Posts Tagged ‘energy efficiency’
I don’t always realize how much the everyday things I do can effect the environment. One of these is doing laundry and let me tell you my laundry basket fills up fast. One big change I have made is in the detergent I use to wash my clothes. I have tried a few different “green” brands and my favorite one so far is Seventh Generation. I learned so much from these tips including the fact that most dry cleaners use toxic chemicals in their cleaning methods. Read these tips from “Low-Impact Laundry” by Starre Vartan at www.greenopia.com and change your ways in order to help our planet!
What to do: Cut back on the number of loads you wash by spot-cleaning and hand-washing your garments. Use cold water washes unless clothing is super-dirty- most clothes don’t need a warm water wash. Besides conserving resources, it makes your clothes last longer and colors stay darker. Make sure to always choose the appropriate wash size. Some new models of washers automatically adjust, but if yours doesn’t, use the knob that indicates whether a wash is small, medium or large.
Be Soap-Smart Why: Most detergents contain phosphates, which can cause overgrowth of algae in water, and is harmful to aquatic life. Many also contain synthetic fragrances and chemicals that are not biodegradable. Chlorine bleaches and some fabric softeners contain toxins, too. Even if your town or city processes waste water most of these chemicals persist though the filtration process and end up in our water supplies.
What to do: Buy plant-based or castile soaps for laundry, and opt for fragrance-free detergents. Detergents with phosphates in them will say so on the bottle. Baby shampoo works well for hand-washing. Try treating stains with lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar before you wash. Get rid of fabric softeners, which are totally unnecessary and pollute local air (really- a study showed asthma is exacerbated by fabric softeners and dryer sheets). A few companies like Ecover and Seventh Generation make all-natural spot cleaners and fabric softeners if you must use them. When it comes to drying, use a rack next to your washer for socks, undies, polyester ‘sport’ fabrics, and thin cotton fabrics, so you can cut down on your dryer time. Even better; use a clothes line to naturally freshen your clothes and dry them for free.
Bonus: Hanging up clothes on a line is a good workout! Try a New Dry Why: “A lot of dry cleaners use chemicals with some type of by-product that uses a bleaching solvent, which is harmful and also bad for the clothing,” says Bob Smerling, owner of Brentwood Royal Cleaners in Santa Monica, who uses only environmentally-friendly methods and cleaning agents. Conventional cleaners also use perchloroethylene (perc), a chlorinated solvent that accumulates in body fat and is recognized as a possible human carcinogen.
What to do and where to go: If you have a garment that simply can’t be hand-washed or washed on the delicate cycle and hung dry, find a dry cleaner that uses carbon dioxide (CO2), Green Earth solvent or other hydrocarbon cleaners. If you had something dry-cleaned the traditional way, take the garment out of its bag and hang it outdoors to reduce the amount of perc vapor you bring into your home. And always save your dry-cleaning bags, clips and hangars to bring back and reuse next time.
With cooler temperatures come rising energy costs both from heating and lighting the house during the shorter winter days. Staying warm always takes energy. Heating systems, hot water heaters, and stoves suck up kilowatt hours and oil or gas faster as it gets colder, leading both to a hit on the family wallet and an increase in production at power plants and a depletion of fossil fuels. Everyone wants to stay warm, but a green- minded person wants to do so while keeping the impact on the environment to a minimum. Fortunately, there are both active and passive steps to green ways of keeping a home warm during the winter months.
To begin, green heating does not require the addition of elaborate, expensive technologies like wind and solar heating or energy systems. While these technologies can provide substantial benefits in reducing heating and energy costs, they are a major investment, frequently costing more than twenty thousand dollars to install. They are worth considering, but there are other ways to keep a home warm without dipping quite so deeply into the bank account.
