An idea that came too late

Re: An idea that came too late

Cariboo,

Heating is your biggest single load. Consider having a ground water, or earth loop heat pump put in. In the Lower Mainland the average winter temp might also favour a air heat pump. Maybe BC Hydro has some sort of rebate or incentive to change your heating system to something that might make more sense. Does the BC gov have any ideas with it's new green initiative like tax credits or rebates?

Tony

I agree that transporting the hardware would probably take more energy than it generates.

Re: An idea that came too late

If you have natural gas available, or Propane look at these: http://www.rinnai.us/Products/ductless_heaters/overview.aspx

I think Rinnai heaters are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I wouldn't put anything else in any house. May take a while to pay back but quick, nice, even quiet heat. Installation is a snap. 4" hole through an outside wall, gas pipe can come from anywhere,,over, under, around or through the structure. We have a rental cottage in Maine that we rent 12 months,,, way colder than the lower mainland. We heat is exclusively with 2 of these, one big on in the central part of the house, a small one on the sun porch. With both going full, we are using ~1/3 gal/hour. They modulated down to almost nothing once the house is warm.

Tony

PS There must be a good energy auditor in the valley somewhere? Where are you? I am currently in Bellingham.

Re: An idea that came too late

You might consider a corn or pellet stove to supplement or replace your existing electric heating system. I can heat my home comfortably on about one bushel of corn per day. The cost of corn fluctuates, but currently it's about $3.50 per bushel in the U.S. That's about $100 per month if you have to use the stove every day. The price of corn spiked last year, but at $7.00 a bushel it is still cheaper than electric heat I suspect.

Re: An idea that came too late

I know there are those who believe that burning corn for heat is wrong, and I respect the opinions of others, but I see nothing wrong with it. If I thought that my use of corn was contributing to starvation anywhere in the world, I would stop today. If the demand for corn rises, farmers will simply grow more of it. I live in the corn belt, and I know a few farmers. I know they have choices when it comes to what they plant in their fields. Last year the cost of corn was high, but in previous years corn was available for less than it cost farmers to grow it. Market fluctuations are going to happen, whether I burn corn or not.

Unlike fossil-fuels corn is carbon-neutral, a plus for the environment. And I believe it is a better choice than wood (pellets) because it only takes one year to renew.

Because I use less electricity (from coal-fired power plants), and less natural gas, my "carbon footprint" is smaller and therefore I contribute less to global warming. Some may not believe that global warming is man-made, but most people do believe that fossil fuels are running out. Someday, everyone will be using bio-fuels in one way or another. By using a renewable resource (corn), and by generating my own electricity (with PV), I'm preserving non-renewable natural resources (oil, coal, and natural gas) for future generations. My grandchildren will appreciate what I've done for them, and cutting my utility bills is just icing on the cake! And yes, I understand that starvation happens in many parts of the world. This occurs mainly because of an inability to preserve and store food, not from an inability to grow crops.

John

Re: An idea that came too late

Thanks for your comments Tony. I agree that corn production is not as environmentally friendly as it could be due to pesticides and the fossil fuel used to plant and harvest. But my choices are to burn fossil fuel directly for heat, or indirectly via corn. I don't see that it makes much difference either way, except that I'm not using a natural resource that is non-renewable, and in short supply. Additionally, I'm a few years away from retirement, and I would like to move to a place with a few acres of land that I could use to grow corn in an environmentally friendly way. I bought this antique corn-sheller, but I digress. My ultimate goal is to use no fossil fuel at all. I would drive electric vehicles, and use electricity from PV and wind. My lifestyle would not have a negative effect on anybody, as far as I can tell.

This discussion began as a brainstorming exercise to help caraboocoot cut his electric bill, most of which is the result of home heating. I still believe burning corn is a viable option, but I don't know how much he's currently speding on electric heat.

Regards,
John

Re: An idea that came too late

CC,

You're right, cheap electricity is the enemy of conservation/RE. Changing out to Propane Rinnai probably has a pretty long pay off.

