Our goal: travel trailer turned tiny home!
Hey everyone! Just stumbled upon these forums looking for websites to aid in my search for the right type of travel trailer for what me & my husband are looking to turn into our tiny home. I don't ...
Forum Discussion
Solar is great when and where the sun is shining.
In winter, there is much less sunlight (shorter days, lower angle) even with good weather. Add in clouds and even snow, and the solar yield goes down quickly.
Unfortunately that is usually when you need the most energy.
Learn and understand when you will be needing how much energy, and then you can decide what is the best way to provide it.
Additional insulation in an RV is ... difficult. The walls are what they are, and they are not really built for energy efficiency, but they need to be lightweight and just robust enough to do their job. Longevity is also not a real concern in many cases. Same goes for the roof and the floor of the unit, the windows, and just about everything else in there. Look at the way these things are put together and you will see. You may not even be able to move the walls as they can be needed for stability.
Why does your home need to be mobile? And since you are mobile, have you considered moving to a part of the country where the weather is more moderate?
Or, to put it another way: If you start with an RV, and discard just about anything that makes it an RV in order to build a small but solid, well insulated home, you are not left with much that can be really used.
In winter, there is much less sunlight (shorter days, lower angle) even with good weather. Add in clouds and even snow, and the solar yield goes down quickly.
Unfortunately that is usually when you need the most energy.
Learn and understand when you will be needing how much energy, and then you can decide what is the best way to provide it.
Additional insulation in an RV is ... difficult. The walls are what they are, and they are not really built for energy efficiency, but they need to be lightweight and just robust enough to do their job. Longevity is also not a real concern in many cases. Same goes for the roof and the floor of the unit, the windows, and just about everything else in there. Look at the way these things are put together and you will see. You may not even be able to move the walls as they can be needed for stability.
Why does your home need to be mobile? And since you are mobile, have you considered moving to a part of the country where the weather is more moderate?
Or, to put it another way: If you start with an RV, and discard just about anything that makes it an RV in order to build a small but solid, well insulated home, you are not left with much that can be really used.
