Log in
Register
Home
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
News
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Features
Log in
Register
Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Install the app
Install
Reply to thread
Home
Forums
Off Topic
The Basement
Home building/living suggestions wanted.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Ryan Lantzy" data-source="post: 73326" data-attributes="member: 7"><p>Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted.</p><p></p><p>One part of a house that really needs good planning and some thought is the HVAC system. Make sure your contractor has done a Manual D, J, and S properly. A lot of older HVAC companies in the northeast are actually just guys that installed oil and coal burners hot water systems. In my area, it's tougher to find people that know air-sourced and ground-sourced heat pumps well, or even ones that know how to properly design ducting for forced air systems. There are some resources online and you can spot check their work if you are curious. I bought a 5 year old house that has an air-sourced heat pump and not only was it hooked up incorrectly, it was over-sized and the ducting was just too small for it. The air handler is a 1900-2200 CFM unit and the heat pump is a 5 ton. I have a 3800 square foot home (including 1900 which is 60% below grade) and most calculations I do and experts I talk to say a 3.5 ton would have been plenty. My return air ducts were only sized for about 800-1000 CFM. Because of this, and the undersized ducts, my system wastes a lot of energy and uses more than it should in the first place if were ducted properly. I've had some of the issues remedied and my electric bill fell by about $40 this past November (compared to the previous November which was actually warmer on average).</p><p></p><p>If you are buying used, pay attention to the type of system it has, and the quality of insulation in the house. If either of these is messed up, it can be an expensive thing to fix, and it can cost you for the duration of your ownership if you don't fix it. When oil/gas/energy was cheap no one cared. Now that it's more expensive, people are learning the hard way.</p><p></p><p>Another thing to think about is your electrical supply. One thing I really want to do with my house is install a backup battery bank, wind mill, and solar panels. If your battery bank is big enough, you could potentially use very little from the grid - and you get the added benefit of fewer power outages. I figured out that based on my electrical draw (which includes heating and A/C) I average about 45 kWh per day. That works out to a average constant draw of 7.8 A @ 240 V. A 3000 Watt generator running 24/7 and a properly sized battery bank could easily supply power for my whole house. The batteries do require some care and feeding. Bring your hydrometer.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ryan Lantzy, post: 73326, member: 7"] Re: Home building/living suggestions wanted. One part of a house that really needs good planning and some thought is the HVAC system. Make sure your contractor has done a Manual D, J, and S properly. A lot of older HVAC companies in the northeast are actually just guys that installed oil and coal burners hot water systems. In my area, it's tougher to find people that know air-sourced and ground-sourced heat pumps well, or even ones that know how to properly design ducting for forced air systems. There are some resources online and you can spot check their work if you are curious. I bought a 5 year old house that has an air-sourced heat pump and not only was it hooked up incorrectly, it was over-sized and the ducting was just too small for it. The air handler is a 1900-2200 CFM unit and the heat pump is a 5 ton. I have a 3800 square foot home (including 1900 which is 60% below grade) and most calculations I do and experts I talk to say a 3.5 ton would have been plenty. My return air ducts were only sized for about 800-1000 CFM. Because of this, and the undersized ducts, my system wastes a lot of energy and uses more than it should in the first place if were ducted properly. I've had some of the issues remedied and my electric bill fell by about $40 this past November (compared to the previous November which was actually warmer on average). If you are buying used, pay attention to the type of system it has, and the quality of insulation in the house. If either of these is messed up, it can be an expensive thing to fix, and it can cost you for the duration of your ownership if you don't fix it. When oil/gas/energy was cheap no one cared. Now that it's more expensive, people are learning the hard way. Another thing to think about is your electrical supply. One thing I really want to do with my house is install a backup battery bank, wind mill, and solar panels. If your battery bank is big enough, you could potentially use very little from the grid - and you get the added benefit of fewer power outages. I figured out that based on my electrical draw (which includes heating and A/C) I average about 45 kWh per day. That works out to a average constant draw of 7.8 A @ 240 V. A 3000 Watt generator running 24/7 and a properly sized battery bank could easily supply power for my whole house. The batteries do require some care and feeding. Bring your hydrometer. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Home
Forums
Off Topic
The Basement
Home building/living suggestions wanted.
Top
Bottom
Sign-up
or
log in
to join the discussion today!