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from Jours de J.
quelle importance si nous file entre les doigts une vie sans couleur ni saveur
non, ces jours inodores je ne les retiens pas je les ai déjà oubliés d'ailleurs
qu'ils rejoignent la transparence sans profondeur de l'eau endormie
photo © @leti.00
from Jours de J.
l’ombre agile descend les degrés suivant les marches
lumière de travers seul garde-corps de nos trébuchantes vies
photo © @WildAtHeart
Eux, et nous
from 
Turbulences
Il y a, quelque part, Ce « nous ».
De quoi est-il constitué ?
D’un socle de croyance ? D’une culture héritée ? D’un lieu de naissance ? Peu importe en fait.
Il n’est pas très exigeant, Ce « nous ».
Ce « nous », Qu’on appelle aussi « identité », Peut être fait d’un peu de ça, Ou de tout à la fois.
Mais peu importe en vérité, Prenons-le tel qu’il est.
Et puis il y a « eux ».
« Eux », partagent aussi, Entre eux, Quelque chose qui les uni. Quelque chose qui les défini.
Une histoire héritée, Un leader éclairé… Bref, si vous m’avez suivi, Une autre identité.
Sur le papier, Les choses semblent simple : Eux avec eux, nous avec nous, Et les vaches sont bien gardées.
Mais rien n’est jamais simple. Et nous avons changé. Eux aussi ont changé, Comment s’en étonner ?
Alors certains, chez nous, Comme d’autres, chez eux, Ont du mal à l’accepter.
Nostalgiques d’une simplicité, Qui n’a pourtant jamais existé, Ils refusent la complexité, Dont la vie est pourtant tissée.
Alors, pour se rassurer, Ils s’inventent une vérité. Un récit, sur lequel se hisser, Pour espérer encore dominer.
« C’est eux qui ont commencé ! Notre civilisation est menacée ! » « Nous devons nous protéger, Sinon nous serons submergés ! »
Fort bien. Ceci étant posé, Maintenant qu’est-ce qu’on fait ? Des murs, des barbelés ? Des fossés, pour nous protéger ?
La guerre c’est simple. Âmes sensibles, laissez faire, Ce n’est pas beau à voir, Alors regardez de ce côté…
Il y aurait bien un autre chemin, Une autre possibilité. Mais je n’ose en parler, Vous me prendriez pour un fou.
Un fou, Parce que, on ne sait jamais, Au bout, il y a peut-être la paix. On pourrait même finir par s’aimer.
Alors c’est sûr, vous avez raison, Elle est complètement folle cette idée…
What is the Potential Value of a Plug-In Solar System for My House?
from 
The Solar Ledger
Introduction
Evaluating the true potential of a plug-in solar system starts with understanding your actual household energy demand. To figure out whether a DIY plug-in solar setup makes sense for my home, I analyzed my electricity usage over a full 12-month period—from August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2026.
While utility billing cycles rarely align perfectly with calendar months, I used a linear regression cost model to overcome this. As discussed in my previous article on building an open data pipeline and cost impact model, this approach lets me calculate energy consumption and estimated costs for any custom date range with high accuracy.
Why Split Usage by 2?
A key technical detail when evaluating plug-in solar is how standard North American residential electrical panels work. Most homes receive 240V split-phase power divided into two separate 120V “legs” or lines. Because standard plug-in solar microinverters plug into a standard 120V wall outlet, they only feed power into one of those two legs.
To estimate how much electricity usage a single-leg solar setup can offset, I divide total household energy consumption by two. Assuming a clean 50/50 balance between Leg 1 and Leg 2 is an approximation, but it is the only practical approach available given that my utility only provides whole-home consumption in 30-minute blocks.
Estimating that each leg represents 50% of energy consumption holds up best during peak summer months, which account for the bulk of my annual grid import. My central air conditioner runs on a 240V circuit, drawing power equally across both legs simultaneously, and it represents roughly half of my summer electricity consumption. The remaining ~50% of summer consumption primarily consists of discrete 120V loads whose phase distribution is unmetered.
In the winter, when the AC is idle, almost all consumption shifts to those 120V circuits. Because I haven’t mapped individual branch circuits to their respective legs, I can't be as confident about how evenly balanced that winter usage really is, but without panel-level monitoring an even split remains the most sensible estimate.
Annual Usage Breakdown & Monthly Highlights
Here is the breakdown of my energy consumption across all 12 months, along with the estimated daily usage per leg:
| Month | Daily Energy Usage per Leg (kWh) | Total Energy Usage per Leg (kWh) | Cost per Leg | Effective Rate per kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August (2025) | 15.0 | 465.2 | $76.99 | $0.17 |
| September | 10.2 | 305.8 | $52.64 | $0.17 |
| October | 7.0 | 216.2 | $38.96 | $0.18 |
| November | 5.5 | 164.4 | $31.05 | $0.19 |
| December | 7.8 | 241.8 | $42.87 | $0.18 |
| January (2026) | 8.2 | 253.6 | $44.67 | $0.18 |
| February | 7.8 | 217.6 | $39.17 | $0.18 |
| March | 7.4 | 228.8 | $40.88 | $0.18 |
| April | 6.1 | 181.5 | $33.66 | $0.19 |
| May | 6.6 | 203.9 | $37.08 | $0.18 |
| June | 14.1 | 421.5 | $70.32 | $0.17 |
| July | 15.1 | 468.6 | $77.51 | $0.17 |
Looking at the monthly trends, November 2025 represented the lowest usage month of the year at 328.8 kWh total (an average of 5.5 kWh/day per leg). On the opposite end, July 2026 hit the highest usage peak at 937.2 kWh total (an average of 15.1 kWh/day per leg).
The total estimated cost for the single leg of energy over this 12-month period was $585.77. This figure represents the absolute maximum theoretical savings a plug-in solar system could have achieved under Dominion Energy Virginia's rate structure. Because a standard plug-in solar setup cannot generate enough electricity to fully offset this demand (even if oversized by 25%) this amount sets a firm ceiling on expected cost savings.
Seasonal Trends & HVAC Impact
Energy consumption changes significantly across the seasons due to heating and cooling demands:
- Shoulder Seasons (Fall & Spring): During spring and autumn, my heating and cooling systems stay off most of the time. Opening windows handles temperature control, leading to the lowest electrical demand of the year.
- Winter Heating Demand: Because my home uses natural gas for primary heating rather than an electric heat pump, winter electricity demand remains modest. However, daily usage still rises compared to shoulder seasons because the furnace fan requires electric power to circulate warm air.
- Summer Peak Demand: Air conditioning drives the largest electricity load by far, doubling or tripling daily usage compared to spring and fall months.
Note: I started charging my EV at my house in June. Charging raised my total electricity usage for June and July but the overall trends for the year remain consistent, I’ve now just raised my baseline electricity usage.
Conclusion & What's Next
By analyzing a full year of energy consumption, I established a clear understanding of the maximum impact a plug-in solar system can have. In the next post, I’ll demonstrate the grid-power offset potential of the previously modeled 1,200 W and 1,500 W systems at a more granular level and the expected payback periods.
Tags: #Solar #PlugIn #Balcony #Modeling