Homeowners, which of these consumes more energy in your house: space heating or water heating? Either way, Uncle Sam is ready to help you pay for some energy-efficient upgrades.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Biden a year ago, created two energy-efficiency rebate programs that could pay some, or even all, of the costs of buying Energy Star-rated appliances, adding insulation or otherwise making your home more efficient.

The rub: States will administer the programs, and each one must apply for its share of the $8.8 billion in federal funds earmarked for the rebates. And some states may opt out.

One state has already indicated it probably won’t participate. Lawmakers in Tallahassee voted to apply for Florida’s allocation — which, at roughly $346 million, is the third-largest in the country, behind California and Texas. But Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the measure as “woke.” The DoE has not been officially notified, so DeSantis could still change his mind.

  • evranch
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    1 year ago

    EEV > TXV > Capillary tube, the evolution of expansion valves and pressure control in refrigeration units has been significant. The lower compression ratio you can run, the higher the COP.

    Cap tubes are what you find in basic and old window shakers, completely passive and only work well at one power point, TXVs control superheat which is a big improvement and are common in “ordinary” central units, EEVs allow full control of high and low side pressure and compression ratio and are seen in modern inverter drive/heat pump/mini split systems.

    Inverter drive compressors are a huge improvement too.