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January 31, 2009 at 12:05 PM #339850January 31, 2009 at 12:12 PM #339312
xironman
Participant[quote=poway_seller]Also current panels are very old and perhaps in coming years more efficient grade panels will be made available that require less square footage. [/quote]
You have a small family in a 5000 sqft house and you are worried about the sqft of solar panels?January 31, 2009 at 12:12 PM #339639Participant[quote=poway_seller]Also current panels are very old and perhaps in coming years more efficient grade panels will be made available that require less square footage. [/quote]
You have a small family in a 5000 sqft house and you are worried about the sqft of solar panels?January 31, 2009 at 12:12 PM #339734Participant[quote=poway_seller]Also current panels are very old and perhaps in coming years more efficient grade panels will be made available that require less square footage. [/quote]
You have a small family in a 5000 sqft house and you are worried about the sqft of solar panels?January 31, 2009 at 12:12 PM #339761Participant[quote=poway_seller]Also current panels are very old and perhaps in coming years more efficient grade panels will be made available that require less square footage. [/quote]
You have a small family in a 5000 sqft house and you are worried about the sqft of solar panels?January 31, 2009 at 12:12 PM #339855Participant[quote=poway_seller]Also current panels are very old and perhaps in coming years more efficient grade panels will be made available that require less square footage. [/quote]
You have a small family in a 5000 sqft house and you are worried about the sqft of solar panels?January 31, 2009 at 4:30 PM #339412UCGal
ParticipantThe suggestion of an attic fan is a good one. We do not have AC and do not miss it because we use the attic fan during the summer.
But that might not work with your wife’s allergies since the attic fan does cause the air to move.
If there are rooms that you have lights on often, during the day – you might consider light tubes. We had one installed in the dressing area of our master bedroom… an area with no natural light. We’re considering a few more – in interior an interior powder room, for example… Free light when the sun is out. They can route these really easily through the crawl spaces.
As far as the orientation of your roof. Our main surface is NW… Not optimal. But our neighbor (with the same orientation) just had roof panels put on – their meter is spinning backwards. The panels HAVE improved. However, trees, etc would be an issue. (Their house is a 2 story, on a mesa.) Their payback will be in 7 years with all the rebates. After that – free electricity for quite a while. In other words – even if your roof isn’t due south – you can get a good system.
January 31, 2009 at 4:30 PM #339738ParticipantThe suggestion of an attic fan is a good one. We do not have AC and do not miss it because we use the attic fan during the summer.
But that might not work with your wife’s allergies since the attic fan does cause the air to move.
If there are rooms that you have lights on often, during the day – you might consider light tubes. We had one installed in the dressing area of our master bedroom… an area with no natural light. We’re considering a few more – in interior an interior powder room, for example… Free light when the sun is out. They can route these really easily through the crawl spaces.
As far as the orientation of your roof. Our main surface is NW… Not optimal. But our neighbor (with the same orientation) just had roof panels put on – their meter is spinning backwards. The panels HAVE improved. However, trees, etc would be an issue. (Their house is a 2 story, on a mesa.) Their payback will be in 7 years with all the rebates. After that – free electricity for quite a while. In other words – even if your roof isn’t due south – you can get a good system.
January 31, 2009 at 4:30 PM #339834ParticipantThe suggestion of an attic fan is a good one. We do not have AC and do not miss it because we use the attic fan during the summer.
But that might not work with your wife’s allergies since the attic fan does cause the air to move.
If there are rooms that you have lights on often, during the day – you might consider light tubes. We had one installed in the dressing area of our master bedroom… an area with no natural light. We’re considering a few more – in interior an interior powder room, for example… Free light when the sun is out. They can route these really easily through the crawl spaces.
As far as the orientation of your roof. Our main surface is NW… Not optimal. But our neighbor (with the same orientation) just had roof panels put on – their meter is spinning backwards. The panels HAVE improved. However, trees, etc would be an issue. (Their house is a 2 story, on a mesa.) Their payback will be in 7 years with all the rebates. After that – free electricity for quite a while. In other words – even if your roof isn’t due south – you can get a good system.
January 31, 2009 at 4:30 PM #339861ParticipantThe suggestion of an attic fan is a good one. We do not have AC and do not miss it because we use the attic fan during the summer.
But that might not work with your wife’s allergies since the attic fan does cause the air to move.
If there are rooms that you have lights on often, during the day – you might consider light tubes. We had one installed in the dressing area of our master bedroom… an area with no natural light. We’re considering a few more – in interior an interior powder room, for example… Free light when the sun is out. They can route these really easily through the crawl spaces.
As far as the orientation of your roof. Our main surface is NW… Not optimal. But our neighbor (with the same orientation) just had roof panels put on – their meter is spinning backwards. The panels HAVE improved. However, trees, etc would be an issue. (Their house is a 2 story, on a mesa.) Their payback will be in 7 years with all the rebates. After that – free electricity for quite a while. In other words – even if your roof isn’t due south – you can get a good system.
January 31, 2009 at 4:30 PM #339955ParticipantThe suggestion of an attic fan is a good one. We do not have AC and do not miss it because we use the attic fan during the summer.
But that might not work with your wife’s allergies since the attic fan does cause the air to move.
If there are rooms that you have lights on often, during the day – you might consider light tubes. We had one installed in the dressing area of our master bedroom… an area with no natural light. We’re considering a few more – in interior an interior powder room, for example… Free light when the sun is out. They can route these really easily through the crawl spaces.
As far as the orientation of your roof. Our main surface is NW… Not optimal. But our neighbor (with the same orientation) just had roof panels put on – their meter is spinning backwards. The panels HAVE improved. However, trees, etc would be an issue. (Their house is a 2 story, on a mesa.) Their payback will be in 7 years with all the rebates. After that – free electricity for quite a while. In other words – even if your roof isn’t due south – you can get a good system.
