Power Supplies

By cooling at night and reducing humidity indoors, it& acute;s easier to live with higher temperature (80 to 82) during the day. I& acute;m estimating about a 25% reduction in electric bill this year to last year. I had a 15% increase in electric rates this year. I also live further south than Peter and humidity is more of a problem. I once worked in a room with some young PhD& acute;s who preferred to keep solar inverter at 78 or higher, the air was quite noxious, I could smell the mold. The bathroom was the worst since there was absolutely no ventilation. I was in Texas recently, the local people actually had the heat running when the outdoor temperature was less than 75. White mold was visible everywhere in the building. It& acute;s surprising how oblivious many people are to humidity control and the health implications of mold.

1. Air conditioners should really be set in the shade (unless they are heat pumps, in which case they should be put in a place that is sunny, even in winter). PV inverters should really be set in the sun.
2. I do not know the cost, but I gather we are not talking $6.5 per watt installed.
3. Absorption chiller inverters are still very expensive... Rotartica, a Spanish manufacturer of small absorption cooling units went belly-up last year. They had one of their units on the OHIO home at the Solar Decathlon.
4. I really like the dehumidification unit from Novelaire, it is solar hot water powered inverter. I have sold my first one for a new construction where we are going to put radiant floors. more...