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I'm a happy owner of an all electric house. But it really bit me during the rolling black outs in the Texas winter of 2021. I survived, but had debates within m

by esaym 5y ago

I'm a happy owner of an all electric house. But it really bit me during the rolling black outs in the Texas winter of 2021. I survived, but had debates within myself on whether or not to go cut down a tree for firewood for my never used fireplace. My neighbors with gas, they just turned on their stove and never worried about whether the power would come back on or not. That experience has left me somewhat paranoid. I'd be quite concerned if I was farther north and forced to rely only on the power company for my heating needs. Certainly I'm not the only one?

billfruit 5y ago
If blackouts were a significant consideration, perhaps a diesel generator could be planned for.
csdreamer7 5y ago
Huh, I was going to write about what I heard about the natural gas pipelines freezing, but it turns it out they do not actually do that due to being buried at least 3 feet underground. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/politifact/2021/03/05/texas-natural-gas-pipelines-dont-freeze-blame-power-outage/4596289001/ https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/politifact/202... However, the multi-stage above ground pipes that carry oil and natural gas were compromised as well as refining stations for the natural gas due to the lack of power leading to a possible shortage of natural gas that did not happen that winter in Texas. Learned something new. Been considering going all electric for my future home with a heat pump as Mr Money Mustache did. Reading about the freeze in Texas and how even coal piles froze; it felt like relying on solar panels and batteries seemed safer. This will change my calculus a little. https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2021/10/05/diy-heat-pump/ https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2021/10/05/diy-heat-pump/
m4rtink 5y ago
Aren't modern gas heating systems usually dependent on electricity ? Usually for regulation, safety sensors, water circuit pump, etc.
- nullc 5y ago
  Not terribly large amounts of it. E.g. during prior blackouts I powered my tankless gas water heater just using a plug in inverter in a car. Even larger units can be easily powered by a modest generator.
- esaym 5y ago
  Yes but a blower motor in a typical indoor air handler will draw less than 500 watts. The compressor on the outdoor unit will be more around 2500 watts with an initial in-rush of 20k+ watts.

by esaym 5y ago

billfruit 5y ago

If blackouts were a significant consideration, perhaps a diesel generator could be planned for.

csdreamer7 5y ago

Huh, I was going to write about what I heard about the natural gas pipelines freezing, but it turns it out they do not actually do that due to being buried at least 3 feet underground. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/politifact/2021/03/05/texas-natural-gas-pipelines-dont-freeze-blame-power-outage/4596289001/ https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/politifact/202... However, the multi-stage above ground pipes that carry oil and natural gas were compromised as well as refining stations for the natural gas due to the lack of power leading to a possible shortage of natural gas that did not happen that winter in Texas. Learned something new. Been considering going all electric for my future home with a heat pump as Mr Money Mustache did. Reading about the freeze in Texas and how even coal piles froze; it felt like relying on solar panels and batteries seemed safer. This will change my calculus a little. https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2021/10/05/diy-heat-pump/ https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2021/10/05/diy-heat-pump/

m4rtink 5y ago

Aren't modern gas heating systems usually dependent on electricity ? Usually for regulation, safety sensors, water circuit pump, etc.

nullc 5y ago
Not terribly large amounts of it. E.g. during prior blackouts I powered my tankless gas water heater just using a plug in inverter in a car. Even larger units can be easily powered by a modest generator.
esaym 5y ago
Yes but a blower motor in a typical indoor air handler will draw less than 500 watts. The compressor on the outdoor unit will be more around 2500 watts with an initial in-rush of 20k+ watts.