Energy Saving Curtains – I’m Loving Mine So Far

This week, the temperatures here in San Antonio dropped from a pleasant low 70s/high 50s range to yesterday, where the high was something like 48 and the lows got into the 20s.  Which means this week was my first chance to really test out how my new Energy Saving curtains really worked.

I love them.

Not only do these things block noise, which gives me a better night’s sleep, but the heater isn’t coming on nearly as much.  I haven’t got my new utility bill yet, but I know it’s going to be less – it’s that obvious. 

There are negatives, of course.  In the bedroom, I replaced some very pretty Battenburg Lace curtains with these babies, and the new ones are not as pretty and there’s a lot less light now.  I didn’t buy full blackout curtains, but these “energy savers” do make the room lots darker. 

This can be solved by a tie-back or two, so I’m not that concerned with this issue.  Truth be told, at night the thicker curtains make the room much cozier for sleeping than the lace curtains did.  I’m losing the beauty of the sunlight coming through the lace to get this, but right now I’m okay with it. 

I’ll keep you posted on what the utility bill does this month and next month, too.  I’ve been these curtains in most of the house now, so there should be a big difference. 

Video - How to Make a Solar Oven

and here's a short version of a nice homemade solar oven on wheels ...

ARE CLOTHESLINES ILLEGAL IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

When I was a newlywed, we lived in an old duplex and I remember hanging the sheets out on the ancient clothesline out back ... I think back to how sweet and soft those cotton sheets were, and how homey it made things. I have fond memories of that clothesline.

Today, I might be breaking the law for using it.

Apparently, all over the U.S. and elsewhere (Canada, for example) legislation as well as homeowner's association regulations, etc., have been implemented to purportedly protect property values. The Kansas City Star quotes one Baltimore, Maryland, resident complaining that a neighbor's use of a backyard clothesline "makes our community look like Dundalk."

Apparently, having to see your neighbor's clean laundry on the line quietly became unacceptable in modern society. Until now.

Slowly, communities are taking back their right to dry their clothes on a line in the back yard. Just last week, the New York Times reported on Southampton Town Board member Anne Throne-Holst, who successfully spearheaded a campaign to rescind the "anti-clothesline" legislation that had been on the books for six years.

In Colorado, the state legislature passed a new law that allows backyard clotheslines, effective this month (August 2008), as long as they meet homeowner associations' aesthetic guidelines.

Meanwhile, up north, those crazy Canadians are actually risking it -- it's being reported that they are just blatantly breaking the law, using their backyard clotheslines with pride.

Apparently, clotheslines are extremely controversial. So much so that an actual movement has been growing -- the 'Right to Dry' movement, where neighborhood by neighborhood, folks are standing up for their right to have and use clotheslines in their backyard in lieu of their electric or gas dryers.

So, are clotheslines okay in your neighborhood? Check with your homeowner's association, as well as your local representatives. Maybe you're forbidden to have one right now.

Cooking With the Sun: Solar Ovens

The first time I saw a solar oven was on Ed Begley, Jr.'s television show, "Living With Ed," and it looked like a cool science project -- no wonder Ed is friends with Bill Nye, the Science Guy (who's guested on Ed's show). Something fun for the kids sort of thing -- but now, with oil prices soaring, meaning electricity is costing more and more ... well, maybe solar ovens are something I should ponder more seriously.

Come to find out, solar ovens come in all shapes and sizes, and you can make one from some pretty cheap materials as well as buy one, ready-made. SolarCooking.Org gives all sorts of examples - square ones, round ones, collapsible ones, there's even one with dual settings.

Last year, America's Test Kitchen's Chris Kimball (the guy that's so hard to please) tried out several solar ovens for CBS's The Early Show --- he roasted a chicken, made some chocolate-chip cookies, and cooked up some rice along with some broccoli. The result? Stuff that slow-cooks well tends to be best for solar cooking: the roast chicken turned out well. The broccoli never made the grade. Seems there are variables to contend with: clouds passing over, the amount of sunlight available (10 to 2 are the best times, and some months are much better than others, you get the idea). The cookies? They did okay.

The USDA warns that "solar box cookers" may not get foods hot enough, or fast enough, to be safe from bacteria and suggests that everything be monitored with food thermometers. (Their microbiologists are concerned with how long foods stay in the "Danger Zone" of 40 - 140 degrees while in a Solar Box Cooker.)

Manufacturers are almost zealots in the marketing of their solar oven products. SunOvens sells its model for $279 online, and promotes its product as not only reducing one's energy footprint, but also helping rebuild deforested areas as well as women and children in developing countries.

You can also buy the Sport Solar Oven from the non-profit organization, the Solar Oven Society. It's $150.00 (includes shipping) and only weighs 10 pounds.

Finally, you can make one of these things pretty darn cheap. And easy. There are lots of sites that give instructions for this, but my favorite has to be the Pizza Box Solar Oven made by students at Union Elementary School in Montpelier, Vermont. Their site shows the kids lined up with their Pizza Box Solar Oven, and gives detailed instructions on how they did it. Maybe you can't roast a chicken in one of these things, but their mention of English Muffin Pizzas and S'Mores sounded like lots of fun ...

