While part of me hates that we are taking 2 housing units off the market in WV right now, we're giving them much needed love after 20-30 years of neglect that doesn't pencil if they were long term rentals, so we're improving and electrifying old housing stock. Important note.
Next units we do we'll build: tiny houses, A-frames, and tree houses do the best in national park areas.
It would only take a few thousand #electrifyeverything AirBnbs to make a substantial change in national perception of electrification.
BTW most know I don't like rules, but a few are needed, as outlined in the article above:
1. Tackle 6 Functions of HVAC 2. Bath fans and range hood vented outdoors 3. Induction stove 4. Air quality monitor with visible results
Our Ohio house fails this presently, it needs central HVAC, although it does have fresh air, filtration, and dehumidification from a ventilating dehumidifier. It's missing load matching and mixing from the 6 functions. Otherwise it passes. See it here: bit.ly/RiverHouseAirB…
Facepalm, rule 5 - a 220 volt plug for EV charger, suggest a 14-50.
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2015/2018/2021 IECC (insulation codes) are all good enough.
But they’re not enforced, and it’s gonna be TOUGH.
But some are looking for opportunities like this fellow.
It’s really tough to fudge leakage tests, so it’s a key tool.
Although duct leakage in northern homes with ducts in heated space doesn’t matter all that much. While home air leakage does.
Down south with ducts in attics, both duct and home leakage matter.
Most southern new home duct systems are abortions btw. Kinked flex duct with almost no flow that get drywalled into the ceiling and can’t be replaced without nearly gutting the house. Passes the test though…
Energy use will tell the tale of bad installs though…
This is a ~2000 sf 1950s Cape Cod in Cleveland Heights.
Full case study on the insulation and air sealing project we did here. It was about $20K and was focused in the attics of this house (it has 4, or was it 5?)
The house started off really leaky at 5800 cfm50 blower door. We got it down to 3100 cfm50. Still not great, but far better. And good enough it turned out.
The house fundamentally changed. The second floor wasn't 10 degrees warmer in summer anymore, it was within 2-3 degrees.
Tight well insulated homes perform well, exhibit A:
This 5000 sf new home in Cleveland with an 80kbtu 98% furnace and 4 ton heat pump is only at 67% capacity at 8F. That’s about 53kbtu/18kw output.
A 4 ton heat pump would be appropriate here. For a huge house!
As we discuss resilience, air tightness is important. This house clocked a 1025 cfm50 blower door or about 1 ACH50.
Exhibit B: 2300 sf 1950 built ranch. 3 ton heat pump. 2000 cfm50. This heat pump shuts down automatically below 3 F. 5 kw/15,000 btus of backup heat is handling the house at this moment.
As painful as it is to watch what's going on in Texas, the residential solution basically looks like what we should be doing anyway:
-Tighter, more efficient homes
-Smaller, more efficient HVAC
-Batteries
-More local generation like community solar
Hard to sell tho!
The fact of the matter is we humans don't change until the pain of not changing is greater than the pain of changing.
In residential resiliency creating a comfortable, healthy, and efficient home is a great deal of work. Work that few contractors are good at selling or doing.
The situation in Texas brings up very valid concerns about electrification - how do we handle the really tough cold snaps?