the cost you can have a tax credit of 30%. let's talk about real numbers. what am i paying now and what am i going to be paying in the future? if i can make money today on my monthly payment and go green, why not? solar kind of reverses the effect. it's like tax brackets. the return on investment typically is higher if you got a big bill. there is also another thing about time of use rates. i want to go over it very briefly. it does have some effect and you will hear it about on your bid. the time of use rate is a way that you tilts are trying to help -- utilities are trying to manage their peak demand. you charge people more during peak periods. you make it up to them by charging the low market rate off peak. this is off peak and you'll be charged a very low rate for it. at shoulder peak you'll be charged more. at on peak, you'll be charged the most, another shoulder,

another off peak. so what happens is that your production looks like this on the hours of the day. you're going to produce more obviously during the suspect with peaking around noon. when you overlay the curve, they kind of look like this. so solar lines up very well with peak usage. remember when you're overproducing and selling during the day and buying at night, you can use this differential so you're selling high and buying low. that differential can actually use to your advantage depending on your lifestyle. ok, your paybacks ranges from eight to 18 years if you have to look at it that way from people who typically buy. the return anywhere from 5 to 15% or 18% or more on those big systems. so it's not a bad return for a very, very low risk investment. let's say you have 7% on p.v., you're going green. if you got that from your stocks, your principal would be going into risk. so anyway, stocks can go down

as we well know. this is very solid. monthly cash flow, let's talk about that. if you were to finance this by a home secured loan like i did on my home equity line of credit, that interest on that loan is tax deductible. if you do that and assuming that we have the same historical rate of escalation, you can start going cash flow positive from the first day. in other words your payback can be immediate, now. making money. are there any hidden costs? the inverter typically is has a 10-year warranty that will last about 15 years we're estimating and they're getting better all the time. the solar people will build that replacement cost into your financial analysis and maintenance. the only maintenance that i ever do on my panels is a keep them clean when the pollen starts going. i don't live in a dusty area and i don't have birds nesting above the panels. i discourage that for obvious

reasons. if they're tilted, you're going to be fine. on a real test, the maximum loss is around 7% even if they didn't wash them. most of the solar homes bought in the last five years and they're just starting to turn over. we're getting hard data on what this does to appraisal values. there has been some study that supports sort of the idea that, yeah, if two homes, all things being equal and the p.v. system looks decent, that if a home has $150 electric bill and this has a $10 a month, that going to be more valuable and have $140 available for mortgage payments, so you can pay more. we'll see if the figures will hold up. we need hard data to support that. it's very likely. there is also another thing about home ownership, california passed a solar rights act which is basically a law that basically supports solar, but it's very supportive law for h.o.a.'s and homeowners

association and other condo things that can't privilege allowsly oppose solar. it's hard to oppose on a don't like the look of it, obviously you want to get along with the neighbors, but the law is on your side. now you're thinking maybe i want to continue to do this. first off do the energy audit stuff and find an installer like you would do any other contractor. he takes care of the paperwork and the permits for you and floats the rebate. you just got to get one you like and want and sign those papers. how do you find an installer and how do you choose the ones you want? just like anyone else, you screen some people out, you do personal references, you check their website, you talk to them about the basics and ask for the address to see if you have some good roof space. if you decide it's ok for a salesperson to come out, they'll do that for you. it's all free. if someone tries to charge you

for bids, almost no one will. pass on it. i want to give you the key information that you need to compare bids properly. there is just one little area in there. there is a d.c. and an a.c. system size. i don't want to into details on that i want to make sure you get the right -- that's the only area of confusion that i have seen on bids that can affect the sales part of it. so first off, i want you to get the full price. that means the maximum you'll be charged. that includes any additional things that they may charge you because you have a difficult roof or steeply pitched roof or concrete tile or whatever they might see. you get that full price. that's before rebate, before tax credit. then you take the system size in cec, california energy commission a.c. watts. that term is understood by the people in the industry. that means they use the c.e.c. ratings to determine the a.c. wattage. you get the per watt price. you divide this by this. you get the price per a.c.