(Image: the Sport Solar Oven, sold by the non-profit organization, Solar Oven Society.)

Make Your Own Water Out of Thin Air

This gizmo may seem expensive (price is a little over $1000), but boy does this sound like a great thing to have. And, the possibilities it has for helping some third world countries is phenomenal -- as well as addressing those water shortages we keep hearing about ....

The Liquid-Air Water Generator literally takes the air surrounding it, and turns it into pure drinking water while cleaning up the air, as well. Use it indoors, you've got a nice water supply. Use it outdoors, you'll triple your volume.

Of course, this works better the more humid your environment. Those living along the Gulf Coast may fare better than someone in Phoenix, obviously.

The quality of the water generated by the Liquid -Air Water Generator is excellent, too: a series of filter remove dust, air particles, chemicals, and odors from the water -- and it automatically recycles whatever you don't use.

Considering this as an alternative to buying bottled water, and the cost doesn't seem as high.

Plus, think of how much this can help -- in 2002, a Houston firm contracted with the Liquid-Air manufacturer to ship a bunch of these WaterMakers over to Africa, at half-price. In Houston, they get around 4 to 6 gallons from a machine; in Africa's high humidity, estimated daily production per machine is 10 to 12 gallons. Wow. WOW.

Six Ways to Maximize Your Car's Gas Mileage

Of course, the best way to maximize your car's gas mileage is to use alternative transportation: subways, trains, buses, bikes, use your feet ... but if you live in some areas of the country (like San Antonio), mass transportation isn't always available as an option and you need to drive your vehicle. Fuel efficiency becomes very important when you have to drive to work or school. Here are some ways to help get the most bang for your gas buck:

1. Keep your tires inflated - a little bit extra helps. It takes more gas to drive a vehicle that does not have its tires inflated to the proper air pressure. What's the right pressure? Check the manual or the little sticker on the inside of your driver's door panel to find the number. Then, buy an air pressure gauge and follow the directions. Don't buy the cheapest model, either: a gauge that cost a bit more will be much more accurate.

There are also those who advocate putting a little extra air into your tires: it's true that a little bit over the manual's reccommended amount will not harm the tire and may help with mileage. It's also true that it means literally a little less rubber meeting the road, which makes for a slippery and more dangerous ride. Careful here.

2. Keep up with your regular car care (esp. oil, air filters, spark plugs). Change that oil every 3000 miles (there are all those quickie drive-thru places around town, this isn't that big a deal); and make sure you keep up with your manual's scheduled tune-ups, too.

Fresh spark plugs and air filters can make a big difference on mileage: change the air filter every 4 months, and if you want to be zealous about it, buy a cloth one instead of paper. They are more expensive, but they work better. (You can purportedly up your fuel efficiency by 10% just by changing out your air filters regularly.) Spark plugs should be replaced regularly as well. Again, don't go for the cheapest option: spark plugs are the gizmos that literally light your car's fire (actually, the air/gas combo in your engine) and those that do an efficient job of this make for better gas mileage.

3. Monitor Your Wheel Alignment. Just driving over a couple of surprising speed bumps in the road can mess with your car's wheel alignment. Potholes, jumping the curb, and just extended, normal driving can compromise wheel alignment - which essentially means that one of tires is wanting to go slightly one way, while the rest are wanting to go another. The result drains your fuel efficiency, as well as wears down the tires and makes the car a bit harder to drive.

How to check? In a careful section of road, point your car straight ahead and start moving forward. If the car turns itself to the right or the left, you've got an alignment problem. Get it fixed. It doesn't cost much.

4. Use Fuel Injection Formula. This stuff is a magic potion that is added to your fuel tank -- at some stations, it's offered as part of the purchase by those annoying automated voices. Cost is minimal, and the gook will go thru the fuel system, cleaning up the fuel injectors.

Why do you care? Fuel injectors should be spraying a mist of gas, not a splat - but that is what happens if they aren't really clean. Over time, they will get gunky. The Fuel Injection Formula cleans out that gunk. Wait though: once you've added it, you're not done. Get out on the road, and gun the engine a few times. Pedal to the metal, in a good way (don't go over the speed limit, of course) to get that potion circulating well. Do this monthly.

5. Drive Smart and Plan Your Routes. The faster you drive, the more gas you use. The more air conditioning you use, ditto. Stopping and starting in traffic just burns up your gas budget, as does rapid acceleration.

What to do? If you can, plan to run errands earlier in the day so you don't have to run the car's air conditioner the whole time. Take routes that keep you out of traffic jams and intersections where you know you'll take awhile to get thru the red light. Drive slower overall, and learn to keep some space between you and the cars ahead: it saves gas to slowly come to a stop when needed, instead of pushing (or slamming) the brakes so you can stay a maximum speed for as long as you can.

6. Get That Junk Out of the Trunk. Your car is a transportation machine, and it will carry whatever is placed within its frame - and the heavier the car, the more gas it will need to do this job. So, don't carry along anything you don't have to take with you. Car trunks and truck beds should not be portable storage facilities. Store just your emergency stuff (flares, first aid kits, spare tire, etc.) and discipline yourself to keeping it lean and mean.