Optimize Your Current System
Here at Green Local Living we have found that a much easier first step toward green heating is not the addition of a new system, but making the current system more efficient. Many homes, particularly older homes, are not insulated very effectively and require more energy to keep heated than a properly insulated house. Windows and doors are the first culprit any homeowner or tenant should consider for evaluation, as heat frequently escapes from the gaps around these fixtures. A simple test to see which portals are the worst offenders is to burn incense and leave it near each window for five minutes, checking which windows draw the most smoke out from the room. These are draft areas, and can be secured against heat leakage rather easily.
The first method is to add caulking layers to the gaps between windows, doors, and frames. Caulk will reduce the airflow through the edges, retaining a significant amount of heat for very little effort. For the family on a strict budget, this is one of the cheapest and easiest solutions. Caulk can of course be messy and takes a bit of practice to use properly. If you are considering this solution, it’s best to consult someone who knows construction, or the friendly personnel at the local home improvement store.
Another step is to add storm windows to the exterior of single-pane windows, and close them off during the winter. This puts an added layer of air between the interior and exterior of the house, which will limit heat and airflow outside the house. Even though this doesn’t even begin to approach the time and money required to install an alternative power and heating system like solar, it can improve the energy efficiency of single-pane windows by as much as fifty percent. A variation on this method is to install new, gas-filled double-paned windows. This is even more energy efficient than just adding caulk or storm windows, but is more expensive, so it isn’t a step to take without some initial research.
These are fairly passive methods for improving a home’s energy efficiency. They require a one-time installation or caulking effort, and function for years without further input. However, they do not of course provide energy in and of themselves, they simply improve the way a home retains what heat it has.
Don a Green Sweater
Actual heat production is a bit trickier, and always requires a degree of investment. Most homes have natural gas or electric heating systems, both of which raise concerns about energy consumption for home users. One technique is to consider just what degree of heating is needed. In a home with fairly mild winters, does a central heating system need to be on? If, for example, a homeowner only uses his living room on a particular day, why should he waste energy to heat up the other rooms when he could just put on a small space heater in the room he’s in?
Another option many green families are considering is a wood-pellet burning stove. Generally made of recycled or waste wood product, wood pellets tend to burn ‘clean,’ which means they generate a significant amount of heat with comparatively little smoke. As they produce fewer carbon emissions than coal-fired power plants or traditional fireplaces, they are a viable option for families looking for the old wood-stove or fireplace feel of heating up a room while maintaining a low impact on the environment.
The trick to staying warm and green is putting a bit of thought into the process. Not every method need require massive financial sacrifice. For families interested in saving some of their hard earned money, a new set of storm windows and a nice comfortable sweater are genuine, valid steps on the path to a greener life.
by Mark And Janet Davis
When it comes to trying to live a greener lifestyle it is easiest to start at home. Many people believe that taking steps to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle will take up too much time, energy and money which is untrue. There are many changes that can be made with little to no effort and minimal expense. Here are some tips from the DIY Network that can give you a headstart on your new greener way of life.
BATHS
1. Fix a drip.
Drip, drop, drip, drop. That leak in the bathroom sink is not just annoying. It’s costing you loads of cash in water and energy bills and wasted gallons. Get it fixed ASAP, and if you can’t get the plumber scheduled right away, use this old trick: Tie a string on the faucet and allow the drops to dribble silently down into a cup or small bowl. Use the collected H2O to water your houseplants.
2. Get clean.
Avoid using harsh chemical cleaners in favor of natural cleansers (soap, water, vinegar, baking soda). You’ll do a favor for the environment and yourself.
3. Be water wise.
Low-flow toilets have come a long way. New models max out at 1.6 gallons of water per flush, but the very latest models can use even less.
4. Be water wise some more.
Tankless water heaters are a great energy saver. There’s no reason to keep a giant tank of heated water at your beck and call all day and night. Bonus tip: Go the extra mile when you turn on the shower by placing a bucket or other container under the showerhead. In the few moments it takes for the water to heat up, you can gather enough for the dog’s bowl and the houseplants. Don’t waste a drop!
