[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Experiences with Seisco

[Lawrence Lile]

Here are some suggestions:

>I'm in final stages of planning an owner built home here in the hills
of Eugene Oregon.  

My first suggestion: Cut your floor area by half of whatever you think
you need. Especially if you are building it yourself.  Try to see if you
can shoehorn into, like, 800-1000 square feet.  Our parents raised a
whole generation in such houses, but we can't seem to figure out how to
get that small. If you need more room, consider unheated sheds and barns
for the rest of that stuff.  

>For example, in the NE when I built 20 yrs ago using electrical heating
appliances was a big no no.  Now dragging LP to my site by truck is
raising questions.  

I thought the same - all-electric homes were for the birds. Check into
energy cost, in $/million BTU, for each fuel.  Here is how it breaks
down in Missouri today:

Winter:  Propane is expensive, electricity is cheap.  I'm paying about
$15/MMBTU for that last block of electricity, vs. $34/MMBTU for the last
tank of propane for the winter, when it is highest. 

Summer:  Both fuels are about the same cost - around $27/MMBTU for the
block rate I am on. 

If you need a little help with the math, post your electric rates and
propane quotes here and us nerds will crunch the numbers. 

Propane cost is accelerating at the same rate as oil.  Projecting the
current rate of propane inflation, propane should cost $75 per MMBTU in
ten years, according to my math. Yow! But Electric rates here have
actually gone DOWN in ten years.  I think building a propane-heated
house today would be nuts. 

Here in the Midwest, I can contract for wind power through my utility,
so electric heat is not only the cheapest, it is the greenest choice.
In the Northwest, electric heat would also be Green, as you are probably
mostly Hydropower.  If you can cough up enough money for a heat pump,
then electricity is Greener yet.  

>I am looking at what sort of tankless hot water system to use for dom.
hot water.  (Not up to the radiant floor heat yet,  but I am pretty sure
I wasn sep. systems).  I like a lot of what I read on the Seisco
site.... but suspect that there's a back story.  Anyone have any
experience with these and any wisdom for me on whether I should be
switching from the Rinnai tankless concept?

Lots of people use Tagaki tankless heaters with great success.  They are
pretty good units.  I'll have one (all set up for propane) I will sell
you for cheap as soon as I get done converting to electric heat........

--Lawrence