How Energy Efficient is your state?

I first heard about the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) list of energy efficient policies by state from Energy Circle.� When I click on the state I live in, Georgia, not too much comes up.� Mostly a bunch of info about what the state requires of utilities, but this isn’t ... continue reading

Source: http://blog.mapawatt.com/2011/02/24/how-energy-efficient-is-your-state/

heating repair heating repair Central Air Central Air

Consumer Reports' secrets to the perfect paint job

Ahead of the spring remodeling season, Consumer Reports has released its latest review of interior paints. We tested all the big names, including Behr, Benjamin Moore, and Valspar, as well as regional brands Pittsburgh Paints and California. And we welcomed back Martha Stewart, who returns to the paint aisle (at Home Depot) after a several-year hiatus. Choosing a top-quality paint is the first step to a perfect paint job. Our Ratings of nearly 70 models are broken down by finish: satin/eggshell (best for most applications), flat/matte (ideal for low-traffic areas), and semigloss (targeting trim, doors, and shelves). We recommend five or six models in each category at a range of price points. Note that even a top-rated paint may be lacking in one performance area, so it's important to weigh all of our test results. Once you figure out the best paint, execution is key. Painting is the closest thing in remodeling to instant gratification, but it does take a bit of time and attention. Just slapping the paint on the walls is sure to mar the finish (and possibly your floors and furniture as well). Here's what to do instead: Ready the room. Either remove furniture or pull it to the center of the space. Drape drop cloths over valuable items; canvas cloths can be reused but cost more than plastic ones. Protect floors with cardboard or brown paper, taping it in place to prevent slips and spills. Prep the surface. The goal is to establish a clean, stable, and smooth surface onto which the new paint can adhere. That will likely involve scraping away cracked or loose paint; dulling glossy areas with fine grit (#220) sandpaper; caulking cracks around doors and windows and where walls meet ceiling; removing dirt, grime, and hand prints with a household detergent solution; and wiping away any remaining dust or particles. Safety note: If your home was built before 1978, refer to the EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule. Choose the right tools. You might like the sound of natural-brisle brushes, but their hollow fibers tend to clump as they absorb latex-based interior paints. Synthetic-bristle brushes with a tapered end deliver cleaner, more consistent brush strokes. Dampen the bristles before use so they load the paint evenly. As for rollers, choose a synthetic-fiber, seamless roll with a short nap, no more than 1/4-inch. Apply it right. If you're painting over a properly-prepped surface you can probably skip the primer, especially if you choose a self-priming paint that scores well in our Ratings. Exposed wood or plaster, as well as heavily-soiled surfaces, should be treated with a stain-blocking primer. For the finish coat, start by cutting in a 2-inch strip around windows, doors, corners, and edges. Then fill in the fields with a roller. Follow a W-shaped pattern, which will distribute paint evenly and prevent drips and lap marks from marring the surface. ?Daniel DiClerico

Source: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2011/02/consumer-reports-reviews-of-interior-paints-.html

Heating Company HVAC Contractor Heating Contractor Oil Furnace

The Nutmobile: Mr. Peanut goes green with new set of wheels

Filed under: Biodiesel, Diesel, Etc., Solar, Vegetable Oil

Planters Nutmobile - Click above for high-res image gallery

Mr. Peanut can't be relegated to just any automobile. After all, as the face of Nabisco's Planters division and as one of the most beloved (though just a wee bit creepy, if we're being honest) mascots in American history, Sir Nut needs a ride suitable of his stature. And, since he's apparently over 12 feet tall and carries a six-foot-long cane, we're talking some significant stature.

Fittingly then, Planters has seen fit to replace Mr. Peanut's old set of wheels with a brand new Nutmobile. And this is no ordinary Nutmobile... if such a thing actually existed. Based on a 2011 Isuzu NPR truck with a diesel engine running a five-percent mixture of biodiesel (oddly, though, it's not actually nut-based), this latest Nutmobile will be making appearances all around the country to "promote the peanut lifestyle" and draw support for The Corps Network.

According to The New York Times, this latest Nutmobile is quite the green machine. In addition to the biodiesel blend, it features "a wind turbine, solar panels, LED interior lighting, recycled parts and wood floors reclaimed from a 19th century Pennsylvania barn." Guess it's not very nutty after all, is it?

[Source: Wired, The New York Times]

The Nutmobile: Mr. Peanut goes green with new set of wheels originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://green.autoblog.com/2011/02/23/the-nutmobile-mr-peanut-goes-green-with-new-set-of-wheels/

Oil Furnace hvac Heat Pump Heat Pump

Mainstream Energy Concludes 2010 with Record 60 Megawatts Sold

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mainstream Energy Corporation and its two subsidiaries, REC Solar and AEE Solar, each among the oldest, largest and most experienced solar energy companies in the country, reported record growth in 2010. Through its direct and indirect sales channels, 60 MW of commercial and residential photovoltaic systems were sold or installed nationwide, more than double over 2009. The company now employs more than 600 solar professionals in eleven states.
2010 was a remarkable year for Mainstream Energy?

The increase is due in part to the distribution arm of the company, AEE Solar, which boasts more than 2,000 customers ? installers, resellers and project developers ? in every state in the United States. The division saw a 250 percent year-over-year growth in East Coast markets alone and 78 percent increase in overall revenues.