watt. you want to ask about permit fees as well. each city typically will charge fees. now those fees are coming down and we're working very hard to get them standardized and clear. there is some cost. sometimes the installers will pass that on to you. ask how they're dealing with it. you say, ok, what's my watt. let's see it was four d.c. but you'll have 18% less here, so that's the number you want, you divide this by that and you get that. so this would be 926 a watt. therefore, you can compare apples to apples. they have a standard calculator that they use on the web and they include that printout on your bid and they have to file that printout in your rebate application. so there is another possibility of lowering costs, the group buy. when i went, in i went in with a bunch of friends because i thought i wanted to bring people in because i knew all of these people, these greeny

homeowners that were needing to walk the talk and because i brought a lot of businesses vendor, they lowered all of our price because this economy is of scale. maybe that price can drop 50 cents a watt or more. that's another idea. there are ones that are just beginning where you can actually lease the system. you don't have to put any money up front at all. somebody else will own the system for you. you may pay an upfront cost a little bit that is less than what you might pay normay or some of them may not at all, depending on how they can make the finances work. the whole goal is to try to get you into p.v. with the least amount of resistance possible. instead of paying maybe the utility per month, you're going green and paying somebody else. thank you very much for your time. it's a pleasure. i'll take questions and i'll be here afterwards as long as you need me. thank you very much. [applause]

>> so that's it, solar basics. first we talked about the technology, how it works and how it all hooks together. then we talked about net metering and how that makes solar easy and worry-free and finally we talked about the incentives from the state and the federal government that lower the cost and makes solar affordable. for further information visit our website or come visit us in person. all the classes at the pacific energy center are free of charge. thanks for showing us an actual system being installed and thank you for being with us. hope to see you soon.

>> welcome to "culturewire." today we are at recology. they are celebrate 20 years of one of the most incredibly unique artist residency programs. we are here to learn more from one of the resident artists. welcome to the show, deborah. tell us how this program began 20 years ago. >> the program began 20 years

ago. our founder was an environmentalist and an activist and an artist in the 1970's. she started these street sweeping campaigns in the city. she started with kids. they had an exhibition at city hall. city officials heard about her efforts and they invited her to this facility. we thought it would coincide with our efforts to get folks to recycle, it is a great educational tool. since then, we have had 95 professional artists come through. >> how has the program changed over the years? how has the program -- what can the public has an artist engage with? >> for the most part, we worked with metal and wood, what you would expect from a program like ours. over the years, we tried to include artists and all types of

mediums. conceptual artists, at installation, photographers, videographers. >> that has really expanded the program out. it is becoming so dynamic right now with your vision of interesting artists in gauging here. why would an artist when to come here? >> mainly, access to the materials. we also give them a lot of support. when they start, it is an empty studio. they go out to the public area and -- we call it the big store. they go out shopping, take the materials that, and get to work. it is kind of like a reprieve, so they can really focus on their body of work. >> when you are talking about recology, do you have the only sculpture garden at the top? >> it is based on work that was done many years ago in new york.

it is the only kind of structured, artist program. weit is beautiful. a lot of the plants you see were pulled out of the garbage, and we use our compost to transplant them. the pathway is lined with rubble from the earthquake from the freeways we tour about 5000 people a year to our facility, adults and children. we talk about recycling and conservation. they can meet the artists. >> fantastic. let's go meet some of your current artists. here we are with lauren. can you tell us how long have been here so far and what you're working on? >> we started our residency on june 1, so we came into the studio then and spent most of the first couple weeks just digging around in the trash.

