First Floor Air Conditioning
We dearly need some better ventilation for the 1st floor!
Immediate steps:
- Install more solar-powered window fans on 2nd and 3rd floor
- Install fans in 1st floor transoms
- Find salvage ceiling fans for 1st and 2nd floor
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Traditional Compressed Vapor Cooling
If we want to go with traditional compressed vapor cooling, then make sure to use Puron instead of traditional refrigerant.
http://www.residential.carrier.com/knowledge/innovation/puron.shtml
Here's a high-efficiency Friedrich Window A/C Unit
http://www.friedrich.com/roomair/index.asp
http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~liz/hvac.html (use in Florida solar home)
The furnaces in the basements should already have cooling coils, but it would be good to check out alternatives to traditional compressed vapor cooling...
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Solar-powered cooling:
SolCool solar-powered AC, $2600-3000 per unit, $500 installation
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/solarpowered_ai.php
http://www.solcool.net/solcool.htm
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Evaporative Coolers
(aka swamp cooler)
Solar-powered swamp cooler from Advanced Energy Solutions
http://www.advancedenergyonline.com/catalog/applications/fans.htm
More solar-powered swamp coolers from Solatron in CA
http://www.partsonsale.com/solacool.html
Coolerado Cooler
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/coolerado_coole.php
http://www.coolerado.com/index.html
Homemade evaporative cooler
http://www.suburbia.com.au/~mickgg/competitive_edge.htm
Cooling Tower (evaporative cooling)
http://www.sxlist.com/techref/other/cooltower.htm
However, swamp coolers really only work well in low-humidity climates. Not suited for St. Louis. They also require regular maintenance to avoid problems like spreading Legionnaire's Disease.
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Other Wacky ideas
Misc wishful thinking:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/still_seeking_t.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/07/matteran_solar.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/solar_powered_a.php
Vent Chimney / Earth Tube
http://www.sxlist.com/techref/other/spac.htm#Vent
Persian-style windcather
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windcatcher
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Also, attached please find some propaganda from the Energy Star folks about reducing HVAC costs.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Counting_Kilowatts-1.pdf | 79.12 KB |
from a knowledgeable friend
Although this casual research online is useful, a knowledgeable friend also recommends chatting up a LEED-certified architect, who may be able to give more pragmatic suggestions w.r.t. to the size of the space, the budget, and any existing HVAC. Furthermore, with the summer half over at the time of this writing, we may be better off coping for the rest of the hot days (e.g. use lots of fans) and then try to get AC installed cheap during the winter.
yo yo the forums are cool!!
Yeah I think the forums are an awesome heat mover all thanks to ben!!