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ERCOT Urging For Energy Conservation

Vic Mackey

By Vic Mackey
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He sure sang a different tune when that oak tree shed a load on his hypocritical ass. Fuck you Greg.

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Cajun

Cajun 11702

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Posted
7 hours ago, Captainant said:

That'll be especially handy for flushing your toilets when we inevitably lose water pressure again due to some stupid bullshit

I like to shit on my neighbors' driveways and porches.  It's the one little piece of Austin I keep with me.

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Dahobbs

Dahobbs 17498

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7 hours ago, UTGrad98 said:

It doesnt seem intuitive at all but temperature and humidity are actually inversely proportional not directly.  You actually raised the relative humidity in your house. 

That would be true if the air conditioner only affected the temperature. As it also removes moisture from the air, it does both, reducing temperature and humidity. And this is easy enough to confirm both by feel and by the humidity reading on my thermostat. 

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UT_OB1

UT_OB1 2204

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9 hours ago, Cajun said:

Got a big ass dehumidifier in this week.  Supposed to cover up to 5500 square ft and my condo is like 2100.  Makes a hulluva difference in what's comfortable thermostat-wise.

I was running at 72F during the day, but now am equally comfortable at 77F.

I cannot believe how much water I drain out after a day that thing doin' its suck thing.  Easily over a gallon and a half.

What unit did you get?  Stayed at a 2 bedroom AirBnB a few weeks ago that had a small unit. Was surprised how much difference it made. Only issue was it had to be drained 2-3 times a day. I’d want something automatic if possible 

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NorthLoop

NorthLoop 14144

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7 hours ago, Captainant said:

The thing that really grinds my gears is that residential power use isn't the biggest strain on the grid, it's commercial use. But we don't request businesses to conserve in their usage - shit when I got my car serviced today they had the office cranked down cold with a door to the garage propped open. 

That's gonna suck a ton more power than moving a home from 77 to 74 degrees. 

 

7 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Every empty office building throughout the state is a comfortable 70 degrees all day and fully lit all night.

This this this this this this this this this

 

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40768

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52 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

I just paid an arm and a leg to put in a 20 seer top of the line Trane HVAC unit. Fuck ERCOT if they want me to bask in the heat to mitigate their incompetence. 73 degrees in the house never felt so good.

And here I thought I was being eco-woke by having a 16 seer Trane unit installed 8 years ago and 15” more attic insulation blown in two years ago.

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Armybrat

Armybrat 40768

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8 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Every empty office building throughout the state is a comfortable 70 degrees all day and fully lit all night.

As they, along with all the big box stores & auto dealerships,  were during the Big Freeze disaster in February

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phdhorn

phdhorn 6224

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8 hours ago, UTGrad98 said:

It doesnt seem intuitive at all but temperature and humidity are actually inversely proportional not directly.  You actually raised the relative humidity in your house. 

This is more or less true if the A/C doesn't run long enough.  Many people think well if it's on for 5-6 minutes "only" that's good, y'know because it only works for a short time a pop.  But it's not because it needs a longer run to dehumidify, and the first 1-2 minutes of any A/C activation is "catching up" (i.e. blowing out slightly warmer and more humid air as it's sat in the duct heating up and getting less dry).  You should time your A/C to run a good 10-15 minute spell at least per cycle (I know most people's run a lot longer than that, which is good-up to a point).  Of course it gets pretty dry in ATX by the end of June, but lower humidity = higher temp settings to feel comfortable, so even if it's not raking moisture out of Hawaiian-level humidity, it's doing a job.

People also sometimes overbuy new A/C's.  It's not supposed to be a 6-ton beast that turns things to ice after 10 minutes. It should need to work a bit to perform the dehumidifying and room balance temps.  We'll probably buy a new one next year and our A/C guy said a 4-ton working a bit harder might be better than a 5-ton which doesn't.  But we can probably get either.

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Js1

Js1 85166

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36 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

This is my mom’s house these days. 

I walked into my mom’s house last month and they have 2 units. One was at 78 and one was at 81. In May, in Houston. 

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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9917

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4 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

This is more or less true if the A/C doesn't run long enough.  Many people think well if it's on for 5-6 minutes "only" that's good, y'know because it only works for a short time a pop.  But it's not because it needs a longer run to dehumidify, and the first 1-2 minutes of any A/C activation is "catching up" (i.e. blowing out slightly warmer and more humid air as it's sat in the duct heating up and getting less dry).  You should time your A/C to run a good 10-15 minute spell at least per cycle (I know most people's run a lot longer than that, which is good-up to a point).  Of course it gets pretty dry in ATX by the end of June, but lower humidity = higher temp settings to feel comfortable, so even if it's not raking moisture out of Hawaiian-level humidity, it's doing a job.

