11.30.2009

More Shades Up

In October, my dear husband put up more of the honeycomb shades in the kitchen, the office, and our bedroom. In all three rooms, they replaced blinds, which don't insulate well at all, and were heavy and hard to open and close properly. These cellular shades have a push button and operate like a dream and we have really enjoyed them since then. I was concerned I would miss the ability to tilt slats to adjust the light incrementally, but I don't think I have. In the kitchen, I raise them for the plants and it's nice to see outside more easily. In the office, I open them for me and then I close each (there are two) alternately as the afternoon sun hits. Even when they are closed, there is lots of nice light since they are filtering rather than darkening. In our bedroom, there are sheer draperies over them, and it's great to have two insulating layers while relaxing in soft, uplifting light.

9.30.2009

Wind Energy: Cheaper than the Standard Electric Mix

wind_turbine_green
Updated March 31, 2010
We'd been buying 100% wind-generated electricity from Commerce Energy. Last month we paid 11.2 cents per kilowatt hour, which is less than the 11.97 cents per kWh that our distributor BGE charged for their standard mix of power sources including fossil fuels. When the last yearly contract ended, they switched us to month-to-month pricing, varying with the market. So I compared our options. (In Maryland and D.C., electricity is deregulated so you can choose your energy provider, while your energy distributor stays the same.)

I had read that Greenbelt Homes Inc., a co-op known for its practical citizenry, recommends a company called Clean Currents to their residents at http://ghi.coop/SDP/choosegreenpower.pdf. Clean Currents was listed on BGE's site for me to consider, so I did at http://www.cleancurrents.com/index.php/C-Green-Overview. And I chose to switch to them with a fixed two-year contract of 100% wind at 10.8 cents per kilowatt hour.

Last time I renewed our wind energy contract it cost more than the previous year, which surprised me, but I went ahead anyway. We're investing in clean energy as a practical matter and on principle. I've been pleased to notice more companies such as Pepco and Clean Currents offering wind power since then. I look for the Green-e certification for a respected third-party confirmation that a company is doing alternative energy right. This time we are able to save money over conventional sources. 100% wind electricity now feels really good in terms of both carbon neutrality and wallet leniency.

7.31.2009

A Marriage of Insulating Drapes and Honeycomb Shades

drapes
The draperies we put up as our second layer over the honeycomb shades in the living room are 100% silk with brushed insulating 100% cotton flannel interlining. I bought them at Tuesday Morning. So we have the two layers over the window, and the natural fibers hopefully won't give off any indoor air pollution. They are not as room darkening as the polyester-lined draperies intended for that. So they aren't keeping out quite as much light and therefore heat this summer, but the room is a bit cheerier to walk through in the daytime even with everything all closed up.

6.30.2009

A Peace Lily to the Rescue

Since we both have allergies, we used to use an air purifier with a HEPA filter. It had an ionizer that made the dust drop to surfaces, but I read on Consumer Reports online that ionizers create ozone, which isn't good for you. That purifier let you turn off the ionizer and still run the HEPA filter, so we did that. After the unit stopped working, we didn't replace it. Then I was given a peace lily and I learned that peace lilies purify the air. Without using any electricity. And it's much prettier than the electric kind.

OK, it doesn't filter dust. We have a furnace filter doing that now anyway, and according to Consumer Reports, doing a better job of it than the air purifier. But the peace lily removes the toxic gases that furniture, drapes, carpet and computers often give off. And it creates oxygen. Makes me breathe easier.
Peace Lily

4.26.2009

Energy savings so far (sans dryer for five months)

Our Staber washer spins clothes and towels much drier than the old Whirlpool top-loader. This has been quite useful since the old dryer quit working in November. We decided to hold off on buying another dryer and see what it was like to just hang everything to dry. Why not save some more energy, at least for a few months? The dryer is electric, so the savings are shown on this chart of our electricity use (in kWh).
Electric_use_without_dryer

The wood drying rack we set up as needed in the master bedroom for delicates was no longer enough, so Santa brought us another one like it. We've been hanging shirts and pants to dry right on their hangers and perching them on the molding above the closet. Everything has dried just fine, except the old, thin towels which become like cardboard. The newer, fluffy towels are soft after air-drying. We noticed a little bit of added humidity in the bedroom, which was very welcome in the cold, dry months. We may move the drying clothes to a bathroom or the kitchen or possibly outside if the humidity becomes bothersome as the weather gets warmer.

