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View Full Version : Beat the Heat, Spare the Grid?



Art Mulder
06-27-2007, 8:28 AM
Well it's going to be a scorcher today here in Southern Ontario. The forecast is 32c (90F) But at the time I'm writing (8am) we're already at 25c (77F) and with 70% Humidity the Humidex says it already "feels" like 32c. So I can only wonder what it'll feel like when it actually gets to 32!

Man, I hope we get a nice long thunderstorm. (not likely)

And on the radio this morning they are, unsurprisingly, talking about the heat, and the strain it is putting on the grid. And I thought that I should make an extra effort today to be sure that we're doing our part...

My wife/kids are at home, so turning off the AC isn't an option, but we do keep the thermostat at 25c, which is perfectly comfortable. We also make sure all the blinds are drawn to keep out the sun. My wife has sewn our curtains, and we made sure that the curtains on the south of the house are fairly heavy, to keep out the heat on days like this, and the west curtains in my daughter's room have a vinyl "blackout" lining, which also helps keep out sun.

The 2nd floor rooms are all kept shut, to make sure the AC doesn't just roll out the door and down the stairs. And in the basement, I just made sure that all the ducts are closed -- no need to pump cool air in there, pump it into the main level.

And today I made an extra effort to make sure all the "phantom" loads are minimized. I turned off the computer monitor (instead of just letting it sleep) I turned off the computer speakers. I'd unplug the microwave if I could get to the plug (behind a bookcase). My wife said she'd skip laundry today, to save running the machine. The printer/scanner is also getting unplugged, as are any batter chargers laying around. And so will the DVD/VCR/TV power bars be clicked off.

Small loads all, but every bit helps.

So, what are you doing to beat the heat and spare the grid? Any suggestions to share? (Andy, step away from that ice cream bowl! :rolleyes: )

...art

David G Baker
06-27-2007, 9:05 AM
I live in Mid Michigan. We are scheduled to get some rain and thunder storms today. Yesterday we were in the 90's with a 75% humidity and over night it got down to the lower 70's.
To spare the grid I turn off the lights and TV. I turn on the small window air conditioner, turn on the computer, shut the door and sit in the path of cool air and cruise the Internet.
The weather man says there is a cold spell on the way.

Dennis Peacock
06-27-2007, 9:13 AM
Art,

I live where you run your a/c about 8 months out of the year. Here it's heat and humidity. Most days in the summer, you walk outside in the morning and it's already 80-something degrees F and the air is so heavy that it seems as though one could cut the air with a knife.

I figured that you lived so far up "north" that you didn't have to worry about heat. ;)

Belinda Barfield
06-27-2007, 9:36 AM
I'm in the same boat as Dennis. Currently 81, feels like 86, 74% humidity. Tonight at 9 p.m. it will be about the same. We keep our blinds closed, thermostat on 77 to 78, do laundry only in the evenings or early a.m. We also try to grill as much food as possible, and don't use the oven. Hope that's not contributing too much to the air pollution. During what passes for Spring and Fall, we don't run the AC at all, just leave the windows open all the time. We live in a 3rd floor condo in a gated community, so I don't worry too much about the crime factor. Not necessarily affecting the grid, but we also car pool to work most of the time. At work the thermostat is set on 78. Savannah has a very laid back work atmosphere and, with the exception of banks and other professional offices, most everyone wears shorts to work, so the thermostat can be set a little higher.

Try to stay comfortable.

Greg Cole
06-27-2007, 9:40 AM
Having lived in Vermont for many years and now residing in Kansas City... I can say the heat & humidity here are OPRESSIVE. Like Dennis, we are all but forced to live in an world that's all A/C..... not sure if it/s me being cheap or just not having grown up with central air I am the last on the block to turn mine on. Seems as those who have always had central air and have always lived where it's warm are the ones to run to the thermostat first.... I woulda thought my northern blood would have boiled before theirs?
When I moved here I hated it, matter of fact I don't much like it now, but I've acclimated "some" to it.. LOML thinks I am nuts when I work outside and its anything over about 85. Just have to drink up (water that is...) and I have had to knock my "Yankee pace" down a touch to make it in the heat here.

