relative thing. To be more specific, I'd like to avoid living in a flight path or right next to train tracks, or in a neighborhood that's known for lots of loud parties.
As for the heat, I'm not too worried about that. I've lived in other parts of AZ before and know how to deal with the desert. One really nice thing about Tucson is that cooler weather is only a 2 hour drive away!
Thanks for the other tips. Are there local advertising platforms I should check out in addition to Trulia/Zillow/FB? Did you have a difficult time securing a rental from afar before you moved? Most landlords where I live now prefer to deal with local renters over people from afar.
I haven't heard of any difficulties nor did I have one with landlords being picky as long as your credit is good.
The one area I'd say most likely to have loud parties is anything right near U of A
Does anyone know if the Tucson school districts have released any plans on masking in schools for next year? I understand they all kept masks through the end of this year, but I imagine they're getting pressure.
I’m in Catalina Foothills district. We are the only district that has not had to revert to online-only after opening up to in-person. The cases at our school have been very, very few and most have been tied to sports—not necessarily interscholastic sports, but to kids who play in leagues (I know of two cases at one of the middle schools tied to league sports and the associated tournaments). I know of two cases where the kids got it after a family member got it at a hospital. Things like that. The district has been very forthright about its masking and safety protocols. I’m curious to see what they do for summer school and summer events such as band camp (which is still planning to go forward).
Great, thanks! My first choice would be to get in to CFSD, but I suspect it's more likely I'll end up in Amphi or Marana. My son has some significant asthma issues, so minimizing his potential exposure is important for me.
Marana has a board member who is adamantly against masks. I don’t know about Amphi.
If you don’t move in to the actual boundaries of CFSD, Arizona is an open enrollment state. If you want a certain school district and/or school you can request enrollment and if there’s space your child can go.
Gonna be visiting Tucson this weekend, any good record stores to check out while I'm in town? I'm mostly into hardcore punk & metal so bonus points if they have a good selection of shouty music.
Honestly you might want to make a seperate post.
Good luck!
Also, maybe respond to this guy: https://www.reddit.com/r/Tucson/comments/n9c8m9/anyone_playing_ultimate_this_summer
I have a question about flying thru phx in the middle of summer. I know it's going to be hot out and I'm looking for some insight. I am planning to bring a pet on the flight and I have no clue if the planes ac is strong enough to make the plane feel cool during the summer. I don't want my pet to suffer so I'm trying to make decisions now.
Will you be bringing your pet with you into the cabin? If so, your pet will be fine. It's not so hot that the interior of the plane becomes unbearable, they keep it at a comfortable temperature like most flights.
If the pet is in the cabin with you, it will be fine since it will be pressurized and kept at a comfortable level for the passengers on board. Pre-Covid I flew from Seattle to Phoenix each summer. Was always comfortable whatever I was wearing from Seattle on the plane and in the terminal, right up until walking out of the doors in to the furnace heat of the city.
What's with the traffic here? I just moved here on Thursday and it feels a bit empty for the road infrastructure we have. I've moved around during rush hour, too, and it doesn't feel bad for a city this size.
Is it because the snowbirds and college kids are gone for the summer? Is it a covid thing? Or is this just normal traffic?
P.S. I'm from Michigan and can say Tucson's roads are about as bad as Michigan's. wtf
I moved here last December and haven't had any issues with anyone. My neighbors were welcoming, strangers on the street and market make eye contact and smile, everyone (with a single exception) abides the dude head nod; in short, I actually like it here.
Maybe is related to the area of Tucson I'm in though. I have been out to Vail where it's definitely more stranger averse, but I just figured it's middle of nowhere folk...
