We are in upstate SC, near the mountains. Our small (1400 sq ft) ICF house is very comfortable and efficient. Unfortunately, I have no experience living here in a 'traditional' house, so I don't know how we compare. Our homeowner's insurance is very inexpensive, at least compared to when we lived in FL, but I don't think we get any savings compared to a stick-built house. Our weather here is pretty mild, but we have large temperature swings. Typical summer highs are in the low 90's, but we hit 107 one summer. Summer lows are around 70. Winter lows are in the mid 30's, with single digits a couple times a year. What is more telling is the Manual J findings I did before selecting our HVAC system. For heat, we need only 12,000 BTU's, or one ton. For cooling, it is only 9K BTU, or 3/4 ton. As a result, central systems were too big to be efficient, so we use a single 12K BTU mini-split (ductless) heat pump. We have a second 9K unit in the master suite, but we rarely use it. Summer cooling adds only $20/month to our power bill, winter heating costs about $40/month peak. We go for long periods without any HVAC at all. We shut the heat off about a month ago (unusual) and with a little luck, may not need it again until May or June. The house is very slow to change temperature. We have a full, walk-out basement without HVAC. It gets down to about 60 in the winter, and peaks about 75 in the summer. Again, without HVAC at all. |