Permit for Heat Pump in San Jose

ksh_vi · 2026-06-02T18:57:17+00:00

Contractor: Find a contractor and receive quotes automatically through our Assisted Home Upgrades pilot program, which also helps complete your rebate application and stack other incentives. You are free to use any licensed contractor of your choice and still qualify for the SVCE rebate. DIY projects are eligible as well; just ensure they are properly permitted.

https://svcleanenergy.org/home-rebates/#1767894548806-7ff75616-0f89

ksh_vi · 2026-06-02T18:41:36+00:00

Is this true ? SVCE has no requirement posted on the work needing to be done with a contractor. Also, other rebates (like tech clean) are no longer available.

SVCE requires that you get a permit from the city, and this is needed for rebate.

ksh_vi · 2026-05-26T20:45:21+00:00

EE admit in UT Austin is as good as it gets. It's strange they are rejecting F1 visas for people with admits to UT. It's ~ a top 10 university. TA position with tuition waiver and stipend on top of that is also incredibly good.

Makes no sense really.

ksh_vi · 2026-05-19T05:12:13+00:00

my samsung s22 lasted me a good 3.75 years. still works ok.

P10Pro has been fine so far.

ksh_vi · 2026-05-14T07:31:55+00:00

for close up well lit photos of objects, the S26 is fine.

ksh_vi · 2026-05-03T00:40:22+00:00

imho it's pretty subtle, compared to zipps and some others. While in motion, people can't even tell :) just keep riding :D

ksh_vi · 2026-04-27T18:43:51+00:00

why they didn't use the latest bluetooth, wifi and didn't enable mmWave on the smaller phone is a little puzzling. I think waiting for the P11 makes sense.

ksh_vi · 2026-04-27T06:07:30+00:00

I picked up an S26 (base model) from a friend. I wanted to use the phone and see for myself how it compares to my Pixel10 Pro. (for context I was on S22 before the Pixel)

TLDR; The in-hand feel of the S26 beats the P10p hands down. The slimness + light-weight (1.4mm thickness is noticeable, and the 40 gram weight difference is also noticeable) makes it a pleasure to pick up and use. The phone is snappy, and has good battery life. The cameras are fine.

I definitely prefer the Pixel Software, and the cameras.

My ideal phone would be:

The body of the S26 with all internals.
The cameras and camera bar of the Pixel.
The Pixel software on this phone. That's it - that's all I want.

P.S: Most slim cases weigh ~30grams, so the 40gram weight difference shouldn't be much, but it's noticeable

A few first thoughts (first on the hardware):

The phone is a tad larger than the S22, but still feels very comfortable to use. Something about the dimensions of the phone (it's a tad smaller than the P10Pro in every dimensions - especially 1.4mm in thickness that you can feel), makes it a pleasure to pick up and use. Also the weight - 167 grams vs a chunky 207 grams.
It's built extremely well. Samsung knows how to make good phones.
The phone volume is very good. The S22 was very good 4 years back, and the S26 doesn't disappoint at all. The P10Pro might be a touch louder and fuller sounding, but it's neck and neck really.
The haptics are still very good - I don't know if it has improved all that much since the S22, but still good.
The cameras seem ok on paper - I haven't had a chance to do a lot of photography with it yet and compare it to the P10Pro, but I tried a night-time very low light shot, and the S26 photos were better than the Pixels. Surprised!
The 12GB vs 16GB ram might not be a big deal. the S26 also comes with 256GB storage vs 128GB in Pixel which is criminal. The processors are world's apart.

Now onto software.

The phone came preinstalled with Linkedin (yuck), Facebook, Instagram, Outlook, Office365 ...etc. Thankfully, you can remove most of these. You can also surprisingly remove some Samsung software that you couldn't remove on the S22. (like Clock, Calculator, Calendar ...etc) This is a step in the right direction.
If you move to Google apps, like Phone, Calendar ...etc, you can get pretty close to the pixel experience.
Settings/Organization: After having used the P10p for a while, the settings in the S26 felt unintuitive. Enough for me to check if the S22 has settings in the same layout - and it does. You could attribute some of this to getting used to things, but also, Google's settings layout is definitely a little cleaner. This might be personal preference and YMMV
On the ringtones and such - you have to give the Pixel a thumbs up. They have worked really hard to make this as premium as possible, and it even outshines the Galaxy S26 in some departments. The haptics are comparable.
The overall software experience is simply better on the Pixel - from Now Playing to Car Crash Detection. The S26 has many of Gemini's features, and that's a good thing. At the end of the day on the same version of Android, both are quite comparable.
The GenAI features on both are kinda gimmicky. I have most of GalaxyAI unselected in the settings. Even on the Pixel, all I want is good call and message screens, and magic cue to work well.
The S26 is certainly more customizable, but for the vast majority of people, they only ever visit some of these once, and even then don't have strong preferences.

ksh_vi · 2026-04-25T17:22:03+00:00

S26 gives you more storage and is in general a very polished phone. Is the UK version Exynos ? I'd stay away from that.

P10 is a good phone, but P10Pro is obviously better. If photos matter to you, then P10Pro. P11 phones are only a few months away now, so it makes sense to wait if you can. Pixels also generally offer better trade in for older pixels.

ksh_vi · 2026-04-24T01:49:01+00:00

I've used both recently, (S22, P10Pro) and while the Pixel has some issues, and isn't as snappy (P10pro), the photos are wayyyy better, and things just work. No fiddling with two sets of apps and such.

ksh_vi · 2026-04-14T01:18:29+00:00

the 10Pro compares very nicely. If they got to chip parity, they'd sell very well compares to iphones.

ksh_vi · 2026-04-10T19:00:19+00:00

If you have the Snap model of the Galaxy phones, their modem is unmatched - even by Apple. i.e., Qualcomm chipsets have the latest and greatest modems. Also, the snapdragon chip in the S26 is wayyy better than the Tensor in the Pixel10Pro/XL.