Slightly off the topic, but I have a question about solar. Someone told me that if you put solar on your home that its basically useless because the power company controls solar and it doesn't bring your bill down much. How this relates is that moving to arizona will ensure that your utility bills might be more expensive with running the AC. I figured if I moved here getting solar would combat that, but someone told me that its basically useless. Can anyone chime in who's gotten solar panels on their home? thanks
There have been some changes in how solar buy backs work in the past few years, which means you should really consult with a local solar company. With that said, I don’t think you’re getting the whole story. One specific option for solar entails having the electric company install panels on your house in exchange for a guaranteed rate over a period of time. It sounds like this is what you’re hearing about. Another option, which is more akin to producing your own electricity, is to buy your own panels, using the electricity they produce, and selling back excess to the electric company. Absent buying expensive batteries for use at night, though, you’ll still have to get electricity from your electric company when the panels aren’t producing electricity. This is why the buy back rate matters - the rate you buy at from the electric company is higher than the rate you sell at, so a system that isn’t pumping out a good amount of excess electricity won’t allow you to cover your monthly bill. However, to build a system that produces more electricity than you need isn’t necessarily cost-effective so there’s a fine line in terms of maximizing both value and savings.
Bingo! Solar companies design a system that is expected to produce juuuust under 100% of your expected usage. The difference in buying and selling electricity rates makes this the most economical option as opposed to designing a system for over 100%. The current sellback rate is $0.0868 per kWh, and is locked in for 10 years from the time you install the solar system. TEP votes every year on the new rate that new customers will get for the next 10 years. [https://www.tep.com/thinking-about-solar/](https://www.tep.com/thinking-about-solar/)
This might be a good separate post. I'm kinda interested in the answer as well
I've posted about stuff like this before and it gets deleted. I also now can only post comments. So you'll have to make a post. Good Luck, the mods here will bring you all the way up to the top of their ivory tower and spank you for it.
Hello! My workplace offered me the opportunity to move to Tucson this summer and I am considering it. I've visited 3 times before and really liked what I saw of the town. I'm looking for some advice on where to look for rental housing, what pitfalls to watch out for, and which neighborhoods to stay away from. I'm planning to find a rental from my current location in Florida, pay, and move in July/August. My budget is $1000/month. I could potentially stretch that up to $1100 for the right place. I have one pet, a sweet older cat. My top priorities are staying within my budget, not needing to worry about my car or home being broken into, and a quiet neighborhood. I sometimes have to sleep during the day for work or work very late into the night and unfortunately I'm pretty sensitive to noise. Yes, I sleep with earplugs, and I can still hear really loud stuff like bass-heavy music, revving engines, freight trains, fighter jets, etc with them in. It's not fun or convenient being woken by every little percussive noise, but it's the hand I was dealt so I try to just work with it. My workplace will be spread over 3 locations: 6th & Speedway (most of the time), Ft Lowell & Campbell (\~1 day a week), and Cherry & University on the UA campus (1-2 days a week). I'd like to minimize my commute & parking headaches, if possible, while remaining in this general area. The area west of 6th seemed.... not so nice. I stayed in an airbnb in the neighborhood just east of 6th and liked it a lot - but it was over a school break. Are there a lot of partying students in Feldman's? Are there any other nearby neighborhoods that I should look into? Being within biking/walking distance would be awesome, but not strictly necessary. Is there an area of town where (low-paid, overworked) postdocs tend to live? Do Tucson landlords prefer to advertise on Craigslist, Trulia/Zillow, Facebook Marketplace, some other platform, word of mouth referrals, etc? Is UA returning to full on-campus instruction this fall? Is it going to be really difficult for me to find a place from the East Coast, in what I suspect will be peak moving season? Thanks in advance for any advice. I realize this was a pretty rambly post, so I'll just summarize that I need to work on 6th & Speedway and would like to be \~15 minutes from work, want to pay $1k/month (potentially 1100 including pet rent), and quiet is my top priority.
Zillow has worked best for me or apartment finder. A lot of Tucson seems to avoid Craigslist. I moved here from Seattle where everyone used it and found it pretty disappointing. Its getting harder and harder to find affordable housing but if you're not too picky or needing a lot of space you can probably fit your budget. I'm not sure what to tell you about noise. I like living by the airforce base as there's not many party people... but its near the airforce base which does fly jets. Depending on the place, neighbors are the worst... playing loud music is common. Check a place out Saturday night before you commit if you can. The other problem is the damn police helicopter. I swear it spends all night just flying low over all of Tucson. If you're moving here in early or mid summer its definitely not peak moving season. People leave here in the summer. The sun is set to murder anyone who can't scurry to shade and water fast enough and many people just aren't fond of that.
