Category Archives: Energy Efficiency

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January 14, 2014

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Energy Efficiency, Uncategorized

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Energy Saving Tips to Keep Your Toes Warm

You may want to trade your orange Sungevity sunglasses for wool socks because 2014 has kicked off with a brrr-ang.

If socks don’t do the trick… here are some easy ways you can keep your toes warm and use energy more efficiently this winter:

  1. Try checking your ducts for leaks. Your heating system is responsible for up to 34% of your utility bill, so sealing leaks can result in big savings.
  2. If you have an indoor fireplace, try closing your damper when the fireplace is not in use and look for a well-fitted chimney cap for a more secure seal.
  3. Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees F. Not only does it protect you from burning your hands, but it also can save you 7 to 11 percent on water heating costs.
  4. Keep chilly drafts away from your best recliner by hanging thick thermal curtains on your windows. Caulking leaks can also help you insulate from wind.
  5. And our favorite: take advantage of sunny days. Open the curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to capture heat from the sun, and close them at night to lock the warmth in.
Here’s to another year of happy toes and small utility bills.

 

Find more tips at:
Fall and Winter Energy-Saving Tips from the Department of Energy
Winter Time Energy Saving Tips from the California Energy Commission

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September 22, 2011

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Energy Efficiency, Green Living, Home Solar

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2011 Solar Decathlon

A decathlon without pole vault?  Without javelin throw?  But…But…

 

That just doesn’t make any sense.

 

Unless of course it’s a SOLAR DECATHLON!

If you follow all the solar news that’s fit to print then you probably already know about the Solar Decathlon, which officially kicks off tomorrow at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in DC.  If not, here’s the background (straight from the DOE’s website):

 

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is an award-winning program that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.  Open to the public free of charge, visitors can tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today.


The first Solar Decathlon was held in 2002, and the competition is biennial, meaning this year is the 6th anniversary of the event.  Twenty teams from all over the world gathered in DC on September 13th to transform their cutting-edge designs into realities.  Tomorrow the homes officially open to the public.

 

 

The DOE Solar Decathlon official website has lots of bells and whistles, including time lapse videos of the creation of the solar village and photos of the houses from past decathlons.

 

Planet Forward also has an outstanding section of their website devoted to the Solar Decathlon, complete with snapshots of each team, videos, and even a matchmaking quiz where you can figure out (in 6 simple questions) which house is the best for your lifestyle.  I matched to the indoor/outdoor New Zealand house called First Light house

 

 

Take the quiz and find out which house is right for you, then share the results in the comments.

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February 18, 2011

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Energy Efficiency, Green Living

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How many bloggers does it take to change a light bulb?

GE and Blogher.com are co-sponsoring an Energy Smart giveaway. All you have to do is post your bright idea about how you conserve energy in your home (hint: Solar Lease) on one of the blogs in the Blogher network. GE will randomly select 36 people who posted their ideas and reward them with a cutting edge $50 LED light bulb that will save you $85 in energy costs. Read the official rules here and post your idea (hint: Solar Lease) by February 28.

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February 17, 2011

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Energy Efficiency

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Shoot for the sun

Nobody likes red tape, present company included. Read Danny Kennedy’s latest City Brights blog about how the federal government can drive down the cost of going solar by streamlining and standardizing the process throughout all cities and utility districts. It’s a big part of the Department of Energy’s “Sunshot Initiative” to drive the cost of solar down to $1/watt. Keep an eye on the Sunshot-it could just herald a golden era for solar.

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February 3, 2011

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Energy Efficiency, Green Living

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There’s still time to save

If you’re a PG&E customer, you may not have even realized that PG&E has been monitoring your winter gas usage and giving you a credit on your bill if you’re using less gas this winter than you used last winter.  February is the last month of the Winter Savings program which works like this:

If you use 10% less gas than you did last February, PG&E will take 20% off your March or April bill. For example, if your April gas bill is $100, you’ll only have to pay $80.

If you can’t quite hit the 10% benchmark, don’t worry-any amount you can reduce your consumption will earn you a one-to-one credit (eg. reduce by 5%…get a 5% credit).

Here are some of the big ticket ways to curb your gas usage:

1. Turn the heat down a degree or two.

2. Wash your clothes in cold water.

3. Hang dry your laundry or, if you don’t have enough space, clean out the lint trap in the dryer after every load.

4. Take shorter showers, or take cold showers — the choice is yours.

5. Wash your hands with soap and cold water — studies show that it’s the friction of hand washing that kills germs, not the hot water.

And remember, the PG&E credit is a bonus on top of the money you’ll already be saving by using less gas. Last year, PG&E handed out $37 million worth of credits-be sure to get your piece of the pie.

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January 7, 2011

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Energy Efficiency, Green Living

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Passive homes

I was feeling pretty good about my old Berkeley home’s energy efficiency…it’s well insulated, not too drafty by 1924 standards, is solar-powered, and is inhabited by family members who,  like it or not, wear sweaters and hats instead of cranking the thermostat up above 62.  Then I read about passive zero-energy homes and am feeling green with envy indeed.

A passive home is built to maximize passive solar gain and is uber-insulated and ventilated.  Air warmed by nothing more than bodies and cookstoves stays indoors rather than heating up the outdoors.  In the summer, the design works in reverse, keeping the house cool without air conditioning.

The Landau family is building a passive home without a furnace in frosty Vermont. They’re spending an extra $50,000 more than it would cost to build a conventional house, but expect to make that money back in energy savings within 10 years.  Watch a video showing the Landaus house being built here.

Passive homes are a novelty in the United States but are old hat in Europe, where the cost of building a passive home is only 2-3% higher. (But you probably knew that already-name any energy policy or practice you want to see adopted in the U.S. and, odds are, it’s been in place in Europe for years).

Most of us aren’t building homes from scratch like the Landaus, but there’s plenty we can do to make our old houses way more efficient. And with a federal tax credit and a host of local rebates available now for home energy retrofits, there’s no time like the present.

-Erica Etelson

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July 27, 2010

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Energy Efficiency, Green Living

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Hot enough for you?

If you’re like most people who live anywhere other than Alaska or San Francisco, you spend 20% of your utility bill on air conditioning.  You can shave quite a bit off that bill by installing a whole house fan.

According to Consumer Reports, installing a whole house fan is particularly effective in dry climates that are hot during the day and cool off at night.  Whole house fans are pretty simple-they draw in cool air and force out hot air. If used in conjunction with air conditioning, the A/C won’t have to work nearly as hard to keep the house cool.

Larger fans run more quietly especially if installed with rubber or felt gaskets.  And be sure to also install an airtight cover over the opening so that you don’t have heat loss in the winter.

Many utilities offer rebates for whole house fans so check into that before buying.  For more ways to cope with summer heat without destroying the planet, check out the EPA’s list of low-cost and no-cost tips.

-Erica Etelson