People also sometimes overbuy new A/C's.  It's not supposed to be a 6-ton beast that turns things to ice after 10 minutes. It should need to work a bit to perform the dehumidifying and room balance temps.  We'll probably buy a new one next year and our A/C guy said a 4-ton working a bit harder might be better than a 5-ton which doesn't.  But we can probably get either.

I run dehumidifier in my basement in MD, and the difference it makes in the overall house here in the land of liquid air is a marked improvement over AC alone.  

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phdhorn

phdhorn 6224

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4 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I run dehumidifier in my basement in MD, and the difference it makes in the overall house here in the land of liquid air is a marked improvement over AC alone.  

Yeah, growing up there, it makes sense.  One of the sweatiest places in the U.S. in the summer.  How in god's name did I grow up without A/C there (C.P.)?

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Bateshorn

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Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

Yeah, growing up there, it makes sense.  One of the sweatiest places in the U.S. in the summer.  How in god's name did I grow up without A/C there (C.P.)?

In College Park???!!!  Ewww, gross, your house must have smelled awesome during the summer without AC. I’m 15 minutes away in CHV. 

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Captainant

Captainant 27527

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Posted (edited)
25 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

And here I thought I was being eco-woke by having a 16 seer Trane unit installed 8 years ago and 15” more attic insulation blown in two years ago.

You can realize some pretty solid savings on energy spending with improved insulation and A/C unit efficiency. When I lived in a janky Midtown 1000sqft apartment with single pane windows and daylight shining in the doorframe, I was easily paying $175 and as much as $275 in August to keep the A/C at 74 at night, and 78 during the day. I just passed my first year in a new-ish 3 story 2200sqft house with double paned and U/V tinted windows I've never paid more than $160 while keeping the A/C at 71 at night and 75 in the day - and there's a lot more shit to power in a house than an apartment lol.

"Eco-woke" is just another word for willing to pay up-front costs for long-term benefit.

Edited by Captainant
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phdhorn

phdhorn 6224

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1 minute ago, Bateshorn said:

In College Park???!!!  Ewww, gross, your house must have smelled awesome during the summer. I’m 15 minutes away in CHV. 

Well, if it did, it was buried within the general stench of the Mid-Atlantic coast poorz-middles, so we were well-represented.  Only the rich bastards in Montgomery County had A/C.  I mean A/C was for millionaires who pulled down like $40K per year.  The rest of us had those awful built-in ceiling fans - they blew air in from the house to the attic, making it hotter of course. 

CHV = Cheverly, right (not ChCh)?  Man that place was downhill when I left 3 decades ago, but wouldn't surprise me it's had a Renaissance or two since then.

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Cajun

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Posted (edited)
9 hours ago, UTGrad98 said:

It doesnt seem intuitive at all but temperature and humidity are actually inversely proportional not directly.  You actually raised the relative humidity in your house. 

And, while that is true, what I can report to you is that it is noticeably more comfortable with my thermostat set at a higher temp.  And before someone goes to the, "That's a psychological blah blah blah...", I've had several guests over (one of which was my ex-wife who is a blackbelt nitpicking Ninja) and they've commented almost immediately on how nice it felt inside.  None of those guests had any idea that the unit was present.

In the final analysis, whatever the science on this is, I'm looking for the effect produced and that has been quite nice.

What got me off my ass to find this thing was I got tired of stepping on my area rug in the living room where there seemed to be an ever-present wet spot.  Drove me nuts. One day I look up and see the condensation around the air conditioner vent slowly dripping down on to the rug (Insert Lebowski/Chinaman comment here).  Ever since I got this thing that shit is completely gone.  Vents are dry as a the collective pussy on The View.

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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9917

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14 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

Well, if it did, it was buried within the general stench of the Mid-Atlantic coast poorz-middles, so we were well-represented.  Only the rich bastards in Montgomery County had A/C.  I mean A/C was for millionaires who pulled down like $40K per year.  The rest of us had those awful built-in ceiling fans - they blew air in from the house to the attic, making it hotter of course. 

CHV = Cheverly, right (not ChCh)?  Man that place was downhill when I left 3 decades ago, but wouldn't surprise me it's had a Renaissance or two since then.

It’s been trundling along as an affordable middle class option for the last 20 years or so, until recently, when skyrocketing DC prices have driven gentrifiers out into the PG suburbs finally. Housing prices are up 50% in the last 18 months.

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luke duke

luke duke 6410

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Posted
It doesnt seem intuitive at all but temperature and humidity are actually inversely proportional not directly.  You actually raised the relative humidity in your house. 

Please revisit this thread when your husband explains to you how an air conditioner works.
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UT_OB1

UT_OB1 2204

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10 hours ago, UTGrad98 said:

It doesnt seem intuitive at all but temperature and humidity are actually inversely proportional not directly.  You actually raised the relative humidity in your house. 

