A comparison of two great looking hybrids from Honda – new Insight and Civic hybrid with focus on price, driver’s comfort and general usability.
Well, it has been a couple of months now, since Honda made their new, and VERY affordable 2010 Insight hybrid available in the US market, and I already had a pleasure of test-driving it at my BOCH Honda dealership in Norwood, MA, and there is a lot of things I want to say about both of these cars, as a proud Civic hybrid owner. But first lets look at these gorgeous machines:
2010 Honda Insight, displayed at a car show.
Honda Civic hybrid on drive track:
The first thing that came to my mind, when I got an email from my dealer saying that Insights are now available and are in stock – what a fool I am, buying Civic hybrid LX for $24,000, six months before Insight is released (I did know about insight coming out in spring of ‘09, when I was buying my civic).
Secondly, I decided to go in and trade my civic for an insight and get a grand or two back (Wrong!!! I will explain this in details later). So I call my salesman to confirm availability and schedule a time to test-drive it. I watched all the videos about Insight on YouTube.com before I came in, had a generally good impression of the car, and a real hype to get it.
Here are my first impressions of Insight:
First of all, although it looks VERY similar to current (2009) and next model of Toyota Prius, while costs 4 grand less, it is considerably smaller than both Prius and Civic, and inside it feels more like Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris. My dealer had two models in stock, base model – LX – for $19800 (rounded up, including destination charge) and a more advanced one, but without Navigation. The second one – Insight EX was a Honda Demo car, and could not be sold for a month or two, and did not have a sticker on it, so I’m not exactly sure what the price was, but it was in about $21,300.
Test drive:
Being a hybrid owner, my main concern was the mileage, so I did not take it into sharp curves. It was also raining, and was not the best condition to get accurate results. In a 3 mile stretch of city roads and traffic lights, I got about 42 mpg, so just about what the sticker on the car says. I was driving in a “green mode” however, but because of lights, up-hill driving, and short distance, I could not really get a good mpg sample of this car. I do know that some testers get around 60 mpg on longer tests in “green zone”, and bear in mind that EPA rating of 40/43 city/hwy mileage was taken in normal mode, not green, so if you are hard-core hyper-mileage driver, you can expect some impressive results.
I will go back for a more extensive test-drive of the Insight, compare it to my experience of driving the Civic and post my findings later.
Why I got disappointed by the Insight – impressions of the car, as compared to my civic (base model), keeping in mind the price and what you get with the car.
First of all, let me come back to the cost of Insight, trade-in values of my Civic, and my disappointment. Like I said, I got my Civic for just under $24k and I also got a good deal (back in Oct. 2008) on the car and the trade. Because the Insight LX is priced at $19350 + destination charge, that completely screwed up the civic hybrid market, and to be able to actually sell “almost the same” car (from my lay-person’s perspective), Honda is having crazy rebates on civics plus a dealer cash-back (something you are not told by your salesman) so you can actually now get a brand-spanking-new Civic Hybrid for just around $20-21k. Because of these deals, dealers will only give you “high-teens” for an almost new ‘09 Civic. So if I was to sell or trad my civic, which to me is worth about 23 grand (what I paid for it, less wear/tear and miles that I put on it in 7 months), I would take a loss of about $5000. That’s why I, like many other Civic owners are stuck.
To get back to the comparison of this two cars, I firstly have to say, that you get a lot more of a car for almost the same money, if you go and buy a Civic hybrid today, vs the Insight, and here is why:
Base model of the insight is VERY basic. There is no cruise control, no radio controls on the steering wheel, no alloy rims – you get cast wheels with hub-caps. Insight is much smaller than civic, and civic is SMALL, compared to my previous car – ‘08 Accord. There is no USB plug for your music thumb-drive, only an auxiliary plug (USB is only available in the most expensive model of insight – EX with Navi, which costs $23,100).
Insight LX does not have a compartment between front seats, but only fold-down arm rests, just like Fit.
LX does not haveSteering-wheel mounted Paddle shifters to take control of CVT tranny, which makes your car feel more like a sports car, rather than a slow-rider.
Basically, the LX, which is positioned as Affordable Hybrid, lacks many conveniences that I’m so used to from driving a Civic LX, and for the added cost of EX, is it really worth it?
