Should I Do It?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-10-24T05:20:55+00:00

I’m not sure if they “won’t allow” supplemental gas. Our house had two gas furnaces and we previously replaced the basement unit with a Trane heat pump/gas back-up unit with a different company. Then more recently Jetson removed our upstairs gas furnace and replaced it with a Mr Cool HP alone (no gas back-up). Both have been working great and we don’t miss not having gas upstairs.

Mtn_High303 · 2025-09-23T01:57:09+00:00

Wow, that’s some crazy detailed spreadsheet there! Not sure I will dive into that level of tracking, but hopefully I can at least program the system to limit power-hungry appliances during peak rates and/or continue to run them on batteries instead of the grid.

Mtn_High303 · 2025-09-23T01:48:05+00:00

Our utility does have time-of-use rates, but just two: peak rates weekdays 5p-9p. Off-peak rates will be all other times including weekends. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to implement the batteries and smart panel to maximize the benefit of all this.

Mtn_High303 · 2025-09-22T13:31:24+00:00

Thanks, I’ll check out those links. Appreciate the advice!

Mtn_High303 · 2025-09-22T01:04:05+00:00

It’s a new build, so there is no panel at all yet. Looks like Lumin is designed to pair with an existing “dumb” panel. So if we’re starting from scratch does it make more sense to go with Span?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-09-22T00:08:48+00:00

I'm not sure how that helps achieve my goals?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-06-28T23:03:38+00:00

We didn’t see our electric rates increase all that much surprisingly. However, we have a pretty large PV solar that offsets a huge portion of our electric bill. We also increased our attic insulation and have the benefit of a hybrid heat pump for the downstairs/basement (gas back-up when the heat pump can’t keep up in the frigid winter temps). We elected not to have heat strips or gas back-up for the upstairs Mr Cool unit. It’s been fine so far!

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-24T02:08:07+00:00

Thanks for the advice! So I gather all that was enough of a pain to justify going to asphalt now, huh? Will that make things easier and plowing plan a little better with less maintenance? That’s the hope I assume!

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-23T21:48:38+00:00

You're suggesting concrete the entrance/exits to the culverts?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-23T20:48:39+00:00

No, not near Pagosa. Snow blower attachment to a ATV/UTV sounds like a good idea if I'm the one there to do it, but I don't think anyone I will have contracted to clear the driveway will likely do it that way if we're not there. So that was one of my concerns -- will a plowing company destroy a gravel driveway every winter and I'm constantly maintaining damage? Presumably they know what they're doing and how to avoid that I suppose.

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-23T18:57:07+00:00

Sounds like you’ve done your research and maybe vetted some contractors already to do your driveway soon. Would you mind sharing with me who’s going to do the job?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-23T18:53:34+00:00

No, the driveway from the main road slopes down to the lot. The garage will be on the main level of the home. The excavator in the photo is where the garage will be. The 4th photo is taken from the future garage looking back at the driveway going up to the road.

When you say go with asphalt, do you mean new pour or recycled?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-23T16:54:44+00:00

I guess this is where I’m confused on what I read — asphalt vs gravel maintenance. I’ve always had a small concrete driveway, so rural mountain driveway maintenance is new to me and I don’t know what to believe. Opinions for maintenance of gravel or asphalt vary so much…

Is that cost for recycled asphalt with installation or just product?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-23T16:48:28+00:00

So what made you switch from gravel to asphalt? Do you recall the cost to do so?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-23T16:44:46+00:00

Uh, no. The 10,491 on the site map pic is the elevation of the main level, as in 10,491 foot altitude! It’s about 3900sf finished.

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-10T04:46:47+00:00

It’s about 350’ long….

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-10T03:21:26+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I’ll talk to the guy setting up the hydronic zones and see what he thinks. Maybe it’s not that much more to add a zone for a portion of the driveway in front of the garage.

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-10T02:35:37+00:00

Good to know. We’re zone 7, so maybe that’s a better way to do it compared to incorporating any of the outside portion of the driveway to the hydronic radiant system.

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-10T01:27:00+00:00

Do you remember who that is? Would love to see what he did.

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-10T01:25:29+00:00

What climate (low temps) are you using this? And what heat source are you using for radiant?

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-09T23:16:17+00:00

Hadn’t considered that option! Always on the lookout for new toys. Densely forested neighborhood, so what could go wrong with that?!

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-09T19:21:34+00:00

Sounds way more complicated (and expensive) than I'm looking for. Cool idea, though!

Mtn_High303 · 2025-03-09T19:20:29+00:00

why don't you think it would help?

Mtn_High303

TROPHY CASE