Run Whole House on Wimpy Generator?

[Piotrsko]

The trick is whether or not your jurisdiction allows not connecting to utilities. Here in Reno you must connect if the utility is present and remember the discussion about rainwater collection. Not sure about washoe county.

[hayden55]

Yup you have to contribute you sheep! All jokes aside yes if you have utilities present you must use them. Which is annoying as the minimum charges and customer charges are typically about 1/2-3/4 of the bill.
For a new build the goal would be to buy outside of a platted subdivision and then do the correct amount of insulation so very little solar is required. Instead of doing something dumb like R-13 walls and R-60 attic, it would be much better to do R-36 walls and R-36 ceiling etc...
When you go super insulated and pay attention to air sealing you start to need such a little heater you can go passivhaus like and use a 1200w wall heater to heat your whole house! Which is seriously impressive as that won't even bring my garage up more than 10F over ambient. (noninsulated. 22x20x12)
Then you really could do 120v appliances only and simplify it all so much.

[redpoint5]

When I bought my first house (to live in), I was outraged that the sewer bill was separate from the water bill, and was a flat $90 every 2 months. I called to get "disconnected" figuring I'd just pee in the yard and shower at work or the gym.

You can't get disconnected (which makes sense with sewer). It's a debt that accrues to the property, and if you don't pay it, a lien is placed on the house, and eventually if it ever got too out of control, the house would be seized.

I'm amazed people are forced to pay for a service regardless if they use it or not, and the penalty could be you lose your home. Absolutely insane.

[freebeard]

it would be much better to do R-36 walls and R-36 ceiling etc...

Close, but not quite there yet. You still distinguish between walls and ceiling. If they are 'inflated' to a hemispherical shape, the internal air currents will distribute and conserve the temperature differential versus the outside, before any consideration of layering insulation and thermal mass into it.

5V,12V, 120VAC and a buck converter to 400V for the car charger.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'm amazed people are forced to pay for a service regardless if they use it or not, and the penalty could be you lose your home. Absolutely insane.

Not to mention sometimes the owner of an off-the-grid property may actually have a more "sustainable" way to handle residues, such as turning them into agricultural fertilizer.

[redpoint5]

I'm envious of my neighbor right across the street from me. I live in an HOA in the city, so have to use city sewer. My neighbor just across the street is outside city limits, so can burn or shoot guns, doesn't pay HOA dues but has the same distance to walk to the community park we pay for... and has their own septic.

Someday, I'll live across the street. (they recently moved out of the HOA I'm in, to the property across the street).

[hayden55]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Close, but not quite there yet. You still distinguish between walls and ceiling. If they are 'inflated' to a hemispherical shape, the internal air currents will distribute and conserve the temperature differential versus the outside, before any consideration of layering insulation and thermal mass into it.

5V,12V, 120VAC and a buck converter to 400V for the car charger.

I would be interested in what you mean by hemispherical and the internal air currents. As far as I know the cheapest way to build is a two story home. It cost around 60% of the cost to build as a one story home of the same square feet. For the most part my comment was that its more effective to build thicker walls and even out your insulation around the entire envelope not pile it in certain areas. It begins to be like comparing 40mpg vs 60mpg vs 18mpg and 38mpg etc...

[redpoint5]

There are reasons why hemispherical designs are not dominating, and those reasons probably aren't trivial.

Sure, there's a lot of advantages such as maximizing the volume to surface area, minimizing force in storms, convection of heat benefits, etc.

It's easier to build things in straight lines. The Cybertruck emphasizes the fact that straight sheets of durable material are easier to manufacture than compound surfaces.

Property is usually divided in rectangular plots, and not circular. Building to a straight line is easier than a radius. Sectioning a rectangular space into rooms is an easier task. Having a consistent height ceiling is more accomodating...

My thought is spheres are more appropriate to submerged living areas where the structural integrity is important.

[freebeard]

hayden55 -- Thanks for asking.

Here's the answer in the form of a comic strip:
https://www.stuartmcmillen.com/comic...-domes/#page-1



This covers location and sizing of the vents. Not shown is the torodial internal air flow.


www.trente.eu/garden-igloo-geodesic-dome-glass-airflow/

With no ventilation the air still circulates. One way in Sumer, tthe other way in Winter. Dividing walls should be radial.

edit: redpoint5's pushback is typical.

Geodesic domes are straight lines. Flat ceiling are psychologically constraining, something hard to convey in a picture. Here's an article: www.obsev.com: This Fatal Flaw Led to the Decline in the Popularity of Dome Homes

The surprising conclusion: Domes have become tainted by an association with the artist formerly known as Kanye West.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

It's easier to build things in straight lines. The Cybertruck emphasizes the fact that straight sheets of durable material are easier to manufacture than compound surfaces.

No doubt straight lines are great for houses.

Large flat panels are a nightmare for car bodies as they show every ripple and imperfection and you have to add thickness to get structure. Adding curves and creases hide imperfections while adding strength. Trying to do flat panels without paint - that is a whole new level of madness.

My ambulance is a case in point. From 10 feet away it looks alright. Sight down the length of the box from the rear and there is no way a passenger car buyer would accept that level of imperfection.