The good things about the Insight (LX):
Although I’m disappointed (both in Insight LX features and in what I paid for my Civic), Insight is a trully great machine. First of all, in Eco mode you can get about 60 mpg. Second, It is still a very affordable hybrid, and because gas prices WILL go back to their crazy levels of 2008, and probably higher, when economy recovers, people buying them now, will really appreciate it. Also consider that when gas prices do go up, demand for hybrids will sky-rocket again and dealers will charge premium over MSRP, just like they did in early ‘08 and when 2nd gen Prius came out.
If you don’t really need all the comfy things that LX is lacking, than Insight is really for you. It finally has a fully-usable trunk, unlike my Civic’s trunk which is TINY, and the rear seats do not fold in. Insight is very futuristic, and the Eco display teaches you how to drive conservatively, reducing your gas consumption and actually scoring your driving.
Conclusion:
Now that Honda positions its Civic Hybrid as a luxury hybrid, but still offers super deals (not officially), if I was buying a hybrid now, I would think long and hard whether to get a Civic or Insight. On one hand, Insight has a potential to get phenominal mileage (in Eco “green” mode) and is relitively inexpensive. On the other hand, mpg of my civic can be in 50+ range when I go from Boston to NYC, and in the summer I can easily get 45 mpg in mixed city/hwy driving, so as a hybrid, Insight is not much better.
As far as luxuries and convenience, Civic LX beats Insight LX hands down, and you need to go to EX to get even close in comfort. My estimate is that now you can get Civic EX with leather and navi for around $23-24k (with very long negotiations, eager-to-sell dealer and a lots of “walking outs”), so I would probably go for Civic. Later, when all these deals disappear, the choice will be clear – the Insight, and probably EX without navi (get a garmin for $200 – it works much better than Honda’s built-in GPS).
Although winter is finally over, it is still somewhat cold outside and we have to turn on the heat. Recently I’ve found a very interesting product which can be used by anyone to heat their home or apartment for free. Even if you rent, you can do it without getting the land lord involved. The only things you’ll need are the south-facing windows and a thermal mass solar window.
As you can see from the image above this windows measure 72 degrees F, while outside temperature that day was 22 degrees, with a 27 F high. (Historic weather data).
The 50 degree difference in temperature is the free heat that enter your home and stays. Here is how the Solar Thermal Mass windows work: In a nut shell, it as a 2 inches thick air and water-tight container filled with special liquid that collects and stores solar thermal energy. Special chemicals added tho the liquid prevent stain deposits on the inner walls if the unit. In the picture above, these units are used a building blocks, and cover almost a half of the south-facing wall.
In the winter, when the sun is low, these solar thermal mass windows collect solar heat since the sun hits them directly. In the summer, sun is much higher and with appropriate shading, these thermal mass windows keep home well insulated without collecting any heat. Additionally, a special low emittence and high solar gain, argon filled window unit is installed just outside the thermal windows, so they are not directly exposed to the outside temperature.
How to heat your existing how for free
The picture above was taken in a new construction house, but for most people the interesting question is how to use these thermal mass windows in the existing home or apartment?
My plan was simple: I have 6 large windows that face south and an unheated balcony which cannot be used in the winter because it is too cold there. In the heated living space, we have new double pane Low-E windows installed which are much more efficient than the original single-pane wood windows from the 50’s. I am going to build an enclosure in which I can stack 4-6 thermal mass solar window units, and have them up in the window during the winter months, and take them out in the summer.
This won’t be as efficient as the one in the new construction home above but it will certainly help reduce my heating bill and carbon footprint.
As for the balcony, I first need to replace all the single-pane glazing and then I can stack the thermal mass windows all along the bottom if the windows. I’ll build special shelves to make the process of putting them up for the winter and removing them in the summer, easy.
As a rule of thumb, average house in US will need about 5 kW solar system, to become self-sufficient, and independent of grid electricity. As another rule of thumb, average Solar PV system installed in the US is about 2.5 – 3 kW, and still have to buy about half of their electricity from local utility company.
Before you start shopping for Solar PV system, you will need to do some homework, and it is also in your best interest to do the preparations which will reduce your energy use, and as a result you will need a smaller Photovoltaic System.
