THIS IS FROM A HEATING AND COOLING CO. in INDIANA

[rickford66]

65. two words .... passive solar

In 1982 we started building our passive solar envelope home in upstate NY. It has never gotten below 50 deg F. We burn less than two cords of wood a year. Most mornings it's about 60 after our last log added before midnight is finished. Adding more than one at night makes it too hot to sleep. Most of our neighbors are burning wood a couple months before and after we do. They also have air conditioning running most of the summer while we have none. We have a full house air exchanger which is important for tightly insulated homes. Older homes are tough to make really efficient, but anyone building new should investigate all options. There's much more available now than there was back in 1982. We would make a few different decisions if we were starting again, just as most owner builders would do, but we're very satisfied with how it's worked out for us, financially and environmentally but most importantly for comfort.