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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Reducing Home Energy at Christmas

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

Image via Wikipedia 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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Home Energy Efficiency and Major Appliances

Monday, September 15th, 2008

Image via Wikipedia 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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]