On average, every dollar you spend on reducing resources consumption, will provide 2 dollar in savings. Things you can and should do to reduce your energy consumption (even if you do not plan to have a solar system installed):
Get small florescent light bulbs – you should have done it long time ago as these have been available for years. Benefits include reduction in electricity use by 3 time. Service life of SFB is… well, i have a bunch of them that are 3 years old, and I have not had to replaced a single one of them yet. I bought mine for $0.50 each, 4 years ago, from Ann & Hope in Cumberland, RI, and some from Building #19. You should have some similar discount retailer near you.
Replace your inefficient appliances with new Energy Star certified ones Do your research on energy savings. I calculated that if I replace my old fridge with a $200 new Energy Star fridge, I will recoup it’s cost in 1 year, as it contributes probably half of my $40 monthly electric bill. You can go to a Sears Appliances Outlet and buy brand new stuff for almost 50% off in store prices.
Insulate your home! Over 80 percent of homes built before 1960’s, do not have any insulation. If you increase your insulation from a 3-r for a standard stick-construction walls with no insulation, to lets say 13-r by having a blown-in insulation installed, you will reduce your heating and cooling bill by 25 to 30 percent. Do the same to your windows. If you still have old, drafty single-pane windows, replace them with at least an Energy Star certified double-pane with Low-E film. Best option is to have a Triple Glazed, 2x Low-E, 2x Argon or Krypton gas premium window, that can go to almost 10-r value. Insulate your doors with weather-stripping. A lot of cold air enters the house through the doors, especially, if there is no second door. If you make your home super-insulated, your heating/cooling bill can be reduced to almost 10% of its original amount. That is a 10 times reduction, for which you pay only once, and it will save you money for years to come!
Install Low-Flow shower heads and 1 gallon per flush toilet. Whether you are a landlord or a homeowner, your water bill has probably sky-rocketed in the last couple of years. Mine definitely have gone up 30% in last 3 years.
Have a Cool Roof installed
While most heat loss in the winter, occurs through the windows, in the summer, most of the heat gain occurs through your roof. Most homes in the US have an asphalt shingles roof, which is not only bad for the environment, but also contributes 90% of solar heat gain. Even light-colored asphalt shingle attract solar radiation, transfer it into the attic and also act as thermal mass, by storing most of the heat gained during the day, and keeping you attic steaming hot at night, making the AC work around the clock.
Whether you do or do not plan to have a Solar PV system installed (be it on the roof of your house or ground-mounted array), your firs concern must be to reduce your energy use. This is especially true if you actually plan to have a solar electric system installed. A cool roof can reduce you Cooling cost by 25% or more and can help you trim your solar PV system requirements by as much as 1 kW. At $10 to 12 per watt of solar PV system, you are looking to save $10,000 to 12,000 before any incentives or tax credits.
Choices of Cool Roofing for Residential and Commercial use
A good example of a cool roof would be a Metal Roof coated with Kynar 500 Cool-Roof certified reflective coating. You have a variety of architectural styles and choices of metal available to you. From Standing Seam metal roofing to Aluminum shingles, to Steel Slate or Tile impression to Heavy Cedar shake, Spanish Tile, etc. As for material, your two basic choices are Steel and Aluminum, with Zinc and Copper being on the exotic side, as well as the more expensive options. If you look to integrate Uni-Solar Thin Film laminates to Standing Seam metal roofing, you want to go with a steel panel, as aluminum’s expansion/contraction ration is more than that of Uni-Solar’s PV modules.
If you own a home or building with a a low pitch or a flat roof, the most economical and greenest choice for you is to use a IB CPA/PVC single-ply roofing membrane, which has a Cool roof acrylic coating, featuring over 90% solar reflectance. IB roof is also a long lasting roofing membrane that features hot-air welded seams. The welded seams create a permanent bond between two sheets on membrane, effectively eliminating a possibility of a roof leak.
