Home Energy articles from July 2004

Home Energy archives from July 2004

Restoring existing urban housing.(Editorial)(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... To many Home Energy readers, the phrase "affordable comfort" evokes a stimulating and essential conference. While this association is accurate, the phrase could equally justifiably be applied to a Midwest cultural icon: the Chicago Bungalow....

Where to draw the line on termites.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I read with interest your response to Carlos ("Termites and Microwave Technology," Mar/Apr '04, p. 5). Whereas the information you provided was correct, I think the reader should understand that most of the treatments you mentioned (heat, cold,...

Wet attics.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... I'm writing in response to your "Sealed-Attic Retrofit" article (Mar/Apr '04, p. 7). I live on the north coast of Ohio. I am concerned with the shoulder months of winter, when there is snow on the roof. When it warms outside and the humidity...

Black stains on ceilings and walls.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... We are experiencing stains on our ceilings and above the baseboard. We had our attic checked (completely dry, new and well ventilated). We've had painters over and also a heating contractor, I've read a few of your articles and it seems it's...

Black stains again.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... One of my customers in Easton, Minnesota, complained about black stains on his carpet and drapes. The stains are darkest under the drapes and next to walls. The house is a 2,050 [ft.sup.2] rambler, built in 1994. It has 2 x 6 wall construction,...

You can anticipate this answer.(HVAC)(Interview)
July 1, 2004... Q. I have a Carrier furnace with an electronic pilot. The furnace gets the signal from the thermostat for heat, the pilot light comes on, and then the burners come on. Everything looks good. However, about the time the blower turns on, the...

A little weatherization history.(Weatherization)
July 1, 2004... Back in 1974, a fledgling low-income winterization program (a national DOE-sponsored weatherizaton program was not in effect; in fact, DOE didn't yet exist) was providing housing rehab services for low-income folks throughout a three-county...

What were they thinking?(House Doc)
July 1, 2004... Jim Gordon, a weatherization coordinator in Roosevelt, Utah, sent this photo to me. "On March 29, one of our clients called and told us that their furnace was not working, so we sent [two of our crew] to look at it and see if they could...

Lean and green.(New Construction)
July 1, 2004... Southern California has not historically practiced sustainable development, particularly in building large-scale communities. However, as consumers become aware of the benefits of green communities, and as developers realize the market appeal...

Heating with oil--new developments: because of new burner technologies, low sulfur fuels, and bio fuels, North Americans are finding out what Europeans have known for a while--heating with oil makes good sense.(HVAC)
July 1, 2004... Over the past several years, there has been an evolution in heating oil technology that will affect heating efficiency, emissions, and appliance configurations. Condensing boilers and furnaces have brought a significant increase in efficiency...

Designing and installing solar water heating systems: Tucson's Civano Community is a sustainable success--but its solar hot water systems could be better.(Solar)
July 1, 2004... In the Community of Civano, on top of garages and homes, dark, rectangular boxes bask in the Arizona sun. They are integral collector storage (ICS) panels, facing south and tilted at 35[degrees] up from horizontal to harness solar power to heat...

The Chicago green bungalow project: the Chicago bungalow has been around for a century. A Green Team is working to make sure these houses last for another hundred years.(Green Rehab)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2004... The Chicago bungalow has played a defining role in the history of many Chicago neighborhoods. Between 1900 and 1940, this middleclass home, with its solid exterior and comparatively spacious rooms, served developing communities as Chicago...

Weatherizing mobile homes: while weatherizing between 400 and 500 mobile homes every year, The West Virginia Weatherization Assistance Program has gotten enough practice to practically perfect the art of transforming leaky, uncomfortable mobile homes into models of efficiency.(Mobile Homes)
July 1, 2004... West Virginia, in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, is often thought of as a state with a lower than average per-capita income, so it comes as a surprise to most people that it has one of the nation's highest rates of home ownership. One...

Effects of vegetation on residential energy consumption: maybe what we think about trees, shading, and energy efficiency isn't quite true.(Landscaping)
July 1, 2004... Several studies have suggested that trees can dramatically reduce residential energy consumption. The type of vegetation--ground cover, shrubs, trees, or a combination thereof--and the proximity of the vegetation to the structure, will...

His own brand of marketing.(Field Notes)
July 1, 2004... Getting a home's performance problems treated in a systematic way requires leaping two hurdles. First, contractors need to be trained to use a whole-house approach; second, customers need to be trained to appreciate the value of whole-house...

Everything but the PVC.(New and Notable)
July 1, 2004... A house totally free of PVC and vinyl has been designed and built in Louisiana--the heart of the nation's PVC industry. The building of the unique house was sponsored by Greenpeace, the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, and the Healthy...

Solar for all.(New and Notable)
July 1, 2004... In a recent column on SFGate.com, Carol Lloyd wrote, "Like organic groceries, electric vehicles and other accoutrements of an environmentally conscious lifestyle, solar energy is usually regarded as a luxury. An enlightened luxury, perhaps, but...

Clean air in Florida homes.(New and Notable)
July 1, 2004... For Floridians, newly published standards should result in houses with excellent indoor air quality, where allergy or asthma sufferers can breathe easier. The standards were created by a Florida Solar Energy Center Building America team....

New national A/C standard.(New and Notable)
July 1, 2004... The DOE announced this spring that it will enforce a seasonal energy efficiency rating (SEER) standard of 13 for residential central air conditioners. This standard, which will apply to central air conditioners starting in January 2006,...

Calendar.(Calendar)
July 1, 2004... July 11-14 Solar 2004:A Solar Harvest, Growing Opportunities, Portland, Oregon. Contact: American Solar Energy Society, 2400 Central Ave., Ste. G-I, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: (303)443-3130; Fax: (303)443-3212; Web site: www.ases.org. ...