Weather Stripping Repaired

A couple weeks ago I posted  about our worn out weather stripping around our front door. http://simplehomesolarenergy.com/home-energy-use/weather-stripping-wears-out/ .

On closer investigation, we found that our front door had a flat jamb, the vertical piece of the doors frame. Attaching more weather stripping was awkward having nothing to attach more weather stripping to.

So my handy husband went to our local home improvement store and purchased strips of primed molding, which fit just inside the doorframe. The door shut against the molding, creating a better seal.

installing molding

Then we attached strips of weather stripping to the molding. These made an even better seal that keeps our conditioned air inside and summer heat from seeping in.

Do yourself a favor and check to see if you have air leaks around your windows and doors. Summer is coming!

Still striving toward that net ZEH home….

Earth Day 2009

I had my own private Earth Day celebration over the weekend.

The Maker sent us RAIN!

Here in my part of South Texas we enjoy days connected to days connected to days of lovely sunshine. And we love it! There’s a reason we live here.

Since we have so much sunshine, rain is a special treat. I can almost hear the earth soaking up the moisture. My baby tomato and basil plants lifted their leaves in thankfulness. Spring leaves burst into translucent green.

Lovely!

When it rains, I can also appreciate why some people wonder if solar power works on cloudy, rainy days.

Indeed, solar thermal heat is low during cloud-covered days. But solar electric power comes from light, not heat. While solar electric panels may not work at peak efficiency on cloudy days, they still work.

How did you celebrate Earth Day?

Free Weather

Today in south Texas, we enjoy what my family calls “free weather.”

Free weather happens when the outdoor temperatures are such that we need neither heat, nor air conditioning, nor clothes dryer. Open windows allow cool breezes to circulate through the house and clothes dry quickly when hung out on the clothesline.

Free weather means our kilowatt-hour usage is at a minimum. We still use some power of course, to run the refrigerator, lights, water heater, and phantom loads.

Many folk enjoy this kind of “free weather” for a long stretch during the summer months. We get “free weather” a few weeks each spring and fall.

Now, if I had grid-connected solar panels installed on my roof today, they would be generating electricity and sending it into the grid, making my electric meter run backwards!

Well, I hope to have those solar panels this time next year. Until then, I’ll content myself with the “free weather” while it’s here.

Christmas Eve for a Solar Energy Enthusiast

I am happy it is Christmas. I am also happy the winter solstice is passed.

I do enjoy the rhythms of nature the Creator initiated that keeps the earth living and growing, producing and resting, providing us with all we need for life.

I appreciate the change of season when our South Texas summers finally cool down a few degrees. We know fall is here, not so much by the temperature, but by the color of light. The light changes from blinding white to creamy gold.

Yet, I find a different pleasure in the winter solstice which happened December 21. The winter solstice signals the beginning of the lengthening of day light hours.

By Christmas my mind and body long for more sunshine. I am tired of the dark mornings and too early evenings. The winter solstice signals a return to light. My mind starts planning the spring garden.

It is not surprising that Christians celebrate Christmas this time of year. Christmas is the celebration of the coming of the light of God into a dark world. On these cold, dark days, we most appreciate and recognize our need for a warm, life-giving light.