Category Archives: Saving Money

A Twitter Conversation – Moving Along, Part 2

Previous Info on the Conversation OK!  Since I posted Thursday night, things are moving.  People are talking to each other and it is becoming evident that a few more are involved that were not listed originally.  Also, not being from … Continue reading

Posted in Air Sealing, Comfort, DER, Energy Use, Green, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Infiltration, Insulation, Saving Money, Ventilation | 8 Comments

Deep Energy Retrofits – A Twitter Conversation

My first Twitter Follower was SLS Construction.  He posted on his blog tonight about a Twitter Convo that I was participating in. You can read Sean’s Blog Post here.  He does a great job for homeowners in general and for … Continue reading

Posted in Air Sealing, Comfort, DER, Energy Use, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Home Retrofit, Infiltration, Insulation, Saving Money, Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Common Approaches to Heating Your Home: Part III

This is Part III of a 3 part Series.  Part 1 is here; Part 2 is here. Hybrid Heat Pump This choice is sometimes referred to as a Dual Fuel Heat Pump. It utilized both gas and electricity to heat … Continue reading

Posted in Air Conditioning, Energy Audit, Energy Use, Equipment Size, Furnace, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Home Retrofit, Insulation, Saving Money, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Common Approaches to Heating and Cooling Your Home: Part II

The Traditional Furnace and Air Conditioner Approach Part I of this article can be found here. The traditional furnace burns fossil fuel, either electricity or gas to create heat. The air conditioner is a one way heat pump. Air conditioners … Continue reading

Posted in AFUE, Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Tips, Computer Modeling For Energy Use, Energy Audit, Energy Use, Green, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Industry Best Practices, Saving Money, Things I See | 1 Comment

I’ll Give You the Title to my Car for Some Heat!

It is cold here is Maine, there is snow on the ground and more is coming. My house is old and fuel oil is high.  I’ve had two loads this winter and my tank is dry. I’m using the oven … Continue reading

Posted in Air Sealing, Comfort, Diversity, Energy Audit, Energy Efficiency News, Energy Use, Helping Others, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Home Retrofit, Industry Best Practices, Infiltration, Insulation, Maine, Saving Money | Leave a comment

The Energy Triangle

I attended a 3 Day Preservation, Sustainability and Energy Conference and Fair held last week in Wichita. Sponsored by Green Wichita .  It was interesting, I met a lot of neat people and got the inspiration for this blog entry. I … Continue reading

Posted in Air Sealing, Comfort, Energy Audit, Energy Efficiency News, Energy Use, Financing, Green, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Infiltration, Insulation, Saving Money | Leave a comment

Common Approaches to Heating and Cooling Your Home: Part I

This is Part I.  Part II is here. Homes in Kansas are heated by several methods. These range from wood stoves to various types of solar heating.  The most common method is a central forced air unit. These are found … Continue reading

Posted in Air Conditioning, Comfort, Furnace, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Saving Money | Leave a comment

What Is That on The Soffit? How Do I Get Rid of It?

What is that stuff on the house. It has the appearance is a discolored powder that appears on horizontal surfaces such as soffits or vertical surfaces such as siding, especially near a soffit. You can rub it with your finger … Continue reading

Posted in Air Sealing, Attic, Comfort, Energy Audit, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Industry Best Practices, Infiltration, Insulation, Saving Money, Things I See | 1 Comment

My Nest Labs Thermostat – Week 1 Ends

   Last Saturday, I installed my new Nest Thermostat. You can read how that went   at http://bit.ly/yNhq3x .  It is billed as a “Learning Thermostat’, so I promised to let you know how the first week went. Saturday and … Continue reading

Posted in Air Conditioning, Comfort, Energy Audit, Energy Use, Furnace, Girl Scout Cookies, Green Fashion, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Home Retrofit, Nest Thermostat, Saving Money, Thermostat, Thermostat Setbacks | Leave a comment

A Cold and Frosty Morning: What might an Energy Auditor Do?

Energy Auditing uses observation and science to determine what is happening in a home related to Energy Usage.  Necessary tools are a good flashlight, a blower door, and some way to record the observations for later analysis. Optional tools, well … Continue reading

Posted in Air Sealing, Attic, Comfort, Home Improvement, Home Performance, Infared Pictures, Infiltration, Insulation, Saving Money, Things I See | 2 Comments