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OB Bus Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2003 Posts: 2531 Location: Ocean Beach in Beautiful BLUE California
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 3:45 pm Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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OB Bus wrote: |
1949 house we have owned for 40 years.
Originally it was 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath and 1300 sq feet. No insulation at all.
When we started having kids we added a second story with 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. The house is now 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms (2 full, 1 half and one 3/4). 2400 Sq feet.
Insulation on the 2nd floor was R19 in the walls and R30 in the ceiling. We were able to retrofit about half of the first story with R11.
This all was very comfortable with 3 kids, family visits, 2 dogs and 2+ cats.
With just two of us here (and all of our "kids" living out of state) it is way too much. We use one bedroom and one bath upstairs, one downstairs bedroom is the office. But we love it here and do not plan to move. |
And to quote myself, I forgot the energy notes.
90% of our heat comes from a wood stove in the living room downstairs, balance is from a forced air gas furnace. We have solar and our "True Up" bill just came in for the year. We have a *credit* of $43...for the year. Our break even point was at 5.5 years. So no electric bills at all. _________________ Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper. |
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Jon Schmid Samba Member
Joined: May 29, 2012 Posts: 2033 Location: Southern California
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Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 7:00 pm Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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We have a 1280 sq ft house here in L.A. suburbia. Basically 2BR (we use what is technically the master BR as our family room), 1-1/2 baths, living room, kitchen, dining room and a very small utility room for the washer/dryer and gas water heater. We use 100% of the house, especially the family room. Now, if we could just get more use out of the admittedly unheated pool... |
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madmike Samba Member
Joined: July 11, 2005 Posts: 5291 Location: Atlanta,Michigan
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 5:14 am Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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Heck,Your in Southern Ca. Build a Solar water Heater for the Pool _________________ 'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works" |
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obus Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2001 Posts: 11040 Location: just off Garden State Parkway Exit 81
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 6:14 am Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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2016 we moved into a 1950s ranch. it was added onto in the back the whole width and an entire basement in 1987. From the road the house looks small. 2000sq ft. Was 3 Br 1.5ba but my wife is disabled and i lost the 3br/office to a full bath with roll in shower. My Mil lives with us half the week to take care of my wife when i work and takes the 2nd br. Basement is filled with vw parts and clothes mostly. We have the original boiler to the house from the 50s and it is dual zoned natural gas baseboard heat. Heated floors in 2 of the bathrooms. All the windows feel drafty and house is insulated like crap! Wood burning fire place upstairs and a wood burning stove in the basement that no matter how hard i try, it doesnt heat up more than that side of the basement. Had a generac 22kw whole house genrator just put in this past spring. To stay on topic, i don't think i could live in a smaller house at the current time.
24 x 20 garage was added during pandemic. Built high so i can maybe add a lift. no insulation, heating or cooling.
***Edit: stove link https://www.instagram.com/p/CKpmGEYpsm5/?igshid=YzdkMWQ2MWU= _________________ July 1959 Mango Standard Bus aka Obus L346 L347 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256592&highlight=
June 1973 Pumpkin Orange Thing aka Othing L30H
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=711775&highlight=
1960 Paprika Red Karmann Ghia Convertible aka Schatze L452 built 5/20/60
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
66 21 window bus built 8/31/65 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=777273
Last edited by obus on Fri Dec 02, 2022 8:40 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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oprn Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2016 Posts: 12632 Location: Western Canada
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 7:21 am Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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A good garage/shop is NEVER wasted space! Nor is any room full of VW parts!
Ok, I am biased! _________________ We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age) |
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Abscate Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014 Posts: 22568 Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 7:31 am Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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Efficiency math
Average daily use, 30 kWH, so average hourly usage about 1000 watts
Refrigeration amd AC are big draws, but it’s puts in perspective thst 10 pirate draws of 50 watts, like a computer charger, a TV in standby, can add up to half your electricity load. In my abandoned 4 bedroom now up for sale, I unplugged my big fridge and just use a dorm fridge , electricity drop was big _________________ .ssS! |
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TDCTDI Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013 Posts: 12815 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 7:35 am Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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obus wrote: |
…no matter how hard i try, it doesnt heat up more than that side of the basement…. |
Thus the fallacy of a wood stove/fireplace. Burning anything requires oxygen, the fire is drawing cold air from EVERY crack & crevice in the structure, consuming it, & sending it up the chimney.
Give your stove its own air supply from outside the house, so it’s not drawing cold air into the house. Also, making a heat exchanger on the chimney side helps to use heat that is just sent up the chimney. _________________ Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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madmike Samba Member
Joined: July 11, 2005 Posts: 5291 Location: Atlanta,Michigan
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:19 pm Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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Sounds Like a 'Ben Franklin stove' ? Great for screwing in front of but don't heat for shit. Pic of stove please? ,,not the screwin _________________ 'Black Ice'Drag Buggy 'Turbo'
Rail Buggy 1915 turbo
76 Drag/Street bug 2180cc 'Turbo' 11:85 @113 mph"If I go any faster I'll burn up the Hamster" ,gets 28 mpg. also 10/09/22 11.90 @115 mph
"If I'm ever on Life Support,UNPLUG Me, Then Plug me back In see if that Works" |
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mark tucker Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2009 Posts: 23937 Location: SHALIMAR ,FLORIDA
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 4:29 pm Post subject: Re: Home use efficiency |
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I put in a fire place a few years ago.massive difference in the cooler months. all our rooms get used. my power bills now are less than when I bought the home back around 82, and thats with the added 24x32"shop, 12 x12 4wheeler&stuff shop,11x16 2 story barn.everythuing is heated in the winter and cooled in the summer execpt for the 4 wheeler barn. house is around 1400 sqf. a few addtions & lotsa work to seal it up & insulate it. so basicly I get free heating & ac in my shop&barn. |
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oprn Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2016 Posts: 12632 Location: Western Canada
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 5:19 pm Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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We are off the intended topic again and I realize it is the way I worded the title so I changed it. We are getting into heating costs and insolation values and that's all good but my intent was to see how many of us actually needed and use the living space we bought. I know we don't. _________________ We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age) |
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photogdave Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2004 Posts: 3039 Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 7:38 pm Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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oprn wrote: |
We are off the intended topic again and I realize it is the way I worded the title so I changed it. We are getting into heating costs and insolation values and that's all good but my intent was to see how many of us actually needed and use the living space we bought. I know we don't. |
Then I guess it should read "Do you use your home efficiently". _________________ 89 Syncro GL Westfalia 2.1 WBX/WBXaustSS
My Westy Movies:
photogdave On Vimeo
photogdave On YouTube
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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chrisflstf Samba Member
Joined: February 10, 2004 Posts: 3412 Location: San Diego
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 8:20 pm Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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Switching to all Led lighting made a big diff for me. I dont have to change the floodlight bulbs every 7 months any more either on the garage |
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modok Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2009 Posts: 26740 Location: Colorado Springs
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:27 pm Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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Hmmm, I think I see were you want to go with this.
