Mar 31, 2018 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living
Full disclosure: we did not install solar thermal in our home, so I know less about it — but we did consider it, and I used to work for a company that sold these systems, so I know a enough about it to provide a good overview. Solar thermal basically takes the...
Mar 30, 2018 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living
Next up: Solar Photovoltaics. The first thing that everyone needs to know about solar energy is that there are two basic types of solar panels: those that provide electricity (photovoltaic panels, or PV), and those that provide heat. They are two entirely different...
Mar 23, 2018 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living
“Geothermal” is a bit of a misnomer, because true geothermal works only in specific geographical places where there are hot spots in the ground. Most people who use this term are referring to ground-source heat pumps, which take the relative heat and cooling from the...
Mar 9, 2018 | Energy & Water, Green Home Living
I have saved this tip (which is really a group of tips) for one of the later weeks in the quarter, mostly because these are the ones you see in all the other typical “Top Ten Ways to Go Green.” To me, they are the boring, same-old-same-old tips that we saw at the end...
Mar 2, 2018 | Energy & Water, Green Home Living
Here’s an energy-saving tip–and pollution-saving tip–that some people don’t always consider because it’s been so ingrained in our culture that we must have vast lawns: get rid of some of it! Portions of lawns can be converted to many different things:...
Feb 24, 2018 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living, Water
This first quarter of the year is supposed to be devoted to tips on home energy savings, but it would not be complete without talking about water. Saving water also saves energy, especially if you are talking about saving hot water, because it takes energy to make it...
Feb 17, 2018 | Energy & Water, Green Home Living
You always see that boring reminder on lists of how to go green: buy Energy Star appliances. Does this resonate with anyone? Most appliances have Energy Star Ratings — you see the little yellow sticker that estimates the number of kilowatt hours per year the...
Jan 30, 2018 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living
Insulation sounds like a really boring thing to even think about, but the number one recommendation coming from a home energy audit is almost always that: improving home insulation will decrease your energy bills and provide a more comfortable, less drafty home. But...
Jan 3, 2018 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living
What is a Home Energy Audit? Does not sound fun, right? It’s really just a guy (usually it’s a guy – women don’t seem to enter this field very frequently) who is specifically trained and certified to be a residential energy auditor — which means he...
Dec 20, 2017 | Energy & Water, Green Home Living
Almost all of the tips I offer during this first quarter are about saving energy in the home, but most of us know that our car-driving habits can be one of the worst contributors air pollution, global climate change, dependence on foreign oil, not to mention lost...
Nov 20, 2017 | Energy & Water, Green Home Living
After last week’s tip on switching to LED bulbs, it got me thinking how to best order the tips and suggestions for this section on energy efficiency. I am basically going in order of easiest to hardest, with the easiest, most bang for the buck going first. So what’s...
Oct 13, 2017 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living
The winters are dark and cold here in Minneapolis, and I had not been not happy with our outdoor lights. They got my attention because we were advised by the police to keep them on all night after a recent burglary. So, in the winter, they are on from about 4:30 pm...
