Our house is in the planning phases. I have my idea/inspiration binder and wish list, and have just started to interview architects. Are you building smaller to compensate? Yes, 2500 sq ft (max), which is small in my area for a nicer home. It is for me, DH and 3 active boys. Current house is a 3100 sq ft walk out ranch, but I'd say 90% of our time is spent on the main level which is maybe 1750 sq ft. So one could argue that we're not building smaller. This will be all on one level except for an "away" or reading loft above the main living area. Are you building with high-efficiency materials (ICFs? SIPs? Other super-insulation techniques)? Yes, depending on what can be delivered on our budget. Looking for the most bang for the buck. ICF or SIPs, geothermal heat/cool, passive solar features, concrete floors, highly insulated windows are all on our wish list. Also the ability to add features later like a wind turbine are important if they eventually would have a reasonable ROI. Want to reuse/repurpose and minimize construction waste whenever possible. Are you building closer to jobs than you otherwise might have, to reduce commuting distances? We are moving to 5 acres just outside of town. It reduces my husband's commute by 5 mins and adds 6 mins to mine. It would be a wash except it adds about 5 minutes to the time it takes to get to the grocery store and to any other in-town errands. I know one family living on five acres conspicuously contributing to suburban sprawl is not green. But there were houses already built (long ago) on either side of our parcel, and the land was not being farmed or anything before we bought it. It's been sitting there waiting for someone to build on it for years (previous owners held onto it but never built) -- so if we don't someone else will. How's that for rationalization! If you are doing any of the things I mentioned, or more / other (and please elaborate!), are you aware of so-called "Peak Oil"? Or are you doing it simply as a good investment (spend money now in the build, to reduce recurring costs)? Never heard of peak oil. We are doing this because it's the right thing to do, and certainly energy costs are not going down. Basically I don't feel a need to heat and cool space that is rarely used. We live a very informal life.

I asked my installer about the refrigerant charge and this is what he said: The charge is 12 pounds of R410A for the system and 10 of lines + .6 ounces per foot for additional line lengths. We do not test super heat or sub-cooling on a new Acadia system start-up. We do on any other heat pump or AC system we install. The Acadia system is unique in that it does not come with any refrigerant from the factory, only a nitrogen charge. Per Hallowell instructions (told to me from Duane Hallowell himself), we weigh in the R410A charge according to the manual and start the unit, no further testing is required. Testing super heat and sub-cooling verifies proper charge. We always run these tests on any other system because we do not take for granted that the factory installed the right amount or that some has not leaked out by the time we get the units. With Acadia systems, we would only test sub-cooling afterwards if we suspected a problem with the refrigerant system. Does this sound right because they treat me as if this were my fault!

Well, I'm not buying the Blomberg after all. It took forever to find out that it has an inverter type compressor (the continuously running type like Fisher and Paykel Active Smart that creates a "hum" that never stops). It seems to me that the choice is between the inverter type compressor and the non-inverter type compressor or between continuous low level noise and non-continuous louder noise. I will take the non-continuous louder noise. At least there are time periods where no motor is running. Continuous low level noise is, in my opinion, less healthy overall than louder noise interspersed with no noise. If the refrigerator was going to be in a separate room, then I might feel differently about this. But our kitchen is open into a "nook area" and further on is the family room -- no doors. If I had a separate-room pantry, I would put the fridge in there. So, I'm starting my search all over again. Will look for another discussion on Houzz about just finding a quiet fridge in general. Need a fridge less than 18 cubic feet and more than 15, bottom freezer preferred, not Euro-tall type, and, of course, QUIET! Any suggestions?

The Greenspeed is dead quiet during normal heating/cooling operation. This is amongst the quietest AC/heatpump you might ever hear. Only during sub-frigid heatpump temps does it get *loudish* at 100% of heatpump operaton and 85-90% fanspeed. Although fanspeed is adjustable and can be lowered (at the slight expense of heating capacity) to very acceptable sound levels. I didn't measure with a sound meter, but I would imagine at its loudest the unit approaches 80dB at 1-3ft. I'll have to measure the next frigid day. To answer your question on Sunday cost, I believe this was carryover from the previous 20F average temperature day. Also, the Greenspeed works with less efficiency as the outdoor temps drop into sub-freezing range. For instance, based on my region/heating load/4-ton unit, above 50F the heatpump outputs 50-58K BTU. At 17F it outputs 48K BTU, but capacity begins to decrease. At 7F it still outputs a fairly impressive 40K BTU. At -2F, the unit now only outputs 30K BTU. Not that New York will ever see these temps, but at -12F the unit still manages 20K BTU. http://www.tools.carrier.com/greenspeed/