Nicholas Kinzie

...I started small with a solar cell phone charger. I would put that outside at work every day and charge my phone on it, but I felt like it just wasn't enough. My next project jumped up in scale: I wanted to make my home as close to net-zero as possible. I made some good choices with investments, one of them being Tesla. Over time, I’ve added solar photovoltaics and battery storage to my home.

I have since reduced most of my trash-producing activities by purchasing in bulk at the grocery store and using toothpaste tablets and reusable hygiene products that are just as sanitary or better than the throw-away versions. My garden is filled with purposefully chosen plants: everything I grow is either edible or used medicinally. I further reduce my impact by collecting rainwater that is used for the yard and garden.

...I actually underestimated how much power I would need from my solar panels, because as they were being installed, it occurred to me new things that I could do to reduce my environmental impact, such as switching from a gas-powered water heater to an electric model. The electric water heater uses much more electricity than I had anticipated. If I were to do it all over again, I would overestimate a little bit more, because now that I have an electric vehicle, my solar energy production is just at exactly 100% of my use, and there is no wiggle room.

The goal of my battery backup system is to achieve 1-2 days of autonomy while powering the whole home, including EV charging. I currently have three Tesla Powerwall and a fourth will be installed this year. The addition of the fourth Powerwall will make it so I can operate the water heater during a grid outage.

Water conservation is also a big deal in Southern Oregon, and I wanted to reduce my impact by collecting as much from the sky as possible. I installed a 2000-gallon water cistern under my front yard to provide water for my food, medicine, and herb garden. I also installed a Solatube in my child's bathroom, as I like to have plants that help filter the air inside to reduce the need for an electric air filtration system. My blinds are automated to either capture or reduce infrared heat produced by the sun warming my house. There are also automated sunshades on the outside of the house to keep the sun away or allow the sun in.

For space heating, I primarily use a wood stove; the stove burns clean and I can get 8 hours of heat from one load. I also use plug-in infrared space heaters and the gas furnace is used in the early morning hours. My home doesn’t require much heating since the temperatures in Ashland are mild. As soon as the current A/C unit dies, I will be replacing it with a heat pump.