Home Energy articles from January 2002

Home Energy archives from January 2002

Efficiency on the job and at home. (Editorial).(editor Steve Greenberg receives Department of Energy award)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Last October the Department of Energy recognized one of Home Energy's own, Steve Greenberg, for outstanding personal achievement. Steve received this award for fine-tuning the design of the mechanical systems for the National Energy Research...

Advice on white roofs. (Letters).(roof painting to diminish heat absorption)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... I read with interest your recent cover story on cool roofs (HE July/August `01), as well as the related story by Liz Robinson on acrylic elastomeric roof coatings. Your research seems to indicate that the most energy savings can be obtained by...

Foam insulation. (Letters).(Icynene as wall insulation)(Questions and Answers)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... I am reading the articles in the Sept/Oct issue of Home Energy, in awe of how difficult it seems to build walls of houses to handle moisture well. The articles before me deal with moisture control for brick veneer over wood frame walls, and the...

Energy Myth. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2002... By far the most dangerous "Energy Myth" ("Common Energy Myths," HE Sept/Oct '01, p. 33) is the confusion between energy efficiency and energy conservation. While the editorial "Regarding Energy Myths" (p. 2) speaks of the danger of energy...

Solar water heating. (Diagnostics).(energy use for home heating; installation of solar DHW heater to electric water heater)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Q: I live in San Francisco and have a solar water heater that works very well; it often heats the water to more than 160 [degrees] F. The solar-heated water is stored in a 120-gallon tank and is used as preheated water before it circulates...

Comfortable attic living. (Diagnostics).(environmental conditioning of attic space)
January 1, 2002... Q: The second-floor bonus area of my house is always too hot in summer and too cold in winter. I hired a contractor to add more attic ventilation at great expense, but that didn't help. Now he's suggesting that I add more ceiling insulation, or...

Checking an installation. (HVAC).(air conditioner)
January 1, 2002... Q: When I install an air conditioner, I always check the temperature drop across the coil to make sure it is between 17 [degrees] F and 21 [degrees] E That is well within Manual J specifications. Can I be satisfied that this procedure will tell...

Foaming solutions. (Green Building).(product types, application of spray foam insulation)
January 1, 2002... There are many insulation choices on the market these days, and spray foam can be the best product for many applications. Spray foam insulation is made of polyurethanes or polyisocyanurates, and can be of either open-cell or closed-cell...

A NEAT upgrade. (Software/Web).(Software for weatherproofing of single-family homes)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... Weatherization crews--and all other home performance professionals--continually face the challenge of weatherizing a home in the most cost-effective way possible. For instance, how would you approach this house: The Morris house, located...

SWEEP shows sweet results. (Appliances).(Save Water and Energy Education Program)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2002... Energy efficiency came home to roost for 50 households in Oregon last year, and the savings were a sweet deal all around. In 1999 and 2000, each of these households, evenly split between the cities of Lafayette (pop. 2,586) and Wilsonville...

Quick fix for peak power woes? (Utilities).(conservation voltage regulation in California to reduce energy consumption)
January 1, 2002... Wouldn't it be great if there were a way to save 10 or 20 power plants worth of electric demand in the United States? And what if it could be done in weeks with no capital cost? Is this too good to be true? California utilities are testing just...

Chicago utility hits a home run: ComEd continues to offer incentives for energy-efficient rehabs of urban multifamily buildings and has now extended them to single-family homes.(Commonwealth Edison Co.)
January 1, 2002... Many utilities around the country are retreating from energy efficiency programs in fear of competitive pressure. Bucking this trend, one of the largest utilities in the Midwest has chosen to expand a program that has been serving low- and...

Only testing will tell: substantial differences result from performing a duct blaster test during the framing stage (left) and at completion (right). A battery of tests pinpoints why.
January 1, 2002... Quantifying A/C duct leakage and identifying when and where it takes place can make a big contribution to energy efficiency. Consequently, duct leakage testing is a major part of the diagnostic and inspection work performed by D.R. Wastchak,...

CO testing for the real world: field inspections of gas ranges and laboratory tests provide the basis for a proposed CO emissions testing protocol.(development of carbon monoxide testing standards)
January 1, 2002... Gas ranges are probably the most common unvented gas appliances in use in North America. With homes becoming tighter, the potential for any type of unvented gas appliance to set the stage for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is increasing. Ranges...

Weatherization show and tell: the proven benefits of weatherization remain, frustratingly, not well known, Some states are reaching out to politicians and communities, spreading the good word by demonstrating exactly what weatherization looks like.
January 1, 2002... In 2001, the federal Department of Energy (DOE) celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), a nationwide project that upgrades low-income homes. Weatherization provides insulation for attics, walls, and floor...

The lowdown on structural insulated panels: more builders are recognizing the benefits of building with structural insulated panels, yet unless the panels are properly installed, moisture buildup can create major problems.
January 1, 2002... Last summer's sharp spike in energy costs has caused an increased interest in the potential energy savings for homeowners and labor savings for homebuilders offered by structural insulated panel (SIP) technology (see "SIPs Face the Skeptics,"...

Growing a business. (Field Notes).(Stitt Energy Systems Inc.)
January 1, 2002... A business that is exploring new technologies and attempting to provide new products and services encounters obstacles--and rewards. That is what we discovered when we founded our home design, construction, and materials distribution business,...

Resplendent in green. (News & Reviews).(guides to environmental building material)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
January 1, 2002... The publishers of Environmental Building News (EBN) have created a wealth of new and updated green building resource material. The latest revision of the GreenSpec directory contains information on more than 1,500 products, ranging from access...

[H.sub.2]O x 20. (News & Reviews).(construction of housing developments in California subject to water availability)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... For the first time, construction of new housing developments in California will be contingent on water availability, under a bill signed in October by Governor Gray Davis. The new law prohibits cities and counties from approving housing...

Whole building design guide. (News & Reviews).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... An innovative Internet portal, the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG), offers a range of building design assistance, while highlighting the interaction of building systems. Multiple links between various sections of the WBDG and the Internet...

Solar certification. (News & Reviews).(for installation of photovoltaic energy systems)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... A national program to certify solar PV installers has been launched. "We're at the point where it is critical to have certification" for PV professionals, says Jane Weissman of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, one of three groups that...

Financial analysis model for Renewable Energy. (News & Reviews).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has announced the launch of its Renewable Energy Technology Financial Model (RET Finance), which is now available at http: //analysis.nrel.gov/retfinance. RET Finance is an Internet-based...

An energetic web site. (News & Reviews).(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... Solar e-Clips (www.californiasolarcenter.org/solareclips/solareclips.html) is a free weekly newsletter filled with news and information about solar energy. The newsletter is published by the nonprofit California Solar Center, and includes...

Loads of room for new standards. (News & Reviews).(energy conservation)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2002... There is great potential for energy savings if efficiency standards were implemented for more products. Such new standards would save businesses and consumers $75 billion through the year 2020, according to the American Council for an...

Calendar.
January 1, 2002... January 14-16 International Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Expo, Atlantic City, New Jersey. Contact: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Incorporated, 1791 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA...