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11-09-13, 10:40 AM | #1 |
Lurking Renovator
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: us
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Hello from the Sunshine State
My home was built in 1950's 1250 sq ft. By converting from wall shakers to central air, adding insulation and updated windows I've gotten my electric bill down to $120 in the summer and $60 in the cooler months (all electric). Looking to improve that, so I stopped by and signed up!
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11-09-13, 04:01 PM | #2 |
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 5,525
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Welcome to the site! It sound like you're doing pretty good Nemo.
Probably the best think you can look into doing air sealing. The best test is to go around with an infra red camera and take pictures of where there is hot/cold air coming in the house. A professional energy inspector can do this during an inspection. Alternatively, you can do a DIY air leakage test and see what you find out.
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11-09-13, 05:38 PM | #3 |
Apprentice EcoRenovator
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Lakehills, Tx
Posts: 168
Thanks: 4
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Welcome nemo!
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11-09-13, 06:05 PM | #4 |
DIY Geek
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Sunny Florida
Posts: 401
Thanks: 74
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Welcome Nemo! I too hail from the Sunshine State, lower east side. Although slightly newer, my home is a 2-story, combination of concrete block (lower story) and wood frame (upper story), built in 1961. Best air sealing improvement I have made thus far was replacing all my 1962 single pane awning windows with double pane hurricane impact rated casement windows. I literally used to be able to feel the air escaping out the upper story windows when my central A/C was running. I went with casements because they allow me to scoop the wind into the windows during the few weeks a year that it's nice enough to open the windows, and they had triple seals. I've still got more air sealing to do... When I first bought the house, on cold February mornings, you used to be able to literally feel the cold north wind blowing through my house and taking my hard earned dollars with it.
I've got an all electric house with a 4.4kW PV system on my roof (as of August 1, 2013). My 2013 September electric bill was $47, October was $38. Last year (2012), those bills were $116 and $106, respectively. October 2011, the bill was $132. Every little bit helps. |
11-10-13, 07:40 AM | #5 |
Lurking Renovator
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: us
Posts: 7
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Thanks to all for the welcome.
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11-10-13, 07:42 AM | #6 | |
Lurking Renovator
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: us
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Quote:
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11-10-13, 07:07 PM | #7 |
DIY Geek
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Sunny Florida
Posts: 401
Thanks: 74
Thanked 83 Times in 73 Posts
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I have never looked at that aspect of PV since it won't matter to me. My 1962 house structure has no appreciable resale value to the modern buyer with money to afford the property values in my neighborhood. The land under my house has enormous resale value. If this property were ever sold, the structure would likely be bulldozed and a new McMansion built. My property is ~6 miles from the local inlet via the tidal canal behind the house. In the last 5 years, two of my neighbors have rebuilt their houses from the ground up.
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