On the northwest face of the studio, a series of adjustable/retractable sun fins have been added to shade 3 large windows from the summer afternoon sun. The vertical fins consist of 1-5/8" thick x 16" wide frameless multi-wall polycarbonate panels. They rotate and slide to the side. The system hangs on a standard garage door sliding track and is operated by an inexpensive remote control Sears garage door opener. The fins have had a big impact in reducing heat gain and the need for cooling while preventing direct sunlight hitting computer screens. Plus, the light quality through the translucent polycarbonate is beautiful.

KEA Goes Solar
and more...


Completed 2004 at the 25th Street Studio

A new 10kw photovoltaic solar system has been installed that consists of 40 Amorphous Silicon panels laid 8" above the roof, totalling 1,800sf. Amorphous Silicon panels were selected over the more common Crystalline panels because of their ability to generate power on foggy and rainy days. Also, these panels are not as direction-sensitive as the Crystalline panels so laying them at existing roof slopes does not reduce performance.

It's estimated they will produce about half of our current power needs. However, our future power use will likely reduce as the panels shade about 3/4 of the roof, reducing our summer cooling load. We'll monitor the system and provide an evaluation after 1 years' use to verify performance - but already the meter is spinning backwards!

Installation was provided by Uni-Solar, www.uni-solar.com with a 20-year warranty on the power modules (contact Robert Bower 805-517-1603). Total installation cost was $80,000 with half of that paid directly to the installers by the electric company (Southern California Edison). We estimate the system will pay for itself in 13 years.
   
   
  Also newly installed is a Dual Flush Australian Caroma Caravelle model toilet. These toilets have been mandatory in Australia for decades. But it's not just the water savings that's important, it's also that less volume of waste water is transported through City sewers and treatment plants. A light flush is .8 gallon and a full flush is 1.6 gallon. After 1 month of use, we have experienced no problems with the flush action at all. It may not seem like such great savings, but given the fact that there is no sacrifice in performance and the cost is comparable to other toilets, it seems the right thing to do. See details at: www.terrylove.com/wc/caroma