http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree Just another TheSietch.org weblog Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:07:58 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en One thing I run into time and time again as an energy efficiency adviser is lack of consideration of a house, or any other building, as a system. Buildings are a complex arrangement of systems not totally dissimilar to biological ones. And what one does to one system ... http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/07/08/house-as-a-system/ One of the things I have realized when my wife and I found out we were going to have a baby this winter is how much I am still polluting the earth, even being as earth conscious as I think I am. I still buy lots of plastic and ... http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/07/08/life-without-plastic-sort-of/ greenspree.ca » Blog Archive » Step Five - Stucco (Update) We've made some progress on the stucco front!  Check out the details at greenspree.ca. http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/07/08/greenspreeca-%c2%bb-blog-archive-%c2%bb-step-five-stucco-update/ CBC News Compass did a story on our house last week. http://www.cbc.ca/pei/media/video/pe-strawhouse.ram We're stars! :) http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/06/04/cbc-news-story-on-our-home/ One of the things I hear a lot in my new position is that people want to build their new homes energy efficiently but think that they cannot afford to. Whenever I hear this I always say without hesitation "You can't afford NOT to build you home energy efficiently!". ... http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/04/16/why-it-pays-to-build-efficiently/ I figure it's time for a status update on the straw bale home. It's been a slow 3 or 4 months since the snow started back in November, other than the interior walls, the plumbing and electrical rough-ins and a few small items we haven't done much on the house. A ... http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/04/14/strawbale-home-update/ Reducing your shower times by a mere 4 minutes, say from 15 to 11 minutes, will save a family of four heating with 11.5 cent KW/H electricity and using 2.5GPM shower heads $230 per year!  These savings will only grow as the cost of energy continues to rise! http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/03/05/energy-tip-reduce-shower-times/ How much (useful) energy can you derive from rain falling from your roof? How can you best capture wind energy with many small wind turbines? Are there other options for using solar energy besides PV's and solar hot water heaters? What are some other small options anyone ... http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/02/13/energy-production-thoughts-and-questions/ Recently I began a new career with the Provincial Government of PEI. I had been with the Fire Marshal's Office as a building inspector and quite enjoyed my job and coworkers. An opportunity came up to become part of the new Office or Energy Efficiency and I jumped ... http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/02/13/paid-environmentalist/ The First Air Car to Hit the Market - Associated Content While I am sure there will be questions about this technology, and the safety behind it, it sure does sound promising! If you can couple this car with green, clean, home energy generation (wind, solar, micro-hydro or perhaps even ... http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2008/02/13/the-first-air-car-to-hit-the-market-associated-content/