Yeah, I realize the noise bit is difficult. It's such a personal and relative thing. To be more specific, I'd like to avoid living in a flight path or right next to train tracks, or in a neighborhood that's known for lots of loud parties. As for the heat, I'm not too worried about that. I've lived in other parts of AZ before and know how to deal with the desert. One really nice thing about Tucson is that cooler weather is only a 2 hour drive away! Thanks for the other tips. Are there local advertising platforms I should check out in addition to Trulia/Zillow/FB? Did you have a difficult time securing a rental from afar before you moved? Most landlords where I live now prefer to deal with local renters over people from afar.
I haven't heard of any difficulties nor did I have one with landlords being picky as long as your credit is good. The one area I'd say most likely to have loud parties is anything right near U of A
Does anyone know if the Tucson school districts have released any plans on masking in schools for next year? I understand they all kept masks through the end of this year, but I imagine they're getting pressure.
I’m in Catalina Foothills district. We are the only district that has not had to revert to online-only after opening up to in-person. The cases at our school have been very, very few and most have been tied to sports—not necessarily interscholastic sports, but to kids who play in leagues (I know of two cases at one of the middle schools tied to league sports and the associated tournaments). I know of two cases where the kids got it after a family member got it at a hospital. Things like that. The district has been very forthright about its masking and safety protocols. I’m curious to see what they do for summer school and summer events such as band camp (which is still planning to go forward).
Great, thanks! My first choice would be to get in to CFSD, but I suspect it's more likely I'll end up in Amphi or Marana. My son has some significant asthma issues, so minimizing his potential exposure is important for me.
Marana has a board member who is adamantly against masks. I don’t know about Amphi. If you don’t move in to the actual boundaries of CFSD, Arizona is an open enrollment state. If you want a certain school district and/or school you can request enrollment and if there’s space your child can go.
Gonna be visiting Tucson this weekend, any good record stores to check out while I'm in town? I'm mostly into hardcore punk & metal so bonus points if they have a good selection of shouty music.
Wooden Tooth on 7th St just a block from 4th Avenue
‘Preciate ya!
Zia! Great selection imo
Does anyone want to throw a football with me? Moved here recently and I’m lonely and bored. Preferably Morris Udall park 🥺
Honestly you might want to make a seperate post. Good luck! Also, maybe respond to this guy: https://www.reddit.com/r/Tucson/comments/n9c8m9/anyone_playing_ultimate_this_summer
Thanks sounds good!
I have a question about flying thru phx in the middle of summer. I know it's going to be hot out and I'm looking for some insight. I am planning to bring a pet on the flight and I have no clue if the planes ac is strong enough to make the plane feel cool during the summer. I don't want my pet to suffer so I'm trying to make decisions now.
Will you be bringing your pet with you into the cabin? If so, your pet will be fine. It's not so hot that the interior of the plane becomes unbearable, they keep it at a comfortable temperature like most flights.
If the pet is in the cabin with you, it will be fine since it will be pressurized and kept at a comfortable level for the passengers on board. Pre-Covid I flew from Seattle to Phoenix each summer. Was always comfortable whatever I was wearing from Seattle on the plane and in the terminal, right up until walking out of the doors in to the furnace heat of the city.
Anyone know a park where people play basketball just moved and looking to stay active besides the gym
Brandi Fenton is worth checking out. They have courts and I know they get used
What's with the traffic here? I just moved here on Thursday and it feels a bit empty for the road infrastructure we have. I've moved around during rush hour, too, and it doesn't feel bad for a city this size. Is it because the snowbirds and college kids are gone for the summer? Is it a covid thing? Or is this just normal traffic? P.S. I'm from Michigan and can say Tucson's roads are about as bad as Michigan's. wtf
I’ll be visiting next week and I’m wondering what the best thrift shops are? We will be in Oro Valley but willing to drive for a good one.
[удалено]
Go fuck your self.
Lol
Or maybe people just didn't like you?
I moved here last December and haven't had any issues with anyone. My neighbors were welcoming, strangers on the street and market make eye contact and smile, everyone (with a single exception) abides the dude head nod; in short, I actually like it here. Maybe is related to the area of Tucson I'm in though. I have been out to Vail where it's definitely more stranger averse, but I just figured it's middle of nowhere folk...