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People waste small fortunes on hvac stuff. I’m gradually coming to the conclusion that most homes just need more insulation and sealing and then a relatively in

People waste small fortunes on hvac stuff. I’m gradually coming to the conclusion that most homes just need more insulation and sealing and then a relatively inexpensive hvac system. Same thing with solar panels, people will drop 40k on solar just to save $200 a month on electricity when insulation would have reaped half the savings for 1/10th the price. People just like buying gadgets.

zdragnar 2y ago
I think you're seriously underestimating the cost of redoing insulation. If you have an unfinished attic and your walls are fine, then yeah, laying down some new fiberglass is easy, but otherwise, it basically requires gutting all the walls and top floor ceilings. The cost (here anyway) is significantly more than $4k, and the disruption to daily life will make it feel double.
stephencanon 2y ago
Absolutely correct. Given that they're in California and the house wasn't new construction, we can pretty safely assume that it was under-insulated compared to what's possible. Doing a proper audit and fixing air leaks and insulation is usually the most cost-effective improvement you can make to a house (getting it right to begin with is even more cost-effective, but lots of builders still don't know what they're doing). As sibling notes, it can be invasive and disruptive vs. just replacing some appliances in a few days, but it's still more cost effective (and will allow your eventual replacement HVAC system to be sized smaller, netting additional savings when you do that).
TexanFeller 2y ago
Totally agree! The first month I had my house I had large amounts of insulation blown into my attic. I also reduced various heat sources by getting the most efficient LED lights, PC parts etc. The other big thing that helps is keeping the upstairs much warmer during the day and only keeping the downstairs where my office is frigid until the evening when I go upstairs. My all time high electric bill so far was ~$220 for a 2500sqft house when it was 110+ outside for most of the month and I was WFH and keeping the downstairs around 70. I was really nerding out about solar panels and home batteries for a while and desperate to justify that toy, but I would barely break even before they failed or I needed a new roof. Start with insulation, it’s CHEAP compared to high tech options.
dzhiurgis 2y ago
Yep. I’ve installed $700 ERV myself. Probably less than $400 if you omit NZ tax. Meanwhile people are dropping $10k on ducted heat pumps. Same with 10kWp of solar. $4k in gear plus $700 for electrician. Easily half of paying someone else for full solution. (Prices converted from nzd to usd).

zdragnar 2y ago

I think you're seriously underestimating the cost of redoing insulation. If you have an unfinished attic and your walls are fine, then yeah, laying down some new fiberglass is easy, but otherwise, it basically requires gutting all the walls and top floor ceilings. The cost (here anyway) is significantly more than $4k, and the disruption to daily life will make it feel double.

stephencanon 2y ago

Absolutely correct. Given that they're in California and the house wasn't new construction, we can pretty safely assume that it was under-insulated compared to what's possible. Doing a proper audit and fixing air leaks and insulation is usually the most cost-effective improvement you can make to a house (getting it right to begin with is even more cost-effective, but lots of builders still don't know what they're doing). As sibling notes, it can be invasive and disruptive vs. just replacing some appliances in a few days, but it's still more cost effective (and will allow your eventual replacement HVAC system to be sized smaller, netting additional savings when you do that).

TexanFeller 2y ago

Totally agree! The first month I had my house I had large amounts of insulation blown into my attic. I also reduced various heat sources by getting the most efficient LED lights, PC parts etc. The other big thing that helps is keeping the upstairs much warmer during the day and only keeping the downstairs where my office is frigid until the evening when I go upstairs. My all time high electric bill so far was ~$220 for a 2500sqft house when it was 110+ outside for most of the month and I was WFH and keeping the downstairs around 70. I was really nerding out about solar panels and home batteries for a while and desperate to justify that toy, but I would barely break even before they failed or I needed a new roof. Start with insulation, it’s CHEAP compared to high tech options.

dzhiurgis 2y ago

Yep. I’ve installed $700 ERV myself. Probably less than $400 if you omit NZ tax. Meanwhile people are dropping $10k on ducted heat pumps. Same with 10kWp of solar. $4k in gear plus $700 for electrician. Easily half of paying someone else for full solution. (Prices converted from nzd to usd).