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In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you now that I love hot weather. Now that we are finally creeping out of winter into some warmer weather, my spirits are rising accordingly. Of course for some of us, this is not good news as the approaching summer heat also signals a rise in our energy bills. Central air conditioning can be one of the highest energy consuming systems in a house, beating out all other appliances. So here are some ideas to help keep your cool before resorting to cranking up the AC:
- Close the blinds while you are out: This is a small habit that can really make a difference. Even if you haven’t invested in solar shades which are supposed to reduce the effect of UV rays, you can still keep your house cooler by closing the window coverings that you own. Anything that stops the sun’s rays from getting in and heating up your home will help.
- Plant shade trees: If you have a yard and the space to support them, consider planting some shade trees. If you aren’t sure how to go about it, visit the Arbor Day Foundation web page. Not only do they provide information about different types of trees, they will also sell you a tree that is appropriate for your region. Spring planting time is now, so if this is something you are interested in, go check it out.
- Change your AC filter: Dirty AC filters cause the unit to work harder to push air through, so make sure you are changing out your filters.
- Set your programmable thermostat: Do not cool your home when you aren’t it in. A programmable thermostat will help automate this good habit.
- Take a shower: Unless you are running a sauna in your bathroom, a shower can help cool down your body temperature and leave you feeling relaxed. Its a nice thing to do before bed.
- Use ceiling fans: A ceiling fan will keep air circulating around a room which creates a cooling effect on your skin. Most fans have a separate setting for warm and cold weather, the difference being the direction of rotation, so make sure you are using the correct setting.
- Get a cooling unit for your room: Unless you have a need to air condition your entire house, it is probably cheaper to invest in a cooling unit for the individual room you are in. This can be something as simple as a box fan, a portable air conditioner, or a window-mounted unit. I even found this bed-mounted unit called The Bedfan which claims to alleviate night sweats and hot sleeping in general! If you do decide to invest in a room air conditioner, please note that according to the Department of Energy, that using a unit that is too large for your room often results in fast cooling times but ineffective removal of humidity. The result can be a cold clammy room, so check their recommendations for correctly sizing your room AC here.
So those are my tips for dealing with summer heat without upping your cooling bill. Feel free to drop a comment if you think I missed one, but don’t you tell me to learn to love the heat, cause I already got that one down!
Chances are that if you are reading this, then you’re into green gadgets.. If you’re not, then Welcome, and please feel free to browse around the store to see why you should be! For the rest of us, being into gadgets might also mean you’re a bit of do-it-yourself-er. If you are, then today’s post is for you, because its about instructables.com
Instructables.com is a self-described “documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it…”. The idea for the site was created by a group of MIT students who later went on to found Squid Labs. Supported by an incredible community, instructables.com has become a great place to share ideas and be inspired by others. The premise is simple but powerful. Each instructable is a set of linear steps, accompanied by images, that shows how to accomplish a project. Using this simple format, the website has developed a huge number offerings in categories such as art, food, games, music, science, and technology. And of course, the reason we are covering it today, is their Green category.
The green category consists of wide array of projects. There are guides available for composting bins, gardening projects, jewelry making, computer recycling, and energy saving. Since the last couple of posts have focused on saving water in the home, I thought this would be a good area in which to demonstrate types of instructables available.
At one end of the spectrum is an instructable titled “Conserving Water: 2 Stage Toilet Flush“. This project requires no money, no tools, and very little labor. Simply by understanding how your toilet works, and making a small change to its internals, you can convert your standard flush toilet into one that has the capability to perform a low-water flush, for minimal waste, or a full-flush for anything else. Once you read this, you may think that its too simple to bother sharing but often it is the simple actions that make a big difference.
Now, one step up in difficulty is an instructable titled “Simple Laundry Greywater System“. This project requires some basic plumbing supplies and skills, mainly the ability to connect a hose with a nut and washer, and some effort. Reading through this shows you how you could possibly start using greywater from your laundry washing machine in your garden. The best part about this instructable is that it really opens your mind to the possibilities. Its pretty easy to re-route your laundry machine’s waste water and if this solution isn’t exactly right for you, you might be able to change it until you have something that does work.
This last instructable actually won recognition from earthjustice.org, and its called “Save Water! Kitchen Faucet with Foot Pedal“. This project requires several parts (tubing, solenoids, wires), some skills, but mainly confidence. I say this because it involves electricity and water. So I hope we all understand that there are no guarantees when you do your own work (but isn’t that what is so great about it?). This idea is pretty cool though because the end product is a foot pedal that controls the water flow from a faucet. Not only is it green, but its a cost-effective solution that you could theoretically implement yourself.
So if you’ve got the time and notion, go over to instructables.com and take a look around. There are projects for every skill level in a variety of areas that you may never have considered.
Occasionally, in our quest to become more environmentally conscious, it seems that we have seen and considered it all. Recycling in the home, using compact fluorescent light bulbs, Energy Star appliances, checking our window insulation, and perhaps even buying a hybrid vehicle are pretty common options for a person these days. So here I am to present you with another option that you may not have considered: the electric bicycle.
“Aren’t some of us a little old for a scooter?”, you may be thinking. However, I am not talking about a scooter and I’m definitely not talking about a motorcycle. I am talking about your old childhood friend, the bicycle, and adding a few accessories: an electric motor, battery pack, and controller. The controller regulates the battery and motor, and together they provide assistance in pedaling the bicycle. The end result is an easier bicycling experience.