This updated chart shows our natural gas use (in Therms) for heating over the same period.
Gas use update April 09

3.28.2009

Honeycomb Shades Insulate Better Than Blinds

honeycomb shades
Our energy auditor said that our home's original windows, including storm windows, were fine. As far as windows go. Even two panes of glass do not give you close to the insulation value (or R-value) of an insulated wall. He suggested that "shades and drapes" would be a good cost-effective solution to better insulate the windows than our blinds. Traditional blinds, with gaps between every row, do not create a solid cushion of air between the window and the room.

My Internet research indicates that the cellular shades (the pleats have a honeycomb shape if you look at them from the side) are probably the most insulating type of shades available. I found Redi Shade cellular fabric shades that you cut to size yourself at Costco and at Tuesday Morning. These have a single layer of cells and let in a nice glow of light. Cellular shades with a second layer of cells darken rooms and offer more insulation. I also found a cellular shade/blind combination that looks promising.

We put four of them up in the living room with relative ease (we used the brackets so we can take them down to paint instead of the adhesive option, which would have been really simple). They look great, and a great deal better than the old blinds. They are cordless and pressing the button to raise and lower them is fun and easy. We put up draperies too, so that is our second layer.

We've been opening the shades and drapes up and letting the daylight warm the house. We used to open, but not raise, the old blinds in that room and it's been great to have an unobstructed view of the trees and grass waking up for Spring. We haven't put all of the shades up yet, but I look forward to have a tighter building envelope at night while it's still cold. I hope to open them after the heat of the day in the summer, to continue enjoying the nice views.

2.28.2009

To Cover and Insulate the Attic Door

attic door cover in place
During our energy audit, Thom said that an attic door opening loses a lot of heat and the usual sealing and insulating methods don't address that. I said that Battic Door, the company that makes the fireplace damper pillow we bought, also makes an attic door cover (hence their name). He said the low cost made that worth trying.

Using the instructions at http://www.batticdoor.com/StairCover.htm, I measured the attic opening. I chose the cover with the reflective shield and insulation. It came within two days. Once assembled, it would be too big to get through the opening, so I took the pieces into the attic, folded the cardboard into a box, set the insulation into the reflective cover and then slid the box into the tight, shiny cover. I couldn't set it in place immediately, though, because the top of the cover, which is taller than I realized with the insulation added, was too tall on one side of the opening for the slanted beams.

I used a couple of other boxes to test how to easily make one end of the box fit the angle. The hammer method just made a hole. Making two cuts, refolding and using a lot of mailing tape did the trick. Now the cover fit under the slanted beams to seal the opening. I put the weatherstripping that came with it where the cover meets the wood around the opening. Before it was set in place, I could feel plenty of cold air coming down through the open door, but not anymore. I folded up the stairs and closed the door and it fit.

To put away some boxes, I lifted the cover to one side. The next time, my husband suggested I prop it up at an angle using a mop instead, which gave me more room to move boxes. We're pleased with the attic door cover and I highly recommend it.

1.31.2009

Caulking the Caulk: The Gap around the Fireplace

wall to brick fireplace
One of the items on our audit to-do list was to caulk around the fireplace and the sliding glass door. The day of the audit and on a few cold days since, my hand felt a steady stream of cold air along the edges of both. The molding around the brick face of the fireplace fit well and I did not want to mess up the look.

I bought a tube of nontoxic caulk: Geocel Quick Shield VOC-Free Sealant. I had someone with experience remove the trim around the brick to avoid damaging the wallboard. The gap along both sides was MUCH bigger than I thought it would be: almost half an inch wide. The gap revealed a cavity a few inches wide with NO insulation. So I bought a small bag of fiber glass insulation and we used it all in those spaces, then stuffed in foam backer rod (gray foam tubing) called Frost King Poly Foam Caulk Saver (1/2" diameter) and applied the caulk.
gap between wall and brick sealed
We put the molding back and it looks fine. We caulked a new white edge along the sliding glass door, too, and that looks much neater than it did. The caulk worked great with no smell and the tube said it will last 50 years. I now notice a remarkable stillness in those places.