[Greenbuilding] Air Conditioning for Phoenix

[Nick Pine]

>I'll recommend an SEER 16 air conditioner...

It seems to me that we can do a lot better than that with an indoor swamp 
cooler or other humidity source that turns on when the indoor temp reaches 
about 80 F and a small exhaust fan that turns on when the indoor RH reaches 
60%, in non-monsoon times. This would put the fan's heat outdoors (with a 
much smaller motor) and be more adaptive to weather and house conditions, 
compared to an outdoor swamp cooler. With enough green plants, the indoor 
swamp cooler would never turn on. With enough air leaks, the exhaust fan 
would never turn on.

A really efficient version might cool a slab below the comfort temp at night 
by watering it with a solenoid valve and a soaker hose, when outdoor air is 
cooler, and bring up cool air from the slab with a slow ceiling fan and a 
room temp thermostat and an occupancy sensor during the day.

Nick