Technology Connections: Old HVAC industry practices are holding us back and costing us money. But we can fix it.
Technology Connections: Old HVAC industry practices are holding us back and costing us money. But we can fix it.
I am a simple bird; I see a Technology Connections video and I click.
I in fact have already replaced my fossil fuel heating system with a heat pump, as of last year. When I called to fire my oil delivery company -- who last quoted me $4.14 per gallon for the first 150 gallons, and then "variable market rate" after that -- the CSR told me in dire tones that if I installed a heat pump "my electric would go up real high."
And it did. About $27 per month. Which is about $273 less per month than I was paying these dickheads before, in the coldest couple of months of winter. My mini-split system also cools the house, and does it way better and more efficiently than the selection of rattletrap window units I used to have. And this is in my poorly insulated, ramshackle 1920's redneck wind tunnel of a house. As I improve the insulation in here over time I expect matters to improve even more. Climate benefits notwithstanding, just by doing this I cut like $1400 of yearly expenses between burning oil and running the air conditioners.
@TechConnectify@mas.to said he wasn't going to show us the whole resistive heating set up but the extension cord - Killawatt - extension cord - temperature controller - splitter - space heater and christmas lights photo at 36:25 had me head over heels in laughter... great work in not burning the house down!
I suspect the motivation to do all of this was not just 'for science' but to also to fully prove the point to his parents. Nothing could be more important than that, after all.
Great video! Based on my smart thermo stat, I think my furnace is like 18x the size it needs to be and my AC is twice the size it needs to be. Been wanting to convert to a heat pump and ditch gas regardless... Maybe that $20k quote I got is a bunch of garbage
I can't wait to see him buy two!
He bought 7.
So, who else immediately starting looking at their thermostat’s usage history after watching this?
I can't have a smart thermostat in my apartment unfortunately. But someday I hope to get a place where I can arbitrarily install stuff (like heat pumps). I'm not optimistic about that though.
If your apartment isn’t connected to a complex multi unit HVAC system, you might just be able to do it on the down low. That’s what I did with my last 2 apartments. A thermostat is a low voltage wires, and connecting a new one usually just requires a screwdriver. No turning of breakers or anything.
If you need help making a decision on a thermostat, I’m happy to help.
Unless you want the full hour-long version of this video, he's created a half-hour condensed version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hAuKtoRxJI&t=0s