Solar Power Ideas?

[Ericj1186]

Well, buying a new house soon, and bills are going to be steep. One thing I was considering was shutting the AC down at night. I live in Louisiana, and it gets hot down here. Really hot. So, my idea was to make one of these - Solar Power Generator (http://www.rain.org/%7Ephilfear/how2solar.html) - and attach two of these - Honey Well Digital Tower Fan (http://www.target.com/Honeywell-Digital-Tower-Remote-Ionizer/dp/B000MN97V8/ref=br_1_16/183-2271922-6822226?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&searchView=grid5&searchNodeID=16424821&node=16424821&searchRank=salesrank&searchPage=1&searchSize=30&id=Honeywell%20Digital%20Tower%20Remote%20Ionizer) - to the generator at night. Will this actually work?

Anyone have any experience with solar power?

[hansdown]

Two problems.

The solar panel puts out 12V DC.

The fan requires 120V AC.

It's a great idea, but You need something that will work a little different.

http://www.google.ca/search?q=solar+home+power+systems&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.ubuntu:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-a

[MikeTheC]

Well, as someone who lives in the south, I would strongly urge you to reconsider cutting corners where operation of your AC is concerned. It's too easy to get mold infiltration, especially in higher humidity areas. Remember that your AC serves two purposes. One of them is to cool your home. The other is to dry the air out.

Find some place else in the budget to skimp.

[swoll1980]

I would die here with no A/C it's so humid. You can feel the moister in the are all summer.

[MikeTheC]

I would die here with no A/C it's so humid. You can feel the moister in the are all summer.

Oh God I couldn't imagine being in Cleveland in the summer without air conditioning. That'd be just as bad as living down here in S.W. Florida without air conditioning. Yikes!

[Ericj1186]

The humidity sits between 60 - 100% during our rainy season (ie most of the year). With the AC, I will likely leave it around 80 to kill humidity, but I'd like a manner to cut energy costs.

The previous owner said they barely paid anything and had to have their meter changed several times because the energy company thought it was broken.

[gletob]

The humidity sits between 60 - 100% during our rainy season (ie most of the year). With the AC, I will likely leave it around 80 to kill humidity, but I'd like a manner to cut energy costs.

The previous owner said they barely paid anything and had to have their meter changed several times because the energy company thought it was broken.

I have absouloutly no knowledge but this might be helpful to you. You would probably have to have a professional do it though.

http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=LA11F&re=1&ee=1

[hellmet]

I totally agree that for US homes, not running an A/C would would be a nightmare. In a place with little humidity, I would suggest Air-coolers - those that use water to cool air. These are of no use either in humid regions. The best thing would be to let your thermo run at 82-83 and then use Fans to take off heat off of your body. That's what I used to do in Texas when I couldn't afford to pay for electricity at one point.

[dragos240]

I would die here with no A/C it's so humid. You can feel the moisture in the air all summer.

Fixed that for you.