the beast!

smart ideas for home improvement, part iii

If you add up your consumption of lighting & appliances, you will quickly see that they consume just as much as your heating and cooling system! Roughly 9% of your total usage is the beast in the kitchen … yes, your beloved refrig!  Here are some things to consider …

Replace it. Newer units use up to 50% less energy – remember PG&E may have a rebate waiting for you too.

Lower it.  The setting that is.  Experiment with the temperature settings by 1 or 2 degrees at a time to see what’s except-able.

Fill it. Keep the refrig and freezer sides full as cold/frozen food retains cold better and longer than air – make sure not to over-stuff your space as this decreases air circulation.

Next week … You’re  in Hot Water.

smart ideas for home improvement, part ii

lighting & appliances

The second largest energy consumer in your home is lighting and appliances …  33% of your overall energy consumption.

older appliances

If you’ve had yours for more than 10 years, it is likely that it’s not as efficient as a newer one that’s Energy Star rated.  Energy Star rated appliances basically use much less energy than your older one, just read the yellow sticker and choose which one best suits you.  Bonus:  PG&E may get you a rebate!

change that bulb!

Did you know that the standard (incandescent) light bulb uses 2/3 more energy than a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL)?  I know what you’re thinking … those fluorescent ones are dim and they buzz, right?  I saw 3 types the other day at Home Depot: Bright White, Daylight & Soft White.  Bonus:  they last 7 – 10 years and made of much less Mercury than before.  Disposing of them is similar to used batteries. Go to your local hardware store and try one!

off hours usage

Try to use appliances such as dishwasher, clothes washer/dryer at night (after 7pm) where energy is cheaper and overall usage is down.

Next week … Refrigerator

nba green week?!?

green nba

Through their NBA Cares program, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has recognized April 2 – 10, 2009 as NBA Green Week.  If you’ve watched any NBA basketball this week, you’ve probably noticed the players (on the bench) wearing a t-shirt with this logo …The program is designed to both create awareness about forward progress regarding ecological concerns as well as help raise money for the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) – a national and worldwide non-profit organization committed to bettering the world’s environment www.nrdc.com.

I think it’s great when organizations like this help to create awareness within the communities in which they operate in.  I also believe the NBA does a lot more for their surrounding communities than the MLB or NFL – I could be wrong, but it seems that the NBA is out there in the public eye … when you have time, click on the links above to learn about what they’re doing this week …

energy efficiency

smart ideas for home improvement

This is the first of a four part series that talks about energy efficiency and what you can do to increase your comfort in the home, cut down on energy bills, and staying green at the same time.

heating & cooling

We’ll start off by the highest energy consumer in the entire house … your heating & cooling system. As you can see, almost 50% of your total energy usage comes from this system; the first thing to note is the orientation of your home – obviously, this is something that cannot easily be changed but is worth pointing out a few things.

South facing: preferable orientation for windows w/a roof eave or awning. During winter, the sun is

nests are best

I came across this in Natural Home Magazine and thought to post this as a point of interest in the way of what homes should be.

We could all learn a thing or two from the way birds build their homes.

• These builders sing while they work
• They build sturdy nests with the nontoxic materials at hand
• They never build more than they need to keep their families sheltered
• Each nest is a perfect climatic response
• The nest owners know how to maintain and repair their structures
• When the nest’s useful life is complete, it returns to nature, to become the fertile ground for the growth of the next building cycle.

Isn’t this the way we should all be building our homes? Why have we strayed from this home building model?

Allergies?

I recently got over a sinus allergy infection that last almost 2 months. Last month we, in the SF Bay Area, experienced an interesting weather pattern where some days were in the 70s and others in the low 50s with evenings into the 40s. I noticed my sinuses acting up on the days our heat came on (central heating). I sought help from my trusty ENT (ear nose throat doctor) to address my infection and hired a local company to clean out our air ducts …

duct cleaning

… they came out the following Saturday and spent almost 3 hours basically vacuuming out the air ducts.

negatives

From my research, it is important that negative pressure is applied to the system. They do this by hooking up a large hose to your furnace and their system (in their truck) that creates a reverse suction – all of your vents are covered to aid in better suction. Then, from each vent an air pressured agitator whips inside the duct (from vent to register) to help break-up any dust that may being sticking to the ducts – all the while under this negative pressure. 

blown away

After each vent is “scrubbed,” the return is cleaned, and most importantly, the furnace blower is washed and cleaned.As a bonus, they also cleaned our clothes dryer duct that collects lint from use. Since the cleaning, the heater has triggered several times and I haven’t had any sinus reactions! And, I’ve noticed that the air seems to be blowing out with more pressure too!

do you?

