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Old 09-07-2010, 10:51 PM   #9 (permalink)
Frank Lee
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
Posts: 12,762

Blue - '93 Ford Tempo
Last 3: 27.29 mpg (US)

F150 - '94 Ford F150 XLT 4x4
90 day: 18.5 mpg (US)

Sport Coupe - '92 Ford Tempo GL
Last 3: 69.62 mpg (US)

ShWing! - '82 honda gold wing Interstate
90 day: 33.65 mpg (US)

Moon Unit - '98 Mercury Sable LX Wagon
90 day: 21.24 mpg (US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hypermiler01 View Post
I also have panels of 1.5" R4.5 styrofoam cut to fit the windows for the really cold months. It is translucent so it still lets light in.
I've been doing that for a few years now too. On several of the windows I "framed" the perimeter of the foam plug with clear shipping tape so I could install/remove them daily without dislodging hundreds of little styrofoam balls every time. In spite of the translucence, the plugs turn rooms into black holes during the day so I like to take some of them out until dusk.

Edit: Forgot to mention I'd painted the ones that I leave in black on the outer surface in a feeble attempt to still capture some solar energy when they're in.

Unfortunately I have no good way to quantify any energy savings there may be.

BTW I went on a phantom load reduction campaign years ago and have been averaging about 120 kwh/month since (down from my old average of 330 kwh/mo). This is in a full-size house with it's own well, an old energy hog fridge, and many other modern conveniences. Oh, and it's up in the frozen north.

The local electric utility keeps raising the monthly fees so the actual electricity portion of my bills is the smallest part of the bill now. Now dreaming of going off the grid and telling them to stuff it...
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Last edited by Frank Lee; 09-09-2010 at 01:34 AM..
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