Living With Ed - GreenHybrid

kengrubb · #1 (**permalink**) 11-20-2008, 08:49 AM

Caught this series on Planet Green last night. OMG! I love it. Something of a green reality TV show.

Ed Begley Jr. and his wife Rachelle Carson (who is drop dead gorgeous) try to "green" their neighbors and friends. Lots of pretty good husband/wife contention.

In Rachelle's words, "Ed needs to be watched", as in keep an eye on him to ensure he's not doing something insane. He can be a bit, um, quirky.

Show profiles some pretty cool technology, even if some of it is priced beyond the means of most mortals.

2 episodes I caught last night had Cheryl Tiegs and Larry Hagman. Tiegs wants to green up her home.

Hagman already has a huge PV array and a number of other things to reduce consumption. His electric bill last year was $13 because he produces enough electricity that gets sold back to the utility. Before the PV array, he was paying $37K a year for electric. Ed had a company bring out some wind generators to consider.

Yeah, lots of opulence of the celebs.

It was also really cool seeing Begley's RAV4 EV and Larry Hagman's E-bike.

Gairwyn · #2 (**permalink**) 11-20-2008, 11:36 AM

Yeah, I used to enjoy watching "Living with Ed" on TV. Then my cable company did some rearrangement of their packaging and I can't get the program now under my current package. Bummed.
I found the show to be informative yet funny. Ed was always driving his wife nuts, and he has an ongoing competition with his neighbor Bill Nye ("the Science Guy").
There's a website for the show. I sent in an e-mail, and Ed was cool enough to send a reply.
Wish my electric bill was $13...even just for the month that would be great. Maybe some day the prices for installation of solar or wind systems will come down. I've noticed a lot of solar installation companies cropping up in my area.

test54 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-25-2008, 10:07 AM

good show, i caught it a couple times. he is very weird in some ways but educational as well.

Sascol · #4 (**permalink**) 11-25-2008, 01:01 PM

This show is just a little too goofy for me.

Hybrid Eer · #5 (**permalink**) 11-25-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kengrubb

Before the PV array, he was paying $37K a year for electric.

????
Now THAT'S incentive to look for a change.

kengrubb · #6 (**permalink**) 11-25-2008, 05:55 PM

I shoulda added that Larry Hagman's PV array set him back $750K. But it is huge.

There was something about him getting about $310K back from the power company. Not sure if the power company subsidized it or what.

Still, with $37K in annual savings, payoff on the investment starts looking very reasonable. And if we're gonna bailout everyone and run huge deficits, heck, the tax code should subsidize PVs altogether. At least that would do something positive for the environment and the economy.

Maybe I'm weird, but I find Ed a very likeable guy. Not a nut the way he's been portrayed by some in the media at times over the years.