Light Causes Heat

A study of interest to the LMM:

Incandescent Affect: Turning On The Hot Emotional System With Bright Light 

Alison Jing Xu & Aparna Labroo 
Journal of Consumer Psychology, forthcoming 

Abstract: We propose turning on the light can turn on the hot emotional system. Across six studies we show that ambient brightness makes people feel warmer, which increases intensity of affective response, including sensation seeking from spicy-hot foods, perception of aggression and sexiness (“hotness”) in others, and generating more extreme affective reactions toward positive and negative words and drinks. We suggest these effects arise because light underlies perception of heat, and perception of heat can trigger the hot emotional system. Thus, turning down the light, effortless and unassuming as it may seem, can reduce emotionality in everyday decisions, most of which take place under bright light.

Annals of perplexing decisions: Ikea Edition

People, Swedish mega-retailer Ikea is going to start selling solar panel in their stores.......

but only in the UK.

CRIKEY!

Thats kind of like opening a ski shop in Oklahoma, innit?

All the government subsidies in the world won't help you if the sun never lights up the damn panels.

Maybe from the viewpoint of Sweden, England is a sunny tropical paradise?

Hey Mungo: Here's another reason to hate solar!

Firefighters complain that solar panels on the roof make it more dangerous for them to do their jobs:

Interestingly, the article does not give a single example of a firefighter being injured from a solar panel.

Sunday Sport, or Bunching Mungo's Boxers

Fun article on how rooftop solar panels are the new granite countertops.

Look. Insulation is fundamental. It's still a LOT cheaper than solar. Three inches of insulation underneath the slab is a very cost-effective way to save on energy bills (if you live in a place with cold winters). Having an airtight building envelope is also an extremely cost effective way to save on energy.

But as the article points out, a 3KW rooftop system is less than $15K installed, and the article forgot to mention you get a 30% Federal Tax Credit as well.

So roll the cost into your mortgage, get the tax credit up front, and enjoy much lower utility bills.

You are "cash flow positive month one".

Mrs. Angus and I are doing exactly this in Santa Fe. Because our house will super-insulated, air-tight, and fairly small, we are only doing a 2KW system (we will have a separate thermal solar hot water system as well). We get a 10% state tax credit to go with the 30% Federal. We will be getting like $7 / square foot of tradeable state tax credits from the Build Green New Mexico program. We also dispense with the nastiest part of residential solar, the batteries and storage, by having our system be grid-tied. That is, we sell our power to the utility company, and they sell power back to us at a lower rate.