i am continuing my body of work, kind of making these hand- embroidered objects from our day-to-day life. >> can you describe some of the things you have been making here? this is amazing. >> i think i started a lot of my work about the qualities of light is in the weight. i have been thinking a lot about things floating through the air. it is also very windy down here. there is a piece of sheet music up there that i have embroidered third. there is a pamphlet about hearing dea -- nearing death. this is a dead rabbit. this is what i am working on now. this is a greeting card that i found, making it embroidered. it is for a very special friend. >> while we were looking at this, i glanced down and this is amazing, and it is on top of a book, it is ridiculous and

amazing. >> i am interested in the serendipity of these still life compositions. when he got to the garbage and to see the arrangement of objects that is completely spontaneous. it is probably one of the least thought of compositions. people are getting rid of this stuff. it holds no real value to them, because they're disposing of it. >> we're here in another recology studio with abel. what attracted you to apply for this special program? >> who would not want to come to the dump? but is the first question. for me, being in a situation that you're not comfortable in has always been the best. >> what materials were you immediately attracted to when you started and so what was available here? >> there are a lot of books. that is one of the thing that hits me the most. books are good for understanding, language, and art

in general. also being a graphic designer, going straight to the magazines and seeing all this printed material being discarded has also been part of my work. of course, always wood or any kind of plastic form or anything like that. >> job mr. some of the pieces you have made while you have been here. -- taught me through some of the pieces you have made while you have been here. >> the first thing that attracted me to this was the printed surface. it was actually a poster. it was a silk screen watercolor, about 8 feet long. in terms of the flatwork, i work with a lot of cloddish. so being able to cut into it come at into it, removed parts, it is part of the process of negotiating the final form. >> how do you jump from the two dimensional work that you create to the three-dimensional? maybe going back from the 3f to

2d. >> everything is in the process of becoming. things are never said or settled. the sculptures are being made while i am doing the collages, and vice versa. it becomes a part of something else. there's always this figuring out of where things belong or where they could parapets something else. at the end goal is to possibly see one of these collage plans be built out and create a structure that reflects back into the flat work. >> thank you so much for allowing "culturewire" to visit this amazing facility and to learn more about the artists in residence program. is there anything you like our viewers to know? >> we have art exhibitions every four months, and a win by the public to come out. everybody is welcome to come out. we have food. sometimes we have gains and bands. it is great time.

from june to september, we accept applications from bay area artists. we encouraged artists from all mediums to apply. we want as many artists from the bay area out here so they can have the same experience. >> how many artists to do your host here? >> 6 artist a year, and we receive about 108 applications. very competitive. >> but everyone should be encouraged to apply. thank you again for hosting us. >> thank you for including us in "culturewire." ♪ >> hello. welcome to "culturewire." we are here today with bay area artist jody chanel, and we are here to see the plaza where your piece has just been installed. >> i have been doing large-scale

paintings in the galleries and museums, and the idea that in the future, i could do something that would hang out a little bit longer than the duration of the installation the kind of appeal to me. i quickly found out about the san francisco arts commission school and realized there was a pre-qualified school you had to apply to, so i applied to the. >> how long did it take you to develop this work for the plaza? >> this was a fast track project. design development was about a month. >> let's look at the beautiful mural. i have never seen a mural created on asphalt. >> the heat of the asphalt, a new layer of asphalt. then, these wire rope templates that were fabricated for the

line work get laid down and literally stamped into the asphalt, and then everything was hand-painted. >> maybe you could talk about some of the symbolism, maybe starting in the middle and working out. >> [inaudible] the flower of industry. >> it is like a compass. there's an arrow pointing north. >> within the great bear consolation, there are two pointed stars here. they typically lead one to the northstar, otherwise known as polaris. so i thought it has a layer of theme. >> let's talk about some of the other elements in the peace. we are walking along, and there is a weather vane. there's a sweet little bird hanging on the side. what kind of bird is that? >> [inaudible] the smallest of the gulf

species, and it lives around the bay area. >> you want to talk about the types of flour patterns that you send? >> [inaudible] around 1926 or so by the dahlia society. >> what is this bird here? >> that is the california quail. >> coming up here, we had a little blustery theme. what is this area here? >> this is supposed to be the side view, the expense of the golden gate bridge. >> there it is. >> there are really beautiful elements of architecture still around, i would say that it gives that feeling over to the work. >> what are your hopes for it?

