Energy Category

Healthier Homes With a Helping Hand

March 19th, 2010 by andrea in Community, Energy, Energy Conservation, Green Building + Design, Green Homes, Lifestyle, Renewable Energy, Solar, Water, Yard + Garden

How to Green Your Home Without the Stress

Green Pro Logo - Canadian Green Building Professionals DirectorySpring is in the air - the geese are coming back, and with more than 3 hours of sunlight a day, you’re ready to don your beloved flip flops and hop in the hammock!   But do you secretly dread confronting your household ‘to do’ list? This Spring, avoid those stressful jobs with a green helping hand! Visit www.GreenPros.ca - A fresh online directory where you can connect with leading green home professionals like Ecological Homes, Geo-Flo Energy Services and Shelterbelt Architecture!

Andrea Jones, founder of eco home resource Raising Spaces shares that, “home building and renovation projects can easily elevate household stress levels and lead to burnout. This is especially true for eco and health conscious do-it-yourselfers, since the extra challenge of researching more sustainable products and building methods is time-consuming and challenging.” With Green Pros, you can now skip the stress, avoid expensive mistakes and find the right professional for your home and values, inside and out. Read the rest of this entry »

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Eco Craft: Sew a Recycled Bevy Cozy

March 14th, 2010 by andrea in Energy, Food, Projects

Insulation isn’t just for walls, attics and beer coolers. It can actually look mighty fine on your next pot of tea or coffee. The tea cozy is by no means a new invention, but rather one that deserves renewed praise and rediscovery. This set was a birthday gift to me from my dear Mother a couple of years back, and is in fact made from a reclaimed sweater!

If you have your own sewing machine and some wooly inspiration, give this project a try!

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Valentin Technologies, Inc. Releases First Concept Images of the 170 mpg IngoCar

March 12th, 2010 by andrea in Energy Conservation, Lifestyle, Transportation

Elm Grove, WI — February 16th, 2010 — Valentin Technologies has given the public its first glimpse of its IngoCar, currently in the stage of development. This release of three teaser sketches shows the five-seat, four door sportwagen, brimming with innovation.

Ingocar Ultra Fuel Efficient Concept Car

The company’s founder, Ingo Valentin, has stated that “Finally outstanding performance and extremely high mileage are combined in a mid-size passenger car.”

Concept images can be viewed on this website link: www.valentintechnologies.com/images

The vehicle’s estimated mileage is 170 mpg based on a mix of city and rural driving. This extraordinary fuel efficiency is achieved by a revolutionary hydraulic-fluid drive. This hybrid gasoline/hydraulic drive system can deliver acceleration from 0-60 in 4 seconds. Read the rest of this entry »

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Earth Hour Is A Family Affair

March 4th, 2010 by andrea in Air Quality, Community, Energy, Energy Conservation, Lifestyle

(NC)—Earth Hour is a global lights out phenomenon, led by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to show support for action on climate change and demonstrate that individual action can make a big difference. It’s also a great opportunity to talk to your family about the environment and look at what you can do to reduce your environmental impact.

This year, Earth Hour takes place on Saturday, March 27 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. (local time). Families are encouraged to join millions of people around the world and turn off their lights for one hour in support of action on climate change. Small acts can make a big difference. For more information or to join the movement, visit www.EarthHourCanada.org.

Here are some activities to help you and your family make an evening out of Earth Hour: Read the rest of this entry »

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Water Heaters Demystified

February 7th, 2010 by andrea in Energy, Energy Conservation, Water

water heater(NC)—Water heaters quietly function in basement corners across the country, providing hot water to millions of families on a daily basis. Most take hot water for granted, but when a water heater stops providing hot water, one wonders what they really know about their water tank. Dave Walton, director home ideas with Direct Energy talks about the most common myths and questions he’s heard around water heaters recently:

Myth: You have dirty water if you have an older water heater.

