heating

Author

There is no time left for magical thinking in US energy policy or personal energy behaviors. With some newfound maturity, Americans could cut their energy use in half today by making a few changes, among them:

Turn off lights when leaving rooms.

Dry laundry outside when weather permits.

Buy only high-efficiency products and appliances.

Use a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust home temperature.

Install insulation and seal home air leaks and save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs (energystar.gov).

Author

TERRY WEBSTER

Office of Energy Security, MN Department of Commerce

Summer

Keep cool and save with a ceiling fan. But turn the fan off when leaving the room. A ceiling fan only cools people, not the room.

Use window fans properly. Place them on the cool side of the house blowing in. Fans blowing to the outside, as well as attic and whole-house fans, can create dangerous backdrafts.

Save while you sleep. ENERGY STAR programmable thermostats save energy and money without sacrificing comfort.

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

ENERGYSTAR labeled products,
energystar.gov

Utility rebates and incentives,
dsireusa.org

Act Locally!

Minnesota Department of Commerce, Office of Energy Security,
www.energy.mn.gov

Author

MALCOLM BURLEIGH

Master Gardener

There is a significant lag between the annual amount of sunlight we receive and the temperature we experience. Mid-March gets as much sun as mid-September but the temperature difference is at least 30 °F. Growers can get a jump on the season by taking advantage of this discrepancy by constructing small enclosures known as cold frames which trap the heat and also insulate new plants.

Construction: The basic cold frame is a wooden box with framed glazing on the top. The box must be tall enough to accommodate

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Ed Hume Seeds,
humeseeds.com/cldfrm.htm

Act Locally!

The Solar Greenhouse Book, edited by James C. McCullagh, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1978.

Author

MARK SNYDER

Do it Green! Magazine

My journey toward geothermal climate control at my home in Minneapolis began some eight years ago, after my father installed a heat pump at his house in Andover, MN.

At the time, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical of the idea of actually being able to heat your home without burning some sort of fuel on-site such as natural gas, propane or even wood in a wood stove. This seemed especially unlikely in a climate like Minnesota's. I later visited my dad's house in the winter after his system was installed and found that it was actually quite comfortable.

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

How Geothermal Systems Work,
econar.com/howitworks.htm

Minnesota Homeowner Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency,
dsireusa.org/library/includes
/maphomeowner.cfm?State=MN

Read Up!

Geothermal Heat Pumps: A Guide for Planning and Installing, by Karl Ochsner and Robin Curtis, Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2007.

Act Locally!

Living Green Expo (sponsored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)
St. Paul, MN
651-296-6300 or 800-657-3864
livinggreen.org

Author

Todd Fink

Best Power, Intl.

If you already live a greener lifestyle by doing some of the simpler things like insulating your home, replacing old appliances with more efficient ones, driving less, and buying locally, then what is the next step? Maybe you can lower your greenhouse gas emissions by installing a solar water heater. Solar water heating is one of the least publicized but most cost-effective renewable energy options. According to Windy Dankoff of Conergy, solar water heaters capture six times more energy than solar electric at a third the cost. This is why solar water heating offers excellent economics.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Solar water heating system

 

Solar Dealers Directory
www.mnrenewables.org/explore/mnredealers.pdf

Solar Hot Water Heaters
www.eere.energy.gov/de/solar_hotwater.html

Minnesota Energy Info Center
www.commerce.state.mn.us

Solar Water Heating, Ramlow, Bob and Benjamin Nusz., New Society Publishers, 2006.

Best Power International
St. Paul, MN
651-428-8397
www.bestpowersolar.net