Searching for Energy Vampires

...e a small amount of power (empty space in the freezer or fridge takes more energy to cool). The fridge is often full of way too many condiments on their way to becoming compost, but this also probably saves a small amount of energy. And it’s a smallish fridge. Joining the radical fridge-free partisans of the homesteading movement would knock the power bill way down but I’m just not in the mood to give up my cushy first world lifestyle. The modem/w...

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DIY Solar Space Heating

...thern hemisphere it’s time to consider heating. The always useful Build-It Solar blog has a detailed link to a DIY solar space heating system in Virginia (pdf). Collector panels mounted on the roof heat a reservoir which is circulated through a floor-based radiant heating system. It even has an Arduino based data acquisition component that tracks performance. There should be a DIY Nobel Prize for this project! If you live in a place that’s both co...

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On the 100th Birthday of Our House: The Past and Future of Housing in the U.S.

...onnie Maas Morrison points out in a paper, “Ninety Years of U.S. Household Energy History,” household energy savings have been more than offset by increases in consumption elsewhere in our lives. Think of the conveniences required for today’s dual-earner, single-parent/multi-job holding households. Think of the eating-out phenomenon, think of the pre-packaged, pre-prepared meals (from freezer, to micro-wave, to table, to garbage can, all in one co...

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Permaculture Design Course at the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano

...r design, walk through an energy audit, how to read a utility bill, ‘going solar,’ tour of energy-efficient home, design an alternative energy plan for your own energy-efficient home / home-scale energy audit MAY 31 / DESIGN OFF-SITE – Perform client interview/determine clients needs/wants; budget considerations; site walk; sector analysis; mapping of space; create a design + plan, group design time with guided mentoring JUNE 1 / ALTERNATIVE FUTUR...

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Saturday Linkages: Battling Herbicides, Solar Wall Ovens and Jaywalking

...the Cane Toad http://ensia.com/voices/consider-the-cane-toad/ … Commercial Solar Wall Ovens http://feedly.com/e/nrC8gJXU Wilson Solar Grill for outdoor cooking http://www.examiner.com/article/wilson-solar-grill-for-outdoor-cooking … America’s public transit routes, mapped: http://boingboing.net/2014/02/06/americas-public-transit-rout.html … LA residents: The city offers free native trees for street planting. Coast Live Oaks are approved as street...

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