Just space utilization.
Should ask everybody about our SHOP space, probably far more dense.
Or..... how much empty space is in YOUR spice cabinet? if any
I'll battle you all for most usable tools and inventory per square foot in the shop.
But it certainly CAN approach the contents being far more valuable than the walls they are in, or suffering from being packed too tight. For sure.... you can go too far. End up planning yourself into a corner, no space left for the unexpected, which always happens anyway.
I'm more up against the PROBLEM of simply not having enough airspace in the shop, have been WORKING on ventilation schemes but not much to look at for inspiration, it's far more practical to just build a better shop really, tho I will experiment a bit more yet.
I'm certainly AGAINST the idea we should all live in khrushchevka apartments, where there is no EXTRA space at all and each unit is the same.
the life of a GOOD quality home is LONG and what is wasted space now may be necessary at some time soon. A good diversity strategy to have more rather than not enough.
One reason prices are UP these days is generally there are no little "starter homes" anymore, and that's good. Nobody wants to live in an OLD tiny drafty house, nor should they. I was at one time quite interested in energy efficient designs and eliminating wasted space but I now think of that stuff more as a gimmick. Rather, building a HOME with enough space and infrastructure in the walls that it COULD be a duplex might be far more efficient long term strategy than any fancy design.
So now I think.....more like what everybody says about machine tools......always buy one size larger than you think you need.
But I'm no expert on it, change my mind.
In any case quality over quantity. There are LOTs of terrible little shacks and appartments in this town I'm very glad NOt to be living in. |
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oprn Samba Member
Joined: November 13, 2016 Posts: 12632 Location: Western Canada
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2022 5:30 am Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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I find that any unused space just collects "stuff" that is also unused for the most part. That goes for the shop as well as the house. _________________ We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age) |
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TDCTDI Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013 Posts: 12815 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2022 7:26 am Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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Link
Why does it matter? It’s MY stuff, in MY house. _________________ Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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steve244 Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2022 Posts: 1642 Location: GA
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Abscate Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014 Posts: 22568 Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2022 8:36 am Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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If you go to Maria Kondo it gets Conde Nasty
EVs still suck _________________ .ssS! |
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NJ John Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2007 Posts: 2169 Location: HdG, MD & NJ
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2022 1:30 pm Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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How do some people live without a baseball. It’s a place to put all your stuff. _________________ 1973 standard, yellow, lowered, 3” narrowed front, 1600 blo-thru turbo w/single dell 15.4@86, so far
11.41 et buggy. Long gone
Let’s go O’s! Let’s go O’s!
https://www.youtube.com/@AirSpooledGarage |
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skills@eurocarsplus Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007 Posts: 16802 Location: sticksville, ct.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2022 1:50 pm Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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modok wrote: |
One reason prices are UP these days is generally there are no little "starter homes" anymore, and that's good. Nobody wants to live in an OLD tiny drafty house, nor should they. |
totally disagree.
people looking to get out of the renting market need these houses. by and large, they do upgrades and either 1) live there for life or 2) move up to a bigger home as needed.
home ownership is a huge step in building wealth. I watched a vid not too long ago about how these companies were buying up these homes and the interviewer asked the company representative "so you're killing the American dream" and the asshole replied "we'll just rent them the dream"
sorry, that's fucking evil. now it's almost to the point building a home is equal to buying an existing one and that's wrong too.
when I bought my first house I was there about 7.5-8 years before I sold. figuring the mortgage I paid on those 8 years (so say about 96 payments) and about 10k in upgrades, I made my 96 payments back, plus 65k so I basically lived there for "free" and made money that went into the building of the new house, which even if the bottom falls out still would net around a 700k profit if I sold today.
there is no way you could pull that off as a renter and I feel bad that people that want home ownership just can't compete today....it's wrong _________________
gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
Jake Raby wrote: |
Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
Brian wrote: |
Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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Abscate Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014 Posts: 22568 Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2022 2:18 pm Post subject: Re: Do you use your home efficiency? |
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Quote: |
home ownership is a huge step in building wealth. I watched a vid not too long ago about how these companies were buying up these homes and the interviewer asked the company representative "so you're killing the American dream" and the asshole replied "we'll just rent them the dream"
sorry, that's fucking evil. now it's almost to the point building a home is equal to buying an existing one and that's wrong too. |
It’s scary that skills and I are on he same page on this. That is f-evil, indeed.
I’m with you on this and I hate EVs, too _________________ .ssS! |
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