Weekly update!

What an eventful week! Sad to say that there are still some horses and livestock missing (probably dead) and we have been busily patching up others that were hurt last weekend. Unfortunately for us, the heavy rains have taken its toll on our progress. The electricians have pretty much finished until we board up the walls and the front and back stair cases have been 80% built. I just have to finish the handrails and today I dug some holes for the feature posts. We are waiting on the plumbers before we can fully line the walls, but given the weather, that might be a while. This weekend was spent pretty much 'playing' in the mud. We dug trenches right around the house and have lined it with shade cloth, installed hte ag-line and have started covering them up with blue metal. The rain alows us to see the water flow, but the thick mud and being doubled over under the verandah makes for back breaking work! It didn't help that I got the tractor bogged too! I hope I can dig it out tomorrow...

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been busy sourcing lighting, researching tiles, choosing flooring, bathroom and laundry fittings etc. We are using downlights throughout the house. The downlights are all on GU10 240V fittings. This means they can take new energy saving down lights which draw only about 11W and are nearly as bright as the halogen bulbs. Unlike all the 12Volt systems they don't need a transformer either. Transformers use up 10~15W on top of the energy for the light bulb (usually 50W halogen). A 12V system can take the new low energy 12Volt LED lights, unfortunately they just aren't bright enough compared to the CFL (compact fluorescent) or the halogen. We are however going to use a few 3W LED GU10 downlights (callled LUXEON) as well. These aren't that bright, but at only 3W energy consumption (plus no transformer) they are a must!

On the energy front, we have had a few develpments. It looks like its going to cost~$25000 for us to get connected to the grid! So we said bugger it. We are going to go full solar on a stand alone system.... ie batteries, no grid connection etc. Normally, a system to cater for a family would cost around $58000. The current NSW government rebate is only $8000, so we were a bit hesitant at first... but wait! There's more...

From July 1 this year, there will be a new rebate scheme in NSW that was previously only available in WA and other very remote areas. Under the new funding, IF it is going to cost $30000 (or there abouts) to get connected to the grid, the government will subsidise 50% of the costs of installing a stand alone solar system so that you don't have to get connected. The only down side is that we wouldn't be allowed to connect to the grid for at least 5 years if we want to keep the rebate.... but after the last weekends events and power outages.. and the predicted future power problems as the population and demand on the grid increases, we don't think we'll be plugging-in in a hurry!

So the bad news is that we'll still be spending close to $30000 for power, but the GREAT news is that it will be all solar and wind (plus back up generator.. just in case) and we'll never pay another cent to energy australia. The only down side for us is that the new scheme is not in place yet and it may be August before we get set up..... please send us all your used/unwanted candle wax for us to recycle!

cya