James Richards

Founder/CEO of Sunbank Solar, and interested in all climate tech, renewable energy, electrification, EVs that will help mitigate the damage we're doing.

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

@tyler Like asking if anyone knows why Kamala wasn't at my Little Leage game last night.

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

@energysmartwv In HVAC maybe it is a little simpler as there is already a circuit run and an installer just needs to be willing to put in a HP instead of a gas system? I think fuel switching in WHs may involve a few more steps when time is tight. According to a 2019 CPUC study only 3% switched.

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

@energysmartwv Why do you say that? If not dealt with preemptively, a gas appliance will be replaced in kind, and you get another built in 20+ years of emissions. There is no patience to run a new circuit or do a service upgrade when the family is without hot water or heat, in my experience.

[Yellow Dot Studios @weareyellowdot]

Ready or not... it's here.

[Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸 @NickKnudsenUS]

Wow.

This video is truly eye-opening.

Take a couple minutes to watch this.

A mind-boggling visual representation of wealth inequality in America.

This sh*t ain’t workin’, folks. #TaxBillionaires #UnionsForAll

[Nate the House Whisperer @energysmartwv]

I’ve been extremely frustrated with heat pump water heaters over the last few years.

The Rheem in our Ohio house (which we recently sold) has a failed compressor.

The State brand model in one of our airbnbs has a failing compressor.

That’s 2 of 3 personal units that have failed or are failing.

A recent client had his AO Smith fail after 6 months.

A client in 2019 had his Rheem lose both the compressor and then have the tank burst.

One of my best contractor friends is over a 60% failure rate with both AO Smith and Rheem.

In the Facebook Electrify Everything there are lots of failure stories.

This isn’t good. When I talk to OEMs I get “oh gee, we haven’t been having problems with them.”

I’m totally gunshy recommending heat pump water heaters. It’s obnoxious.

Yes, it’s anecdotal, but there are no solid metrics I know of about failures. So this is all I have.

With new DOE standards requiring greater than 100% efficiency (which basically requires heat pump water heaters)and the only useful IRA rebate being for HPWH, this needs to get dialed.

My first units are still running from 2014-2017, so this can be dialed.

[Climate Defiance @ClimateDefiance]

Joanna Smith smeared washable finger-paint on a piece of plexiglass. She was just sentenced to spend the summer in prison.

Fossil fuel CEOs are poised to drive $23,000,000,000,000 in climate damages, annually. They will spend the summer taking mega-yachts to the Amalfi coast.

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

I truly don't understand how Brown University is the only one smart enough to negotiate with protestors. Just divest. Who cares? The students are right and your billions of dollars of endowment will grow just fine without supporting war. https://t.co/wPKG7uZWh7

[Jason Hickel @jasonhickel]

New research published in Nature today finds that we are on track for climate damages worth $38 trillion per year by 2050. This is a staggering figure. The damages are projected to be worth 6x more than the mitigation costs of limiting global warming to 2C. https://t.co/8RJ605RaN3

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

@MccainWildlife "We are pleased to share...that we are not giving you a fellowship." Who writes these letters?? I know you put a lot of work into that - proud of you, Sean!

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

@zteirstein I'm from WV and can confirm that he is a sick fuck. Look no further than his personal coal mine and the Grant Town power plant. There is a speciap place in hell for this kind of craven self-interest. (https://t.co/oy7OfjMb6L)

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

@zteirstein Integral in weakening the IRA, for sure. NYT detailed that pretty extensively. Having to give major concessions to a Democratic Senator in order for him not to kill the single most important piece of Democratic legislation is...a pretty low bar.

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

This is a screenshot from our Smart Home Controller, which data logs temperature, from Feb 29th. Max temp of 140 - not bad for February! Backup element set to kick on at 110F. Solar produces 100% of our hot water from ~April - Nov, and 75% on an annual basis. #energytwitter

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

@Bob_Mayo Is it that loud? Would you say it's comparable to the sound of an air conditioning unit?

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

@wombat_ee Neither! Heat pumps for homes, electricity generating treadmills for BTC. If you want to lose money that badly, you should have to work for it.

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

There should be more companies building retrofit kits to convert garbage trucks from gas to electric.

[Climate Science Breakthrough @ClimateSciBreak]

Now this, is truly masterful climate communication……💚🔥

#ClimateAction

[James Richards @SunbankSolar]

The roofs in the foreground are full of solar water heaters...

[Wall Street Mav @WallStreetMav]

China burns more coal every year than the rest of the world combined.

Why doesn’t Greta ever protest in China? Why doesn’t Bill Gates or Al Gore ever mention that? Instead they talk about shutting down our farmers.

China is emitting almost a third of all energy-related greenhouse gases — more than the United States, Europe and Japan combined.

🔥🔥🔥