Jeanine and I enjoyed a long walk this morning. We were checking out exterior house colors and masonry types for consideration on the River House. At one point, we encountered this butterfly and I asked to borrow Jeanine’s phone to take a photo (it was the only camera available). I was able to get close enough for a reasonably nice image.

On our walk, I had an “ah ha” moment regarding backup power for the all-electric new house we are building. It is imperative for any house built in a cold climate to have some means of keeping the heat going in the event of a power outage to prevent water pipes from freezing. Since moving to Concord some 18 years ago we have experienced 4 long-duration blackouts. This suggests we will likely see future outages every 4 years or so, possibly more, given the increased severity of weather events due to climate change. I learned important lessons from our last backup generator. (1) Power outages happen during extreme weather conditions; blizzards, extreme cold, thunderstorms, and high winds). (2) Generators don’t like to start during these conditions. With this knowledge, I specified the following accessories for the generator I am considering; oil pan heater, carburetor heater, battery heater, air intake heater, and fuel regulator heater. After completing the list it occurred to me that generators are intrinsically not well suited to starting/running in very cold conditions. My break through idea was to install the generator in our basement where it will live in human comfort conditions and need none of the cold weather adaptations which waste energy needlessly whenever it is cold. Furthermore, I will not have to worry about high snow blocking vents or critters taking up residence inside. The price for all this goodness is that I will have to engineer a leak-free exhaust extension to carry the carbon monoxide produced during combustion outside of the house. I found a high temperature flexible hose that should do the trick. It is rated for operation up to 1200F and will accommodate the considerable vibration of the generator while starting and running. The other issue will be the very loud noise during operation. To address this I will build a sound dampening enclosure inspired by one my brother built in his wood shop for his very noisy air compressor.