Cool It Now
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But I'll admit, in the middle of my personal heat wave, my energy usage was not at the top of my mind. I was just hot. I knew I needed an efficient unit and wanted to take advantage of any tax credits that might be in place, but beyond that I wasn't really thinking clearly.
My friends at Sol Invictus Renewables cooled me down and reminded me of what I needed to do and how I needed to do it. First, I took another look at the federal tax credits for renewable energy efficiencies. You should too. The information—available online at EnergyStar.gov—is convoluted, but checking it out is worth the hassle, because many of the credits, for items including insulation, hot water heaters, furnaces and air conditioning) expire at the end of this year. If you claimed the tax credit in 2009, you aren't eligible for 2010. But if you didn't, get to it. You can get a $1,500 credit for $5,000 worth of expenditures. States also have a number of incentives in place that you can research in the Department of Energy's DSIRE database.
Now, back to me in my inferno...
I looked at the available credits for air conditioning and decided to bundle a furnace and air conditioning upgrade to save on labor costs and ensure I was getting maximum efficiency with both units. A certain level of furnace efficiency is required for high-efficiency air conditioning. Then I scheduled appointments for estimates. I sweated through six of them and am glad I did: The variance between installers was nearly $2,000.
I had been planning to insulate my basement with bio-based spray foam, so I started to work toward that too. If you could see the vines growing into my basement, you'd understand how permeable the structure is.
Sol Invictus Renewables co-founders Wyeth Atchison and Tony Brown encouraged me to go ahead and get the rest of my insulation work done, reminding me it made little sense to get high-efficiency units if all the heated and cooled air would leak through my poorly insulated house.
Now the A/C has been installed. The insulation is on its way. And, forgive me, the heat hubris just may return.
Simran
Simran Sethi is an award-winning journalist and associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications. For more information on Sethi, visit SimranSethi.com and follow her on Twitter @simransethi.
Keep Reading:
Home-cooling tips for the dog days of summer
If you can't beat the heat, join it! Summer party secrets
O magazine's summer reading list
My friends at Sol Invictus Renewables cooled me down and reminded me of what I needed to do and how I needed to do it. First, I took another look at the federal tax credits for renewable energy efficiencies. You should too. The information—available online at EnergyStar.gov—is convoluted, but checking it out is worth the hassle, because many of the credits, for items including insulation, hot water heaters, furnaces and air conditioning) expire at the end of this year. If you claimed the tax credit in 2009, you aren't eligible for 2010. But if you didn't, get to it. You can get a $1,500 credit for $5,000 worth of expenditures. States also have a number of incentives in place that you can research in the Department of Energy's DSIRE database.
Now, back to me in my inferno...
I looked at the available credits for air conditioning and decided to bundle a furnace and air conditioning upgrade to save on labor costs and ensure I was getting maximum efficiency with both units. A certain level of furnace efficiency is required for high-efficiency air conditioning. Then I scheduled appointments for estimates. I sweated through six of them and am glad I did: The variance between installers was nearly $2,000.
I had been planning to insulate my basement with bio-based spray foam, so I started to work toward that too. If you could see the vines growing into my basement, you'd understand how permeable the structure is.
Sol Invictus Renewables co-founders Wyeth Atchison and Tony Brown encouraged me to go ahead and get the rest of my insulation work done, reminding me it made little sense to get high-efficiency units if all the heated and cooled air would leak through my poorly insulated house.
Now the A/C has been installed. The insulation is on its way. And, forgive me, the heat hubris just may return.
Simran
Simran Sethi is an award-winning journalist and associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Mass Communications. For more information on Sethi, visit SimranSethi.com and follow her on Twitter @simransethi.
Keep Reading:
Home-cooling tips for the dog days of summer
If you can't beat the heat, join it! Summer party secrets
O magazine's summer reading list
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