Planning a Solar PV system
Solar electricity is probably the most expensive form of electricity, yet it is very popular due to some constrains associated with other forms of renewable energy. Wind power for example requires adequate amount of land and the turbine must be located above the trees and surrounding structures. This limits the use of wind turbines mostly to rural areas. Small hydro-electric systems requires as water stream or a river nearby your house or building, which also limits it’s use to certain situation. Solar on the other hand can be installed almost everywhere, as long as there is unshaded southern exposure and adequate installation area. Solar PV can be installed on the ground, on the roof of a house, barn/garage, sky-scraper or a warehouse. It can be installed in urban environment – grid-tied, as well as on a remote unpopulated island – off-grid.
With Solar you also have a variety of architectural styles, panel types and mounting methods available. Most popular (yet, least efficient) is to mount mono or poly-silicon solar panels right to the asphalt shingles roof, using mounting rails and brackets.
It’s been a while since last post but here we will have a ton of solar PV design information and photos. First and foremost, this will be a generic solar system design that assumes installation of Solar PV panels on an average home in New England. This guide is aimed for the home owner (or business owner) looking to have a solar systems installed on a roof of their house (office building/store/etc).
Just to let you know, it is highly recommended that you get a professional solar integrator to do it for you. There is just too many things you need to consider when designing a solar array installation, and unless you are experienced in the field of electricity and roofing, leave it to the pros. This guide will help you understand what goes on from step one (contacting a solar integrator) to final step – having a complete Solar PV array on your roof (or on the ground) and supplying you with “free” electricity. For a detailed overview of solar system costs and pay-off period, refer to Solar PV system design guide
Solar PV System – Basic design.
This is an essential step that determines the feasibility of having a solar system installed. For example, the solar system has to be positioned so that it faces south, and have as little shading as possible. If neither of these is true in your case, than solar system is not for you.
So, the site survey will be the first step, and a solar integrator you choose to work with will perform it. Site survey takes about 3 hours on site, and you can add driving time to it. Therefore it is safe to assume that site survey will cost you anywhere from $125-200 depending on a solar company you are working with.
If you are not serious about getting a solar PV system installed, and just want to know how much it’s going to cost you, this guide is for you. Don’t waste the solar integrator’s time with something you can do yourself.
Basic solar PV system info:
Average household in the US consumes 500-750 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity per month. To find ot how much you electricity you use, gather your last 12 electric bills and add up all the kWh you used. Devide this number by 12 and you’ll have you monthly average electricity use. Notice that in the summer you use more electricity than in the winter (unless you have electric heat, which is the MOST expensive source of heat, and we recommend you change it before installing a Solar PV system).
We will assume that your monthly average electricity usage is 500 kWh. We take the lower end of the spectrum as most homeowners begin to use LESS electricity once the solar system is installed. The install energy-efficient appliances and lighting, turn off lights when they don’t use them and so on. Basically all the things they’ve never done before. This also allows them to have a smaller capacity solar array installed as the demand goes down.
How many KW will you need?
So, if you use 500 kWh per month, than your annual electricity usage is about 6000 kWh. As a rule of thumb, 1 kW solar array will produce 1000-1200 kWh of electricity per year, when it is installed in an unshaded area. This number accounts for all the rainy/cloudy days and grid power fluctuations which may know out your inverter for a period of 5 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the quality of your electric lines and local transformer station.
Average residential solar installation is about 2.5-3 kW, and if your goal is to be 100% net-zero (to suplly 100 % of your electricity) you are looking at a system size of 5-6 kW.
Site Survey
Step 1 – Identify southern exposure and possible shading.This is an essential step that determines the feasibility of having a solar system installed. For example, the solar system has to be positioned so that it faces south, and have as little shading as possible. If neither of these is true in your case, than solar system is not for you.
So, the site survey will be the first step, and a solar integrator you choose to work with will perform it. Site survey takes about 3 hours on site, and you can add driving time to it. Therefore it is safe to assume that site survey will cost you anywhere from $125-200 depending on a solar company you are working with.
If you are not serious about getting a solar PV system installed, and just want to know how much it’s going to cost you, this guide is for you. Don’t waste the solar integrator’s time with something you can do yourself.
