Energy Tip-Window Coverings

Do you ever get drug into the middle of an arguement or discussion between two friends? Well last week I got drug right into the middle of a discussion between some friends my family.

They were discussing if they should leave their blinds open in the winter to let some sunlight (heat) in or closed to keep the cold out. That is a really good question and if you do some research you will get different answers I am sure. Well I shared with them my "green" opinion, which was to open their South facing blinds in the day time and close them at night.

Well this ended up not being my buddies opinion, but rather that of his cute wife (so another win for the girls). I hated to take a side in this discussion and hope that just because my advice was not the one my buddy wanted to hear he wont write me off as a friend (haha).

There are several different window coverings out there and alot of the newer blinds and drapes actually seal off pretty tight to reduce drafts. The heat that you will gain through the glass during a sunny day will offset any heat that you may lose through the glass or window from the blinds being open. Of course if you have bad windows or leaky window frames then you may want to purchase a few tubes of silicone or caulk to cut down on the drafts around the window seals or even have the window replaced.

So my suggestions are:

1. Make sure your windows are not excessively leaky, if they are leaky you can do wonders with a couple tubes of caulk or call me and I will get you the name of a company that we refer for window replacements.

2. On Sunny winter days open the south facing blinds and use that big ball of energy in the sky for some free heat. This also gives you free room lighting and will lower the need for lights to be on in those rooms.

3. Close your blinds at night to add some extra insulation value to your windows.

If you have any green ideas or tips please share them with me.

Thanks

James

Green Tip-Electric Cars Are They Really Coming?

One of my favorite commercials on TV right now is the latest one that Nissan has rolled out. In this commercial it shows a polar bear (Aggie is the actual bears name in the video) sitting on a melting ice berg. Aggie then swims to shore, walks through town and goes up to a guy getting out of his new Nissan Leaf, an all electric car Nissan is manufacturing, and gives him a big hug. This commercial in my opinion is creative and also makes me think about My global footprint. The commercial also seems more realistic since we recently witnessed one of the largest oil spills or "oil gushes" in history. The images of the wildlife, beaches and businesses that suffered from the "oil gush" was horrible.

Well I do not know if electric cars are going to take over and replace the gasoline vehicles we drive today, but I do know that there is a lot of talk going on and Nissan is not the only player in the game. Electric cars are not a new idea by any means, in fact back in the early 90's California had a program going with GM and there were thousands of these cars on the roads. Where did they go? Well I am not sure but there is a real interesting documentary called "Who Killed the Electric Car". I have not found or seen any videos that represent any other opinions on what happened to the electric car program in California, so until something surfaces you will just have to draw your own opinion. If you don't want to watch the full 2hr version of the documentary, you can view a short portion of the video by clicking on this link: Who Killed The Electric Car, Youtube 

The negatives about the Electric cars, from what I have found has been the batteries and ability to charge the vehicles. A few weeks ago I attended a networking breakfast and ran into a guy who is with Lily Pad EV. Lily Pad is a distributor of Coulomb Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, they sale and install the charging systems that actually keep the electric cars going. Lily Pad has charging units that range in the ability to be mounted in your homes garage for a single vehicle, charging units that can be mounted at an office for multiple vehicles and also charging units that would have the ability to do a quick charge, just like we fill up our cars today. You can view their products on their website at LilyPad EV

So are electric cars really coming? Only time will tell, but for the sake of Aggie I sure hope they do.

If you have any energy or green tips you would like to share, please send them my way.

Thanks and have a great day,

James Gallet
Envirotech

Energy Tip- Clean Your Furnace

Did you know that your furnace and air conditioner accounts for up to 60% of your home's utility bills? Did you also know that if you equipment is dirty or slightly running a little rough it could be costing you additional money each month? Each heating season you need to have your furnace professionally cleaned by a licensed service company.

There are a few things that you as a homeowner can do to help with your system such as replacing you air filter at least every other month, visually inspecting the burner flame (it should be blue in color, yellow is bad) and also keeping items clear from the front and sides of the furnace. However a professional company will dis-assemble the furnace and clean it properly, inspect the heat exchanger, inspect the flue piping and fittings, test the ignition, ensure proper burning, inspect the electrical components, test all the equipment safeties and perform a carbon monoxide test.

I would say that utility savings is probably the second best reason to have your furnace cleaned and inspected every year, the first reason is safety. Each year over 500 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning, many which could have been prevented with a furnace clean and tune.

OK so most of my post are related to saving you money, conserving energy and helping the planet. Well this one is no different it is aimed at doing the same thing. However, in addition to conserving energy this post is directly related to my business as well (Envirotech Heating & Cooling), so if you decide to follow through with my advice on this post, just give us a call at 913-268-6700 or visit our website at www.envirotechks.com to schedule an appointment.

Here are some additional Safety Tips for you from the US Department of Fire Safety. 

• Never discard hot ashes inside or near the home. Place them in a metal container outside and well away from the house.

• Never use a range or an oven as a supplemental heating device. Not only is it a safety hazard, it can be a source of potentially toxic fumes.

• If you use an electric heater, be sure not to overload the circuit. Only use extension cords which have the necessary rating to carry the amp load. TIP: Choose an extension cord the same size or larger than the appliance electrical cord.

•Aviod using electrical space heaters in bathrooms, or other areas where they may come in contact with water.

•Frozen water pipes? Never try to thaw them with a blow torch or other open flame, (otherwise the pipe could conduct the heat and ignite the wall structure inside the wall space). Use hot water or a UL labeled device such as a hand held dryer for thawing.

•If windows are used as emergency exits in your home, practice using them in the event fire should strike. Be sure that all the windows open easily. Home escape ladders are recommended.

•If there is a fire hydrant near your home you can assist the fire department by keeping the hydrant clear of snow so in the event it is needed, it can be located.

FINALLY . . .

•Be sure every level of your home has a working smoke alarm, and be sure to check and clean it on a monthly basis.

•Plan and practice a home escape plan with your family.

•Contact your local fire department for advice if you have a question on Home Fire Safety.

LET'S ALL HAVE A SAFE AND HEALTHY WINTER.....James Gallet

Energy Tip- Recessed Can Lights

Have you ever been to a seminar or meeting and when you leave you are so pumped up to make a change in your life that you feel like someone has just refueled your engine?

Well I got my energy tank re-fueled last week when I got a visit from my good friend Dave Robinson. I have known Dave for several years now and see him as one of the sharpest guys I know.  He is definitely one of the most energy conscious guys I know, and has been a real cheerleader for me in my energy audit ventures. Dave sits on the California Energy Commission and is a local and national speaker in the "Green World". His latest business is purchasing old homes and making them energy efficient and them reselling them. His mission is to "Save the Planet, One Foreclosure at a Time". You can check his work out and follow his travels at www.greenearthequities.com

Dave and I were up into the late hours looking at energy blogs, websites and sharing our recent energy or lack of energy experiences. I got some great ideas and was put in contact with some items and tools that I have not been able to get my hands on in the past.

One item in particular is a recessed or can light cover. In the past, when performing energy audits I have suggested replacing old leaky can lights with airtight versions. Well I now have found a source for an airtight light cap that is placed over your recessed light in your attic. You can then insulate around and over the top of the light and eliminate the huge air leak that you get with the old style recessed lights. I have ordered a dozen of these covers and will be happy to share my experience with the product after they are installed next week.

Just a side note, when I perform an energy audit the biggest source of air leaks in a home are usually attic fans, can lights, fireplaces, cracks around doors and exterior wall electrical boxes. 

Thanks for the help Dave, and for putting up with the three crazy Gallet kids. We all look forward to breaking bread with you again soon.

