3 ms·
FWIW, I have some colleagues who are researching how to reduce energy usage in buildings. It's a lot harder than you would assume just based on pure math, since
by semi-extrinsic 9y ago
FWIW, I have some colleagues who are researching how to reduce energy usage in buildings. It's a lot harder than you would assume just based on pure math, since you have to take Jevon's paradox [1] and other "psychological" effects into account. I.e. when energy gets cheaper, you use more of it.
In my area (same latitude as Anchorage, ~ 65% of the incoming solar energy as in San Francisco), they calculated that solar roof panels on a typical house doesn't break even over a 25 year period, you're still thousands of dollars in the red.
Only the "cheap" air-to-air heat pumps (AC in reverse) and solar heating of your hot water give good ROI. What both these have in common is that the purchase and installation cost is much lower than e.g. rooftop solar.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox
- FeepingCreature 9y agoWhy would you take those into account? Using more energy doesn't mean it "takes longer to recoup", because now you're getting value in the form of additional energy to use.
- semi-extrinsic 9y agoAre you really getting value? Or are you just not bothering anymore to conserve a resource when it's less expensive to waste it?
- FeepingCreature 9y agoWell, you could argue the same if I double your income, but you spend the increase. Like it or not, demand through consumption is the root source of value in capitalism.
- dogruck 9y agoReminds me of this 2010 New Yorker story about Saul Griffith: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/05/17/the-inventors-dilemma http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/05/17/the-inventors-d...
- seltzered_ 9y agoSaul did a more recent long now talk on some of the rough numbers for homes: http://longnow.org/seminars/02015/sep/21/infrastructure-and-climate-change/ http://longnow.org/seminars/02015/sep/21/infrastructure-and-...
- dogruck 9y agoAh, thanks -- hadn't seen that before.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]