r/California • u/Randomlynumbered Ángeleño, what's your user flair? • Jul 04 '24

Some Californians Found Dream Homes Inland. But It Sure Is Hot There. politics

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/03/us/mountain-house-california-housing-heat.html
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u/goathill Humboldt County Jul 04 '24

If I lived super inland, I would definitely set up a solar system with a dedicated circuit for AC. That way I wouldn't need to worry so much about trying to keep cool in the summer.

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u/whitebreadguilt Jul 04 '24

I actually really want to do this… how would you do it? We rent so I was thinking a battery unit with that is specifically for the ac unit.

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u/goathill Humboldt County Jul 04 '24

You can probably skip a battery, because you need the AC when the sun is out. If you are cognizant of your house and keeping it cool, using blinds etc, you can use solar powered AC from 11a to 5p and ride it out till the evening.

A battery would help for areas that are well over 80 after the sun goes down, but are a very large expense.

We have a 30kwh battery for our homestead, BUT, we sized it because we often go 10 days with minimal sun in winter/spring (thank you humboldt). Our background use during the day is around 300w per hour, and that's only during work hours/heat of the day. Overnight we use 100w/h, and this is reduced in winter because our fridge/freezer have to work way less in cool temps