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Old 03-03-16, 09:23 AM   #14
Mobile Master Tech
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Atlanta, Ga
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Welcome, Sam!

I have made a number of posts that describe simpler, more effective ways to make the house more efficient and get what you need sustainably so you can fire your utilities. Instead of reiterating, check out my posts and the threads they are in. In particular, AC Hacker's DIY Hydronic Floor Heating, his Homemade Heat Pump Manifesto, and my Passive Annualized Heat Storage threads cover wide ranging topics that all interconnect to make an efficient house and have numerous worthy contributors.

Tons of useful info and helpful people in so many threads here!

Most important, it is easier to keep your energy in than it is to replace it efficently. Insulate properly and use your interior walls as your infiltration barrier. You can get about as good an envelope this way as you could with exterior house wrap.

Electrical boxes and gaps in HVAC equipment/ducts let an amazing amount of air in or out; seal them. $100 of weatherstripping, UL 181B rated duct tape like THIS KIND and fire retardant spray can foam (behind the electrical boxes) could save almost that much per month.

Air source heat pumps are great but only worthwhile if they are variable speed inverter drive. Conventional ones only have one compressor speed, making them inefficient and low output when you need their output the most. The inverter drive ones are amazing for their efficiency and output, plus they can modulate to match their output to the need.
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