We live in an oil-dependent world, and have got to this level of dependency in a very short space of time, using vast reserves of oil in the process – without planning for when the supply is not so plentiful. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive outcome. These changes can lead to the rebirth of local communities, which will grow more of their own food, generate their own power, and build their own houses using local materials. They can also encourage the development of local currencies, to keep money in the local area.
The book has three sections, the Head, the Heart and the Hands. The Head explores the issues of peak oil and climate change, and how when looked at together, we need to be focusing on the rebuilding of resilience as well as cutting carbon emissions. It argues that the focus of our lives will become increasingly local and small scale as we come to terms with the real implications of the energy crisis we are heading into. The Heart looks at where we find the personal tools for responding to what can feel like overwhelming challenges. It argues that key to our success will be our ability to generate positive visions of future, to harness the power of engaged optimism, and overcome powerlessness. The Hands offers a detailed exploration of the Transition model, setting out its principles, its origins, the 12 Steps of Transition, how they were applied in the first year of Transition Town Totnes, as well as offering a taste of how the model has been applied in a range of other settings. The book also contains lots of ‘Tools for Transition’, exercises and activities that can help to deepen this work in your community.
You’re invited to Go Green Expo NY! Go Green Expo will exhibit the latest in eco-friendly products & services and host a variety of seminars with green industry leaders including Ed Begley Jr. and Mariel Hemingway. This three-day event will include a business-to-business expo followed by two days for eco-minded consumers. Visit http://www.GoGreenExpo.com for tickets & details! To Exhibit contact Nancy: 212-655-4505 ext 225 or email NMathew@gogreenexpo.com
Where: Piers 92/94
Price: $25 for a weekend pass
When: 10:00am Fri 3.19.10-5:00pm Fri 3.19.10 with 2 other showtimes 3.19.10 through 3.21.10
Stimulus money to be given to energy efficient shoppers this spring
Federal economic stimulus money will start providing rebates to Pennsylvanians, as early as this April, on the purchase of new, Energy Star-rated hot-water heaters, furnaces and boilers.
Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday that applications for rebates are expected to become available in April on the state’s stimulus Web site, www.recovery.pa.gov.
Rendell says the $11 million rebate program could benefit more than 30,000 Pennsylvania households and provide long-term energy savings.
The Recovery Act-funded rebates also include “white goods” such as washers, dryers and refrigerators.
The rebates will be worth $100 to $500. The higher the equipment’s efficiency rating, the larger the rebate.
The rebates only apply to non-electric residential heating equipment. Rebates on electrical appliances may be available through regulated electric utility companies.
The 2010 Obama budget reveals the major tax hike that Pelosi, Reid, and Obama are counting on to fund the outrageous bailout and stimulus spending that is propelling federal spending to record levels-27.7 percent of GDP in 2009, an all-time record other than the four peak years of World War II.
The tax hike is a broad-based energy tax that will wallop every American who fills a gas tank, pays an electric bill, or buys any product that has to be grown, shipped, or manufactured.
The mechanism is cap-and-trade, which is like a tax on coal, oil, and natural gas but instead of being set at a specific amount, the total level of use is capped and companies are forced to pay the government for emissions permits-which Wall Street wizards at companies like AIG and Goldman Sachs can in turn trade on sophisticated exchanges and derivative markets.
White House Budget Director Peter Orzcag admitted that decreasing carbon emissions imposes costs on the economy, and “much of those costs will be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices for energy and energy-intensive goods.” (more…)
The other day a friend of mine asked me what does CFL mean? It took me a second because I thought he was playing around. But then I saw in his face that it was a serious question. Then it hit me. After almost seven years on the market it most people still don’t know what Compact Fluorescent Lighting is and how it can save you money instead of using those yester-year light bulbs.
Lighting accounts for about 7% of a home’s energy costs. CFL bulbs use 66% less energy and last up to ten times as long as incandescent bulbs. The higher efficiency adds up to energy savings of 3.6% on average. They now come in a range of sizes, so they’ll fit almost any type of fixture, and styles, including full-spectrum, which mimics natural sunlight.
