[RE-wrenches] offgrid system question

[Joel Davidson]

Hi Ray,

In Arkansas we used whole-house fans or just a box fan in the open attic access hole to exhaust hot air out of the attic vents, closed the curtains on the south-facing windows and opened the lower sash on the north-facing windows to let cool air in.

Migration to a better climate also works, but bring lots of wampum if you trek to the southern California coastal region.

I'm reminded of an old Arco Solar slide of some people in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) standing next to a solar array and a dc pump with water gushing out of a dug well. Behind them is desert that looks like a Martian landscape. Those folks did not need solar water pumping. They needed suitcases and good walking shoes to migrate from desertification.

There will be a lot of migration as climate changes affect coastal regions and rainfall patterns change and politics. For example, some of the Pacific Island villages threatened by rising water, the Mesa Verde Cliffs Anastasi Indians and drought, the Pilgrims to the Americas, etc. A lot can happen in a couple million years. Adaptation, migration, extinction.

In the meantime, there's lots of fun to be had getting Americans to cut their energy consumption five-fold and/or helping people with no electricity improve their living standards without polluting like Westerners.

There's hope for us yet. Keep up the good work. 

Joel Davidson
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: R. Walters 
  To: RE-wrenches 
  Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 10:38 AM
  Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] offgrid system question


  Hi Joel;


  I made a list of strategies we use a couple of emails back in this string. I'll reiterate:
  Here in Northern New Mexico we use adobes (lots of thermal mass) and open up to the cool night air. 
  When I lived through Texas summers, you either ponied up for AC, went to your mountain home, or suffered.
  Dana stated the first 2 steps: 
  super insulate & increase thermal mass.
  Next ?? : 
  Reduce your cubic footage of air conditioned space. (Just cool a couple of inner rooms.)
  Share walls  & cooling systems (like apartments, duplexs, etc)
  Reduce east & west glazing
  Grow overhanging deciduous trees on the East & West
  Use Fans
  Use some evaporative cooling if possible
  Use small High efficiency AC units (Sanjo?)
  Raise thermostat setting
  Use geothermal heat pumps


  Migrate?


  Ray



    . Could wrenches in hot-dry and hot-humid regions share how they eliminate or reduce air conditioning in existing homes?

    Joel Davidson




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