Insane Electric Rate Increase $508.68/1522 kWh

[Snagglefoot]

We‘re on a slight grade, so about half is below ground. One wall is against the garage and another is open to the backyard. Luckily the open side faces south, so that helps in the winter.

You are right, though, the temp is a lot more stable than upstairs, especially in the summer. It usually doesn’t get much above 70F in the summer, is around 50F now in this relatively mild weather, and into the upper 30s when it’s in the teens or lower outside. If it gets close to zero or below a heater MUST be run, sometimes in more than one section of the basement.

I know this thread is a bit old but have you considered framing and insulating the basement?

 

[gathermewool]

I know this thread is a bit old but have you considered framing and insulating the basement?

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. Currently the basement is half finished but used only for storage. The space is unconditioned, except for two dehumidifiers (long basement with a narrow path through the midpoint where the laundry room is. The laundry room is between the finished and unfinished part.

The unfaced fiberglass batt insulation is actually on the bottom of the floor joists for the above space (our main bedroom) to minimize heat loss to the basement/floor, where the temps can get down to 50F in the winter. The sil is also insulated. There’s admittedly only some benefit in the summer since we keep the room temp around the same temp or slightly lower than the basement gets. It’s not enough to really worry about the heat rising.

Ground level is at the floor level of the first floor on two sides and the basement and garage open out to ground level on the other two sides. This helps somewhat regulate temps being partially underground.

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One thing I did do is add like 50 insulation supports between the joists. The batts were sagging in a lot of places and even fell down at the ends, resulting in maybe ten total feet of literally zero insulation. I actually ran out and had to buy more. The garage is similarly insulated and I’ll need to shore up those batts as well. I bet I’ll go through 50 more.

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I‘m also replacing two old 10K window AC units with much more efficient inverter U-shaped 12k units for the main open living space. One 10K unit would keep it around 80 and lower humidity to comfortable levels with a fan on warm days, but even both 10K units would struggle on hot days when we had family or friends over. I would also have to get the units running on max early in the morning to compensate for later. I’m hoping these units pay for themselves before they die in half a decade or so.

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I also continue to work on other solutions, such as heat-blocking film for the south and especially west-facing windows (East is shaded by trees). I’m also going to try and minimize AC losses to the basement. I used black tape to cover the grate (above the wood stove) and plan to install a door to the basement (all we have is a baby gate now). Next will be hanging a large thermal curtain(s) between the living room and the rest of the upstairs. This opening is a huge 10’ wide. This will mainly help in the winter, but also keep the AC in where it’s most needed. The leakage around will obviously not be zero, so the other side will also be fine.

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Finally, longer term will be solar (our roof is due sooner than later), a whole-house heat pump solution (new window units are stop-gaps), additional attic insulation before winter, and a hybrid water heater (current one is old and likely inefficient).