07-26-15, 03:35 PM | #23 |
Apprentice EcoRenovator
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Phillips, WI
Posts: 109
Thanks: 10
Thanked 30 Times in 25 Posts
|
I built a new house about 3 years ago. The insulation sweet spot resulted in a heat loss of 13,000 BTUH for a 1300 SF house at -20 F outside and 70 F inside. The next level of insulation would have cut the gas bill by $50 per year at a cost of $12,000. There was no real in-between amount of insulation, and the job was already over budget. No savings in the heating system, either.
I really wanted the U-0.20 or better windows, but the extra cost was prohibitive. I did get a house that cools down at 1 deg F per hour when it's 0 deg F outside. That, along with the woodstove, means that a furnace failure is merely an inconvenience. And, yes, I'm a mechanical engineer. If money was no object, I would have put in the better windows and extra insulation. |
|
|