Wow. No. 

10 minutes ago, luke duke said:


Please revisit this thread when your husband explains to you how an air conditioner works.

This. 

1 hour ago, Cajun said:

And, while that is true, what I can report to you is that it is noticeably more comfortable with my thermostat set at a higher temp.  And before someone goes to the, "That's a psychological blah blah blah...",

No, it’s science. Thats how the “feels like” temperature that everyone likes to bitch about being over 100 gets calculated. Evaporation works better at lower humidity. That’s how the body cools itself. 

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crash_davis

crash_davis 23090

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6 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said:

Wow. No. 

This. 

No, it’s science. Thats how the “feels like” temperature that everyone likes to bitch about being over 100 gets calculated. Evaporation works better at lower humidity. That’s how the body cools itself. 

so if someone pisses more often, s/he will feel cooler? asking for my menopausing wife.

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fuggled

fuggled 576

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2 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

What unit did you get?  Stayed at a 2 bedroom AirBnB a few weeks ago that had a small unit. Was surprised how much difference it made. Only issue was it had to be drained 2-3 times a day. I’d want something automatic if possible 

We have a small one in our bedroom:  https://www.amazon.com/hOmeLabs-Dehumidifier-Dehumidifiers-Basements-Continuous/dp/B073VBWKJZ/

Even those small units have a hose hookup they'll drain automatically.  You just have to have a drain to run it to.

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UT_OB1

UT_OB1 2204

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3 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

so if someone pisses more often, s/he will feel cooler? asking for my menopausing wife.

Sorry buddy, evaporative cooling is more effective than a liquid/liquid heat exchanger when talking about the same amount of liquid. You could try telling her to piss all over herself and sit in front of a fan. 

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crash_davis

crash_davis 23090

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Posted
Just now, UT_OB1 said:

Sorry buddy, evaporative cooling is more effective than a liquid/liquid heat exchanger when talking about the same amount of liquid. You could try telling her to piss all over herself and sit in front of a fan. 

i like that idea except piss into a blowing fan and give herself a golden shower. i'll flim it and sell it to the germans. self cooling and profiting.

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UT_OB1

UT_OB1 2204

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6 minutes ago, fuggled said:

We have a small one in our bedroom:  https://www.amazon.com/hOmeLabs-Dehumidifier-Dehumidifiers-Basements-Continuous/dp/B073VBWKJZ/

Even those small units have a hose hookup they'll drain automatically.  You just have to have a drain to run it to.

Nice. Gravity drain would have to go on kitchen counter. But they have a 4000 sqft with a pump.   Could put that on the ground in the kitchen. 

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SquishMitten

SquishMitten 10403

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22 hours ago, PTINS said:

Downtown office towers were vacant, heated, and well lit because thet were on the same grid as hospitals and other core facilities. One is not like the other. We need a smarter grid.

Not going to disagree with anything else in your post, but this one seems like partially misplaced blame. Just because they had power it didn't mean they had to use it. Each of those building had the ability to turn off their equipment. I don't know how much power they use or how much of a difference it would actually make, but there should be some accountability for those property owners/managers.

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Bateshorn

Bateshorn 9917

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1 hour ago, UT_OB1 said:

Nice. Gravity drain would have to go on kitchen counter. But they have a 4000 sqft with a pump.   Could put that on the ground in the kitchen. 

My local Costco was selling 50/pint a day dehumidifiers for 169 last week.  FYI.

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synoptic

synoptic 138

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Posted

Some are in worse shape than others, but grids all over the country are becoming less stable.  A combination of many challenges has led to this decrease in stability - technical, environmental, political, economic.  The entire energy infrastructure needs a major overhaul to achieve carbon neutral reliable power.  This will take decades and trillions of dollars to achieve.  We’ve kicked this can down the road for far too long, and now consumers are going to pay much more for less reliable power.  

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gyroprotagonist

gyroprotagonist 2591

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Posted
6 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Guess it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a generator. Anybody got goods recs on something that could run a couple refrigerators and maybe a portable AC unit? I don’t know shit about them or how to determine what size I’d need

there were a ton of recs in the 'what to buy for next grid failure' thread, which maybe we should just start keeping a separate winter and summer thread for grid failure.  

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Captainant

Captainant 27527

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Posted (edited)
29 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Guess it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a generator. Anybody got goods recs on something that could run a couple refrigerators and maybe a portable AC unit? I don’t know shit about them or how to determine what size I’d need

TL:DR from the other conversations is: a ~10KW genny will run most of a house in a pinch, look for one that runs on natural gas so you can connect it directly to your home's natural gas line, and hire an electrician to install a transfer switch so you won't kill some poor linesman while powering your house

Edited by Captainant
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