Through the blogs on my web site I have shared my experiences of building and installing solar heating  for my workshop, solar heating for the water in our home and even a solar powered lawn mower conversion!  A solar powered attic vent fan helps reduce the summer heat in my workshop.

As of May 2008, I have started getting a lot of calls from people trying to figure out how to reduce their heating energy bills.  My suggestion is to get a home energy audit done by a professional.  Then tighten up the building envelope by improving or replacing leaky  windows and upgrading the building insulation.  I have posted instructions on how to make your own interior window insulation panels inexpensively here on my web site.  Windows represent up to 30% of the heating loss in an average home.  By reducing heat loss you will see a dramatic savings in your heating bills.  This is the first step!  Then you can look at more expensive options like solar heating, but only after the envelope is well insulated.

When I first decided to put up this page, it took me months to think of all the things that we do that contribute to a sustainable way of life.  Many small things that my wife and I do  like composting or recycling ink cartridges escaped my notice for over a month because we never really think about it.

Below you can learn more about all the the many measures my wife and I have taken to live lightly on the planet.  Hopefully we will inspire many others to do live more sustainably.  Most are small, simple things that are easy or inexpensive to do.   Drop me a line or call if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

If you need green supplies then you should pay a visit to the F. W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies store in Brunswick.  It is the only such store in the midcoast Maine region.  You can compare compact fluorescent lamps, buy green cleaning supplies, flooring and much more!

Click the image to visit the store web site.

I also helped write their Sustainable Living Handbook

Some useful links to other sustainable living resources in no particular order:

• Midcoast Green Collaborative - a group that is promoting sustainable practices in Maine
• Solar Resources in Maine - green building, solar dealers, organizations
• Build It Solar - many interesting energy saving DIY projects, facts and info
• Home Power Magazine - essential reading for solar and sustainable energy enthusiasts
• Solar Today magazine - Industry news from the American Solar Energy Society
• DSIRE - Rebates and incentives for installing solar equipment by state
• Cheapest solar panels - page that tracks solar panel retail prices
• Find Solar - locate a solar dealer or installer in your area in the US
• Sustainable by Design - shareware tools for passive solar home design
• Window Insulation Panels - triple the U value your windows
• DIY Window panels - affordable version of the commercial product you can make yourself
• Compact Fluorescent Facts - what you may not know

A 2 HYBRID VEHICLE FAMILY

In 2001 my wife replaced her Acura Integra with a Honda Insight.  This vehicle has consistently achieved an average of 58 MPG while also being an Ultra Low Emission vehicle.  We love driving this sporty stick shift car and use it as our primary vehicle.   Unfortunately Honda stopped making them in 2006, but their Civic Hybrid gets 50MPG and is still available as it the very popular Toytota Prius

In May 2008 I purchased a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid.  I got the 4 wheel drive model (the 2WD gets better mileage, but I couldn't find one).   I have gotten up to 40 MPG on some trips, but the average per tank is about 28.5.  It is the most fuel efficient SUV on the road and also has the cleanest emissions.  It is made in a plant that is carbon neutral and even the upholstery is made from recycled plastic, and the seat cushions are made of soy based foam!  It is a thrill to cruise through town at under 25MPH entirely in electric mode (I call it "stealth mode"!).

Both vehicles are rated as ULEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) by the California CAFE standard

IMPROVING GAS MILEAGE

Right after I got the Escape Hybrid I bought the ScanGauge II Automotive Computer since my Escape model did not come with the fancy computer console.  It plugs into the car's OBDII computer port (under the dash) and mounts to the dash with velcro.  It provides four simultaneous real time displays of such things as MPG, engine RPM and load, cost per mile, fuel per trip, fuel remaining, miles remaining and other useful info. The built-in Scan Tool allows you to read trouble codes and diagnose potentially expensive problems before they get out of hand.

I use it to learn how to squeeze every last drop of gas from the Hybrid.  Some so-called "hypermilers" gave achieved over 70 MPG with the Escape.  I'm happy if I can get an average of over 30MPG.