Cheers.

Greg

Tyler Howell
06-27-2007, 10:30 AM
55* last night in Grand Marais:D .
And let's keep it that way.
Don't like (or function in) the the hot and humid.
All the little heat sources add up.

Jim Becker
06-27-2007, 10:34 AM
I don't run the A/C to make our home "cool"; I run it to keep the humidity level down so the 74-78ºF temperatures in the interior are comfortable. I do use an intelligent thermostat that deals with setbacks, etc., but try to avoid changing around register settings so that things don't get out of balance. A few small fans that help move air around also makes the higher ambient temperatures more comfortable.

One thing we are doing is dealing with insulation issues in the current structure as a side part of our home addition project. There is zero insulation in the ceiling of the 250 year old portion of our home and the only opportunity to deal with that is when we re-roof. (There is no way to access the space from the interior) Same goes with the 1950s section over the current MBR and bathroom...what's in there is inadequate and has been wet from some leaks. It's getting replaced and taken to R38+ during the re-roofing, again, for easier access. Insulation "up top" is about the most significant factor in heat gain/loss, so getting that right is worth the effort and initial cost.

We've also replaced a number of windows with modern energy efficient products, insulated the floor under our great-room with spray foam, replaced nearly all lighting with florescent "bulbs" and made other improvements to make our home more energy efficient. A few years ago, our HVAC system was replaced with a properly sized 92% efficient unit.

Our addition will have a complete energy efficient spray-foam insulation envelope and have both a highly efficient HVAC system and tankless hot water.

After reading an interesting article recently on energy usage for in-home electronics, I'm investigating taking more advantage of power-saving settings when they are available to further reduce energy usage.

Unfortunately, we still use more energy than we used to even with all the improvements. The reason? Kids. ;)

TYLER WOOD
06-27-2007, 10:39 AM
hmmm West Texas this year, we got to 96 yesterday with 84% humidity. I have our thermostat set on 78 with ceiling fans going. Mine in not really to save the energy as much as it is to save my pocket book. Normally the humidity is wonderful here as I am almost in desert conditions. Typical humidity would run at 35-50% but this year we are already above our nomal yearly precip, and getting more almost daily. I guess maybe I should rethink not getting a de-humidifer for the house.:o

Rob Russell
06-27-2007, 10:52 AM
Yesterday's temps were in the mid-90's with matching humidity. It was pretty nasty. Today's temps are predicted to be even higher (high 09's) - there are heat warnings in 3 counties across the state.

We don't have central air. I'll open the windows and turn on the attic fan to vent the hot air from our attic. We just bought one of those portable AC units and may set that up in the bedroom tonight.

Art Mulder
06-27-2007, 11:15 AM
I figured that you lived so far up "north" that you didn't have to worry about heat. ;)

Now Dennis, do we really want to start another Global Warming thread? :eek:

We're under a Smog advisory right now. Getting a lot of those lately. Just found a website that lists the historical numbers for Ontario (http://www.airqualityontario.com/press/smog_advisories.cfm). My section of southern Ontario (halfway between Toronto and Detroit) is geographically in a big depression. So the smog and humidity rolls in from Ohio or Michigan and just sits here. We need a good rain storm to "wash" the smog and humidity out of the air.

For us, getting temps of 30c (90F) or more in June is pretty hot.



I don't run the A/C to make our home "cool"; I run it to keep the humidity level down
...
we still use more energy than we used to even with all the improvements. The reason? Kids. ;)

My parents still only use a dehumidifier in their house. Have never had an AC.

And as for energy... have you looked at your water bills? :eek: I shudder to think what our water bills will be like when they hit the teen years and suddenly *like* taking showers. every day.

I could see the difference on our water bill immediately when we replaced the main bathroom toilet -- an old 13-20 liter unit -- with a dual-flush 3l/6l unit. Six people means lots of flushing!

These are the days when I wish I had a roof full of solar panels. We've got a huge roof facing dead-on south.