If you do not know where the south is, use a basic compas to identify if your roof has a southern exposure. On a sunny day look at your roof to see if nearby trees and/or buildings throw off a shade on your roof. Do this in the mornig, noon and around 3 or 4 pm. If there is no shade, you are in good shape. If there is a shade from a tree, you’ll have to cut it. If it is you neighbor’s home, talk to them about removing the top floor of their house, mentioning that a shade will reduce your electricity production. This is a joke of courese. If there is a shade from a nearby buildng, depending on how much of a shade it is and how many hours per day it is present, will determine if a solar electric system is feasible for you.
Why we believe that Metal Roof with Solar is the most practical, and sustainable option for residential Solar PV installations?
In the next two weeks we will have a complete guide to designing a beautiful, long-lasting Metal Roofs with integrated Solar PV technology. Watch this video and read on:
The main problem associated with general Solar PV systems that you can now see on many homes around the country, is the fact that an asphalt shingles roof will fail much sooner than the Solar panels, and when that happens, those home owners will be faced not only with re-roofing expense, but also with complete removal of solar array and re-installation. This MUST be performed by both the roofer and the solar integrator, as the roofer alone will 99% of the time screw things up. And bear in mind that roofing warranty will usually not cover demages to the solar equipment, let alone all the possible short-circuit type situations.
The additional cost associated with these procedures should be at-least the same as the cost of the new roof itself. Think about it: Electricians unlike roofers have to be licensed. Apprentice electrician needs at-least 4 years of schooling/work experience. This is like an undergraduate degree. Master electrician needs another 4 years. Therefore, electricians usually charge $75-100 per man-hour. You’ll need at least two electricians for this job, which will take a whole day to remove the panels and another day to put them back, if not more.
The math is simple: 2 guys * $75/h * 8 hrs. * 2 days = $2400 plus any possible parts and supplies that may be required. So let’s say it costs you $2500 extra. In some parts of the country that is how much an average 1200 sq. ft. cape house roof will cost today with the material.
Metal Roofs vs. Asphalt shingles
Unlike very “popular” asphalt shingles, metal roofs are pretty much permanent. They are for the most part, produced from recycled metals, and when installed by a trained professional, should not leak for decades. Read more about residential and commercial metal roofing .
Metal roofs combined with Renewable Energy technologies can create a perfect combination of light, long-lasting and affordable solution for Solar Electric and Solar Hot Water, as demonstrated in the image to the below:
There are other numerous benefits to having metal roof combined with Solar PV and other renewable energy technologies. When looking at metal roof vs. asphalt shingles, also consider that metal roof will save our land fills from getting more shingles dumped there in 10 years or so. Combined with beautiful looks, you get a permanent roofing solution, various solar technologies, and when paired up with geo-thermal system, you can easily design a 100% energy-free home, with a great curb-appeal.
Check back in a couple of weeks for a complete Solar Metal Roofing Guide.
Finally I got a chance to learn Solar Systems installation and design with lots of hands-on and theory!
This is the first of the series of reports to be posted this fall. Reports will include new technologies and methods of solar installation, as well as other renewable energy topics.
For the first time in 2 years there is a Solar Training program running at the Community College of RI (CCRI). Their previous instructor moved to Maine, and there were no people willing and able to teach the class. There is now over 400 people on the waiting list, so I guess I’m on of the 15 lucky ones.
After reading through 100s of Renewable Energy websites and grasping all the theoretical aspects of Solar Photovoltaic systems, I had to finally get my hands wet. Unfortunately, except for one solar distributor out of MA, offering overpriced 1 and 2 day “Solar Training” programs, I could not find any college or tech school offering any courses in Renewables and Solar.
It all started over a year ago. Back in the summer of 2007 a course brochure from CCRI listed a Solar Training Program being offered in the Spring of ‘08, but no detailed info was provided. Only a contact phone number, of a person running a “Lifelong learning program”, an equivalent of a continued ed. program offered by most colleges for “working professionals”.
After making over 20 calls to CCRI and speaking to more than 30 people, most of whom never heard about this class, I finally got my name on a waiting list, that was aimed at electricians who want to install Solar PV systems. Myself being a roofer, I was not their target audience in the first place.
As spring of ‘08 rolled on, there was still no instructor. By late may, after a few voice mails I finally received a call that the Instructor was finally found and the class was scheduled to run in the fall ‘08. On one rainy June day, when I could not “roof”, I got in my car and drove to CCRI’s Lincoln Campus, only to find out that person in charge of the program was at the Warwick campus, so I had to drive through half the state to talk to them and secure myself a seat in the class.
