Hello Tmsorosk, No kidding about the electric bill. You know I'd almost prefer the snow. Colder climate is much more to my liking, unfortunately we are "rooted" like so many people and must stay in the area due to aging and ill parents, children, longevity on the job(for the wife, I'm all done with the work world now),etc.,etc. Now is not the best time to pack up and move away much as we'de like to. Winters are not too bad here. Summer sucks bigtime. We enjoy the small comforts of life which I'm sure contribute to a high electric bill. 2 refrigerators, a freezer, a beermeister (just gotta have one of those you know), and a jacuzzi help drive up the costs no doubt. Add to that trying to cool a big house down to a (semi)comfortable 78 degrees Farenheit when it's 105 degrees outside. We have an oversized a.c. unit for the square footage (2700 sf) of our home, but it works OVERTIME from May thru September. It NEVER shuts off. God forbid when I sneak over to the thermostat, (when the wife isn't looking), and click it down another 3 or 4 degrees. Run the a.c. at 70 to 72 degrees 24/7 and watch the meter "SMOKE"!! Add to that having all the ceiling fans on full speed. Then my audio gear that stays on 18 friggin' hours a day! I have no idea how much juice my B.A.T. VK600se monoblocks consume when they are doing their thing all day and night. But I know they are suckin' down some power, not to mention generating a signifigant amount of heat, which only adds to the issue of cooling down and comfort. My home is 18 years old, (fairly new construction), No basement. Stucco and brick exterior, Cement tile roof, interior walls are sheetrock. Insulation up in the attic was "blown" in, and appears to be covering up all the beams? (R-30 value I believe its rated). All interior walls are insulated too. R-19 I think? Beyond that is nothing particularly special about it's design. My dedicated audio room does NOT have a door to close it off, so in response to your question Hevac1, I cannot seal it off from the rest of the house or do anything with regard to "differential" pressure. At least I don't believe so, if I even understand what you are suggesting. (I'm definately no HVAC expert). I DO have one of those "HUSH" fans mounted up in the attic, ducting connects to 1 single ceiling mounted vent above the equipment rack, sucks the rising warm air out and blows it into the attic. It's on 24/7 and has never been turned off in the last 4 years. Without it the room would become unbearable to sit in and listen to music during the summer. Oh yeah, house sits oriented east/west, so we get morning sun that "frys" the front of the house 1/2 the day, and afternoon sun that "bakes" the back of the house, and patio the rest of the day. Ah shit, now that I read all the things I just wrote maybe I SHOULD just move to a colder climate! Ha Ha Ha! So that's what it's all about here in my neck of the woods. Still pisses me off that we incur such monster power bills every summer. SO...in an attempt to utilize the "natural" elements (nightly breezes), and the ceiling fans, the "whole house" fan, and open windows and screen doors...my house, my dedicated listening room, my beautiful audio gear and MBL speakers, (and every other cotton pickin' thing), is dirty. Dirty all the time. What to do? What to do? So far Tom6897, and Elizabeth have suggested HEPA filters, Free standing Honeywell type. I plan to buy a few once I find who sells them in my area, but have not done it yet. I'm still taking everybodys input under advisement. Surfing the net. Doing lots of research and homework. Hifigary cautions against the OREK table top air purifier due to the fact that it outputs "ozone" that will damage rubber. That's not a good thing, even if DAVID OREK says he'll throw in a cordless vacuume cleaner and battery operated refrigerator filter all for only $400.00!! (and he will even pay for the shipping! You just gotta love those late night infomercials.) Bjesien has given me a great idea to install some type of "air exchanger" system in the house, which didn't really seem to be all that cost-prohibitive. Although I will need to concentrate more on dust and pollen removal, but not heat exchange. I am awaiting information and/or a phone call from a manufacturers rep. as I write this. Again, I am no HVAC expert and will need info/installation help on something like this, But thanks again Bjesien for gettin' the ball rolling for me on this one! Hevac1 gave me an idea that I've often thought about, but never done, "seal" my dedicated listening room off. I should put a door on the room!! What a great idea. That way I can pressurize the room, (whatever that means?), and run extra ducting into the room from the main a.c. unit? I think? Did I get that one straight? All great ideas. Some of the more complex HVAC applications I will need to have professionals explain, and install. But that's cool. Some of the more simplistic "do-it-yerself" FREE STANDING HEPA filters are an easy fix and reasonably priced too. I think one of those energy usage surveys would also be a good idea. Maybe my home is in need of some insulation upgrades? I am planning on installing some of those THERMAL SHADE SCREENS across all the windows and glass doors on both the front (eastern exposure), and back (western exposure) of my house once spring arrives. That could help huh? Ok folks, I've carried on long enough. Thanks for reading all my posts, and for all the advice and concern. Peace.