>> that in a way it just becomes part of the area. i think it is starting to have that feeling. people utilize it. they sit and, and have their lunch and play on -- they sit and, and have their lunch and play on that -- they sit and come and have their lunch and play on it. just for it to be part of the neighborhood. that is my hope. >> is such a beautiful addition to our public art in san francisco. thank you for joining us. it was nice to meet you. and thank you for telling us about your beautiful mural. thanks for watching "culturewire." >> is housed in a spectacular building described by the world

renowned architect. it is the san francisco destination for provocative expositions and programs that explore culture, history, art, and ideas. the director of cultural affairs told us more about the mission and to give us a tour of the latest exposition. ♪ >> today we find ourselves of the contemporary jewish museum. with me is the director of the museum. >> i am so happy you are here today. >> we're getting close to a milestone for the museum. it is your third anniversary coming up. >> it is. you were here to help cut the ribbon.

it has been an extraordinary journey ever since. we welcome hundreds of thousands of people into the building. we welcome school groups, interests -- tourists. >> the addition of the museum to the cultural pantheons of san francisco has been phenomenon. you have fabulous exhibits. there is one i want to talk about, "seeing gertrude stein." >> gertrude stein is a local woman. she was raised in oakland. she was an extraordinary individual who helped create -- many people call for the mother of modernism. years ago, i was introduced to someone doing research on her. i thought it would be an extraordinary exposition to take her and understand her at all for complexity. that is what we have on view

during the summer of 2011. >> it is full of wonderful drawings, paintings, and sculpture. >> there is incredible art on view. we have photographs. we have sculpture. we have a lot of different things. we have a little something made for her by picasso. there are five different ways of looking at her life. it is not in chronological installation. it is looking at how she is portrayed in help artists, painters, and photographers presented her and how she thought about her own style and presentation. many people think she always had short hair. it was not until she was 52 that she cut off all of her hair.

the second element is called "domestic stein." alice b. toklas was her lifelong partner. they had several different homes. we know about their home in paris, the famous salon. you get a taste of what their domestic life was like. >> one thing recreated is the fabulous wallpaper. the black-and-white photos do not convey the color. >> in doing a lot of research, you discover a little tidbits. with an exhibition, at the find ways to make it come together. we found beautiful photographs of the interior of their home. then we found a tiny scrap of the wallpaper. we saw how blue and vibrant it was. we had a designer recreate the image of the wallpaper.

we had it made into wallpaper so we could all experience what it would have been like to be in their home. it is dynamic and fantastic. they seem very monochromatic because you only know them through black-and-white photographs, but they had such a vibrant life. that is what the exhibition is also trying to show. the third one is the art of friendship. picasso and matisse were part of their second family. there were people she admired and worked with. we introduced the visitors to her second family in a sense. the fourth story is called celebrity stein. what a lot of people do not know is when she left united states in the early 1900's, she only came back once in 1934. we also have a section of every

single first edition book she ever published. >> it is incredible to see all the first edition books. >> it is really impressive to realize not only was she a grand dame of paris, but she had an incredible writing practice. she was a prolific writer. the fifth level really looks at her legacy and how artists continue to be inspired by her image, work, and concept. >> this is a compelling reason for people to visit the jewish museum. you also have life and theater. >> we are a non-collecting museum. any time you walk in the building, you will always be treated to a range of very different and wonderful exhibitions.

in our first floor exhibition space, we have an exhibition on the work of charlotte sullivan. she was a young artist in berlin. the nazis came into power. her parents sent her to the south of france to live with her grandparents. she put herself in a room for about 18 months and created 1200 small paintings telling her life story through a kind of reflection. it is another example of the way we try to bring a wide range of art and experiences to our public. we want them to find something meaningful to them. >> your institution has been in this neighborhood for three years. how do you like the neighborhood? >> this is the best neighborhood. we are the luckiest city in the world to have this kind of cultural district, to have so many museums and cultural institutions.

the center of our tourist life is here because this is where the convention center is. people from near and far can be introduced to the richness of the bay area. it is so wonderful and unique. >> the city thanks you for providing such wonderful leadership and vision. >> we're so happy to be part of the city and so honored to be part of "culture wire." >> to learn more about the exhibition and other upcoming events, visit the website. thank you for watching "culture >> san francisco is home to a renowned civic art collection that includes a comic works -- iconic