Actually, I also wish that our neighour to the west had a 40-50' tall maple (or similar) in their front yard, as it would shade our driveway and garage and take a big load off.

Speaking of which... Plant a Tree! Now that's a way to help take the load off the house. Of course the best time to plant a tree would be about 25 yeas ago.

Jim Becker
06-27-2007, 11:28 AM
We have a 268' deep well, Art, but with the kids, that's part of the increase in energy usage, both to run the well pump and to run the septic pump that gets the water from the tanks to the distribution field up on the hill...

Ken Garlock
06-27-2007, 11:51 AM
We had 2.6" of rain in the past 24 hrs. That is peanuts compared to some parts of the greater Dallas area. My problem is not the heat, yet, but rather the 70 to 98 percent humidity. The grass loves it. I ran the Scagg around the yard over the weekend, and it looked like I had just mowed the hay.

Temp wise, we keep the house at 74 in the summer, and 68 in the winter. The shop is at 75 except when I am working, then it gets set to 73 for that period. The shop is a Trane heat pump. and the house is a geothermal system. The entire house is electric....

Al Willits
06-27-2007, 1:14 PM
We do most of the energy saving tricks like the restriction facets, set back thermostat and making sure both the furnace and AC are running well and clean, I'll wash the condensing unit any tine I get the hose out, probably once or twice a week and change filters when they show signs of getting dirty.
But at 59 I don't quite set temps for savings, more for comfort, 74 during the summer and 68 during winter.

I keep the garage at 38 during the winter when not used and haven't put a AC in yet, probably wait till the next house for that, but I have insulated the heck out of it (another project still being completed..kinda like cleaning):)

I figure we didn't have kids, so we have a bit of leeway on the energy consumption thing....:D

Al

Dennis Peacock
06-27-2007, 1:23 PM
Now Dennis, do we really want to start another Global Warming thread? :eek:

Speaking of which... Plant a Tree! Now that's a way to help take the load off the house. Of course the best time to plant a tree would be about 25 yeas ago.


Art.....NO!!!! I don't need any more Global Warming Threads. I've had all of those I care to even "dream" about.....well....more like "nightmares". :rolleyes: ;)

The LOML and I have been taking every advantage to planting trees around our place. We just need to add about 50 more trees to our property and we'll be all set.................in about 30 years. :)

Ed Falis
06-27-2007, 1:44 PM
My wife's been planting a lot of fruit and berry trees/shrubs this year. It's surprising how many of these will get to a decent height and shade in not all that many years.

Brett Baldwin
06-27-2007, 1:57 PM
You guys can have your humidity. It is 89F right now (11am) with 11% humidity headed for 110F (43C) and that's the forecast till next Friday with a possible jaunt up to 114F(46C) on Tuesday.

I set my thermostat at 82 for the daytime while I'm not there and 78 for the time while I am at home. Ceiling fans in every room keep things very comfortable. I also close off unused rooms and have foil covered styrene sheets in the south facing areas because the 1960s single panes leave a little to be desired. Its not pretty but then neither is the back alley so I don't sweat it. I have yet to break the $90 mark on my electric bill this year with a 1300sf house. It really helps to live alone in this case.

Glenn Clabo
06-27-2007, 2:12 PM
I only recently realized how many battery "chargers" we have all over the house and shop. I never even thought about the fact that even if they aren't charging they are using electricity until the electric co (hydro for you up north) sent out a flyer on wasting power.

Living so close the ocean...we almost always have a breeze. Like today...right now in fact...It can be 93 in Providence...but 77 here. AC is not even on right now.

Curt Harms
06-27-2007, 5:19 PM
Art.....NO!!!! I don't need any more Global Warming Threads. I've had all of those I care to even "dream" about.....well....more like "nightmares". :rolleyes: ;)

The LOML and I have been taking every advantage to planting trees around our place. We just need to add about 50 more trees to our property and we'll be all set.................in about 30 years. :)

Hey Dennis

We planted a silver maple, a corkscrew willow & a poplar when we moved into our current abode in 1996. All 3 trees are 15-20 feet, and the silver maple had a tough 3 years-we got it from a nursery that was closing-poor thing was about 5' tall and had a root ball that'd fit in a gallon pail. Point being, the right species will grow pretty fast. The poplar is tall enough to put leaves in the 2nd floor eaves:mad:.