TIRE INFLATION

If your tires are low it can cost you as much as 3% of your gas mileage.  In order to remind myself to check tire pressure I installed these neat little gauges on the stems that are green if the pressure is good and red it it's low.  A set of 4 retails for around $20.00.

circular fluorescent
30Watt = 150W light

regular incandescent

CFL flood light

regular CFL

COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHTS

When we bought our new home in 2001, the very first thing we did was replace all the lighting.  Most of the ceiling fixtures used 100 Watt light bulbs.  We replaced the fixtures with attractive ones that use 30 watt circular fluorescents with efficient electronic ballasts, available from Energy Federation Inc.   These fixtures produce the same bright warm colored light as a 150 Watt incandescent lamp (2000 lumens) and last 10,000 hours.  Of course we turn them off when they are not actively needed.

We also replaced the 100 Watt recessed flood lights in the kitchen with CF flood lamps that consume only 15 Watts each yet are just as bright.  They are available in warm and cool colors.

We even replaced the 40 watt bug lights on the porch with 6 Watt CF lamps and put both on light sensors so they turn off when it's light outside in case we forget to turn them off.

In the bedroom and dining room we installed dimmable halogen fixtures so that we can create ambience.  Halogens are more efficient than regular incandescent lamps especially when dimmed down as ours often are.

In 2008 you can get a $2.00 per lamp rebate from the Efficiency Maine program which promotes the use of efficient appliances.

To learn more about CF lamps, read this page of Compact Fluorescent Facts.

LED FLUORECENT REPLACEMENT LIGHTS

In my office I recently replaced 2 - T8 4ft. fluorescent tubes with ones that use LEDs.   Each 18 Watt tube replaces a 40 Watt one and produces  the same amount of light.  These new units are expensive at around $50.00 per tube, but they will last much longer and contain no mercury.  They are available in cool and warm colors.  Unfortunately you need to re-wire the fixture to use them.  The ballast must be removed and the 120V power wires need to connect to each end of the tube directly.

EFFICIENT NIGHT LIGHTS

We use these inexpensive electroluminescent night lights throughout the house, they use less than a penny worth of electricity per year.  They sell in packs of 2 or 3 at most home supply and hardware stores for under $10.00 a pack.  While not quite as bright as a night light with an incandescent lamp, they serve the purpose very well. 

By comparison a typical 7 Watt night light left on all day wastes 168 Watts/day or over 5 Kilowatts a month! 

outlet strip
 

"wall wart"

PHANTOM LOADS

We plug our entire TV and stereo equipment stack into an outlet strip with a single switch so we can turn it all off when it's not in use.  Stereos and any device with remote control - like VCRs and DVD players all stay on all day waiting for the remote signal, this is called a "phantom load".  That can add up to a lot of power.  Our combined stereo equipment and TV uses about 12 Watts when it is "off", that's over 8.6KW per month that would be going to waste if left on!  (see below)

Any electronic device that uses a wall adapter (engineers call them "wall warts") is a potential phantom load that can be switched off with an outlet strip or un plugged when the device is not in use.  Of course cordless phones and answering machines must be on all the time.

MEASURING ELECTRIC LOADS

A while ago I purchased a Kill-a-Watt Meter, a simple device that sells for $20-30.  You plug your appliance into it and it displays, Watts, Amps, Volts and Watt hours amongst other things.  Leave your appliance plugged in for a day to see how many KW it consumes!  It will record how many hours it measured.  Here are some readings I took of our stereo equipment:

MONITORING ELECTRICAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION

I got a Blueline Power Cost Monitor that allows me to monitor the energy consumption of the whole house in cents/hour and cumulative by the month in dollars and KiloWatts.  A sensor mounts to the electric meter and sends real time electric usage information to the portable monitor up to 100 feet away.

