The sun bakes out logical thinking? Insulation pays you back 24/7/365...and would make sense everywhere in the USA, with the possible exception of someplace like San Diego, since they supposedly average 70* year 'round...although it was 90* (+) when we were there 10 years or so ago...
Yes, sun/heat in the summer, and thick fog much of the winter could definitely be the cause. What used to be a farming valley in the middle of the state.
I would be willing to bet that part of the issue is WHERE the insulation is put. For those of us who are more concerned with heat, a well insulated and air sealed attic takes priority as the hot air that we want to keep in the house rises. In climates where air condition is more important, one might get more bang for the buck by having low-e windows, doors and wall insulation to keep cool air from escaping through walls, doors and windows or having those items radiating heat into the house. Yes, a well insulated attic would prevent the ceiling from radiating heat into an air conditioned room. But without air conditioning on a hot day, one would want good air flow that has hot air rising and escaping a structure to promote the flow of cool air in at the occupied level. Just spitballing here. Few people that I know if consider the quality of the insulation when purchasing a home aside from knowing that older homes tend to be less well insulated and air sealed...
So getting back to this comment...I'm not sure how it works in PA but I think it's similar in most states, in Maine we have net metering, so daily production of the PV array doesn't matter. For me I will produce more electricity than I use in a month for probably April through September, that surplus electricity will go back into "the grid" and I will be given a a 1:1 credit for that surplus that I can use for up to a year, so in Oct-March when production of the array dips below my monthly production I will use the credit that was given during the high production months.
One thing for sure today there is a great demand for firewood, and the firewood sellers are trying to get it supplied.
some states have enacted code/regulations that new houses must be built to the latest efficiency standards. IECC I believe it is. I don't know if all have or not.
Well, looks like they found the culprit to all of this, and it's covid. Or else the good folks in the PR department at ERCOT were finally able to make it back to the office. Smells just a little bit like passing the buck, but who knows... (Note: Sharing news, not trying to start a covid conversation here) ERCOT Didn't Conduct On-Site Inspections of Power Plants to Verify Winter Preparedness And I chuckled to see that Ford is making a little bit of hay out of the crisis. Kind of an eye roller to see the president of Ford tweet that he wished that everyone in Texas had a brand new hybrid F-150 with the $5,500 hybrid 7.5kw onboard generator option. Which actually sounds kind of handy, come to think... I bet I could come up with some uses for that. This man used his 2021 Ford F-150 to heat his house during Texas winter storm blackout (yahoo.com)
Unfortunately I have heard of some using the engine for heat and killing themselves. Onboard generator sounds a lot better!
So sad our world of smart phones seems to have robbed some poor folks of the basic common sense facts of life. Like carbon monoxide is poisonous! Not picking on young people because they grown in a different world than ours but sadly our culture seems to put more importance in learning about selfies etc.instead the basic self preservation not to mention penmanship, how to balance a check book or even simply learning your times tables. As one young explained to me “ my phone can do that for me”
I have to agree with brenndatomu on this. I hauled fly ash out of a coal fired power plant in Stanton, ND for two winters & there was never a trip in there that I didn’t see a dozer shoving coal on that massive ground pile. I can guarantee that they get more snow & far colder temps there than in Texas. The excuse of the pile freezing sounds like just that : one of several excuses for poor preparation/preparedness as a whole. Unfortunate for those affected but this lays squarely at the feet of the Texas state govt. & industries that have neglected the lessens of the past.
I'm wondering on the frozen piles as well. From what I know, a 1,000 mw coal plant goes through about 9,000 tons of coal per day, and generally shoot to have a well more than a 30 day supply of coal on site. So, let's say 60 days x 9,000 tons, and that's dark colored pile that's half a billion tons. Even if its half the density of dirt, it has to pick up and store a lot of thermal energy from the sun. I can't see a pile that size freezing overnight, or even in a week, really. And I can't really see it freezing to the point that a dozer couldn't break it up, even during a long winter. Good grief, it takes more than a day or two of very cold temps to get the ground to freeze to the point that you can' t dig it with a shovel, especially if it's been warm previously, and 10 degrees for a couple of days isn't that cold in the grand scheme of things. I can see other points of failure, such as biodiesel or untreated southern diesel gelling up in the dozer at 10 degrees, water lines freezing, someone stuffing a huge chunk of ice into the loading chute, or coal on the conveyor freezing, frozen coal piles doesn't add up to me either.
I am not disagreeing with you guys on that. I didn't quite understand the frozen pile myself. You know they do it different in Texas or so I hear. one thing for sure, no one is going to stop the buck from getting passed down there.
In I hate it for all those people there, especially the elderly. People need to realize that they don’t get temps and snow ❄️ like they have . Northern states have learned through many years of hard winters to prepare and having a plan B . I hope people will learn from this and be better prepared the next time
I was wondering if all the equipment was gelled up because they probably never treat with diesel additives. Just a thought.
I considered that as well, straight #2 diesel (summer diesel ) generally has a cloud point around 11* - 14* so it “may” have played a small role but even if that occurred it all comes back to preparedness or lack there of.
That’s the truth,This younger generations hardly knows anything about survival in emergency situations. When I was growing up a boy, I had chores to do and you done extra work to make a little money. I didn’t realize it at the time but I was learning good ethics and a desire to better myself. Parents need Togo back to these ways before it’s to late.