Six Ways to Keep Your Home Cooler For Less

1. Plan meals to avoid using the oven. Invest in more than one size of slow cooker, as well as toaster ovens, George Foreman grills, and/or Panini presses, all of which avoid heating the entirety of the kitchen. Grilling outside is another option, and it’s fun, too. And, remember, whether you’re cooking indoors or out, always make more than you need so you can use the leftovers during the week.

2. Rearrange your rooms to fight the heat. Warm air is less dense than cool air, and it rises. Your second floor will be warmer than the ground floor, and your ground floor will have more warm air than the basement. Then, there’s the sunlight bombarding your house to consider. Insulation from the heat keeps interior rooms cooler than the ones exposed to sunlight; plus, the room sharing a wall with the garage will be warmer than any interior room. Fight the heat by finding which rooms are naturally located to remain somewhat cooler than the rest. Consider rearranging your rooms accordingly: if the formal living room will be cooler than the great room next to the garage, then start using the living room for everyday activities. If the guest room is located better, cooling-wise, than the home office, ponder switching those two rooms. Make it a family habit to keep doors shut between rooms, so you can have some rooms cooler than others, and block off vents for rooms that are not needed every day. Don’t let the traditional uses for your rooms control your thinking: it’s your house, do what’s best for your family even if it’s unconventional.

3. Position furniture to maximize cooling. Move your furniture to maximize airflow: a sofa pulled away from the wall will get more air circulation than one backed against it. Bookshelves, filing cabinets, armoires, entertainment centers, even tapestries and a wall of framed photos provide added insulation for a room.

4. Use stand fans and box fans. Incorporate stand fans, or box fans, where you'll spend the most time. Stand fans usually come with remote controls and multiple speeds. Some are generic white plastic, but more and more stand fans are becoming available in designer treatments (Cottage, Art Deco). The new ones are much quieter, too. Why fans? Flowing, moving air will make you feel cooler.

5. Heat-proof your window treatments. It can be hard to sacrifice that great view through a big, clear window or patio door, but glass is far from the best insulation – even if it is double-paned. Covering windows can make a big difference in keeping rooms cooler, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot to do so. Mini-blinds can be purchased for less than five dollars per window, and can make a big difference on how cool room will be on a hot afternoon. For a little more, you can buy mini-blinds that are specifically made to help with heat, as well as draperies specifically designed to block a blinding hot sun blaring into a room on a hot, summer afternoon. The room will be darker, and you may lose that view, but the goal of keeping the room cooler before you start spending your budget’s electricity dollars will be met.

6. Use room air conditioners instead of the central system. Use room air conditioners, or portable air conditioners, rather than a central air-conditioning system, cooling only the rooms that you actually use. These units come with timers and thermostats, which allow you to coordinate cooling the rooms only when it will be needed. For example, bedroom room air conditioners can be programmed to start up and run for approximately 2 hours before bedtime, with the thermostat automatically controlling the air temperature of the room throughout the night. Portable air conditioners can also be used in the den and home office when needed. The central system can be ignored, or its thermostat set much higher than in previous years: 88 degrees, for example, with only the den and the bedrooms kept at 78 degrees in the evenings with room air conditioners, and unused rooms having closed-off vents, is a comfortable environment and much less expensive than the central system being used for all your square footage.

For more information:

How to Cook 3: Slow Cookers

Those Funny Light Bulbs - Are CFL Bulbs Worth the Price?

You've seen those strange light bulbs at the store - they aren't the normal round light bulb; instead, they're a glass coil - and they cost a lot more than the standard bulb (about three times as much). Officially, they're called "CFL" bulbs, which stands for "compact flourescent light," and they tout themselves as being better for the environment and cheaper on your pocketbook.

Personally, I had walked on by those CFL displays at the grocery, because they did cost so much more than the regular bulbs and I couldn't believe that changing out a couple of bulbs could make that big of a difference.

Could be, I was wrong.

Several folk have reported on the web that they've cut their electric bill in half by replacing the bulbs in their home with CFL bulbs. That's right: HALF.

How can this be? Well, it seems that CFLs do not use heat to make light, and a 13 watt CFL will give you the same results as a standard 60 watt bulb. Less watts mean less cost. The more bulbs you replace, the more savings you'll see.

It's recommended that you begin the transition by changing out the bulbs in your high-use areas: the kitchen, the den, the bedroom - you'll begin to see the biggest difference on your electric bill with these changes, and you can avoid the immediate outlay for enough CFL bulbs to replace every bulb in the house.

There is a hitch, though. Seems these CFLs contain mercury. When they burn out (which takes a lot longer than the standard bulb -- a CFL purportedly lasts 10 times as long as a standard incandescent bulb), you need to dispose of them properly. Don't let that mercury get hauled with the rest of the trash, over to the landfill. Call 1-800-CLEANUP for info.

For more information:

18seconds.org
City of Chicago
Fox News, "Are Compact Florescent Light Bulbs Good for the Environment?"