This tool allows us to see when we are using a lot of energy and helps us to figure our how to reduce energy by showing relative consumption on a bar graph.  It also shows energy cost since it was last reset, I reset mine at the beginning of each month and compare readings to my bill.  OK, I admit it!  I'm an energy geek!

SAVING POWER WITH TIMERS

I have plugged my internet router and wireless adapters into a timer that shuts them off every night to save power.  Another one in the house turns off my light sculptures and decorative lights after midnight.

The timer that I found uses very little power and has a battery backup so it never loses time, it is available from Harbor Freight for under $10.00.

PROTECTING ELECTRONICS

If lightning hits your home or power lines you could lose all your electronic equipment.  Think of what that would cost to replace, and the potential data loss from computers!  But most importantly all the destroyed equipment would end up in the land fill!

I installed 3 devices from Delta Surge Protectors, 2 go in the circuit breaker box and one in the telephone interface box.  In spring 2007 we had a massive lightning storm and 2 strikes right on the power line that damaged the pole transformer for our house.  The surge protectors saved all our equipment except the cable modem - the surge came in the cable wiring.  This is the best insurance you can buy for your equipment.

OUTDOOR LIGHTING

The path from our house to my workshop is over 70 feet,  on a moonless night it is totally dark our here in the country, so I installed several solar powered floodlights to light my way.  These inexpensive lights use a solar panel to charge a battery inside in the daytime, then turn on automatically at dusk.  Depending on how much sun they get during the day they will vary in brightness and duration at night.

To light our parking area so that we can see to unload our vehicles I installed a motion sensor flood light that turns on for only 5 minutes at a time.  This saves more energy than one that turns on at dusk and stays on all night.

GREEN SOURCED ELECTRICITY

With 2 home businesses and 2 full time residents we consume an average of 600KWh/month which is less than an average household (880KWh in 2006).

Several years ago when it became available through Maine Renewable Energy due to electric supply deregulation in Maine we signed up for electricity that is 100% renewable, AND 100% emission free.  Our electricity is produced exclusively from wind power with no harmful air emissions, which means NO contribution to global warming. 

Another option that we have not yet pursued is to purchase wind energy credits called "Wind Watts" through Maine Clean Power.

ENERGY STAR APPLIANCES

Our major and smaller appliances all have good Energy Star ratings for efficiency.  For instance our refrigerator which has a freezer on the bottom with a separate door consumes and average of 225 Watts when running.  Refrigerators are one of the biggest electrical energy users in the home and replacing old ones can have a dramatic impact on reducing your electric bill.

LCD COMPUTER MONITORS

My 20" computer monitor only uses 29 Watts, compared to a similar sized glass CRT screen that can use more than 10 times as much energy!   We also use laptops as much as possible for their convenience and low power consumption (about 20 watts).  Below my monitor is a power strip that allows me to turn off my printers and other accessories when I am not using them.

I also use a free software tool from www.localcooling.com that optimizes my computer's power settings and reports on-screen the energy saved.

USING ENERGY SAVER OPTIONS

Our dishwasher has energy saving features that allow us to set it for Air Dry which does not use the 500 Watt heater.  We also use the Normal Wash setting most of the time to reduce energy as it is a shorter cycle that also uses less water.  Incidentally using a fully loaded dishwasher uses considerably less water than washing them by hand, so we use it for most of our dish washing needs.

LOWERED HOT WATER TEMPERATURE

Like most water heaters, ours came set at a default of around 130F.  I lowered if to 115F to reduce our propane consumption.  (This was before I installed the solar collectors).  This is a perfectly comfortable temperature for bathing. 

If you find that you add cold water when washing or showering, then you can turn down the thermostat on your water heater to the point where you no longer add cold water.  This will save all the energy that goes to waste heating water above the temperature that you actually use.

Some folks like a hot shower, but keep in mind that 130F water can scald you in 20 seconds!

solar collectors on wall

water heater and
solar storage tank

SOLAR WATER HEATING

In July 2006 I purchased and installed a complete solar kit that augments the propane domestic hot water heater.  The solar collectors mounted on the south wall of the house pipe heat into a 40 gallon storage tank when the sun is shining.  This tank feeds into the propane water heater which now runs much less often.