A couple of energy saving things to consider. Heat loss through glass is considerable. What is not understood by many is the function of muliple layers of glazing. In simple numbers, a single pane of glass has an R-value of ~1 (Not exactly 1, but for the sake of this discussion a good enough number) Achieving this R-value requires a still film of air on both the inside and the outside of the pane. Add a wind on the outside, and a draft on the inside from a forced air furnace or fan, and the R-value drop to almost zero. Adding a second layer of glass DOUBLES the R-value of the window to ~R-2, largely due to the dead airspace between layers. Once again, add an outside wind, or an inside draft and the R-value drops back to ~R-1 Add a third or forth layer of glazing and you can see the effect. Exotic gases, low e glass etc can add a small bit to these numbers, but despite the hype you hear, the numbers basically hold true).

The reality however is that even a R-3 is a terrible R value relative to the rest of the wall structure. A 2x4 wall with standard fibreglass insulation will have a aggregate R-value of ~R-15 depending on components. (2x6 will yield ~R-22) So you can see that the window looses ~7-10 times as much heat as the wall next to it. The heat loss comparison is even worse comparing windows to ceiling/roof structures.

So, in real terms, instead of spending huge amounts of money upgrading windows (beyond double glazing) your money is way better spent adding insulation in the walls and the ceiling. As for the windows, making or buying insulated window coverings has a much bigger payoff at a much lower cost than adding another layer of glazing. An insulated shade can be had with ~R2-8, depending on what you used. Window insulation (nightshades) have the added benefit of reducing heat loss not only due to their R-value, but they also reduce airflow across the glass from the inside, thereby decreasing the heat loss of the window structure itself. We use a proprietary window quilt product called warm window fabric. It is multiple layers, including foil and vapor barrier. Sewn into a Roman shade with wool covering, has an aggregate R-10,,, not bad starting from R-1.

Other ideas,, consider an evacuated tube solar hot water system. I have installed small flat plate systems in the Lower Mainland and they produce 100% of hot water needs from April-Sept. In December they produce maybe 20%. Evacuated tube systems are way more efficient.

I would at the very least, add insulation to any electric hot water heater tank, but ideally, I would install a demand propane (Takagi, Rinnai, Paloma) water heater. The savings are considerable, and the installation costs are reasonable. Works especially well with pre-heated solar hot water.

Try to find a blower door energy auditor. By creating a partial vacuum in the house with a sealed door allows you to find as many places as possible where air is infiltrating. Remember, every Cu Ft of air that comes into the house cold, has to be heated to room temperature. Consider a whole house air/air heat exchanger. Every Cu Ft exhausted needs to be replaced with fresh air. Houses need fresh air changes, but to throw away the Btus doesn't make a lot of sense. Caulking, weather stripping, foam outlet covers etc can reduce heat loss/infiltration considerably.

Finally, consider adding as much insulation as you can. Starting with the roofing/ceiling and working down. Adding blow in insulation in an attic is quite cheap and will pay off very quickly. (Make sure you keep attic vents open however!) There is no such thing as too much roof insulation. Current standards are ~R-40, if you get get R-60 in and maintain venting, go for it.
Walls a harder nut to crack. When it's time for a renovation, add rigid foam on either the inside or the outside of the building as you can. Your kind of screwed with the slab on grade floor. The only thing I can think of would be to add a layer of foam on the slab, put plywood over the foam and new finished floor. (Probably not cost effective, since you have to cut all the doors or reframe the opening etc,,, but if you are going to a major reno,,,)

Turn down the heat as much as you can live with, and use programable t-stats. Do as much zone heating as you can, and if possible change the zone management system to allow you to heat the important areas without heating the unused spaces. Close off rooms that are unused, draw the curtains in those rooms 24/7 unless there is some solar gain to be had. Buy a fleece sweater! It seems obvious, but I keep my house ~5f colder just by putting on a sweater! Buy your wife an electric wrap so that she can sit on the sofa and be warm even though the house is cool. (Why not heat just the person rather than the whole house?)

I guess this goes back to the basic mantra we recite to all the newbies. Your first RE dollar should be spent on conservation, followed by conservation, and finally followed by more conservation. After that, Solar space and hot water heating, and then and only then does PV solar begin to make sense. As I said, you are especially handicapped by having very low KW pricing.

Good luck,

Happy New Year to ALL<

Tony