Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Heating systems <FWD>

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

Nancy Wight wight [at] world.std.com  is the author of this message but
due to a listserv problem it was posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop.


Sorry for taking so long to repond.  I've been snowed under since getting 
back from Boulder.
 
Jeffrey Hobson wrote:

> Nancy, I came into this discussion somewhat late, so I'm not sure exactl
> what the climate's like in Acton.  Are you guys near the coast or inland
> and how humid does it get in the summertime?  No one in this discussion, 
> far as I have seen, has been clear as to whether you were assuming you wo
> have air conditioning or not.  Also, how much insulation will be in your
> walls and ceilings, what kind of orientation will the houses have, etc? 

We are about 20 miles west of the coast and have somewhat humid summers, 
but not as humid as, say, New Jersey. But it can get hot and stay in the 
90's for a few weeks at a time.  Some people in our group will definitely 
have air conditioning for various reasons.  One person has a disability 
that requires it.  Pablo and I have an office with lots of computer 
equipment heating up the room.  I would say that at least half of the 
houses are considering air conditioning.

As for insulation, we are following the "Energy Crafted Homes" guidelines 
which means our houses will have extra insulation, an improved envelope, 
special windows, ventilation systems, and be practically air-tight.  The 
claim is that we will use at least 50% less energy to heat and cool our 
houses.  Some of the houses are situated particularly well for solar gain, 
but some are not.
 
> Nancy, if you are interested in being innovative in this realm (and I
> haven't yet heard whether you do, or whether it would be too much effort)
> the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has a contract out to try t
> develop a solar-powered heat pump, and you might be able to be a test-sit
> If you are seriously interested in this possibility, I could dig up info 
> who to contact.

Lots of us are interested in being innovative, and I personally am very 
interested in any information you have on this.  Unfortunately, we are 
under a very tight budget at this point, and I doubt that we will be able 
to do much in this area if the up front costs are high.

> That's enough from me.  I'm delighted this discussion is happening.  Nanc
> I'd be curious to know whether the info on the list so far has been
> practically useful or not.

This information has been enormously helpful to me and I really appreciate 
all of you who contributed.  Thanks!

- Nancy

Nancy Wight                                   wight [at] world.std.com
New View Neighborhood Development             Acton, MA


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