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The CFL is a poster child for energy efficiency but sometimes in ways that we might not want it to be. To be sure, the CFL has a wonderful record of constantly improving quality, applicability, and reliability all the while falling in price. After faithfully saving consumers electricity for 6,000 hours, the CFL eventually flickers out and must be thrown away. That’s where the adventure begins. CFLs contain minute amounts of mercury, ... [continue reading]
OK, there’s a new energy-saving product on the market. It might even be the fruit of government-funded research. But it’s expensive and available from only a few, small manufacturers (or perhaps just one manufacturer). The price would surely fall if economies of scale kick in. But investors don’t understand the energy efficiency market and are reluctant to supply the needed capital. Nothing happens. The country&... [continue reading]
Michele writes, "I live in rural Alaska where the cost of fuel is close to 5.00 per gallon for stove oil. I am thinking of switching to electrical heaters. Our house has a great southern exposure. Is there any small solar power equipment that could power a 1350 kw heater? Thanks." [continue reading]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star program has promoted programmable thermostats since 1995, estimating that consumers will save 10%-30% on their heating and cooling energy bills. Consumers who can accurately predict when they will be home, and who find it difficult to remember to set up their thermostat in the summer or set back their thermostat in the winter manually, can save energy with a programmable thermostat. [continue reading]
Yes, the price of a subscription to Home Energy is rising. Home Energy is published by a non-profit organization, but our costs are nevertheless inescapably climbing. You can mitigate the personal impact of the increase by committing yourself to a longer subscription. You will appreciate that because it means skipping the nuisance of renewing. We like those longer subscriptions too because we spend less money servicing the subscription and can devote more ... [continue reading]
A friend who is an aficionado of classical music described rock and roll as “a man who got on his horse and rode off in all directions." In my version of the saying, about climate change and our dependence on fossil fuels, I think we all need to get on our horses and ride off in all directions. Gov. Schwartzenegger has pushed a number of initiatives in California and all of them are ... [continue reading]
Some people claim that most of our inefficient use of energy will disappear once we “get the price right”— that is, that the price reflects the true costs of supplying that energy. I agree that the price is important, but even when the price is right, the system may still be broken. Here are a few examples. More than one-fourth of all refrigerators are purchased by people who will not ... [continue reading]
Nothing frightens me more than those model “homes of the future.” I recently visited one of them—the “ConnectedLife” home—at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The ConnectedLife concept is a joint creation of Microsoft, HP, LifeWare, and many others; the ConnectedLife hardware and software is available at Best Buy. The home sported all of the features that you would expect from these companies: coordination of ... [continue reading]
You bought the new computer for yourself, the game module for your kids, those great new lamps that really brighten up the living room; then, one day you noticed your utility bill had really jumped. Using less heat and shivering through November didn’t cut it. Welcome to the brave new world of energy use in your home. Traditionally, heating and cooling, along with water heating, have consumed most of the energy ... [continue reading]
I am looking to purchase window jamb liners that I can install. We are building an addition and using old wooden windows - we were going to install weights, but I saw a project on DIYNET that used jamb lines in old windows. Does anyone know where I can purchase the jamb liners? Thanks. -Margie & Paul Strickland [continue reading]