Test out one of each – Soft white, Bright White, or Daylight, and see which one works best in your house. Traditional incandescent bulbs use more energy because the majority of electricity generates heat vs. light. Also consider choosing the ones that have a ‘covered’ dome over the spiral bulb for safety and a better looking fixture – especially for recessed lighting.
Sample performance: Replace 20 incandescent bulbs that are 60 Watts with a life expectancy of 1,500 hours, with CFLs that only use 14 Watts and last 10,000 hours.
The ROI Calculation is based on replacing 20 bulbs that typically burn 750 hours per year with CFLs that cost $3.00- $6.00 each, and average cost of electricity that is $2.76 per day. Each bulb saves on average $4 to $7 per year.
It’s a cold and snowy winter this season. I hope everyone had a chance to winterized their home this fall. Remember it never to late. Below is our GCR winterization checklist. Please go through your home and take a few minute to check. Just a few minutes will keep you warmer plus save you money on your heating bill.
Indoors
__ Check the fireplace: It’s about time to get those logs burning, so get the fireplace ready! Clean the fireplace chimney or wood stove flue using brushes approved for the size and type of flue you have. If you’re not partial to ladders, roofs and soot, this is a good project to leave to an experienced chimney sweep company. A good chimney sweep will also inspect the fireplace from top to bottom, and talk to you about any repairs that need doing. Clean out the firebox, making sure you place the ashes in a fireproof container with a tight lid for proper disposal. If you have an airtight wood stove or fireplace insert, check the door-seal gasket, and clean the glass on the door.
__ Change your furnace filters: Replace your old furnace filter with a new one. While you’re at it, check the furnace for worn belts, lubrication needs or other servicing that might be required; refer to your owner’s manual for specific suggestions, and follow any manufacturer safety instructions for shutting the power and fuel to the furnace before servicing.
__ Change smoke detector batteries: Replace the batteries in each of your smoke detectors with a fresh one. When you’re done, take a moment to test each detector and make sure it’s operating correctly.
__ Install a carbon monoxide detector: As houses get closed up for winter, the chances of carbon monoxide poisoning from malfunctioning gas appliances increases substantially. If you have a furnace, fireplace, water heater or other appliance that is fueled by propane or natural gas, now is the ideal time to install a carbon monoxide detector. They’re available inexpensively from many home centers and retailers of heating system supplies.
__ Close off foundation vents: Depending on the winter climate in your area, you’ll want to be thinking about closing off your foundation vents to help prevent pipe freezes. You can leave the foundation open for as many months as the weather remains mild, but close them off when the local forecasts begin calling for freezing temperatures. Once closed, you can leave them that way until it warms up again in the spring.
__ Check weatherstripping: Air leaks around doors and windows can rob your home of expensive heated air and create uncomfortable drafts that keep you feeling chilly. Check the weatherstripping around doors and windows, and replace any that are worn — retailers who specialize in doors and windows can fix you up with the proper replacement type for your situation. Now is also a good time to close up a few more air leaks by checking the condition of caulking around exterior door and window frames.
If you purchase an energy-efficient product or renewable energy system for your home, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit. Below you will find an overview of the federal tax credits for energy efficiency.
Please note, not all ENERGY STAR qualified products qualify for a tax credit. ENERGY STAR distinguishes energy efficient products which, although they may cost more to purchase than standard models, will pay you back in lower energy bills within a reasonable amount of time, without a tax credit.
Have you ever taken the platter off your Technic 1200 turntable? If so, then you know that the turntables’ secret is not direct drive but magnetic drive. Our friends atGrow Room Energy have developed such a system that you build yourself for your home.
It’s called a PMG, or Permanent Magnetic Generator. A PMG generates alternating current (AC) that can ultimately be used by your home and help lower, even eliminate, your electric bill each month!
Although the technology has been around for quite some time, it has never been adapted for personal home use, until now!
