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Energy Conservation vs. Energy Efficiency
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008Image by ATIS547 via Flickr
Energy Conservation vs. Energy Efficiency
Joining the solar energy revolution requires a new vocabulary. It means research, investigation, and a learning curve. Switching to solar energy requires, well…energy.
Going solar is a process. The steps of the process are:
• Conservation
• Efficiency
• Solar
Initially, you may wonder about the difference in conservation and efficiency when [...]
Home Energy Efficiency versus New Energy
Friday, December 5th, 2008Image by rpeschetz via Flickr
Home Energy Efficiency versus New Energy
There appears to be a contest between embracing energy efficiency and going solar.
Why is every thing a contest? We all want the same thing:
• Reduced carbon footprint
• Reduced energy bills
• Reliable energy source
• Energy independence
Maybe it’s the government subsidies. Solar energy gets subsidies but home energy [...]
Affordable Solar Within the Next Five Years
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008Image via Wikipedia
Affordable Solar Within the Next Five Years
Making solar energy affordable to use for my home is my current goal. The current cost of installed solar, running about $10 per Kilowatt, takes my breath away.
Currently we are in the energy conservation mode at our house, trying to reduce our daily kilowatt usage to the [...]
Home Energy Savings with an LG Washer/Dryer
Monday, November 17th, 2008Home Energy Savings with an LG Washer/Dryer
In these critical economic times, all of us want energy efficiency. Being energy efficient reduces our carbon footprint and reduces our monthly energy bill. We always search for new ways to reduce or eliminate our electrical load in order to make a home solar energy system compatible with our [...]
Home Energy Audit Moving Us Closer to Energy Efficiency
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008Our Home Energy Audit Moves Us Closer to Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is our mission at this stage of our solar home energy journey. The less energy we use, the less we will pay for a home solar energy system. There are steps in this process. Although some of these steps are costly, some are very [...]
More Net ZEH Success
Monday, November 3rd, 2008Tami
Tami and her family live in one of the most energy efficient homes in Bradley County, Tennessee. Her home was designed to be efficient from the ground up, with details such as:
• a radiant barrier to reflect summer heat away from the home,
• well insulated attic and wall space,
• Energy-Star appliances, and
• a [...]
More Net Zero Home Success Stories
Monday, October 27th, 2008Success stories from Sustainable Future customers
I love seeing how others successfully incorporate solar energy as well as other renewable practices into their homes and lives.
See how this couple from Knoxville, Tennessee, made energy efficient changes to their home .
This East Knoxville home is an excellent example of the energy-efficient changes that can be made [...]
Affordable Home Solar Tip Number One
Thursday, October 16th, 2008Affordable Home Solar Tip Number One
Tip number one: Have a professional home energy audit.
PEC, my local energy cooperative, provides free home energy audits to their customers. After calling the help line, I had an appointment within a week. The auditor who came was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.
He spent almost two hours checking our home and [...]
Professional Home Energy Audit
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008My Professional Home Energy Audit is Today!
How energy efficient is your home? In earlier posts I have suggested having a home energy audit done to determine how energy efficient–or inefficient–your house is. Learning how to improve your house “envelope” is the first step to going solar.
My do-it-yourself energy audit results were posted on September 8. [...]
Reducing Your Home Energy Use With Simple Maintenance
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008Simple Maintenance Can Reducing Your Home Energy Use
My husband and I are on a quest. We want to make use of all this Texas sunshine and harness it to replace some of our electric energy. Eventually, we’d love to go completely solar. But our budget dictates we go there in stages.
Phase 1 of our journey [...]