 Solar water heaters are one of the simplest, and least expensive ways to reduce energy in your home with an average installed cost of $4-8000.  The design goal is to reduce the energy required to heat water by 75% per year, with a 90% savings in the summer. 

My system cost me $3200 but my net cost after Maine State's 25% refund and the 30% Federal tax incentive was $1440 (not including installation which I did myself).   To learn more about solar incentives visit the DSIRE web site for state by state listings.

To find a solar installing contractor in your area, click here.

CONSERVING HOT WATER

Like many houses, our main bathroom is at the far end of the house from the water heater.  A total of about 45 feet of copper pipe that must be heated before hot water arrives at the faucet.  This takes over a minute - longer in colder weather.  This wastes a lot of water as we run the shower and wait for it to warm up!

I installed a pump made by ACT, Inc. Metlund Systems (and also by Taco), both systems sell for around $330.  This unit conserves energy by pumping hot water up to the faucet at the press of a button - and re-circulating it back to the water heater, it shuts off once the water is hot enough, typically in less than a minute.   Click the image to learn more.

LOW FLOW SHOWER HEAD

We installed a low flow shower head that I measured at 1.6 Gallons per minute yet it has good pressure and an invigorating spray.  For reference a few years ago average showerheads delivered about 5 to 8 gallons per minute (gpm) at 80 psi (normal city water pressure).  The current standard for low-flow heads is 2.5 gpm at 80 psi.  The pressure from our well pump is a nominal 45psi which aids in reducing flow. 

A 10 minute shower in our home uses about 16 gallons vs 50 gallons at 5 gpm, or 25 gallons at 2.5 gpm.  Here is some interesting info about low flow shower heads.

We could think of our well water as "free" until we consider the 1600 Watt well pump and the cost to run it.

EFFICIENT CLOTHES WASHER

We purchased an ultra efficient washing machine in 2001.  Staber washers use 67% less water, 50% less energy, and 75% less detergent compared to traditional top load agitator washers. It is the only top load horizontal-axis washer made in the U.S. There are also many design advantages compared to front load washers.

While these units are pricey at around $1300, the energy savings pays for it rather quickly.  It saves electricity on our well pump which is a significant energy user (240 Volt, 1600 Watt), not to mention propane used for water heating and electricity costs to operate the washer.

RAIN BARRELS

We have 2 50 gallon rain barrels that we use in the warmer months, one that captures water from the house roof, and one from my workshop.  We use it water to water the garden and vegetable beds to reduce the load on our well pump. 

Our first barrel was an expensive "Y2K preparation" barrel ($90.00 in 1999!).  I made the second one from a surplus 50 gallon plastic barrel painted dark green to prevent the sunlight from causing algae growth.  I attached a hose spigot at the bottom, and raised it on bricks so it was above the level of the garden to improve the flow.  A cover prevents debris from entering.

A company in Maryland called Aquabarrel sells barrels and kits for conversions along with downspout adapters etc.

SOLAR HEATING

In 2001 I built a solar augmented heating system for my workshop.  You can see all the details of that project on my site.  Solar heated water is used to heat the radiant concrete floor via tubing embedded in the concrete.  This system has significantly reduced my use of propane for heating the building.  A tankless propane heater augments the stored solar heated water as needed.

To find a solar installing contractor in your area, click here.

PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS

In my workshop I installed 2 digital programmable thermostats.  I set back the heat outside my business/working hours to save heating energy when I'm not using the space.  There are 3 types available: 24 hour, weekday/weekend, and 7 day timers.   My thermostat allows me to set 4 different temperatures at 4 adjustable times each day on weekdays and different settings on weekends.