Working at very low rotational speed, the PMG is capable of producing 180W of electricity at just 420 RPM! Modifications can be made so that the PMG produces even more power at higher speeds, putting even more money directly into your bank account each month!!
Here is a step by step guide to building your own PMG.
Step 1: Order the Magnet4Power Manual for Just $49! (About ½ of what You Pay For Just 1 Month of Electricity!)
Step 2: Follow The Step-By-Step Instructions To Build Your Own PMG For as Little As $100.
Step 3: Install and Wait For Your Next Electric Bill!
That’s it. Doesn’t get much easier, does it? From the moment you order the Magnet4Power manual, you will have instant access. You’ll be able to go out and buy the supplies you need to be generating electricity in your very own back yard within days – possibly hours depending on how excited you are to get it up and running!
Don’t worry. You don’t need to be a construction worker or have a garage filled with expensive tools and equipment to create your very own PMG system! Armed with the Magnet4Power easy-to-read manual, some simple hand tools, and the determination to free yourself from the power company once and for all, you have everything you need to build your very own professional quality PMG guaranteed!
By:: Dan Bossenbroek
Unless you have a large hole in one of the walls of your house, your windows are the place where most of the infiltration takes place. Leaky windows can cost you hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs, and even the most efficient windows provide only about a third of the insulating value as a typical insulated 2×4 stud wall. Take a couple of hours and weatherize by installing window insulating film on all of your windows this year.
Good preparation is the first step to success with most projects and it is true here too. The first thing that you want to do is to measure your windows so that you know what type of window film packages to buy. If you have typically sized windows, 3′ wide by 5′ tall, you will want to buy packages with individually sized sheets. However, if you have a number of smaller windows or at least one large picture window you will want to buy packages with single large sheets. Large sheets can be cut to size to fit a variety of window sizes big and small so that you can minimize the waste.
Before you install the window film, you may want to weatherize your windows by fixing the glazing putty and by adding weatherstripping, or even adding storm windows if you don’t already have them.
Next, you will want to clean your windows inside and out including the sill and the trim. This will allow as much sunshine to come in and create a clean surface for the window film tape to stick to.
Now it’s time to start installing the window film. The first step is to determine where to install the tape. Installing the tape on the outside face of the window trim results in a more secure installation, but many times window treatments interfere with this. The second best location is on the face of the trim, and the least secure location is on a surface perpendicular to the face of the glass, like the sill. When you install the tape, make sure to overlap the tape at the corners by about an inch. Before you remove the paper off of the double sided tape you should take a smooth, hard surface and run it over the tape to fully secure it to the trim.
If your window has a sill, install the window film to the there first. Wrapping the end of the sheet around a yardstick will help to install the film at the sill evenly.
Before securing the film to the top and the sides of the window, add a strip of clear packing tape to the back side of the film and the sill. This will help to keep the film from pulling away from the sill.
Next secure the film to the center of the top of the window and then work your way up both sides of the window pulling the film tight.
If the window doesn’t have a sill and has “picture frame” trim, then secure the film at the middle of the top and bottom of the window first, then to the middle of the sides. Next, work your way toward the corners bit by bit, first on one side then another, pulling the film tight as you go.
Once the window film is secure, trim the excess film from around the edges.
Finally, use a blow dryer to smooth out the film. For windows that won’t be covered up by shades or curtains for the winter, you will want to make as smooth as possible. Don’t over do it with the blow dryer though, you can pull the tape right off of the trim if you are not careful.
Now that you are done, you can sit back and enjoy a draft free home and some extra money in your pocket every month.
Dan Bossenbroek is a registered architect and has been incorporating energy conservation design strategies into his projects for over seventeen years. He has extensive experience in residential design, is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED™ AP) and his area of expertise is high performance buildings and sustainable design. Furthermore, he is an avid do-it-yourselfer having renovated several older homes. For energy conservation strategies and home improvement advice he recommends http://greencollarrap.com/hec
