Putting Your Home on an Energy Diet

fresh clean sheets

Good Morning! I was reading the comments about fresh clean sheets being one of life's joys! They are even more delightful when hung outside on a clothesline to dry - you cannot beat the smell of fresh, air dried sheets.

What a terrific way to help out the planet too (and cut down on the utilities). Ok I am from England where we hang out our clothes when it's raining outside (just kidding) but I cannot understand why, when it's 90 degrees in the shade, people have to use their dryers! Unbelievable!

margaret middleton of IN @ Jun 05, 2009 11:16:11 AM

All here

Good Day. Fresh clean sheets are one of life's small joys.

I am from Greece and now teach English, give true I wrote the following sentence: "Greenberg employment writer make it easily readable your resume must be attractive to the eye."

Thank you very much 8-). Rei.

Rei of TX @ Feb 15, 2009 14:29:45 PM

GET THE FACTS

Please visit stopc02 dot info. Outstanding website based on SCIENCE and what you can do starting today.

Scott S of OH @ May 21, 2008 19:33:27 PM

Using the wasted hot attic air to heat water

There is a renewable energy technology company SolarAttic Inc. located just outside of Minneapolis, Minn that developed and patented a solar technology that captures the wasted hot attic air to heat swimming pool water and soon domestic hot water.

How it works: The existing pump sends the pool water up to the PCS2 (Pool Convection System 2) located inside the attic. As the water circulates through the heat exchanger a fan draws the hot attic air into the system heating up the pool water. By utilizing the hot attic air to heat the pool water it cools down the home lowering the demand for air conditioning ultimately reducing their energy bills up to 35%

You can find out more about this technology by googling SolarAttic

James Kantorowicz of MN @ Apr 28, 2008 13:31:02 PM

Enough is Enough

I remember in my early teens in the early 70's talk of and implementation of sacrificial conservation efforts. Water shortages required brown lawns and bricks in toilet tanks. Showers were every other day and then with same gender siblings. Even back then we were concerned about which lights were on where. I remember the two fuel crises during that decade, one as a young observer, and the other as a frustrated participant.

Since then we have mandated and designed toilets that use much less water, motion detection light switches, autos with much better fuel economy, and factories that emit much less pollution. TV's and radios no longer utilize fiery hot vacuum tubes. Water heaters are better insulated and more people are blanketing them for even more efficiency. Curly light bulbs are in almost every light socket. More efficient flat screens are replacing more and more CRT monitors. Home heating systems are more efficient, with more people installing ceiling fans to increase efficiency. And the list goes on.

The question then is how much more can the average, moderate income person be expected to do? Most Americans do not have the incomes to mount solar panels and erect windmills in order to produce their own power. We have been described as energy gluttons. Yet, over the past three or four decades we have been making more and more sacrifices to conserve. Still we are told it is not enough.

Well, enough is enough. It is time for our politicians and other policy makers to start working in a more constructive and realistic manner with our energy producers. We also need to stand up to and keep at bay the environmental Jihadists that are stalling realistic advancements in energy production from our many abundant resources here at home. Our tax dollars would much better be spent finding realistic solutions to our energy crisis (not to mention the many other crises we are facing) than the billions of dollars spent in space exploration all for the purpose of trying to figure out where we came from. We're here, for crying out loud; let's learn to live here in a responsible, reasonable, and realistic manner.

Michael G. West of CA @ Apr 25, 2008 23:40:45 PM

Energy conservation

The article above relating to the inefficiency of the fireplace is correct to a point. When we built our passive solar home in 1978, we also installed an energy efficeint fireplace as follows. Prior to installing a free standing heatelator, and prior to pouring the concrete for the hearth, we installed two 3 inch pipes that brought fresh breathing air from the outside to promote burning. The flue remains open 24 hours per day in winter. Four heat sintered glass folding doors remain closed until the fire is started. It is intuitively obvious that part of the combustion is created by outside cold dense air. Once burning effectively, the fire place heats the family room, kitchen, and dinette, about 500 sq. ft, until the outside temperature goes below 20 degrees F. The electric T/S (thermostat) set at 72 degrees, across from the fireplace and about 25 feet, seldon comes on.

When we retire for the evening, we close the glass screen doors which prevent most of the heated air from escaping up the chimney. However radiation energy is absorbed by almost 95% within the glass and does not heat the room. The next mornimg the same process begins again.

For gas fired fireplaces, the City of Denver mandates that all flues are welded open to prevent a gas explosion in case of a gas leak. Per Public Service of Colorado, with each burning of 1 cubic foot of natural gas, 10 cubic feet of combustible air are required. Consequnetly, I would never use a gas fire fireplace.

John W. Epperson of CO @ Apr 22, 2008 17:08:38 PM

Energy conservation

The article above is quite informative, especially the 2X6 studs in lieu of 2X4. I built a passive solar home in south East Denver in 1978 that has 2260 sq ft on main floor and 2260 sq. ft in the lower level. Our utility bill for all electric in 1978 was $225 in December 1978, with a family of 4 which included 2 teenagers. Now 29 years later and having installed a forced air gas furnace with AC our bill is only $295 in winter and less than $150 in summer.

Our home was built somewhat on the idea of "The Arkansas Report", that was initiated by the town of Little rock Arkansas that gave a Cart Blahche check to home builders in1965 to build an energy efficient home. Some were; 3 ft overhang to allow 5 hours of sunlight in winter on south side and no sun in summer, 2X6 staggered outside walls, which our builder would not allow,1 inch styrofoam on outside wall before the brick, 3 1/2 inch insulation in outside wall and 24 inches in attic, triple pane windows, soffett vents, roof/attic power fan, central loacated all house fan, no windows on the north side, but maximum windows on south side, and deciduous trees on south/west side to give maximum shade in summer and max sun in winter, flourescent bulbs where possible, two incandascent chanderliers with variable dimmers that are more than 40 years old and bulbs replaced only twice, and a programmable thermostat.

With the above scheme with two attic fans, the A/C set at 78 degrees does not come on in summer until about 2 to 3 PM. The roof/attic fan set at 80 degrees comes on in summer sometimes at 9 AM. The all house fan manually is turned on in summer about 6 AM to cool the home and remove stale air, and sometimes late at night.

John Epperson of CO @ Apr 22, 2008 14:15:16 PM

Businesses are just as much of a problem

The print edition of this article had a page dedicated to large businesses like hotels, universities, and large manufacturing plants who consume too much energy and refuse to go green because "the incentive to go green is very difficult". But there are companies like Enernoc who has an enterprise energy management (http://www.enernoc.com/demand.html) system that actually pays businesses to go green and monitor their energy usage, so they shouldn't have many excuses.

George of MD @ Apr 22, 2008 10:37:32 AM