yno, My cost/benefit trade in this area resulted in a cellulose insulation package with geothemal heating & cooling. The second runner up was a foam insulation package with HE heat pumps. Both of the options were about the same total cost. I used Anderson A400 windows and patio doors with 3 point locks & 4 sided seals on the face of the doors. Many of the windows are casment and provide a very tight seal. I also have a lot of patio doors in this new home, and I found in other homes I have lived in that the doors were always a major source or air infiltration. We also had the entire house caulked on the inside - and we did use foam in areas where the cellulose would not stick well (like between ceiling joists at the walls) or between large gaps in the framing (like on the corners of angled walls - between the studs). After all of that effort, I am very pleased with the results for both consistency in the house temperature and the monthly bills. However, I discovered that i need to add a few additional components to the HVAC system which were not part of the original design ( but should have been). The first is a de-humidifier for the basement. We found that the moisture levels in the basement were very high during the summer and since the house is sealed tighly, no way for it to move out. We started noticing spots on the concrete floor when we would have temps in the low 70's but humidity levels in the 60 to 70% range. I bought a whole house dehumidifier and that cleared up that problem immediately plus got rid of a funky smell which we now know was related to the moisture build up. The second device that I will add soon is a whole house Energy Recovery Ventilator. We need one of these because the house is so tight we are not getting movement of stale air out and fresh air in like we should. The ERV provides a heat/cooling/mositure exchange so that it minimizes the energy losses when you bring in unconditioned air from outside. I plan on using IAQ thermostats (Honeywell makes a nice one) that provides integrated control for the HVAC unit plus any humidifier, de-humidifer, or ERV that is tied to it. On one hand I wish that my HVAC contractor and builder had included this in the design - or at least brought it to my attention. On the other hand, I have learned a lot (mostly from the GW forums) and have saved a lot of money by installing the humidifiers and de-humidifier devices myself. A good source for HVAC components and info is www.iaqsource.com. One of the best investments you can make is the purchase of a few good thermometer/hydrometers which cost about $25 each and can tell you what the moisture levels are - I have one on each floor. Any moisture level above 55% is high. In some cases we were tipping the scale at 75 to 77% - and that is very high. Best of luck.

wamead first of all, I am attaching a link for a fuel comparison calculator. the results with your electric rate and cost for oil/gal will be an eyeopener. "One last question - I've hear the higher end models are more sophisticated, but also havemore parts, and are likely to have worse reliability -- what are our thoughts?" I have not seen any independent study that would point to reliability problems of upper end systems as opposed to average lower end systems. Most upper end systems offer a 10 yr warranty on parts/compressor and ext warranty that includes both parts/labor is available for purchase. Yes, high eff HP systems will cost more. "full BTUs in both heating and cooling for rated size (what does this mean?)" This means that you want full BTUs in both cooling and heating. For example, if you require a 2 1/2 ton system, then you want 30 KBTUs in cooling and 30 KBTUs in heating at 47 deg outside temp. Anything less and you are shortchanging yourself. Here are a few suggestions.There are others. 1382161 Active Systems HERITAGE 15 AMERICAN STANDARD, INC. 4A6H5030A1 4TEE3F39A1 30000 13.00 15.75 30000 9.00 18000 3032405 Active Systems COMFORT 15 PURON HP CARRIER AIR CONDITIONING 25HCB530A30 FV4BN(B,F)005 30000 13.00 16.50 29400 8.80 17300 904419 Active Systems PERFORMANCE 15 PURON HP CARRIER AIR CONDITIONING 25HPA530A30 FE4ANF005 30000 13.50 16.00 29200 9.00 16900 numbers provided from the AHRI HP Directory IMO Here is a link that might be useful: Fuel Comparison Calculator

Ordered windows in October of 2021. Windows are still nowhere to be seen.After putting deposit down in October, I was contacted the next day in an attempt to collect another 1000$ because the price they quoted me and I’d already paid for didn’t look good to them anymore. I was told 8 weeks for delivery. I’ve called every month since December and im always told they will look into it. If im lucky enough to get a call back, im just kicked down the road a month and never given a reason why. I’ve called corporate, been told someone would reach out to me today. They never do. The customer service there apparently doesn’t believe in “customers “ as they are only allowed to talk to businesses. The level of rudeness by the woman I spoke with today was astounding. In no way was she trying to solve anything other than talking over me, cutting me off and arguing. My contractor has long since moved on and I’ve spent 20 weeks living in a house with borded up windows and no sunlight because windows were removed in preparation for the windows being in on time. When I call the local office in Portland Maine now, im literally laughed at on the phone and just given a date a month out. I’ve loss thousands in heating bills, my contractor is gone, I’ll need to find another one to install if my windows ever appear. Hopefully someone who actually cares about the company name sees this and reaches out. At this point, my next stop is the Better Buisness Bureau and every window review site on the internet until I’m finally noticed.

I believe this is the 4 th summer for the in ground fig and one fig in a 30 is 3 years, the other 4 in 30's are 2 years old and all the 5 gallon figs are in their 1st year. The first 2 winters the fig trees survived the winter of 10F and 9F. The 3rd winter I got 3 nights of -6F, one -5F and several just below zero. They were killed to the ground. The 4th winter I spread the larger limbs to the ground and covered the figs up with 2 feet of shredded leaves. This left a wagon wheel spokes of limbs the tree grew from in spring. Our low was -12F and the fig tree survived. My figs are just barely larger than a quarter. You must be doing something they really like. Last year I lost most of my fig to squirrels but doing better this year with a loss of 0 figs,