Home Energy articles from July 2003

Home Energy archives from July 2003

While Alan's away. .(Editorial)
July 1, 2003... After a couple of months at the helm of the good ship Home Energy, I think it s about time I said hello. I am acting as Alan Meier's stunt double for the next couple of years while he is in Paris working for the International Energy Agency....

Air filters. .(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... I've been a reader of your magazine for many years and have great respect and gratitude for your work. A sponsor of our program here at Built Green has proposed that we add UV filtration to our indoor air quality credit, and I'm doing research...

Home Performance with Energy Star.(Home Performance with Energy Star is a very recent influence upon the Massachusetts Residential Conservation Services program.)(Letter to the Editor)(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2003... I noticed some inaccurate information in the "Home Performance with Energy Star" article that appears on pp. 6-8 of the March/April issue. At particular issue is the section on pp. 7-8 describing the introduction of Home Performance with Energy...

Recovering dryer waste heat. .
July 1, 2003... I live in Alaska, where heat costs are high! I have often wondered if there is a heat recovery unit on the market for gas clothes dryers that reuses the exhausted heat safely? Rawlins D. Apperson Seward, Alaska Senior Executive...

Home Energy gets feted.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... We know they came for the great food, but we hope they came away with something other than a full stomach. Home Energy's 20 years of advancing home performance was celebrated in grand style at the Affordable Comfort Conference 2003 in Kansas...

The easier efficient mortgage.(Energy-efficient mortgages.)
July 1, 2003... Energy-efficient mortgages (EEM) have been on the market since the early 1980s, but they have never gained widespread acceptance. In an effort to reverse that trend, Fannie Mae, the nation's largest source of funding for home mortgages, has...

Gizmo giveaways reduce energy use. .
July 1, 2003... Rising energy costs and falling incomes caused by the economic downturn have put the spotlight on quick, easy, and cheap ways to save energy in the home (see "Saving Electricity in a Hurry," HE May/June '03, p. 2). One program being rolled out...

New thermostat with deadband variability. (HVAC).
July 1, 2003... Cycling of residential HVAC equipment typically increases energy costs, and reduces equipment life. Multistage and variable-speed HVAC equipment reduces cycling, but it is relatively expensive and complex; it finds little acceptance in the...

The evolution of energy efficiency education: every two years Home Energy faxes questionnaires far and wide to groups that offer training for a whole-house approach to home performance. After much research, we put together the following list of the best training opportunities in North America. But first, here's a profile of one training program that has been in business even longer than we have. (Training for the 21st Century).
July 1, 2003... Twenty-five years ago, an institution of higher-efficiency learning flung open its doors. Since its inception, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Energy Training Center (ETC) in Stockton, California, has trained more than 42,000 people in...

Guide to training programs for home performance professionals. (Training).
July 1, 2003... Guide to Training Programs for Home Performance Professionals Alaska Name/address Description/Certification Alaska Building Science Network P.O. Box 111097 Residential building...

Fanning a revolution. (Appliances).
July 1, 2003... Early this year, the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) unveiled a newly redesigned, more efficient outdoor fan for air conditioners and heat pumps. Their newest fan model cuts power use by about 62 watts or 32% compared to a standard fan. This...

Taking it all apart: why demolish when used building materials can get recycled or resold? (Recycling).
July 1, 2003... Traditional construction and demolition projects add to the landfills that dot our landscapes and, a drop at a time, oceans of waste are being created. An estimated 51.6 million tons of waste were generated by residential demolition and...

Kicking the air conditioner habit: ventilation cooling in a well-designed home can make air conditioning obsolete.
July 1, 2003... Air conditioning has become an expected feature in new California homes, even those in cooler coastal locations. Because many Californians run their air conditioners for just a few days out of the year, air conditioners use only 10%-12% of the...

Getting the lead out: low-income families carry the heaviest burden of lead exposure. With the help of a chemistry class, that burden gets a little lighter. (Lead Safety).
July 1, 2003... Margaret and Jon Sauser were ecstatic when they bought their quaint, almost 100-year-old house in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They were overflowing with creative ideas on how to renovate the structure to make it the ideal home for their growing...

North American conferences with training opportunities.
July 1, 2003... North American Conferences with Training Opportunities Name/Address Description/Certification Affordable Comfort 32 Church St., Ste. 204 Promotes comfort, health and Waynesburg, PA 15370 ...

Homeowners have a right to use solar energy. (New and Notable).
July 1, 2003... Some homeowners associations require solar-energy panels to be hidden from view, a restriction that in many cases would block the panels from sunshine and make them essentially useless. That's the challenge that faced two families in Arizona...

Nation's top energy efficiency programs. (New and Notable).
July 1, 2003... The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently released a report profiling 63 of the best energy efficiency programs in the country. "America's Best: Profiles of America's Leading Energy Efficiency Programs" was compiled...

Solar financing takes off. (New and Notable).
July 1, 2003... Making solar-electric systems more affordable to homeowners is not a simple proposition. High up-front costs are frequently a barrier. Solar supplier Xantrex Technology of Vancouver, British Columbia, has set up a financing program through a...

Latest energy star honors. (New and Notable).
July 1, 2003... DOE and the EPA presented the 2003 Energy Star Partner of the Year awards in April. The awards highlight the efforts of manufacturers, retailers, utility companies, and a variety of state and regional programs that promote energy efficiency and...

A really big zero. (New and Notable).
July 1, 2003... A home in Tucson, Arizona, that produces as much energy as it uses was showcased on Earth Day in April. The zero-energy home was built by John Wesley Miller Companies. The uses of solar energy include solid masonry construction for thermal...

Fiat lux. (New and Notable).
July 1, 2003... Homebuilders and buyers have a great new resource for home lighting design on www.lighting-plans.com. The site, managed by Energy Star's residential lighting program, features professionally designed lighting room plans that include detailed...

Gridless Urban House project. (New and Notable).
July 1, 2003... The Gridless Urban House project, sponsored by the State Energy program of the Kansas Corporation Commission, educates citizens about alternative-energy solutions that promote energy conservation and energy efficiency, and stunt the growth for...

Alliance to Save Energy is on the air. (New and Notable).
July 1, 2003... Check your local radio listings for "The Money Pit" and tune in the first weekend of each month to hear the Alliance to Save Energy's director of national programs Harry Misuriello and other Alliance staff provide energy-saving advice. The...

California recognizes the power of solar power.
July 1, 2003... The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a decision in April that exempts customers using small, clean power generators--including solar, wind, and fuel cell systems--from power surcharges. In late 2002, the state...

Calendar.
July 1, 2003... July 21-25 Fundamentals of Energy Auditing Course, Madison, Wisconsin. Contact: Department of Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin, 432 N Lake St., Madison, WI 53706. Tel: (800)462-0876; Web site:...