Equally significant was the growth of REC Solar?s residential and commercial business. REC Solar maintained its momentum as one of the fastest growing installers in the United States and topped the California Solar Initiative (CSI) rankings as the state?s largest residential installer in 2010 for megawatts installed. REC Solar also signed agreements with a series of leading national retailers such as IKEA, Albertsons, Costco and Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets, and installed or was competitively awarded 10 MW of Federal government projects ? including a 2.9 MW carport-mounted installation for the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, one of the largest of its kind in the United States.

?2010 was a remarkable year for Mainstream Energy,? said Angiolo Laviziano, CEO of Mainstream Energy. ?Projects with leading partners such as IKEA and Costco clearly demonstrate the commercial viability of solar, and the phenomenal growth achieved on the residential side shows that homeowners understand the value and necessity of adopting renewable energy. We take special pride in the fact that our deployed solar modules will over the first 25 years of their operational lifetime result in avoiding three billion lbs of CO2 emissions, equivalent to planting 7.1 million trees.?

Kam Mofid, President of Mainstream Energy, added, ?In the past twelve months we made a number of significant changes to increase our capabilities, our market reach, and our ability to better serve our customers. I could not be more proud of our 600 employees and network of dealers across the country, and look forward to another record year in 2011.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/NrBn/~3/iJE1WUiGKYk/mainstream-energy-concludes-2010-with.html

Air Conditioning Furnace Repair Furnace Repair duct cleaning

It's hammer time: How we test door locks

Some of the testers in our labs have been looking downright menacing lately. Using hammers, drills, pipe wrenches and other tools, they are attacking a series of door locks that we?re testing for an upcoming report. After all, when you?re buying a lockset, the last thing you want is one that someone can smash off with a few swings of a hammer?or get past completely with a good kick to the door. Hammering out a lock (see photo) can be an effective way to gain entry in a secluded area where no one is likely to hear the noise. For our test, we hammer vertically on a cylinder using a modified sledgehammer that weighs about 29 pounds. Each lock gets 10 hits. Under such punishment, two locks broke off altogether. Others took the 10 blows but afterward allowed us access with a screwdriver. Among other tests, we assess kick-in performance using a metal pendulum of about 100 pounds. We lift it to a pre-determined height, then release it repeatedly against a 1 �-in. door secured by 2 x 4 studding. The pendulum hits a polystyrene-foam cushion that distributes the impact in the same way the sole of a sneaker or shoe might. We also try to get past the locks using a cordless drill, pipe wrench, water-pump pliers (channel locks), a reciprocating saw, a crowbar, picking tools (wielded by a local locksmith), and even salt spray. True, no burglar has the time to wait for a lock to corrode in the sea air. That test is for durability of the finish, which protects the lock in the long run. The door lock tests will be included in a package of stories that will be online and on newsstands in early May. (It?s the June issue of Consumer Reports magazine.) Also included will be home, auto, and online security. ?Ed Perratore

Source: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2011/02/how-we-test-door-locks-.html

Commercial Furnace Repair Commercial Furnace Repair Heating Ventilation Heating Ventilation

Say Goodbye to a Lightbulb We All Know and Love

You know which light bulb I mean. It is the one you burned your hands on when trying to unscrew it too soon after it’s been turned off. It’s the one you put in the lamp in your living room to read by in your comfortable chair; the one you use to light the stairways at night. It’s the 100-watt incandescent that uses practically the same technology put together by Thomas Edison in 1879. It’s a metal filament inside a glass vacuum that gives off light and heat when exposed to an electric current. Say goodbye. It’s out of our hands. It’s a goner. I’m guessing it won’t go quietly.

It’s a little late to say goodbye in California, where 100-watt incandescents have been effectively banned since January 1. The rest of the country will catch up to us next year, when the popular light bulb will be banned everywhere in the United States. It is not really an outright ban that is clearing the shelves of 100-watt incandescents in 2012, followed by the 75-watt bulb in 2013, and the 60- and 40-watt bulbs beginning in 2014. What’s killing the familiar bulb is an act of Congress that mandated efficiency standards that incandescents cannot meet: the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007. As the standard for watts per lumen (a measure of light output) become higher and higher, the familiar bulbs will begin disappearing from store shelves. It will be illegal to manufacture the less efficient bulbs in the United States or import them from abroad. A few special use incandescents will still be allowed, for example 3-way bulbs and appliance bulbs.

The most popular incandescents will gradually give way to more efficient halogen, fluorescent and compact fluorescent lights, and solid state lighting (SSL) devices like light emitting diodes (LED). The reduction in total energy use and green house gas emissions in the United States will be dramatic. According to an analysis by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) the efficient light bulb provisions of the EISA will reduce national energy use by 60 terra-watt hours (terra equals trillion) of energy and reduce national emissions by 12 million metric tons of carbon by the year 2020.

Incandescents are already banned in Europe, but according to Ira Eisenstein, writing in the Home Energy Pros blog space, some stores there are selling 100-watt incandescents under the name “100-watt heat source.” Look for the creative American mind and the market to come up with similar workarounds in the United States. But gradually the incandescent bulb will be a thing of memory, while cleaner, more efficient, and longer lasting light sources become much less expensive.

Source: http://www.homeenergy.org/blog.php?id=122

geothermal heat pump radiant heat radiant heat geothermal heat

Energy 101: Concentrating Solar Power

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO5rUqeCFY4&feature=youtube_gdata

Sun Pur Heating Mitsubishi Heating Lennox Heating Climate Master