An oversized furnace is a very wasteful shortcut taken by many LEED homebuilders and HVAC service providers. The result is that many unsuspecting homeowners are straddled with an appliance that overly dries their indoor air, wastes copious energy, and sends a lot of money right up the chimney. When it comes to heating appliances, bigger…
Author Archives: David Arthur
14
Nov
Nov
Condensation on the inside of your windows during the winter may indicate that you should look at upgrading your windows. More likely, however, water on the inside of your windows is a symptom of a completely different problem with your home.
09
Oct
Oct
Rainwater storage seems like a no-brainer. Rain falling on your roof is often whisked away the storm sewer where it has to be dealt with as waste. Meanwhile, you pay a small fortune to buy water for watering your lawn, irrigating your garden, or perhaps washing your car. The Original Rainwater Pillow could make serious…
04
Oct
Oct
The Kill A Watt Energy Meter is a simple and remarkably useful device for revealing how much appliances are costing you to operate. A few experiments with one of these meters have saved me hundreds of dollars in energy waste and hundreds more in unnecessary appliance upgrades that I probably otherwise would have made. A…
27
Sep
Sep
On September 24th, Tesla Motors revealed that it had been hiding a bit of a secret. It seems that the much anticipated network of Tesla electric car charging stations was not only designed and ready for construction, but a mini-network of an initial six stations was already operational in California, having been built in secret.
27
Sep
Sep
Blowing insulation into an attic space is a remarkably simple home energy retrofit project that can have truly enormous financial and energy saving payback. Insulation is one of the cheapest components of a home, yet has the largest potential for saving money over the course of the life of a building. In fact, many insulation…