Comments by "eDoc2020" (@eDoc2020) on "Batteries aren't the only way to store energy. Here's another." video.

  1. @asdrubale bisanzio Albania, the Congo, Iceland, and Paraguay use basically 100% renewable electricity sources. So yes, it's more than possible to last a day or two without coal. Hydroelectricity is by far the main renewable source and it naturally provides storage. If you are insistent on the 'bad weather' excuse, consider that most days wind and solar does generate. This reduces the need for fossil fuels which can be saved for those bad weather days.
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  2. I don't think 66F is excessively cold... for the winter. For the summer it does seem very cold.
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  3. The largest laptop batteries are just under 100 watt-hours, or 0.625% of Alec's calculated energy storage. Assuming power consumption is the same from the wall or from battery you'd never save energy by doing this. You could theoretically save money but even at a very high 50 cent/kWh rate a full charge costs less than four cents. In my opinion the wear on the battery would not be worth it.
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  4. @Call Me Joey Here there are regulations on the minimum heating that needs to be provided to qualify as habitable. While you may prefer it warmer they only need to supply that much. I can't imagine there not being similar regulations anywhere unless the weather is mild enough that it never became an issue.
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  5. That's a great option much of the time but not all the time. When it's very hot and humid a fan becomes ineffective.
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  6. I would presume your window AC has a built-in thermostat.
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  7. This does exist. When done automatically it is often called an economizer.
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  8. A 6 cent rate probably doesn't include other expenses which add to the power bill. Where I live the cost to generate electricity is only half the bill, the rest is transmission charges which I presume cover losses in the network as well as maintenance of the system.
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  9. I can't imagine nobody has commented on the use of a dedicated dehumidifier. Alec, if you use a dual-hose portable air conditioner wouldn't you get the same dehumidification but also get "free" cooling?
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  10. I should add that if your fridge is inside a room which is at a fairly constant temperature it won't help at all. If X degrees is the warmest your fridge can be then just set it to X degrees. Overcooling it will cause a greater temperature gradient, meaning more thermal energy will flow through its insulation.
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  11. That's great and they certainly should improve the infrastructure. But I believe these smart thermostat temperature changes can easily be overridden, they're not exactly forcing you not to use air conditioning. I'd say it's a win-win if it enables your electricity rates to be lower while not forcing you away from being cooled.
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  12. In the US wind and solar are only about 7% of the power generated, which is not enough to make daytime power more expensive.
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  13.  @freibuis  You need to also consider that electricity demand is higher during the day. Daytime electricity won't be cheaper until the solar generation capacity is greater than the increased daytime load.
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  14. I don't see any reason why this method wouldn't work in Arizona. If you have good insulation and a properly sized air conditioning system there should be no problems.
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  15.  @trxtech3010  It should work about as well as a house in Vermont can stay warm when it's zero F outside. I'm not really sure how well that is but I have a feeling we in colder areas take insulation more seriously. I'd be surprised if you had anything more than a 4x6 wall of fiberglass insulation.
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