Editors Blog

John Conrad is Senior Editor. Email him at  johnconrad@achrnews.com.


I Think... I Believe the Climate Change Hysteria is Real

April 7, 2008
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If you want to find out if the climate change hysteria is real then go to Washington, D.C. Talk to your representatives and you’ll see they are excited about fluorescent light bulbs (pssst… they have mercury in them), and they are passionate about carbon caps and credits for the big, bad industries that pollute (pssst… China emits more carbon than we do and there is no word in Chinese for “cap”).

I even heard a representative from Wisconsin boasting about how she introduced a bill to cut down on energy use by electronic devices while they were in standby mode and the millions of kilowatts it was going to save (pssst… manufacturers will have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to change their products).

What I don’t understand is why Congress has not discovered a 21st century technology called residential heating and air conditioning.

A new high-efficiency system can make a bigger difference for the homeowner and for our “fragile” planet than all the fluorescent light bulbs, front-loading washing machines, and Toyota Priuses combined. All we have to do is “accelerate” the replacement of old HVAC systems with high efficiency 410A condensing units and 90-plus furnaces (pssst… We also need to make sure the existing ductwork doesn’t cool and heat the attic space).

If Congress is hell bent on saving Mother Earth in the next decade then why not do something to replace all the inefficient HVAC systems in the 50 plus million existing homes in the United States. Now there is a hysterical idea!
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Climate Change

paulabedes2006@yahoo.com
April 7, 2008
Hi John, Your idea is good. Not only in United Staes alone but the whole world must apply with this. I recommend fully with this recommendation to use 410A immediately. More power to you, John! Respectfully yours, Paul

Climate Change

Rex Boynton
April 7, 2008
John ---- You're on the mark & let's remind our readers to have those new, high-efficiency relacement systems installed and serviced by NATE-certified technicians!

Climate Change

joe maurer
April 7, 2008
Hello. HCFC22 has a GWP of 1700. HFC 410a has a GWP of 2100. Neither one of them looks to inviting at a carbon tax starting at $15. to $20. per ton. A GWP of 2100 by the way means that every pound of HFC410a is equal to one ton of CO2. Duh.

Response to Joe M

John Conrad
April 7, 2008
Thanks for the technical info. I mentioned 410A for the environmntal benefits other than carbon emmissions. Point is we can reduce energy consumption big time

Response to R. Boynton

John Conrad
April 7, 2008
I agree. Qualified technicians can add to the energy savings with excellent installations.

Response to Paul

John Conrad
April 7, 2008
Thanks...now we are an army of 2

Climate Change

Allen
April 14, 2008
Whatabout solar heating & electric ? Why not start changing everyone's thinking. It's more cost effective than you think! Thanks, Allen

Energy to Manufacture

Karl
April 14, 2008
There is a hidden cost to replacing a light bulb or HVAC system. If the bulb is dead, no problem, replace with efficient system (mercury aside). But what if the HVAC system is still functional? Doesn't it cost energy to produce the raw materials and assemble the unit? I've never seen a calculation on how much energy is used to replace the old system. You would think it takes a long time to break even: Energy saved by running an efficiant system vs. energy consumed to produce the system.

Allen and Solar Heating

john conrad
April 24, 2008
I went thru a solar heating "craze" in the 70's. Solar is "very" costly and the return on investment in most parts of the US just doesn't cut it. We have hundreds of thousands of high efficiency units sitting in warehouses today!

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