Great post Oak, enjoyed the read. I installed the same unit 4 months ago and have loved it.
We did put a UPS battery backup on ours and actually put it to test when we lost power after Hurricane Ike. Just go out to garage and turn on UPS when one of us wanted a hot shower, then turn the UPS off afterwards! UPS charge lasted the duration of the 2 day power outage!
Greg
This is great input!
UPS units are not that expensive, I was half thinking about getting one myself, but when it comes down to it, thankfully, power outages where I live are rare and when they do happen last maybe an hour tops. With this economy I have other items higher on my list right now
Again though, I have always wondered about how well the Rinnai worked with a UPS. Yes, you can read the
PDF that Rinnai gives out and what they claim, but you always are left wondering. It is nice to have a real world experience.
A further update.
Thus far at the meter I have used 49 therms. Last year I used 59 with all the billing factors. I have a feeling with all the billing factors that might get me up to 53 or 55 or around a 10% savings.
This is a huge drop from my prior savings.
However ... in September I added a few rooms on to my house, or about 15% more heated/conditioned square feet. It makes sense that my furnace is going to work longer; hence, it is going to use more fuel too.
And so with that being said any future therm comparisons are going to be skewed simply due to the fact that my house is not the same this year as it was last year.
If I can break even I will be happy. The fact that I am still coming out ahead ... is icing on the cake ...