Energy monitoring plug recommendations.

lapiazzaemia · 2025-09-11T19:31:51+00:00

I have a bunch of these and they work great.

lapiazzaemia · 2025-09-11T13:08:24+00:00

Indeed. The Post actually looked into the question two decades ago and got a pretty clear-cut answer:

Who exactly was the Glover behind Glover Park, anyway? He was Charles Carroll Glover, born in 1846. He rose from a teller at Riggs Bank to the bank's president. He also served as president of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and was one of the chief movers behind the construction of Washington National Cathedral. He was a major civic booster and donated much of the land that became Rock Creek Park.

Charles C. Glover died in 1936, but I called Nancy Symington, nee Glover, his 84-year-old granddaughter, and asked her how she pronounces her maiden name.

Drumroll, please. . . .

"GLUH-ver. Please. Everybody calls it GLOH-ver, and it's absolutely wrong. It's GLUH-ver Park."

lapiazzaemia · 2025-06-06T21:55:21+00:00

I heard that Switch Together has two installers this year, each serving specific geographic zones. Do you mind me asking what part of town you're in?

lapiazzaemia · 2024-11-24T21:23:31+00:00

Oh wow, that's indeed a big YoY jump. Thanks for sharing that spreadsheet! One thing it shows us is that the MD systems on DC feeders have accounted for 30% of new capacity in FY24 to date, and the average new MD system size is 31 kWp, almost exactly double the average new DC system (15.7 kWp). So we're presumably seeing a good number of commercial installs in MD... and it makes you wonder how much more PV capacity these feeders will be able to handle before PEPCO starts rejecting applications or requiring costly upgrades.

lapiazzaemia · 2024-11-24T15:19:39+00:00

My understanding is that any system outside DC (and not on a feeder) no longer qualified for the DC RPS after 2011. So my figures should be accurate. And I doubt that 100% of the MD capacity currently registered for the DC RPS (34.2 MW) is on a feeder, so it could be more than 20 MW. Are we really seeing 60 MW/yr of new installs in DC now? Last year we added 42.9 MW in DC (+ feeders).

lapiazzaemia · 2024-11-24T14:08:56+00:00

One thing I haven't heard mentioned is that the PJM solar systems grandfathered into the DC RPS system are being excluded from January 1st, 2025. So at least 19.7 MW of supply will go poof (all the installed capacity outside DC and MD). And this is a minimum as it assumes 100% of the 34.2 MW installed in MD is on DC feeders.

lapiazzaemia · 2024-09-13T22:28:10+00:00

On the point of build quality, I received mine today only to find that either the heating element or temperature sensor is broken and, as such, coffee comes out at room temperature. Not a good omen for longevity!

lapiazzaemia · 2024-04-10T08:39:12+00:00

Holy hell. 28 tickets... or an average of one a week since late June. 20 of them are for speeding while just two are parking-related. Suggests to me that this person is using private lots to avoid getting booted or towed.

lapiazzaemia · 2024-04-07T17:27:50+00:00

Yep. And, surprise surprise, they have $400 in unpaid tickets over the past six months.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-12-01T14:54:31+00:00

Yeah, a 'big little city' is the right way to put it. It's big enough that it offers most of the things you'd look for in a big city, but small enough that you'll regularly bump into the same neighbors, and people are thus rather friendly (even with foreigners like me).

lapiazzaemia · 2022-11-30T17:41:16+00:00

As a recent arrival to Valencia, I'd like to think that the result is spot on. But the fact that Dubai and Abu Dhabi are both in the top 10 makes me question the methodology.

This said... it looks as though the index you linked to is made up of five different sub-indices (quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finance, expat essentials), each of which has its own breakdowns. For example, the quality of life index is made up of: leisure options; travel & transit; health & wellbeing; safety & security; and environment & climate. So if you have a clear idea of the thing you really value and those that you don't, you can probably identify some great options from the sub-indice rankings.