Green Tip- School Lunches

So the kids are now back in school and the summer is winding down. That doesn't mean that our lives get any less hectic though, it just means we have a new set of task and obstacles ahead of us. I don't know why but the other day I was thinking about school lunches. I try to visit the kids at school and eat with them a few times a year and I recall alot of waste and trash that gets accumulated during lunch time. I am not just talking about food waste, which there is alot of, but also the trash that cold lunch or lunch from home can accumulate.

So I have came up with a few tips on how you can help reduce waste when you are packing your kids school lunch. So here are my recommended ideas: Eliminate plastic bags, plastic utensils, disposable containers, paper napkins and those brown bags. Instead use a reusable lunchbox, pack your kids a thermos or some type of reusable drink container, and try to send cloth napkins and silverware (I know they may no make it back home and this idea is pushing it).

From what I have seen and researched, by using reusable items you could save as much as $250 per year and over 80lbs in waste. WOW!!!!

Let me know if you have any "Green" ideas that you would like to share, I would love to post them on the blog.

James Gallet

Energy Tip-Ceiling Fans

Do you know which direction your ceiling fan should turn in order for it to do its job and be economically efficient?

Just the other day I had a friend of mine ask me this question, she was wanting to know for her house about the direction of her ceiling fan. I thought I knew the answer, but did some research to verify.

My short answer was this: During the summer, you should run the fan so that the breeze blows downward. This will create a wind chill effect, just like you get when you roll down your car windows while driving to cool you off. During the winter you should leave the fan off.

Durning my research I did however find some ceiling fan manufacturers websites suggesting that you run the ceiling fan so it blows downward in the winter. This idea is based on the fan mixing the warm air collecting at the ceiling and moving it back down to the perimeter of room in the winter, which would make the room warmer and need less heat from your furnace. But not trusting this advice, (remember ceiling fan manufacturers want the fans running continuously so they will eventually fail), I dug on and found some information on consumer reports that suggest that the draft caused by the fan can have a chilling effect on people in a room, in the winter. This leads to them turning up the thermostat and using more energy. So they too recommend that you not bother to reverse the motion of your fan—just leave it off during heating season. Note that there might be some situations where reverse operation would be beneficial, such as in a room with a wood stove running or a very high vaulted ceiling.

If you’re looking to lower your energy bills during the cooling season, use ceiling fans in rooms you are occupying and turn up the temperature on your A/C a few degrees and let the fan go to work. Remember that ceiling fans cool you and not the space you’re in, so turn them off when you leave the room for an extended time so as to not waste electricity.

Here is a ceiling fan shopping tip I ran across: Consumer Reports found that while the pricier fans did have fancier finishes, they didn’t necessarily provide better performance. What’s more, most fans performed similarly in their air-movement tests. I will tell you though that my kids' rooms have cheaper fans and very rarely get used due to the noise factor, where as my living room and bedroom fan gets used quite often and are very quiet in comparison.

Thanks Marsha for making me do some research; I hope this is helpful.

James Gallet
Envirotech Heating, Cooling and Energy Solutions

Green Tip- Beverage Packing

Well summer is here and a lot of times nothing sounds better to me than a nice cold drink. This is also a Holiday weekend so I thought I would share some interesting information that I found out about beverage packaging.

Did you know that the energy required to produce a single twelve-ounce aluminum can from virgin ore (new aluminum) is enough to produce nearly two new twelve-ounce glass bottles. That's right it takes twice as much energy to make a can versus a bottle. So the next time you buy a six pack of your favorite frosty beverage, opt for glass bottles over aluminum cans. The manufacturing energy conserved could power my Brother-in-Laws television setup through two Sunday, NFL game days. If 10% of beer drinkers replaced a six-pack of cans with six glass bottles, the energy saved could fly thirty thousand US Soccer fans to South Africa to watch the USA take on Ghana. Maybe then with all those extra fans the US would have came out with a victory.

So if you are planning on stopping by my house this weekend and want to treat me to a drink, Coors Light (bottles) will do.

Have a safe and happy 4th.

James