We’re experiencing one of the coolest summers in 20 years in the Bay Area. Besides slowing down the ripening of tomatoes on the six tomato plants I have in my urban garden (seems farms around the area are seeing a 3 week delay in growth), I’ve enjoyed the cool evenings. My indoor window sill herb garden is faring better this season.
I’m delighted by the luxury of having bright sunny days and then burrowing myself in thick blankets in the evening as the temperature drops. This is truly the best of both worlds. It has also done wonders for our electrical bill which is noticeably lower than last year without the need to blast the air conditioning.
“The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco” – Mark Twain
From a solar energy perspective, July has been a productive and consistent month. The graph is flat, hovering just under 14 kwh per day. I’ve heard that hot weather can actually lower the efficiency of solar panels so perhaps the conditions right now are just perfect.
