@TechConnectify My dad has been installing electric baseboard heating in all the trailers at the park as he goes through for renovation. The vast majority never order propane anyways and relied on plug in space heaters.
He figured if that was happening anyways it might as well be done more safely. It's a bit more expensive to heat with electricity here but people really value simple billing.
@TechConnectify The idea of having a flame close to fabric and lint seems so stupidly dangerous.
But I guess that is just my European upbringing 🤣
@wolfensteijn Well, there is a heat exchange so it's not like there are open flames, but there definitely is a risk of fire from lint buildup in the vent pipe.
I'm not actually sure if the risk is any greater than with a conventional electric dryer, though. I'd need to look for data on that.
@TechConnectify The way forward for dryers would be heat pump dryers anyway.
I am reading some interesting bits about "mechanical steam compression dryers" which apparantly are another efficiency step up.
And I hadn't said it before, but interesting video. Cool to see what the options for full electric living are on the other side of the pond.
@TechConnectify @wolfensteijn That's the bit I thought was weird too.
We almost never use a clothes drier. In summer there's an outdoor washing line, in winter there's one of these:
@TimWardCam @TechConnectify I know me, and using a drying rack or outside lines will mean I won't have dry clothes when I need them.
So I did go the easy route, and got myself a second hand condenser dryer, and that has been game changing for me.
@wolfensteijn @TechConnectify Yeah, you do need all of (1) enough space for the rack, and (2) enough money to own an extra couple of days' clothes, and (3) a tiny (but it is only tiny) amount of planning.
Edit to add: actually (2) probably costs less than the fuel for running a clothes drier.
@wolfensteijn @TechConnectify Just purchased a gas dryer a couple of years ago. $100 USD premium for the gas model, but worth it for the cost savings in running the dryer.
We have replacement homes being built in the area, they all have clearly labeled gas exhausts. Gas isn’t going away.
@russes @TechConnectify Gas should go away! Though the timeline on which it does that will depend on location and other factors.
New housing and building developments in my country are without a gas line by default. And there are lot of projects for replacing existing gas lines with alternatives. Mostly for heating, since cooking can be done quite efficiently on induction stoves.
And that in a country that had cheap gas, because we had our own supply. Which is being shut down now.
@wolfensteijn @russes @TechConnectify I’ll keep my Gas, thank you. The nice thing about Gas is the furnace/water/dryer are an open solution. I can obtain service & replacements easily.
I’m replying from an all-electric home. In cold weather, the heat pump is useless & I run the fireplace to offset the “auxiliary” heat. I’m also at the mercy of a proprietary heating system & my HVAC contractor.
@TechConnectify Just about to move to a house that needs a deep retrofit, so this is relevant to my interests.
Thanks for focussing on these kind of techs, it really helps reduce intimidation for people who are willing but otherwise ignorant. Plus highly interesting and entertaining in general!
@TechConnectify I'm still surprised to see so much of the US homes are heated by gas. I grew up in a place where electricity is really cheap and houses have been full electric for a while. I have literally never seen a gas cooktop in my life except in restaurants. They're really just a luxury, something that only rich people have over here.
Great video though
@paulrudman I'm not gonna deny that gas is still cheaper, but just keep in mind it would only cost that much with 30 straight days of not-breaking 0°F/-18°C.
With our rates, that day cost about $30. But the rest of the month averaged closer to $10/day. It was still a frightful power bill for them, and they absolutely should have a heat pump. (edit - did the math wrong)
@TechConnectify @paulrudman This is on point. 10 kW is the maximum. And that's for a large and inefficient American home in cold American winters. The average UK home only has a peak heat loss of between 6-8 kW. So...on the coldest hour of the coldest day of the year the average home still use less than 10kW.
And that's before you consider a heat pump which will use only on average a 1/3 the energy.
You can estimate your home's heat loss here: https://www.heatgeek.com/how-to-size-my-heat-pump-or-boiler-heat-loss-cheat-sheet/
@JoeRodricks @snazzyq @TechConnectify I remember you. You were running an overnight test with your heating system around Christmas.
I just paid the electric bill where I’m house sitting in the Midwest. The heat rate, on a separate meter, is 0.065 per kWh.
Total bill this month was $280. This bill was low & took work to keep low.
I just looked at the Massachusetts electric rate. If I were you, I’d trench a gas line to the house.
@rebelpeasant @TechConnectify Before the (now broken) Ford system was installed, we ran the entire house electrical system (including a couple of resistive heaters and the server room) for a few days just by running extension cables to our truck. Still had 1/2 the power left when done.
@TechConnectify re:rooftop solar, there's been active work on the policy side for how to fairly compensate for the benefits the resource contributes to the grid. As more solar comes online, the value increasingly depends where exactly the rooftop solar is located so it can substitute for new transmission and distribution infrastructure. This article is a good primer
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/distributed-energy-value-properly
@jasserole Frankly, I don't intend on making content specifically about DER and all that.
But it does irk me that folks I otherwise admire seemingly aren't getting this issue. Rooftop solar is just really hard to manage well, and it's not too surprising to me that some utilities are saying "hold on, we need to figure this out." I think we should figure it out, yeah, but I wouldn't paint it as malice as some do.
@tebrown @TechConnectify I similarly went from 60A to 200A for $5200 (Bay Area, CA).
Turns out that the cable from the pole to the weather head was already 200A capable and upgraded at some point, but everything else was original 1941 service (going to a subpanel that is modern, so no knob and tube anymore).
The cost was mostly because PG&E made us relocate the panel since its original location in 1941 was under the house in an access hatch.
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