energy costs...not hijacking sprintman's thread

[Shannow]

My parents live in the same geographical area as sprintman, and have declared this the coldest winter ever.

I've been fielding question on upgrades.

Valence heating (simple resistance heaters bolted to wall).
"We're looking at these, as they only cost 3c/hour to run."
"So they are 200W then...that won't give you much heat."
"No, they are 1kW."
"Well they cost 14c per hour then"
"No, the power company told us 3c".
"But a kW for an hour, is a kWHr, and that's 14c".
"But why would the power company lie?"
"because they are selling power...maybe they averaged the consumption over 24 hours, but it's still 14c per hour that you run it."
"OK, nevermind"

Today.
"We decided to rip out the 1.5hp split system air conditioner, and install a 2.5. The new model takes less electricity to run than the older one (less than 3 years old)."
"I doubt it, it will at least cost the same (same cooling/heating duty), and probably cost more"
"Well they told us that it would use less, and why would they lie."
"OK, whatever...what are you going to do with the old one ?"
"Install it in another part of the house, because it gets too hot/cold there too."

Don't know which annoys me more. Parents who trust salesman rather than me, or salesmen who tell fibs.

 

[sprintman]

If it's an Inverter system then true. I wouldn't buy one for ACT as they can't handle the large -C days they freeze up and stop heating while defrosting. I made a bad choice. My 3.5yr old Fujitsu is dead again. If they insist on heat pump go Daikin. Gas is he go ducted or portable. Coldest June for decades.

 

[Shannow]

quote:

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Originally posted by sprintman:
Gas is he go ducted or portable.

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beiung an engineer, in a utility, that was my recommendation exactly for heating.

As for cooling, what they had worked very very well in their well insulated house.

 

[sprintman]

I have roof wall (pumped in) and under floor bats. Heat pumps just can't handle a winter like this. Even the pool iced up!

 

[tdi-rick]

quote:

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"We decided to rip out the 1.5hp split system air conditioner, and install a 2.5. The new model takes less electricity to run than the older one (less than 3 years old)."

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sheesh, the sales-person saw your parents coming

FWIW, all the Daikin inverters I've put in up here seem to cope OK down to -6*. Time to frost up depends on the moisture content of the air. The worse the drought, the better they perform

Put a cent/meter on a 5kw inverter split a month or so back and it peaked at 22c/hr.
This winter is no worse than 5 years ago when we first moved here at the beginning of the drought. Most mornings were -6 to -7 in the stables.

 

[Pablo]

Global warming. Oh sorry.

I thought you guys have a lot of NG. Is it not universally piped? (probably older neighborhoods/not enough pop. density?)

TDI - where do you live? (latitude, altitude and miles from salt water?) Same for Lithgow and Canberra? Canberra is 35°S or so, no? How far from the ocean?

 

[tdi-rick]

quote:

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Global warming. Oh sorry.

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Hehe, the apologists have beaten you to it and are claiming 'Global Warming' with straight faces...truly

Fact is we're still in drought here and drought in winter=cold.
NG is on tap in the major cities like Sydney, but being on the coast it isn't quite this cccccold (-6.2 and dropping ATM), although Sydneys far western suburbs get frost through winter. Unless a smaller country town lays on the pipe route from South Oz, no NG.

I'm about 30km east of Murrurundi. Altitude wise we're in the bottom of a valley 400m or so ASL. All the hills ringing us are between 700m and 1000m.
Lat is nearly 32* or so S. 120km or so to the coast.
Armidale, (30*30'S) a bit further N by road is much colder than here, with Guyra a further 40km N colder again. IIRC Guyra is about 18-1900m ASL.

 

[sprintman]

Canberra altitude 3,000ft and say 200kms from ocean. Guyra, I've been there and that can get cold. I heard tales of -14C a year or two back in that area.

 

[Shannow]

33*28' S, 150*10'E, and 3063 feet elevation, and about 80 miles as the crow flies from the caost.

Coldest June recorded in the area, and -9C a few weeks back.

tdi-Rick, my Father in law was station master at Willowtree while the better half was growing up.

 

[tdi-rick]

Steve, Canberra is only 570m/1870' ASL

Shannow, been working at Willow Tree for the last three weeks supply/instal the refrig gear in a new knackery. Max daytime temps haven't exceeded 11*

 

[Gary Allan]

Well, most of that was in American

quote:

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I have roof wall (pumped in) and under floor bats.

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[Shannow]

Gary, I think the reference is to cellulose/wool pumped insulation, with an addition of batts beneath the floor.

 

[sprintman]

Meant 2,000 not 3,000 my apologies. I havn't defrosted yet.

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

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Originally posted by Shannow:
Gary, I think the reference is to cellulose/wool pumped insulation, with an addition of batts beneath the floor.

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Oh .."roof and wall blown in (insulation).

Okay, I was speculating that it was either this (sometimes referred to here as "rock wool") or that there was some fancy solar deal blowing heated air under the floor from the roof area.

I hope I'm not irritating anybody

Our OZ members are always held in the highest regard.

 

[Shannow]

Gary, no irritation at this end for sure, there's a lot for all of us to learn from others (e.g. a discussion a few years ago about insulation standards in Canada versus Oz really opened my eyes.

As to the solar thingamujjig, I think these are pretty neat.
http://www.airaus.com/airaus/category.jsp?categoryID=93

 

[Shannow]

Went home a few weeks ago, and woke up sweating like a b@stard at 4AM.

22 degrees C, and both running full bore.

Had to rehydrate the kids in the morning.

I'd hate to see what the energy bills are going to be this quarter.

 

[Schmoe]

You know, it still freaks me out that you guys on the "other side," are having winter.