Now this isn’t for everyone, but it may work for more people than you think. There are many people who ride bicycles for recreational purposes, and some of whom use a bicycle to commute to work. I used to be one of those people. I lived about three miles from work and when the weather was decent, I would pack up my business clothes in a backpack and bike to work. After awhile, I stopped doing this, even though it was great exercise and definitely environmentally friendly. My main issue was that I had a hard time gauging my energy levels. Some days were tougher than others. I might have to bring a laptop home, and all the accessories with it. Add all that to the end of a tiring day at work, when all you want is dinner… well, you can see how a person’s motivation might lag. Couple that with the consistent need to shower at the work gym (and not all of us have this option) and then change into our business attire, let’s just say it takes real commitment to commute via bicycle.
An electric bicycle can help mitigate some of these issues because the job of the motor is to make your pedaling easier. Easier pedaling lets you extend the range that you are willing to commute, make it into work with less sweat (possibly eliminating the need for a shower), and assists you with any additional business equipment you might be hauling. Its still more environmentally friendly than taking your car into work because you can re-charge the battery pack. An electric bicycle also sidesteps one of the issues that potential scooter owners can face, which is licensing. In some states, scooters require a special license or even have to be registered as motorcycles. Generally, electric bicycles still fall into the same legal category as a standard bicycle.
So if you are interested in an electric bicycle, there are several manufacturers available or you can purchase an electric motor kit and convert the bicycle you own. Here are some links that you may find helpful:
- NYCEWheels: A New York based store that specializes in electric bicycles and scooters, these people have put together a great web page with articles, reviews, and products to browse through.
- Optibike: A Colorado based company that makes some of the sportiest (and pricey!) electric bicycles I’ve seen. (note* All their bicycles go faster than 20 mph which may negate their legal classification as standard bicycles.
- Wikipedia – Electric Bike Laws: Just what it sounds like.
So if this a solution you are considering, don’t forget to check for any possible tax credits or commuter credits you may qualify for through the government or your workplace.
This past February, the Greener Gadgets conference took place in New York City. The conference is produced by the Consumer Electronics Association and is meant to highlight the latest innovations and issues in green technology. I’ve never been to the conference but I do enjoy reading about one part which is the Greener Gadgets Design Competition. This year, there were eighteen finalists, whose entries ranged from kinetic chargers to smart grid-like home management devices. The winner of the competition was decided during the conference on February 25th by a panel of judges and a live audience.
This year’s winner was the AUG/Living Goods Program, a mobile application designed to encourage purchase of local goods by providing immediate information about the producer of the goods to the consumer. The application relies on the maintenance of a product database whose entries would be looked up by the bar code. Information that would be stored are items such as: distance that the product has traveled, whether the item is in season, and producer profiles. The designers’ goal is to reward local producers by empowering consumers with the information they need to make informed buying decisions.
There were several other entries which garnered attention:
- Roller Gen: a kinetic charger which converts the energy generated by riding a bicycle to charge a battery, which can then be used to charge your cell phone.
- Corky: a wireless mouse that charges up from the movement of the mouse itself!
- Automan 500 subwoofer: a home A/V subwoofer made from recycled tires, designed to look like a stylish ottoman.
- BioCharger180 & Fair Energy Clock: These are two device chargers that save energy by stopping the charging activity at a preset time.
There are several innovative entries that are fun to read about, so I encourage anyone to head over to the Greener Gadgets site to check them out.
After my previous post on waste-water heat reclamation, I’ve been a little more conscious of all the energy that I’m losing down the drain. So today, while taking a shower, I put the stopper in the drain. My reasoning was that I could heat my toes a little before letting the water go. Much to my surprise, the amount of water that I used in the shower was almost the same amount that I might have used while taking a bath. I could have sworn that taking a shower was more the more eco-friendly option, but it just goes to show that mindfulness is key when you are trying to save. So now seems like an appropriate time to review some tips and gadgets to help conserve water in the shower:
1. Install a low-flow shower head. This means the shower head will pass 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) or less. Some models will go as low as 1 or 1.5 gpm.
- Companies like Evolve make a line of low-flow shower heads, ranging from handheld to rain to standard styles. Their ShowerStart heads actually cut off water flow once the water temperature reaches 95 degrees, so that you don’t waste water while waiting outside for the water to heat up. Once you get in the shower, just flip a valve to restore water flow.
- Install a cut-off valve. This will allow you to take a “navy shower” by controlling the flow of water without adjusting the temperature. Once wet, you reduce water and lather up, turning the flow back up to rinse off.
2. Reduce the amount of time spent showering. A complete shower can take place in 5 minutes (or less), but any reduction in time will save you water and money:
- At $111, the Shower Manager seems pricey but it does have some features worth noting such as: limited access to timer controls, options for time limit settings, reduction of water flow once time limit expires, 5-minute delay after water shut-off before resuming normal flow. The goal is to train people to take shorter showers by removing incentives, such as water pressure.
- For those of us with more self-control (or cooperative families), a simple kitchen timer would suffice. Timers made specifically for the shower range from products like the Niagara Shower Coach, a basic 5-minute sand timer which you can attach with a suction cup, to the Efergy Shower Time, a digital timer that also calculates water usage.
3. And of course, you can always turn down the temperature of your water heater.
Please note, I don’t work for any of the companies or manufacturers of any of these products. I have posted the links to give you a better idea of what options are available. So good luck and happy hunting!
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