As i got to Warwick campus, the person I was looking for, left for the day (at 1 pm) so I had to run between 5 differnt offices to find someone else who new anything about the class. After talking to a few people I had them put my name on another list of people who interested in the class. However, nothing was certain at that moment as the registration for fall simester had not yet begun.
Finally in July I got a letter with a Course Brochure and registration form, which I filled out and mailed back the same day. A week later my Credit Card was charged for this course, and now I am on my way to becoming a “Solar Installer and Designer”. Unfortunatelly I cannot actually install any Solar Systems, since I’m not a Licensed electrician. But i can certainly design one and have the electrician do his part.
Things learned in todays class:
Besides the regular Solar System Design diagram that includes Solar Panels, wiring, the Inverter, disconnects, meters, breakers panels, etc., I actually learned that in New England an average angle at which a fixed solar system should be installed is 42 degrees. Optimal for the summer is 25 degrees and for winter it is 55 degrees.
Also, whenever designing a roof-mounted solar array, a structural survey must be done to account for wind and snow loads.
Fortunately for us, we install roof-integrated thin film solar systems, so all these aspects do not really concern us, as there is no additional weight added to the roof, and since PV panels are part of the roofing systems, wind uplift is taken care of during roof installation.
Other valuable lessons:
Whenever a solar system is installed, a “power survay” should be done to reduce any power loads an install energy-efficient appliances and equipment to reduce electrical power consumption. Double benefit right there.
Things to discuss in next posts: Insulation and Energy Efficiency of your home.
I know it’s May 1st, and you are thinking about beach, sun-tan and barbecues, but now is the prefect time to start thinking about the next winter season, which is not that far away, and by the time it come, it is in your best interest to be ready. Especially if your home is not yet fuel efficient.
Why $5 heating oil? Well, look at the diesel price today. Here in Massachusetts (which has some of the lowest fuels prices across the United States, and is second only to NJ, which has no gas-tax and thus has nation’s lowest gas price) the price of diesel in most places is above $4.45 per gallon and given that gas jumped 35 cents in last two weeks it is safe to assume the $4-plus gas and above $5 diesel/heating oil by the fall / winter time.
Thank you Mr. Bush. Oh, and it is such a pity that Exxon-Mobil missed their earning expectation and made only $10.89 BILLION in net profits, instead of $11.65 billion projected by analysts.
Any way, enough sarcasm, we need to make our home use less energy. First thing you can and should do, is replace those old, drafty windows.
Despite the fact that this is Green & Solar site, I’m going to recommend Vinyl windows. That is right, not the wood-green-built but vinyl. Why? It is simple. Remember the Practical Approach thing? The the carbon-footprint of vinyl windows is less than that of wooden windows if you include the heat loss accumulating over time, and the vinyl window are cheaper and more fuel efficient – therefore they are Practical!
Here I’ll discuss a specific type of vinyl windows – Alside UltraMaxx line, that comes with triple glazing, double low-e and two argon packets. Combined together, UltraMaxx gives you 6.67-r value. Bear in mind that standard and well-built double-glaze, low-e argon window has an R-value of less than 4.
Why Alside UltraMaxx? Well, this is not a commercial paid for by Alside. I just love those windows, and had personally installed many of them. They are very-well built, and have the most durable and sturdy frame of all othee Alside lines.
You may ask why not Anderson or Harvey or Pella windows? Well, non of those actually make a tripple glaze windows, so my choice is Alside.
Bloomberg radio in NY area (1130 AM) announced today that oil is trading at $119.40 a barrel. It is all great, except for one thing – the cost of oil production for “Big Oil” companies like Exxon-Mobil, Shell and Chevron did not change much in the last few years. So all of this ridiculous rise in oil price is purely speculative, and
Here I’ll discuss a specific type of vinyl windows – Alside UltraMaxx line, that comes with triple glazing, double low-e and two argon packets. Combined together, UltraMaxx gives you 6.67-r value. Bear in mind that standard and well-built double-glaze, low-e argon window has an R-value of less than 4.