January 31, 2009 at 5:01 PM #339422jficquette
Participant[quote=LuckyInOC]As a previous HVAC design engineer, you may want to do some of the following:
1. Use your Central Gas(?) furnace to keep the whole house at 68-73 deg. during 6am-11pm. Use the setback thermostat to 65 deg. at night. Use the Heat Pumps or other Resistance Heaters to heat the required rooms to 78 deg as required. This will use the gas as the main source (cheapest) to heat the majority of the house. The inefficient Heat Pumps will work better only to heat the additional 5 deg. The inefficient Heat Pumps are trying to heat the rest of the house even if they are in closed rooms. Inside walls are not usually insulated.
2. If you don’t have dual-pane windows, have them installed. My ’80s 2700 sf house had 27 single-pane windows. We replaced them with dual-pane low-e windows. We hardly use our Central HVAC now. We only turn on 1500w plug-in heaters in the rooms where occupied and use fans in the summer. I am thinking to put a whole house fan in this year. We don’t mind our house at 68 deg during winter and 78 deg during summer. We live in North OC where it get rarely above 90 deg.
Also, I heard they may be starting up a new show ‘The Real Housewives of San Diego’. Your wife sounds like a good candidate…
Lucky In OC
[/quote]
I love Attic fans. I grew up in the south and most houses built pre 1960 had them.
The noise they made at night were great for putting us kids to sleep. Something about that steady drone.
John
January 31, 2009 at 5:01 PM #339748Participant[quote=LuckyInOC]As a previous HVAC design engineer, you may want to do some of the following:
1. Use your Central Gas(?) furnace to keep the whole house at 68-73 deg. during 6am-11pm. Use the setback thermostat to 65 deg. at night. Use the Heat Pumps or other Resistance Heaters to heat the required rooms to 78 deg as required. This will use the gas as the main source (cheapest) to heat the majority of the house. The inefficient Heat Pumps will work better only to heat the additional 5 deg. The inefficient Heat Pumps are trying to heat the rest of the house even if they are in closed rooms. Inside walls are not usually insulated.
2. If you don’t have dual-pane windows, have them installed. My ’80s 2700 sf house had 27 single-pane windows. We replaced them with dual-pane low-e windows. We hardly use our Central HVAC now. We only turn on 1500w plug-in heaters in the rooms where occupied and use fans in the summer. I am thinking to put a whole house fan in this year. We don’t mind our house at 68 deg during winter and 78 deg during summer. We live in North OC where it get rarely above 90 deg.
Also, I heard they may be starting up a new show ‘The Real Housewives of San Diego’. Your wife sounds like a good candidate…
Lucky In OC
[/quote]
I love Attic fans. I grew up in the south and most houses built pre 1960 had them.
The noise they made at night were great for putting us kids to sleep. Something about that steady drone.
John
January 31, 2009 at 5:01 PM #339844Participant[quote=LuckyInOC]As a previous HVAC design engineer, you may want to do some of the following:
1. Use your Central Gas(?) furnace to keep the whole house at 68-73 deg. during 6am-11pm. Use the setback thermostat to 65 deg. at night. Use the Heat Pumps or other Resistance Heaters to heat the required rooms to 78 deg as required. This will use the gas as the main source (cheapest) to heat the majority of the house. The inefficient Heat Pumps will work better only to heat the additional 5 deg. The inefficient Heat Pumps are trying to heat the rest of the house even if they are in closed rooms. Inside walls are not usually insulated.
2. If you don’t have dual-pane windows, have them installed. My ’80s 2700 sf house had 27 single-pane windows. We replaced them with dual-pane low-e windows. We hardly use our Central HVAC now. We only turn on 1500w plug-in heaters in the rooms where occupied and use fans in the summer. I am thinking to put a whole house fan in this year. We don’t mind our house at 68 deg during winter and 78 deg during summer. We live in North OC where it get rarely above 90 deg.
Also, I heard they may be starting up a new show ‘The Real Housewives of San Diego’. Your wife sounds like a good candidate…
Lucky In OC
[/quote]
I love Attic fans. I grew up in the south and most houses built pre 1960 had them.
The noise they made at night were great for putting us kids to sleep. Something about that steady drone.
John
January 31, 2009 at 5:01 PM #339871Participant[quote=LuckyInOC]As a previous HVAC design engineer, you may want to do some of the following:
1. Use your Central Gas(?) furnace to keep the whole house at 68-73 deg. during 6am-11pm. Use the setback thermostat to 65 deg. at night. Use the Heat Pumps or other Resistance Heaters to heat the required rooms to 78 deg as required. This will use the gas as the main source (cheapest) to heat the majority of the house. The inefficient Heat Pumps will work better only to heat the additional 5 deg. The inefficient Heat Pumps are trying to heat the rest of the house even if they are in closed rooms. Inside walls are not usually insulated.
2. If you don’t have dual-pane windows, have them installed. My ’80s 2700 sf house had 27 single-pane windows. We replaced them with dual-pane low-e windows. We hardly use our Central HVAC now. We only turn on 1500w plug-in heaters in the rooms where occupied and use fans in the summer. I am thinking to put a whole house fan in this year. We don’t mind our house at 68 deg during winter and 78 deg during summer. We live in North OC where it get rarely above 90 deg.
Also, I heard they may be starting up a new show ‘The Real Housewives of San Diego’. Your wife sounds like a good candidate…
Lucky In OC
[/quote]
I love Attic fans. I grew up in the south and most houses built pre 1960 had them.
The noise they made at night were great for putting us kids to sleep. Something about that steady drone.
John
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