Stay cool

Curt

Pat Germain
06-27-2007, 5:59 PM
Thankfully, I no longer deal with opressive humidity; not since I moved to Colorado. It's been hot enough to run the A/C in my house this week, but it doesn't have to work very hard.

Now that I've wired one wall of my garage with one 220V and three 110V outlets, I'm going to insulate the whole thing. I installed an insulated garage door last year. The door helps a lot, but I expect insulating the wall will help much more. I have two bedrooms above the garage where the temperature tends to fluctuate more than the rest of the house.

My late father in law was an HVAC guy. He told me for A/C it's best to set it on one temperature and leave it there. According to him, central air has to work very hard to bring town the temp if you allow it to get warm. Thus, he always said for A/C, set and leave it rather than programming the thermostat to raise the temp when we're out of the house. I never crunched the numbers to see if the electricity usage was less, but leaving the temp locked on certainly makes the house more comfortable. I think it's because there's less heat radiating from everything.

Pete Simmons
06-27-2007, 6:42 PM
I thought in Canada it would be all about keeping the heat in!

I am in Florida and love the summer.

I retired from a utility, they would not say it ( even ran ads to conserve ) but all those AC's running are music ($$$) to their ears.

I am not sure what the public thinks utilities make electricty for, to some it seems they think it is for good will, "NOT"... it is to SELL it!

Stress the grid??? They love it. It's just another way to say how many $$$ per hour can we take in.

So - plug those wall warts back in. Lets see 200,000,000 times $0.0003 cents per hour. Thank you very much.

Yes I know we want to stress the grid not break it. So yes it is good to conserve in times like this and really all other times also.

I do unplug most of our wall warts most of the time.

glenn bradley
06-27-2007, 6:57 PM
Living alone I have the luxury of a 'known' environment. I have a pretty good handle on everything that sucks juice. As was mentioned some of the appliances that include clocks, I'm stuck with. I don't subscribe to cable or anything but I do watch a DVD about once every couple months.

Things I leave on anyway . . . alarm system, automatic sprinklers (if I kill the yard again my girlfriend will kill me) and of course those things required to let me participate here . . oh, and the fridge and such.

I have the do-thingy on my AC unit that I get credit for every time the electric company cycles it. The joke's on them; the AC never got interrupted . . . they paid me $180 last year for various "interruption" and I never even had it on ;-)

Ed Garrett
06-28-2007, 10:32 PM
I've got a solution, but I haven't tried it yet: Turn the central A/C up a few degrees and put a powerful window unit in one room. We'll call this the man room. Freeze the man room down to a comfortable level and the wife could roam around the rest of the house in semitropical comfort. I could occasionally emerge from the man room to eat, do some wood working, and then retreat to the cold again. The 7000 watt dollar eating central unit could relax a bit and so could I in the man room. Perhaps this would save enough to buy a Sawstop in 16 years.

Randy Denby
06-30-2007, 12:20 AM
I've got a solution, but I haven't tried it yet: Turn the central A/C up a few degrees and put a powerful window unit in one room. We'll call this the man room. Freeze the man room down to a comfortable level and the wife could roam around the rest of the house in semitropical comfort. I could occasionally emerge from the man room to eat, do some wood working, and then retreat to the cold again. The 7000 watt dollar eating central unit could relax a bit and so could I in the man room. Perhaps this would save enough to buy a Sawstop in 16 years.

Hey...that could work! I'm gonna substitute my shop for the man room inside the house tho. Actually I do anyways:D But I need to turn the a/c up a few notches in the house. She'll probably gripe....but at least I wont hear her:D
My revelation is....turn the electric meter upside down every couple of weeks and ....presto , no usage for the month , it'll cancel everything out. I wonder if I left it upside down for everday, but meter reading day, if they would owe me?:p