Our Solar Energy Quest

Monday, June 29th, 2009

Our Solar Energy Quest
Our quest to incorporate solar energy into our home progresses, however slowly. Sometimes improvements seems as slow as molasses in January. But we know the necessary preparation for integrating renewable energy options begins with energy conservation measures.
We are in the 11th month of our energy conservation journey. Since last August we have [...]

Summer Energy Efficient Windows – Part3

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Summer Energy Efficient Windows – Part3
In the final months or my energy conservation mode, I’m beginning to gear up for the next step – Energy Efficiency. My study now revolves around windows for summer energy efficiency.
Today’s window performance rating element is visible transmittance (VT).
Visible transmittance tells you the amount of light a window allows though. [...]

Programmable Thermostats for Home Energy Conservation

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

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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 [...]

Reducing Home Energy at Christmas

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

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Reducing Home Energy at Christmas
Basically, this blog is a journal about our quest for energy independence. We want to go solar but there’s a long and winding road to get there. We set our eyes on the goal and have made small but meaningful changes that greatly reduced our home energy bill.
However, I’m [...]

How to Gain Control of Your Home Energy Consumption

Friday, December 12th, 2008

How to Gain Control of Your Home Energy Consumption
The buzzwords these days are green, renewable, sustainable, and carbon footprint. You care about all these, but sometimes your busy life keeps you from making changes. With work, kids, household upkeep, and bills, there just isn’t time to make huge changes.
Instead of thinking about all the pieces [...]

Save on Your Home Energy Bill: Locate and Eliminate Phantom Loads

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

Locate and Eliminate Phantom Loads

Whether you’re just trying to reduce your energy bill or reduce your energy load anticipating adding solar, paying attention to your phantom load use deserves your attention.
What is a phantom load? The term phantom load is a euphemism for electronic devices that draw electricity even when we think they are off. [...]

Home Energy Efficiency and Major Appliances

Monday, September 15th, 2008

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Home Energy Efficiency and Major Appliances
Eventually, I want a net ZEH , a house that produces as much energy as it uses.
We are taking the small steps toward that end goal. Our initial goal is to reduce our energy consumption by 25%. For us that means reducing energy use to 38 kWh/day. [...]

How to Have Hot Water and a Lower Energy Bill

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Time to Get Your Energy Bill Out of Hot Water!
Heating water for your home accounts for roughly 25 percent of your home energy consumption. Since we are trying to reduce our home energy usage by 25 percent, we clearly need to do something about our hot water.

I will make a small confession here. I want [...]

Control Your Home Energy Consumption

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Reduce Energy Consumption with a Digital Thermostat

A quick, low cost adjustment to help reduce your home energy bill is the installation of a digital thermostat that can be pre-programmed. Depending on the model you purchase, thermostats can be programmed to different temperatures for different times of the day or week.

If everyone is away from [...]