Energy

Why is electric heat so expensive?

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Why is electric heat so expensive?

On average in 2019, it took an average of …
10,551 BTU or 3.1 kW of coal or 7,732 BTU or 2.3 kW of natural gas
To produce 1 kilowatt of electricity, which is equal to 3,412 BTU.
 
How much does your 120 volt plug-in electric heater in your house use when it’s on? It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a $12 Walmart heater fan, or a $300 radiant heater in a fancy wood cabinet. All are same energy efficiency – when you apply resistance to electricity, 100% becomes heat, including the heat produced by the fan coils or indicator lights.
 
All 120-volt heaters are 1.5 kW or 5,118 BTU, because 120-volt wall outlets can only supply 12.5 amp constantly. In theory, you could make a space heater smaller then 1,500 watts but nobody does because electric coils are cheap to manufacture, and when you are warm, the thermostat just shuts off.
 
So every hour a heater heater is operating, it’s 1.5 kWh.

Oddly Fascinating

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I find it oddly fascinating that in the split phase electricity system used in the United States, the only power that flows on the neutral wire back to the center tap of the pole transformer is the difference in amperage between the phases.
So if you have …
20 amp draw on the Phase A
30 amp draw on Phase B
You’ll have 10 amp flowing on the neutral, which is also referenced to the ground
If you disconnect the neutral from the center tap of the transformer, the 20 amp load will work okay but the 30 amp circuit will see its voltage cut by 1/3rd.

The New, Green Pride of St. Patrick’s Cathedral Is Underground – The New York Times

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The New, Green Pride of St. Patrick’s Cathedral Is Underground – The New York Times

Above ground, a 7,855-pipe organ is one of the great splendors of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, the luminous church that will be the heart of the action in New York on St. Patrick’s Day. But hidden below the cathedral’s floor, a new system of pipes just as intricate is a source of equal pride.

A year ago, as part of its nearly $200 million renovation, St. Patrick’s Cathedral launched a state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling system to replace its system of steam radiators and 1960s-era air conditioning. Around the cathedral’s perimeter are now 10 wells as deep as 2,200 feet into the Manhattan bedrock, collecting groundwater that helps the church efficiently heat and cool. The cathedral now reaches six times deeper than its Gothic spires soar high.

The system’s thousands of feet of pipes and dozens of pumps are invisible to the five million visitors to the cathedral each year, and that was the point. The trustees of the 138-year-old building, the centerpiece of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, wanted the church to appear as it always has, even as it was going green.

Predator 2000 VS Honda 2000i watt generator Test Weight sound and load Test! Is it Worth $1000!!!

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Predator and Honda 2000 watt generators go head to head on weight, sound and load. Impressive results for sure, and is it worth the $1000 price tag for Honda VS $450 for the Predator.

While I'm not in the immediate market for a generator, it's interesting to learn about the technology. Most off-gridders have generators, they have many capacities -- like running a heavy load like power tools or a glow plug -- and back up for cloudy winter days when solar doesn't put out enough energy to keep the battery bank fully charged. Interesting video for sure about the different technologies and why sometimes it's worthwhile to pay for quality.