Drew Dowdell
-
Posts
55,277 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
481
Content Type
Forums
Articles
Gallery
Events
Store
Collections
Everything posted by Drew Dowdell
-
Zoning a forced air system per room is pricey. Zoning with individual units is really pricey. Get an HVAC expert in there to listen to your concerns. Don't tell him you want every room zoned, just tell him what problem you are trying to solve. If you've got anything less than 2,500 sq feet, you're probably better off with a system balance or two zones from one system at most. You can get a combo heatpump/gas furnace unit and the gas only runs on days below around 23 degrees. That means except for the coldest days of the year, only the heat pump would run. Since you're in a cheap electricity state, that would probably benefit you a lot. Smart panels are expensive toys. I don't really see a purpose for them in a residential building. If you're really curious about which 110v appliances are costing you money, buy yourself a couple Kill-O-Watts off Amazon and save yourself $1,000. Hint: It's going to be your fridge, dishwasher, and washing machine. The smart panel isn't going to give you useful data beyond what you already know. What will your biggest energy consumers be? Fridge, laundry, EV charger, HVAC. Is there going to be anything you can do with the Smart Panel data to change that? Not really. Tada! I just saved you a bunch of money.
- 77 replies
-
- 2
-
-
-
- electric vehicle
- ev9
- (and 2 more)
-
Fisker recalls over 11,000 vehicles amid bankruptcy :Comments
Drew Dowdell replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Fisker
Apparently, they have enough cash left for that but not enough to continue manufacturing. I really wanted them to succeed. Maybe something creative will come out of the Chapter 11 filing, and they can continue on. I think they'd be a good candidate for Honda or Mazda to snap up. The hardware is there; it is the software they have an issue with. -
Today, Toyota announced that it will join the seven other manufacturers already involved in IONNA as the eighth founding and investing member. This move will grant Toyota and Lexus buyers access to the growing DC Fast Charging network. The IONNA charging network was founded in July 2023 to provide an alternative to the fragmented and sometimes unreliable third-party networks currently available. Several non-Tesla manufacturers expressed frustration with frequent outages reported at Electrify America charging stations, the largest non-Tesla provider at the time. Toyota joins the seven original manufacturers, BMW, Honda, General Motors, Kia, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis. IONNA began operations in February 2024 with the aim of the first charging stations coming online later this year. The charging stations will be located near food and retail establishments with canopies for shade. A mix of NACS and CCS adapters will be available at each station, covering the vast majority of electric vehicles currently offered. (Sorry certain Nissan LEAF owners). Toyota currently offers two electric vehicles in North America, the Toyota bZ4X and the Lexus RZ and has announced plans for two all-new three-row electric SUVs built in Kentucky. Toyota plans to offer 30 BEV models globally across its Toyota and Lexus brands by 2030. View full article
-
Today, Toyota announced that it will join the seven other manufacturers already involved in IONNA as the eighth founding and investing member. This move will grant Toyota and Lexus buyers access to the growing DC Fast Charging network. The IONNA charging network was founded in July 2023 to provide an alternative to the fragmented and sometimes unreliable third-party networks currently available. Several non-Tesla manufacturers expressed frustration with frequent outages reported at Electrify America charging stations, the largest non-Tesla provider at the time. Toyota joins the seven original manufacturers, BMW, Honda, General Motors, Kia, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis. IONNA began operations in February 2024 with the aim of the first charging stations coming online later this year. The charging stations will be located near food and retail establishments with canopies for shade. A mix of NACS and CCS adapters will be available at each station, covering the vast majority of electric vehicles currently offered. (Sorry certain Nissan LEAF owners). Toyota currently offers two electric vehicles in North America, the Toyota bZ4X and the Lexus RZ and has announced plans for two all-new three-row electric SUVs built in Kentucky. Toyota plans to offer 30 BEV models globally across its Toyota and Lexus brands by 2030. -
Yeah, I used to do that for the basement and it had and automatic drain, but I'd basically need one for each floor and the electric costs to run it were insane. Mine isn't a built-in per se; it's more that my A/C can run at 80% with the blower at 80%, and that acts as a dehumidifier. Our discussion this morning made me look up some things about the thermostat setting (Lennox iComfort), and I found a possible setting that only the HVAC guy should know about. So, I'm trying that out now. But it's 90 here right now, and the unit is struggling. The goal is to run it at 72-74 and be comfortable rather than 70-72 and have it run constantly. Are you a gas furnace now?
-
I had the full works done when I replaced the HVAC back in 2016. New breaker panel with upgraded service. Replaced the 1950 furnace. Added central air. Have full humidity control with dehumidify in the summer and humidify in the winter. The humidifier works well enough in the winter, but I constantly have to fiddle with the settings for dehumidify. It won't run if the house is already at the set temp, but the indoor humidity keeps creeping up until we go and set the thermostat lower. Then it sucks all the humidity out of the house and I'm cold at 72 degrees. Because the house is stone and well-insulated, the air conditioner is quite capable of bringing the house to 74 and then just leaving it there.... but like I said, the humidity climbs back up after sitting a while. I do have to turn off the dehumidifier when outside gets too far over 90 because the blower won't run fast enough to keep up. It's a whole thing... and I'm looking into thermostat alternatives. (not nest)
-
well cheers to you for picking that up. I never would have noticed that detail being a call back. I just looked and the current Pathfinder has that too, but very subtle.
-
You and me both. With this humidity being so oppressive I’m glad I upgraded to central air back in 2016. It use to take 3 large window units to do my house and they were so inefficient. On the V8 in the garage thing, it’s only the big, iron block V8 in the Toronado that I notice the heat creep from. It was never an issue with the CTS or the 300. The Avalanche is too big to fit.
- 77 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- electric vehicle
- ev9
- (and 2 more)
-
Yeah, that face is a mess. The interior looks like a Mazda interior bought on Wish to me.
-
I will probably do it sooner rather than later because I expect to start getting press cars again shortly and a good chunk of them are EVs. Lucky for me the L2 install will be just about as easy as can be. The total run from the panel will be less than 4 feet and when I upgraded the panel in 2016, I accounted space for eventually having an EV.
-
Lead foot. Same engine in my bigger, heavier Avalanche gets 13-14 around town and 18-20 highway. This does happen to me too, but my garage is in my basement and the heat has nowhere to go but up. That said, I have a well insulated stone house and excellent HVAC, so it’s only an issue if the A/C isn’t on.
-
So you’ll see me working on current news going forward, but also I will be working back in time to post stories that I missed. I have the ability to back-date articles, so no need to adjust your set, they will be dated appropriately for when the news came out. It may look a bit weird at first, but it will fill things in for the last 3 months of news.
-
At the moment they don’t make one in the configuration Albert wants, except for Genesis and that’s a bit pricey for us right now. He might be convinced into an Ioniq 6, but he really wants to go back to an SUV. Honda Prologue and Mustang Mach-E are the two best contenders right now. I do have a reservation on a Rivian R2, but that’s several years away.
-
The Mustang Mach-E is on my watch list as a potential replacement for the 300C. My only hesitation is the lack of a heat pump, but I don't think that will be an issue for its primary duties.
-
Mazda News: Mazda CX-50 Gains a Hybrid Powertrain for 2025
Drew Dowdell replied to Drew Dowdell's topic in Mazda
Both Mazda and Toyota have excellent maintenance costs. I don't expect there will be any meaningful difference over an ICE model. -
-
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
-
From the album: 2025 Nissan Rogue Rock Creek
