-=> Quoting Chuck Haynes to James Di Paulo <=-
 
JP> Doesn't this sound just a little too good to be true? Perhaps I
  > have a somewhat biased idea of the amount of power used for air
  > conditioning that large a home; dosn't seem possible to me.
CH> Jim! When I tried to retire on the 30 acre ranch in East Texas, I
  > went with the "make it do or do without" bit, and also with the
  > "mother earth" bit. We (Pat & I) found that you could do a LOT of
  > things without much power.
I, one who also has a 3300+sq/ft house, will cast my lot with you. I
With a good design that is effient and one that takes advantage of the
resources available; even a large structure need not a lot of energy
to keep comfortable.
Where I live 100-degree days are common during June-August, but
vaulted ceilings and heavy insulation allow the A/C to be run just one
or two hours a day, average. The clearstory windows illuminate the
interior which makes day lighting unneccessary. And a home made solar
hot water heater cuts our gas needs to zero for all but four months of
the year.
Our electric bill averages about $60/month. The solar heater hasn't
been online long enough to know what the propane costs are, yet. We
filled 250gals to 83-percent cap and it's at 70-percent cap now. I
guess that's 32-gals, most of which is used during winter heating.
 
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