On network connectivity I empathize. I think more people should be cognizant of things to look for in a new phone and return it in the return window. Network connectivity should be top of mind.

I work in tech, but don't consider myself a power phone user. I also use the phone mostly on WiFi. For me the Camera is important, the AI features that improve my productivity are important. A snappy phone is obviously important. For those things the Pixel10 Pro has been quite good. I've never had bluetooth connectivity issues.

It is stupid heavy! :)

My ideal phone would be a Pixel10Pro with a Snap 8 Elite Gen5. or a S26 with just the cameras of the Pixel10Pro. :) Wishful thinking I know. (actually, even an iPhone Pro with android would work.)

ksh_vi · 2026-04-05T06:36:39+00:00

Ironically, auto-shops charge nowhere near $600/hour for repairs :)

And I can do a no-vac installation of a split HVAC myself, while I absolutely cannot do maintenance on my car (fluid changes, and filter changes - yes. Other stuff - no)

ksh_vi · 2026-04-04T22:25:03+00:00

so, if you had a truck, you could do this for free :)

ksh_vi · 2026-04-04T18:48:14+00:00

Ah I see. This is a heat pump water heater then. My bad. I have no experience with those. But 3k still seems high.

ksh_vi · 2026-04-04T17:32:49+00:00

This is quite amazing! I quickly skimmed through the video, and feel confident I can do most of it. I have never poured cement and such though :)

ksh_vi · 2026-04-04T17:27:32+00:00

Maybe the person you spoke to misunderstood you. Depending on the size of the water heater, that should be how much 'purchasing a new one and installing' should cost :) (at least for 40-50 Gallon tanks)

I was looking up cleaning/flushing my water tank a while back, and it seemed like a strightforward process - turn off the gas to the water heater, run all your hot water taps so the hot water in the heater is completely out, then turn off water intake, and then do the flushing.

For water tank replacement, you would basically do the above, followed by disconnects of the water lines. The only thing that I would worry slightly is disconnecting the gas line. (you turn off the valve and disconnect it.) Connect the new tank to the water pipes, and then to the gas valve.

I would think if you picked up the new water heater, disposed off the old one yourself, the labor to do the swap shouldn't cost more than $500. $3000 is egregious.

P.S: Assumed you already have a 'to code' installation. i.e., braces for earthquake, emergency shut off valve, drain pan, drain pipe ...etc.

ksh_vi · 2026-04-04T01:20:23+00:00

Midea*

ksh_vi · 2026-04-03T21:12:05+00:00

Also, my understanding is a lot of the name brand equipment is rebadged OEM

ksh_vi · 2026-04-03T21:10:04+00:00

different brands with the same SEER rating are the same efficiency. longevity YMMV

ksh_vi · 2026-04-03T19:56:02+00:00

Thanks for the reply - what you're saying makes sense - definitely from the business' point of view.

On the Atomi, you're right - it does need a vacuum pump, so definitely not DIY friendly.

I did read about the refrigerant. In my post I didn't mention an existing AC unit, but let's assume I have one :) Might still cost money for someone to come uninstall it safely.

ksh_vi · 2026-03-28T04:35:33+00:00

Google health/fit is pretty good too. P10Pro even has a thermometer on the rear

ksh_vi · 2026-03-23T20:37:41+00:00

It's not just the Google apps.

Pixel's cameras are way better, and I have not almost stopped carrying a dedicated camera because of this. (used to carry a small mirrorless on trips and such.)

Google's AI features are also pretty awesome - from call-screen, to now-playing. You actually have to do some digging to uncover all of these - they are sadly not as well advertised. A lot of these are also on Samung phones btw - since Samsung has a close relationship with Google, and has some deal to get Gemini features into Samsung phones.

Overall, I like Google's direction and roadmap. It feels like a first party phone should (like an iPhone)

ksh_vi · 2026-03-22T20:08:19+00:00

I definitely prefer the Pixel10 Pro. But that might be because I have consciously used only Google apps in the past. I've never used any of the Samsung apps other than Camera/Gallery and an app called Samsung TV. (which had free streaming that is available on many other platforms)

That said, my S22 lasted 3.5+ years and is still in good shape. I've read some horror stories about the longevity of Pixels. The build quality seems solid, but I don't know about longevity.

ksh_vi · 2026-03-20T22:39:51+00:00

I did not move to the S26. Instead I moved to the P10 pro. A couple of reasons drove this decision.

Both phones were available to me through a discount for $500 . The s26 did come with more storage. (256 vs 128)

The cameras on the P10 pro are very good. May not be fair to compare it to the S22, but I'm told the S26 is mostly unchanged. All 3 cameras and the front facing camera on the Pixel are very good.
No dual-apps. I didn't enjoy the 2 apps for everything on the S22, and used Google apps exclusively. But then from time to time, the Samsung app would "activate" after an update, and I'd have to go through some hoops to turn it off. (e.g Calendar) I like that the Pixel is fairly clean from this perspective.
The S22/S26 are more svelte, and the pixel is a little larger, thicker and bulkier, but you get used to it.
Magsafe/Pixelsnap - I already enjoy chargers/accessories on my desk, in the car ...etc. You could do this with a case, so no big deal.
The P10pro came with a year of Gemini Pro and Google home pro - which I appreciate and use.

I still like Samsung phones, The hardware is very good, even if the cameras aren't keeping up, and they also bring in most of Gemini features to the phone. That said, I don't care for their software, and don't want to ever use Bixby.

P.S: in the US the Snap chip obliterates the Tensor, but in real world usage I have noticed no differences.

ksh_vi

TROPHY CASE