I’ve been busy, literally digging into stuff. The morons who built my house screwed up, so heavy rains gave me a wet basement. By digging, I’ve been able to seriously whack my electric bill, saving ridiculous amounts of Watts.
More explanation: the property was not graded properly. A house is supposed to be surrounded by a mild slope, causing rain to run off away from the foundation (and any basement if present). Failure to grade leads to a damp basement, and in extreme cases foundation damage or settling. My basement was damp in general, and certainly after serious rains, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I’ve been digging for months now, adding drainage features. Then I threw the spoil toward my walls, to alter slopes. I’m not even finished, and already I’ve been able to turn off the dehumidifier in the basement. Without it, the electric bill fell sharply. The first month, I didn’t pay attention much. The second month was a coincidence. The third month, however, showed me the dehumidifier had been the one biggest energy use in the house, since my electric bill is now half. Yes, half. Just digging cut my electricity use in half, and my EV is now “paid off” (in wattage terms) several times over.
I have to retract that first part: the general contractors for the house weren’t morons. They aren’t paying the monthly utility bills, I am. So what do they care if they “screwed up”? Someone bought the new house, so for a builder, they succeeded. Succeeded in suckering at least one homebuyer. I, a later owner, am a sucker no more, and not an energy sucker. Which makes me wonder: how many screwups are there, in this land of detached houses, and how many are simply being covered up by energy sucking? Continue reading
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