• have sinus allergy flare ups, asthma, or other respiratory problems?
• suffer from headaches, nasal congestion?
• lack of airflow in your system?
• notice dust on your furniture shortly after vacuuming or cleaning?
• have pets?
• know when your last duct cleaning was?

If you have answered “yes” to any of the above question, you should seriously consider doing it for your overall health. The cost is minimal and well worth doing. Do you have all your ducts in a row?

Cheaper gasoline leads to …

… a reversion in our driving habits and car choices. Remember when petro for your car was $4.50/gallon? Not long ago was it? At that price, we’re thinking … I’ve got to decrease my driving and use public transportation (BART, bus or otherwise), or I’ve got to get rid of this car of mine that’s costing me too much money every time I fill this thing!  Admit it, you were probably looking into at least some other alternative, right? 

Then, gas prices began to decrease and slowly you thought … yeah … $3/gallon … then $2.00/gallon … I can handle that, forget about public transportation or even that hybrid – come on, admit it. My question is .. why not take control of this in even the smallest way? Yes, gas prices are much more manageable, but you’re still being controlled by OPEC! When it got down to $1.69/gallon in the Bay Area (or sub-$60/barrel), OPEC got real nervous and began to cut back production or crude oil to create a supply and demand situation to bump barrel pricing back up. Guess what?  It worked. Today, you probably happily pay $2.15/gallon and not think twice about hopping in your car to drive somewhere because it’s considered “cheap” to do so, right? 

Someone told me that other day – why should I buy a hybrid car right now when gas prices are so low? My answer to him was: because no matter what the price of gas is, you’ll be saving that much more – be it $2/gal. or $5/gal. Comparing my ol’ BMW consuming 15 gallons of premium cost me (at $2/gal) $30 and going about 330 miles total. That same 15 gallon fill-up cost me $28 (using regular grade) in my Nissan Altima Hybrid w/nearly the same horsepower, gives me about 540 miles!  I’m talking reduced consumption here.  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle … a prime example of reduction.  See you at the gas pump … on your second trip! Makes you want to think … hmmmm … doesn’t it?

Food for thought …

Why do things have to drastically affect our personal pocketbook before we take a stand on things?  Look out for my next posting on this topic … thanks for stopping by.

plastics demystified

are you confused still confused?

Ok, you just guzzled down a bottle of water or you’ve just finished off a container of food, you look underneath this container and you see a number 6 inside the little triangle … what to do next? Where does it go? In the trash? In the recycle bin? Below is a quick chart that will help you understand what to do.

 

need a water heater?

When you turn on the water faucet of your sink, shower or bath, how long does it take to finally get hot water to start spewing from it? It may not seem like a long time, but adding it up over a week, a month and even a year’s time, will astonish you … about 25% of your total water consumption is wasted whenever you’re sitting there waiting for the warm/hot water to come from your trusty water heater. 

If you’d like to save water and money from literally going down the drain, consider a tankless water heater. Not only do you not have to wait for cold water to flush its way out (through the pipes), but save you a lot of $$$ in the long run.  It’s like having one of those instant “hot water on demand” systems for your faucets and showers! Go ahead … take the plunge.

ol’ Tannenbaum

Now that News Years Day is just around the corner, you’re probably getting ready to ditch the Christmas Tree, right?  With over 25 million trees sold each year, disposing them properly is the right thing to do. Check you local Waste Management to see they have tree pick-up dates – my neighborhood has two pick-ups for the follow two trash days. 

Also, you can check the National Christmas Tree Association for recycling tips … yes, there is such an organization!

Better yet, invest in a nice synthetic tree that will last for many years to come. Nowadays, there are some that look pretty real … they cost more, but you’ll probably spend at least $50 – $75 each year, right? Payback is within five years going this route. I found mine at Costco and I love it – no hauling home or messy clean-up … just fold it up and pack it away in a box for next year!