5. Smell Sweet.
Cut down on harmful chemicals and gasses released into your home by using low- or no-VOC paints when giving the bath, or any other room, a fresh color.
KITCHENS
6. Be water smart.
A simple hardware store doo-dad called an aerator on your kitchen (or bath) faucet cuts down on water consumption, sacrificing very little if any water pressure. For less than $15, you can install one of these yourself and save up to 500 gallons per year.
7. Vent a little.
Proper ventilation in the cooktop hood of your kitchen keeps bills down and air quality up.
8. Think small.
The kitchen is the energy gobbler of the home. If you’re planning a remodel, building new, or just replacing an old appliance, remember that bigger isn’t always better. In addition to looking for energy-efficiency ratings on your new purchase, consider going for a smaller model that uses less energy to begin with. Bonus tip: New drawer-style dishwashers help cut back on water use for smaller loads.
9. Lighten Up.
Opening up a kitchen with skylights and windows that allow natural sunlight to stream in not only helps your mood stay perky, it is a natural, free way to light your space. No budget to add windows? At least let the light in by removing heavy, lightblocking window treatments.
10. Divide and Conquer.
Dedicate a little space for recycling bins or bags to make living green convenient for the whole family. You can purchase color-coded units with separate compartments and lids, or create your own recycling center with inexpensive bins from the home center or discount store.
11. Go, greens!
Try your hand at going green by growing herbs or salad greens in the kitchen. Bringing in a natural element adds some coziness to your home’s busiest room, and naturally cleans the air you breathe. (And of course, nothing beats adding your own fresh basil to that pasta at the dinner table.)
An exciting news release was announced regarding the green building program designed to train New York City building superintendents and their staff in energy efficiency procedures. It is an enormous projected spending plan projected by The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC).
“Our realistic goal is to increase fuel and electrical efficiency of existing apartment buildings by 20 percent or more, reducing a prime source of greenhouse gas emissions in our cities,” said Michael Lappin, CPC president and CEO. “We anticipate financing retrofits for up to 15,000 apartments over the next few years. But to change the urban landscape we will also need to adjust the financing landscape.” Source: CPC
CPC’s comprehensive new Green Financing Initiative for multi-family property owners combines quick and easy financing solutions with straightforward options for retrofitting existing multifamily buildings to achieve optimum energy efficiency and cost savings.
The $1 billion program is expected to retrofit approximately 15,000 housing units over the next 3 years in low, moderate and middle-income properties using CPC’s “one-stop shop” operation supported by CPC’s extensive technical network to help building owners obtain necessary financing along with public incentives.
CPC’s “one stop shop” operation will include:
Construction Financing with a permanent takeout CPC will provide short term construction financing which will be used for the extensive renovation of occupied, income producing buildings. The retrofit scope will be performed as part of the larger moderate property renovation.
Permanent Financing Permanent mortgages will be offered for properties that do not require extensive renovation by Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac will support the CPC Green Initiative with an enhanced multi-family loan product featuring up to 80% financing with reduced rates to support the energy retrofits.
Energy Audit CPC will require an energy audit as part of the program and will outline appropriate steps to improve the building’s energy efficiency. CPC auditors will advise on appropriate technologies to install, information on qualified contractors, and estimated price ranges for the various efficiency measures.
Coordinate Access to Public Subsidies CPC will help owners access a variety of subsidy programs provided by government and the utility companies to incentivize them to include energy efficient measures in the work scope. These programs include real estate tax abatements and exemptions, low cost loans and grants, and various income tax incentives.
Under the program, typical energy upgrades to properties could include:
- Increased airsealing/firestopping in all apartment and common areas
- Properly sized and more efficient heating and hot water boilers
- More efficient heating and hot water controls
- Better showerheads, aerators and toilets
- Upgrading ventilation systems
- Complete apartment, common area and exterior lighting retrofit
- Energy Star appliances and more efficient motors and pumps
- Better specification for windows and insulation
A cornerstone of the program is the energy audit which will become a standard part of the application process along with other third party reporting.