BUILDING INSULATION

When I converted my open barn to a heated work space, the first thing I did was to contract the installation of spray in isocyanurate foam (Corbond) that completely seals the building with high R value insulation (R7.5/inch).   My workshop is considered "super insulated" with R30 walls and R45 roof, and it is very well sealed around doors and windows.

For new construction I recommend spraying in 1 to 2" of foam and then adding fiberglass over that.  This yields the best performance characteristics of both types for the best price per dollar in my opinion.  Another popular choice is blown in cellulose.

The single best way to reduce your heating and cooling energy costs is to insulate your building well.  Most buildings are poorly insulated and have many air leaks that allow heat to escape.  You can get a free energy audit from most utility companies which may include evaluating the insulation of your building.  Simply sealing the cracks around doors and windows can dramatically reduce your heating costs -- see below.

ADDING EXTERIOR INSULATION

To improve the insulation of the exposed concrete walls of our daylight basement, I added 4" of rigid foam insulation to the outside.  This adds about R24 to the wall and should prevent it from remaining below freezing for much of the winter.  It's a simple and relatively inexpensive process to add rigid foam to any exterior wall and the benefits can be significant in cold climates.

WINDOW INSULATION PANELS

Windows are the single largest source of heat loss in most homes.  The folks that built our home in 2000 installed very good  Marvin windows.  These units are wood framed with tightly sealed vinyl sliding sliders and they have dual pane low E glass filled with inert gas.  With all these features they have a very high R value (about 2.5) and low air leakage.

My workshop came with very inexpensive wood windows that were loose fitting and drafty.  In the winter I seal them from the inside using AEP window insulation panels.  These light weight double glazed plastic panels clip onto the inside of the window frame like a window screen and form an airtight barrier that seals the window with double pane plastic.  At around $9.00 per square foot they represent the least expensive off-the-shelf solution for leaky windows in older homes. 

In February 2008 we installed these panels throughout the ground floor of our home, click here to learn more.

MAKE YOUR OWN INEXPENSIVE
WINDOW INSULATION PANELS

In July 2008 I decided to make an inexpensive version of the production window panels above for friends and neighbors.   The cost of materials is under $1.00/sq.ft. (compared to over $9.00/sq.ft.) and they are just as effective and almost as attractive.  The projected heating cost savings for single pane windows in Maine is around $10 per square foot in the first year for leaky single pane windows, around $4 for good double pane windows. Click here to learn how you can make these yourself.

INSULATING WINDOW SHADES

Our passive solar home has many windows in the master bedroom and 1st floor living/dining area.  Even though we have the best windows we can afford - double pane, gas filled, low-E, wood framed with sealed vinyl sliders the R value is still below 3.

We installed high R value pleated honeycomb window shades in all 5 windows of our bedroom that add about R4.6 to the windows when they are lowered fully.  They are made to order by Symphony Shades.  Each shade comes with side tracks that hold the shade and prevent air leakage around the sides.  Symphony shades are expensive but they will dramatically reduce our heating  loads in the winter, so we should recover the cost in a few years.  They are available in various styles from light filtering to room darkening, with a range of decorative colors to choose from.  We chose room darkening ones so that we can sleep in after the sun is up.  We are very pleased with these attractive units and they seem to work very well - at least the propane monitor room heater seems to run a lot less in the winter.

SOLAR CHARGED LAWN MOWER

In 2005 I converted a 22" gas lawn mower to use a battery powered DC motor that charges from solar power.  This means that I am eliminating one one the most polluting machines that there is since there are no emission controls on small gas engines.  Also my mower is much quieter and uses free energy!  Click here to learn more about how I did the conversion.

CORDLESS YARD TOOLS

I have use our Ryobi cordless weed whacker since 1999 and it is still going strong on the original lead acid battery.  It runs for over an hour on a charge. 

