Do It Yourself
The Benefits of Installing a Radiant Barrier in Your Attic
By Diana | October 15, 2010
Radiant Barriers are a cost effective way of reducing energy cost in your home by reflecting the heat away from your attic space therefore making your air conditioning run more efficiently. The radiant barriers also helps keep the second story floor of your house maintain a closer temperature to the first floor temperature.
The radiant barrier is to reduce cooling loads in warmer or hot climates, It is primarily a thin but extremely durable thin sheet of highly reflective material usually aluminum applied to one or two sides of a substrate material.
There are two different types of radiant barriers installation a rafter installation, which is when the radiant barrier is attached to the faces or bottoms of the rafters or top chords of the roof trusses. It is important during this installation that air can flow at the roof peak about 6″ and 3″ at the bottom of the rafter.
The second type of installation is a floor installation where the barrier is laid across the floor of the attic on top of the existing insulation. The effectiveness of this type of installation depends on two variables. One, if it is reflective on only one side it needs to be facing up towards the roof. The second variable is a long term accumulation of dust may reduce the effectiveness of the method of installation.
In my opinion it makes sense to attach the radiant barrier to the rafters because if you have duct work and piping up in the attic you are going to be providing additional temperature control and “insulation” instead of leaving them exposed to the outside elements of extreme heat and cold.
If you want to “Do it Yourself” click here
Renewable Solar Energy for The Home of The Future
By Editor | July 28, 2010
The increasing public interest in renewable solar enery for housing , combined with the ever rising price of carbon based fuels used to produce commercial electric energy ensuring your home energy cost grow ever bigger , meaning that now we all would like to be able to benefit from an open-minded approach shown by a city in California .
San Francisco and the greater Bay Area have created a way forward to support the improved use of renewable solar energy not soley for big business, offices , sports facilities , maufacturing units but also for every home owner. The acessability of loans to property owners has been made much simpler and will greatly increase the use of solar panels for renewable solar energy systems throughout the whole city .
The loans supported by the city, are made readily available for all property owners that covers the price tag of fitting a renewable energy system to their house , which previously had been the main barrier for home owners. The city facilitates the repayments through increased property taxes The loans rise from a min. of five thousand dollars to a maximum of $50,000 or 10% of the homes value, whichever is the lesser . These loans are attached to the property not the owner and when or if the property is sold, the remainder of the outstanding loans transfer with it, repayments can be scheduled for a repayment period of up to 20 years.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if other states could be swayed to follow this lead and make renewable solar energy for homes the best way forward.
Until that occurs the rest of us who want to have renewable solar energy maybe with a DIY project like homemade solar panels either for ecological reasons , or simply to lower our utility bills, should examin some of the great homebuild solar energy kits that are available from the internet . The best of these packages will help you design a system suited to your exact requirements and needs, all the wiring diagrams and list all the materials you will need , step by step installation manuals and videos, so that you can see exactly what a ‘thingamabob’ is , what it looks like and how to fit it properly. As long as you a practical person you need no specific skills or knowledge to build your own complete unit .
The cost of a retail system for your home will be as high as $24,000 (taking the latest average)! You can make your own for a fraction of that price .
Once you have finished the bonuses are tremendous , you will have a hugely lowered or even a zero cost electricity bill, and at times when you energy needs are low you can sell your over capacity back to the utility company, how sweet is that. The Government will also contribute to your coffers by giving you Alternative Energy Rebates for your system once it is in operation .
At the beginning of this article we referred to the increasing public interest in the installation of renewable solar energy systems, home solar power is a great Green Business Opportunities for any local entrepreneur.
Taking the knowledge gained through the kits, manuals and videos and the experience from the planning and installation of your own system you can build systems for others, and help make solar power for homes the way forward.
Buy Sustainable Carpet Made from Recycled Bottles and Corn Sugar?
By Diana | February 6, 2010
Yep, you heard it right here. I am amazed by what kinds of buying choices we can make these days when it comes to
Carpet
From a sustainable standpoint:
• Every 7 yards of SmartStrand carpet produced saves one gallon of gasoline unlike a 100% petroleum based polyester carpet.
• Mohawk uses over 3 billion recycled plastic bottles to manufacture carpet (Mohawk EverStrand carpet)
• The “Triexta” fiber has been placed into their own subclass by the Federal Trade Commission so this fiber is NOT associated or categorized as a “polyester or nylon” carpet.
• The manufacturing process generates on average around 63% less greenhouse gases and 30% less energy that a nylon manufactured product
What is so special about the quality of Trixeta Smartstrand Sorona Carpet?
• Kid friendly
• Allergy Free
• Bleach resistant
• Soft texture
• Virtually no static
• Durable and wears well.
Overall, most of the reviews I’ve read on the internet have been positive. Consumers purchasing Triexta Smartstrand Sorona carpet are making a strong green statement that says we all can make better decisions about what companies we support and that we do have the choice to purchase quality products that make a difference. I encourage you to look in your neighborhood and find a flooring company that carries this carpet and make your own decision.
25% of your TV & Computer energy consumption is being sucked alive by “Vampire Energy Consumption”
By Diana | November 22, 2009
Check out this link from Amazon and watch a 4 minute video on where your hard earned money is sneaking away to and how you can put a stop to “Vampire Energy Consumption.”
Monster Power HD PowerCenter 900 with GreenPower [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]
Although these power centers are quite pricey you might want to watch this video as a comparison. These smart strips are much less expensive. You can leave a comment on this post if you want to purchase one and through this post I can get you a good deal through a friend of mine that I recently met at the San Francisco Green Festival.
http://bitsltd.net/ConsumerProducts/Downloads/Smartstrip%20Short.wmv.
Christmas is a time of buying high end electronics and if you want a great way to make your new computer or TV pay you back might I recommend that you buy a “green power strip” Fight back! Do not knowingly allow 25% of your energy consumption sneak out the door while out equipment is turned off but still plugged into the wall. Remember the good guys win in the end….
Even if you are not purchasing a high end electronic this Christmas Season. The smart strip is a great gift for college students and teachers as everyone is trying to do their part in reducing our carbon footprint. So feel good about your gift giving this year. Set an example, make an impact.
Looking forward to your comments
Green Job: DIY Battery Reconditioning
By Diana | July 9, 2009
If you could think of a cool job that you could do in your spare time in your garage that would help the environment would you want to know about it? Have you ever thought about where all the used rechargeable batteries go when you think they are not useful anymore?
Unfortunately, most batteries rechargeable or not go into our trash cans and then into our landfills where they eventually leak acid into the soil. This obviously is not a good thing especially as we own so many electronic gadgets that require rechargeable batteries such as computers, Ipods cameras, phones, gardening and power tools just to name a few.
So what is the number 1 reason we throw our batteries in the trash?
“BECAUSE WE DON’T KNOW WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE.”
Here are a few options to consider:
1) If you want to make one small change today, find 2 shoe boxes and label them “Used Batteries” for all your disposable batteries and “used rechargeable batteries”
2) Check with your city to see if they have a drop off location for used disposable batteries. Walnut Creek, California is an example of what options are available for convenient drop off in their city.
3) Find a local business that specializes in battery reconditioning or rechargeable batteries.
4) Start your own battery reconditioning business it’s a lot easier than you think. The benefits include:
- Not a significant investment to get started.
- A battery reconditioning service can be started in a small space such as a corner of your garage.
- Can be a great side business, an extra stream of income, or a great summer job for a high school or college student.
If you want an outline of what it takes to start a battery reconditioning business I found a cool link for you to review.
How to Set-up a Battery Reconditioning Business