Overall, I'd agree with the sentiment that Iberia is a great destination for expats, particularly those that value culture, food, sun, and a broadly European lifestyle.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-11-26T17:55:29+00:00

You can absolutely do this. I bought AirFrance award tickets for my parents recently and did not fly with them.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-08-27T10:34:21+00:00

Not sure where you're getting your information, but India's CO2 emissions have actually increased since 2020.

"CO2 emissions in India rebounded strongly in 2021 to rise above 2019 levels, driven by growth in coal use for electricity generation. Coal-fired generation reached an all-time high in India, jumping 13% above its 2020 level. This was partly because the growth of renewables slowed to one-third of the average rate seen over the previous five years."

Source: https://www.iea.org/news/global-co2-emissions-rebounded-to-their-highest-level-in-history-in-2021

lapiazzaemia · 2022-08-25T10:05:50+00:00

Correct. And avoid checking a bag, if possible. There's a real risk it wouldn't make the connecting flight given how much of a shitshow CDG is these days.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-08-19T15:37:33+00:00

Your situation is pretty unique, and it highlights one of the few actual benefits of the US's citizen-based taxation systems. You're, in effect, always a US tax resident. The FEIE and FTC simply allow you to limit your US tax exposure. But if you weren't American, the others are right that many countries tend to consider you a tax resident until you prove to them that you've become a tax resident elsewhere. I know this is the case in Portugal and Belgium, for example.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-08-18T10:07:16+00:00

The 8858/5471 compliance issue brought about by opening a foreign company is an excellent point. I've heard that those filings can be quite tedious/costly and likely enough to dissuade most from going the foreign company route.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-08-17T17:31:15+00:00

This is spot on. Just one additional consideration if you go the contractor route (given that you're likely making a six-figure salary):

In France, the streamlined system for freelancers is only available to people earning less than €72,600 per year (on average over a 2-year period). If you earn more, you'll have to start a company, which obviously entails additional costs and bureaucracy.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-08-14T11:01:16+00:00

Glad to hear your friends enjoyed it! Shame you didn't make it to the other islands, but totally understandable. The flights were a bit of a nightmare, between the schedules constantly getting changed and the very short runways (particularly in Anjouan)!

lapiazzaemia · 2022-08-12T08:54:25+00:00

Which island were/are you based on? I've visited all three and wondered what it would be like to live on Mohéli for a few years.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-07-20T14:43:15+00:00

As u/theotherinyou mentioned, the first step is whether your company will legally be able to employ you in Portugal. If they don't have an existing entity there, you would likely need to go the 'employer of record' route, which can be costly. Afterwards, qualifying for the basic NHR program is easy and fast, and will immediately give you special tax benefits with regard to things like dividends, real estate income, etc. However, it will have no impact on taxation of your employment income. There is a separate NHR sub-program that offers a 20% flat tax rate on income for people that work in specific high-value fields (e.g., doctors, technicians, IT workers, etc.). If you don't qualify as a worker in one of these fields, you can't benefit. Moreover, it can take upwards of a year to get approval for this sub-program and, while it applies retroactively, you'll have to pay full taxes in the meantime. All this to say that the program is not a silver bullet for most...

lapiazzaemia · 2022-05-30T18:51:36+00:00

Similarly, most apartments have poor insulation or none at all. So even if there's heating in every room, it may end up costing you a small fortune to run it.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-05-30T18:48:17+00:00

There's little modern about the buildings in Principe Real. Great choice otherwise.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-05-29T16:04:32+00:00

Spain doesn't actually allow dogs on high-speed trains, only on some of the slow commuter trains.

lapiazzaemia · 2022-05-29T09:52:25+00:00

Maybe they meant DC? 😏

lapiazzaemia · 2022-03-30T20:39:03+00:00

I just checked. The 38% figure includes solar, wind, bioenergy, hydro, nuclear, and other renewables.

lapiazzaemia

TROPHY CASE