Truth: Water heaters work for years without accumulating any significant buildup of rust – that’s how they are designed. Small amounts of sediment or lime can accumulate at the bottom of the tank over the life of a water heater, but since hot water is pulled from the top of the tank, your water is largely unaffected by the small deposits of sediment.

Myth: Annual maintenance improves efficiency. Read the rest of this entry »

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Energy Efficient Homes for 2010

February 5th, 2010 by andrea in Energy, Energy Conservation, Uncategorized

efficient furnace(NC)—As Canadian homeowners enter a new decade, the topic of home energy efficiency is hard to overlook. Over the past year, many homeowners made energy efficiency upgrades to their homes and took advantage of federal and provincial rebates. On December 31, 2009 a new energy efficiency initiative took effect in the form of the National Minimum Energy Performance Standard for residential gas furnaces. The new Canadian standard requires that all gas furnaces operate at a minimum of 90% efficiency. This applies to new purchases only; homeowners are not required to switch out existing gas furnaces until they are ready to do so.

An additional energy efficiency tool is also available to help homeowners save energy. Direct Energy suggests Canadians take advantage of an energy audit, which can identify areas in the home which can be upgraded to a more energy efficient standard. A Direct Energy home energy assessment will result in a tailored list of suggested energy efficiency upgrades for each home audited. Many of the energy efficiency upgrades, if implemented, can qualify the homeowner for various federal and/or provincial rebates.

Completing an energy audit should be the first step a homeowner takes towards increasing the energy efficiency of their home, and reducing their energy bills.

More information is available online at www.directenergy.com or toll-free 1-888-334-8221.

www.newscanada.com

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How to Increase Energy Efficiency With DIY Renovations

February 1st, 2010 by andrea in Energy, Energy Conservation, Uncategorized

(NC)—Will you renovate your home this year? Up to 74 % of Canadian home owners claimed they would renovate if it meant that it would increase energy efficiency and save them money in the long run (RBC survey). However, rising energy costs during the cold winter months can leave many homeowners worrying about paying the heating bills instead of renovating. Well, the government grants available mean you can renovate and it won’t cost you a fortune!

The ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program is offering a grant of up to $5000 from the Government of Canada for energy efficiency renovations which have not yet started. Some energy utilities and provincial governments offer additional funding. For more information on ecoEnergy grants and incentives, visit www.ecoaction.gc.ca/homes. Read the rest of this entry »

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Window Coverings

January 14th, 2010 by Conrad in Air Quality, Blogs - Mill Creek Net Zero Home, Energy, Energy Conservation, Green Building Blogs, Products + Materials

IMG_2416

The temptation has always been there for eco-house builders. It’s those damn windows; they are just so useless once the sun goes down. There must be some way to insulate them once they no longer need to be seen through, right? Read the rest of this entry »

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Observations (Part 02)

December 17th, 2009 by Conrad in Blogs - Mill Creek Net Zero Home, Energy, Energy Conservation, Green Building + Design, Green Building Blogs, Green Homes, Renewable Energy, Solar

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Mill Creek NetZero Home, December 15, 2009, 14:00.

As we approach the winter solstice and the three-month anniversary of our moving in, we continue to learn about our new house. These observations are mostly qualitative, because we don’t have the rest of our solar modules up, and we haven’t set up monitoring equipment yet. We are tentatively planning to remove the door of our wood stove on July 1st, 2010  and then monitor the house’s energy use for a year. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ventilation

November 25th, 2009 by Conrad in Air Quality, Blogs - Mill Creek Net Zero Home, Energy Conservation, Green Building Blogs

Mill Creek NetZero Home Heat Recovery Ventilator

I heard a story once about a man who built a house using insulated concrete forms (ICFs). While I don’t advocate their use in general, ICFs have some distinct advantages (certainly over conventional construction). The primary of these advantages is supreme air tightness. ICF homes (those that are built with ICFs from top to bottom) can achieve hourly air change rates of 0.2. In contrast, the Mill Creek NetZero Home has an airtightness measurement of 0.36 ACH, which is really amazing for a wood-framed house. Read the rest of this entry »

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