May 2015
Mahalo Marcus
Nike is starting its marketing machine for young Marcus Mariota. No, Nike is not making Marcus’ draft day kicks a reality for all, but the brand is starting to sell Mariota merchandise. You can pre-order Marcu’s Titans jersey or pickup this “Mahalo Marcus” shirt that says “Pride of Hawaii” on the back.
Rules of Kicks Coppin’ Know the Return Policy
So you know not to sleep on’em, and while that may be scary to plunk down cash on a pair of unknown kicks, the second kicks coppin’ rule will alleviate your concern. Know the return policy.
I’m surprised at how good return policies are. There are a few businesses that make returns difficult or costly, but for the most part, many offer liberal return policies. No cause for returns, no restocking fee, no shipping charges – look for these clauses with the business you’re dealing with. Most do have a return timeframe, usually 30 days, but that’s sufficient time to figure out if you’re keeping your kicks. Even after the 30-day window, some vendors may accept the return but issue store credit instead of a refund.
Nike has free shipping for orders more than $75 for members (membership is free). This is okay for regular kicks purchases, but you may run into issues with clearance kicks that are less than $75. But you can always buy more to get over the minimum cost then return the unwanted items. Who knows? You may keep everything.
Rules of Kicks Coppin’ – Don’t Sleep On’em
If you’re shopping for shoes aka kicks coppin’, there are a few rules you should know and heed. The first rule is don’t sleep on’em, meaning if you see a pair of shoes that you’re interested in and your size is available, you should buy now and return later.
If you wait and sleep on your purchase, the shoes will be gone. The kicks game moves so fast now, especially with limited runs, special releases, and a very competitive connected marketplace out there. This rule just doesn’t apply to online purchases but in real life as well. You may be able to sit on your purchase at a retail location like Foot Locker, but at a discount store like Ross, most definitely buy now. You never know about Ross’ inventory so you may never see that pair of kicks again, even at other locations.
Don’t sleep on’em was a lesson driven home today. This morning I came across the Saucony G9 Shadow 6 Mint Chocolate Chip, the first from its Scoops Pack. When I looked at the online sizing, there was every size, and since I didn’t know much about Saucony, I wanted to read up. Time passed and when I re-engaged two hours later, guess what? Yup, sold out. No mint chocolate chip for me, and I’m guessing ever again since I doubt there’ll be a restock.
If you see’em, get’em, and don’t sleep on’em!
Does a Tesla Powerwall Make Sense in Hawaii?
I’m intrigued by all things Tesla including their newest product, the Powerwall. The Powerwall is essentially a Tesla battery installed in the home to store excess power which can then be used later like during a power outage. Additionally, the Powerwall can charge itself when electricity rates are cheaper and then provides power to your home to avoid high cost peak times. But since Hawaii doesn’t tier its electricity rates for residences, that downplays a big feature of the Powerwall.
Couple the Powerwall with PV solar and the situation becomes more compelling. Assuming you don’t have enough solar panels to “zeroize” your electricity bill then the Powerwall could store excess electricity produced by the sun and when your home’s power consumption increases, the Powerwall provides the free power rather than getting it from (and paying) HECO.
But is this worth the $3000-3500 price tag of a single Powerwall (not including installation and other ancillary equipment)? I don’t know if there are tax considerations. More than one Powerwall can be interconnected by the way if you’re trying to live off the power grid.
Supposedly, Hawaii has the highest electrical rates in the country, and the U.S. Energy Information Admininstration says the average American home consumes about 11,000 kWh per year or about 30 kWh per day. This equates to getting three 10 kWh Powerwalls for $10,500 to store enough power daily (generated from solar) and remove your home from the commercial power grid.
Looking at my power usage (and assuming I’m doing the math right), it looks like my household averages usage of 4.3 kWh per day for months that we get power from HECO. That’s far short from the estimated 30 kWh for an average home. Anyways, with that 4.3 kWh daily usage, the 7 kWh Powerwall unit for $3000 should suffice and with room to spare.
But looking at my HECO bill, my solar panels don’t generate enough to juice up the Powerwall. So I’m not sure how it works. Do you initially charge the Powerwall using HECO and solar. Then when charged, your house draws from the Powerwall first then when depleted falls back to HECO? If that’s the case, I should be good shape with my daily average of 4.3 kWh. I would have to see the solar production numbers to verify that it can keep up that 4.3 kWh depletion. Then in theory, I would be paying the minimum monthly bill to HECO (after that Powerwall charge up).
Looking over one year’s worth of electricity bills and factoring out the roughly $18 minimum bill, I’d be saving around $360 in one year. So roughly, that equates to a 10 year return on investment?? The Powerwall does include a 10-year warranty with optional 10-year extension. Having power when the grid goes down (which seems to happen at least once a year for us) is a benefit although the 7 kWh Powerwall wasn’t designed for this (that’s the intent of the 10 kWh model but assuming only capacities differ, I’m guessing the smaller unit can serve as a power backup for a home).
Again, I’m not sure if my rough calculations are on track. But looking at my power usage, there seems to be enough benefits for Tesla’s Powerwall – paid off in about ten years (under warranty), not relying on HECO (as much), and having power during blackout and brownouts.
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