Home Energy Use

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How Can I Take Advantage of Solar Energy Now

Friday, August 28th, 2009

How Can I Take Advantage of Solar Energy Now

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve been studying and pursuing solar energy advantages for more than a year now.
I am happy, no, thrilled with the obvious pursuit of renewable energy sources by federal and local governments as well as everyday citizens.
But I want information I can act on.
For the past [...]

Energy Efficiency

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

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Energy Efficiency
Our plan to go solar and make our home a net ZEH variety home began nine (9) months ago with the implementation of energy conservation measures. Conservation meaning, daily choices that conserve energy and eliminate wasteful practices.
We’ve done all of the small, inexpensive, easily fixed steps to conserve energy and reduce our [...]

Weather Stripping Wears Out

Monday, April 27th, 2009

Image by lonnypaul via Flickr

Weather Stripping Wears Out
Note to self: Weather stripping does not last forever.
Early this morning I walked past my front door and had a shock.
I could see daylight coming through the gap between the front door and the doorjamb. Funny, I didn’t remember the gap there being so huge. I looked closer [...]

Watch Your Phantom Loads

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Watch Your Phantom Loads
Before you purchase that solar power system, you need to know how many panels you need to support your home energy use.
Soon after you begin the energy discovery process you learn about invisible critters called “phantom loads”  that haunt your home.
It’s hard to see evidence of these little devils but here’s a [...]

Make Solar Energy More Efficient and Less Expensive

Monday, March 30th, 2009

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Make Solar Energy More Efficient and Less Expensive
No matter how you look at it, solar energy carries a huge initial price tag.
Even with state and federal tax incentives and municipal solar financing, it’s a major home improvement project.
The economy being what it is these days, none of us really wants to take out [...]

How Much Energy Do Your Electric Appliances Use?

Friday, March 13th, 2009

Or How Much Does it Cost to Run Your Home Appliances?
There are two (2) separate costs to home electrical appliances.
1.    The purchase price
2.    The daily operating costs
Connect your appliances to the Kill A Watt P3 and find how efficient they really are. The appliance’s energy use is measured in kilowatt-hours, which is the measurement used [...]

My Home’s Carbon Footprint

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

My Home’s Carbon Footprint
I really want to know what my contribution to the illusive “carbon footprint” amounts to. Using multiply on-line carbon footprint calculators left me worse than frustrated.
According to some calculations, I’m super wasteful. According to other calculations, I’m well below average. Is below average really good?
How do I [...]

What Size Carbon Footprint Does Your Home Leave?

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Image by Lori-B. via Flickr

What Size Carbon Footprint Does Your Home Leave?
Determining your carbon footprint can be a nightmare. The other day I posted about a couple carbon footprint calculators I played around with, trying to determine how much, if any, damage my presence on the planet causes.
Well, it depends on which calculator I use.
I [...]

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Monday, January 19th, 2009

Image by Joshua Davis (jdavis.info) via Flickr

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
Did you know you can calculate your home energy carbon footprint? There’s a nifty carbon footprint calculator at BeGreenNow.com. All you have to do is enter your kilowatt-hour usage and/or your natural gas usage for the month (or year).
Using the BeGreenNow calculator, I calculated my home’s [...]

Programmable Thermostats for Home Energy Conservation

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

Image via Wikipedia

Programmable Thermostats for Home Energy Conservation
On this solar energy journey, one of the most helpful gadgets to help reduce home energy consumption and thereby reducing the size of the solar energy system required, is a programmable thermostat.
The Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) estimates a programmable thermostat can save the average American household up [...]

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