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Green Building Codes in New England

February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Paul Revere Statue

The New England states are all over the map as far as mandatory green building codes. Some have little interest, whereas others are progressive. I spent my first 33 winters in Connecticut and New Hampshire. I distinctly remember the last two weeks of January with lows of minus 20-40 degrees and a high rarely above 0 degrees. Bitter northwest winds after snowstorms made it unbearable to go outside. If any region should have energy efficient features built into their codes, it should be New England! Green … [Read more...]

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Green Building Codes In The Four Corners Region

February 1, 2012 By 3 Comments
Four-Corners-Region-US

A few years ago, as a real estate agent specializing in green homes, I was asked to be part of a steering committee to write a green building code for the town of Taos, New Mexico. A group of contractors, solar installers, architects and designers met with a consulting company for several months to find out what the industry would benefit from. Hours of brainstorming sessions and fine-tuning details led to the High Performance Building Ordinance of 2009. Taos was one of the first communities … [Read more...]

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Energy Efficiency Retrofits Work

January 25, 2012 By 1 Comment
Green home energy efficient retrofit

In 1999, I bought a rambling ranch house that was built in 1964. It was drafty and hard to heat. There was one sunny kitchen window facing east, but an abundance of big windows and a sliding glass door faced north to capture the mountain views. Somewhere along the line, an addition was put on, and the new floor plan did not allow for good air circulation. The place was hard to heat. I heat with wood, and I was burning seven cords a year in two woodstoves! As soon as I moved in, I added large sunny … [Read more...]

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The Energy Efficient Geodesic Dome Design

January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Geodesic dome 3

I was a young, naïve and impressionable college freshman in 1972. I felt like I’d been set free from the chains of high school and parents. There was so much to see, do and learn, I was like a child with eyes and heart wide open. My housemother was six years older than me. That seemed like a huge gap back then, and her energy was very maternal. She took me under her wing, and I looked up to her. In the spring of 1973, we visited some friends of hers who lived in a hippie community of geodesic … [Read more...]

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Energy Efficiency: What if Everyone Got An Upgrade?

December 9, 2011 By 2 Comments
Energy Efficiency Timed Thermostat Low Flow Toilets

When it comes to energy efficiency, we're all in this together. So, what would happen if we all decided to get an energy efficiency upgrade, like a timed thermostat in our homes? What about our water heaters? What if we all installed smart, on-demand heaters that only heated our water when we actually needed it? What about if we all decided that conserving fresh, drinkable water, since fresh water is dwindling world-wide, should be a top priority? And, even if all the tree-hugging isn't … [Read more...]

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Alternative Energy In Europe: Solar Power

November 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Solar Power in Europe

Our ideas about "progress" need an overhaul in the 21st century, with old ideas that have always been in place to be kicked to the proverbial curb. But, progress that keeps moving according to the signs of the times, and that changes approach when necessary is something we can still count on as making environmental, and financial, sense. As always, we need some innovative, and brave, examples of how this works. This is especially true when it comes to energy, and what the future will really look … [Read more...]

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Best Green Upgrades For Your Home

October 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Energy upgrades for your home

The 21st Century is a time of making the most of what we've got. But, that doesn't mean going without. It just means being smarter about how we approach the business of consumption, with sustainability, maximum use, and minimum waste firmly in mind. That is a huge part of what it means to live a more green lifestyle. As must be obvious by now, there is a distinct correlation between energy-efficiency, and budgetary efficiency. Perhaps you don't really need a blog, or a big colorful infographic … [Read more...]

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Solar Energy Round-up

October 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Photo: Undertow851, via Solar Dynamics Observatory

When Ronald Regan removed Jimmy Carter’s solar panels from the White House in the early 1980s, he said more research was in order before solar could be used. I knew this was BS. Solar has been powering satellites and providing power on our spacecraft since the '60s, according to NASA. Solar energy: fast-growing Solar energy is one of the fastest growing industries today, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Manufacturers, installers, … [Read more...]

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Vampire Power: How To Slay A Monster Energy & Money Guzzler

September 27, 2011 By 1 Comment
Vampire power

Halloween is just over a month away. But, that doesn't mean that there aren't shadowy creatures about, feeding on the lifeblood of the living. The "living" is you, the homeowner. And the lifeblood is our environment, and your pocketbook.  Who is this dastardly villain that draws life out of both your finances, and ultimately at our natural world as well? Energy enthusiast and writer Allen Green is here to talk about ways to ward off this lifeforce-draining bad guy, and offers you ways to help … [Read more...]

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Green Energy: Wind Energy Overview

September 16, 2011 By 5 Comments
Wind energy wind turbines

Renewable energy in general, and wind power in particular, is becoming more mainstream. There is support from the US government, and a lot of information for homeowners is available. Prices are coming down to make it more convenient to install a wind turbine. Renewable energy education needs to start with children, too! Here are some select examples of how wind energy is making inroads into the mainstream. *** The original wind turbine is the classic windmill of Holland. That same concept … [Read more...]

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