In 2007 I purchased a cordless chain saw that runs for 5-10 minutes on a charge.  It's enough to cut small trees and large fallen branches up to 8" diameter for firewood or simple pruning.  And no gasoline or pollution!

compost jar

envirocycle composter

COMPOST

We cook mostly vegetarian meals, and keep a compost container on the kitchen counter.  All our vegetable scrap goes in this well made ceramic jar which has a lid with a carbon filter in it to reduce the smell.  Of course we try to empty it before the point where the contents start to rot!

We dump the contents into our EnviroCycle composter which sits at the corner of our front porch.  This is the best unit we have found since it is so easy to use, just turn it over 3 times every so often to mix the contents.  There is no smell, and the roller base collects the compost "tea" which when diluted makes excellent fertilizer.  The compost itself gets dug in to our flower and vegetable beds.

HOME GROWN FOOD

We have 5 raised vegetable beds that we seed with various veggies including peppers, onions, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, peas, beans, chard and a variety of herbs such as basil, dill and rosemary.

We have 4 high bush blueberry bushes that produce a bountiful crop.  And our crab apple tree produces 70+ lbs of fruit from which we can make over 28 jars of crabapple butter per year (2008).

We also make an effort to purchase locally grown and organically produced foods from local farmers.

HEATING WITH CLEAN BURNING WOOD STOVES

We heat my wife's basement work space with a wood stove, and I also supplement the solar/propane heating in my workshop with a stove that I added in 2005.  There is a misconception that wood burning is bad ecologically.  Modern stoves are very efficient, do not produce much soot or smoke when operating correctly and they use a sustainable fuel.  I also improved the effectiveness of my workshop stove with a heat reclaimer as well.

In my wood working business I am able to burn a lot of wood scrap  from my furniture business.  I also gather standing dead wood from our woods and windrows that I cut up and stack inside.   By using dead wood that would otherwise be releasing carbon as it decays I am shortening the carbon cycle, using a carbon neutral heat source.

The house uses about 2 to 3 cords per winter and we purchase that wood in the spring and stack it outside so it is seasoned by the fall.

RECYCLING

Our town recycles cardboard, paper, newspaper, clear glass, plastic, tin and aluminum.  With 2 home offices we end up with a lot of paper that we can recycle.  Since we ship and receive a lot of goods, we re-use as many cardboard boxes as we can yet we still have a lot of packing materials to recycle.  We take our surplus packing peanuts and bubble wrap to the local shipping store for re-use.  In the winter we are able to utilize newspaper and cardboard to light our wood stoves as well.

RE-USING ZIP LOCK BAGGIES

By simply rinsing them out we re-use baggies many times over before they wear out or we leave food in them so long it gets moldy!  We use the stronger freezer type bags since they last longer.

PAPER OR PLASTIC? . . . NEITHER!

Both types of bag have trade-offs that are unacceptable.  We use cloth bags to carry our groceries, and re-cycle the plastic and paper bags from other stores.  Whenever practical I decline the use of a shopping bag from most stores.  Our local Shaws grocery has finally started selling green canvas bags emblazoned with their logo, we have several Trader Joes canvas bags we have had for years.

BATTERY RECYCLING

We also recycle all our rechargeable batteries by taking them to local drop off sites which are located in retail stores nationwide (including Radio Shack) that are organized by the RBRC.  Click here to find your nearest drop off site.  I have recycled batteries from laptops, emergency lights, cameras, power tools, cell phones etc.  Rechargeable batteries contain toxic cadmium, lithium, lead, acid and other chemicals that don't belong in our landfills.

Did you know that automobile batteries have been recycled for many decades?  They are one of the most recycled products in the world!

PRINTER CARTRIDGE RECYCLING

Since 1999 the US postal service has made free mailers available for returning printer cartridges for re-use.  The plastic mailers are typically located in the lobby, no postage is required.  We have recycled all our cartridges this way.

SEPTIC TANK

Every 3 years we have our 1000 gallon septic tank pumped out.  The company that provides this service delivers the contents to a processing facility that recycles the waste into fertilizer.  This particular form of recycling came as a surprise to us too!  Yes, I know, you're thinking "These guys even recycle their own shit!"