Grist | Topics | 25 Results

RESULTS		Results 1 – 25 of 25
Headline	Author	Published	Section
Don't Spray It On long, hot showers	Umbra Fisk	02 Apr 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, The biggest waster of energy in our house right now is our 15-year-old daughter, whose never-ending daily showers must surely be responsible for warming the planet another half-degree. No matter how loudly we bang on the bathroom door and scream for her to stop, she showers on -- 20, 30 minutes at a time. And yes, we have a low-flow showerhead and our water heater is set to 120 degrees. Is there any kind of device -- one t ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, parenting, water conflicts (all these topics)

Here Comes the Son On solar holiday lights	Umbra Fisk	29 Oct 2007	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, As the holiday season approaches, I'm trying to figure out how to spread good cheer in home decorations while being sensitive to the environment. Years ago, my husband and I purchased strings of lights that we wrapped around the trunks of palm trees in our front yard. Now the wiser, I'd like to use these lights off the grid, if you will. Instead of purchasing new LED lights that are so popular right now (and in turn ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, holiday, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Still Worth It On mercury in CFLs	Umbra Fisk	16 Jul 2007	Ask Umbra
Dearest Umbra, For the past 10 years or so I have been patiently and methodically replacing the incandescent light bulbs in my house with the more efficient compact fluorescent ones. Even though they cost more than incandescents, I have been confident that their lower energy requirements and longer life span more than made up for the increased cost. Thus I was greatly dismayed the other day when I went to our local transfer station and ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products, toxics (all these topics)

Chilly Screens of Winter On inefficient windows	Umbra Fisk	08 Nov 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am lucky enough to have a home I really love and food to feed my family and my pets. However, the home has one major energy flaw: it is older and has huge, single-pane window/walls with aluminum frames, in two adjoining rooms. We currently are not able to replace them, and they lose heat rapidly. With this winter being a bit colder, is there anything that you can suggest we do, other than the window upgrades ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

A View to a Sill On window manufacturers	Umbra Fisk	06 Nov 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We are looking into replacing some of our windows. Any thoughts on which companies are more environmentally friendly, not just in the energy-efficiency of their windows, but in the manufacturing process (Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, recycling materials, etc.)? Lyell Slade Concord, Mass. Dearest Lyell, Let's warm up on this topic: Windows in residential buildings are responsible for about 2 percent of th ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products (all these topics)

Just Screw It On replacing light bulbs	Umbra Fisk	21 Jun 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I am reluctant to switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs because that means tossing out not only used-but-still-working incandescent bulbs, but also the brand-new bulbs I have waiting in the closet. Is it really a positive effect overall when we're reducing our carbon emissions but adding to landfills? Julie Pittsburgh, Pa. Dearest Julie, Damn fine idea ... don't know why I didn't think of it myself. The gummint sa ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, waste (all these topics)

Fan-tastic On personal fans	Umbra Fisk	14 Jun 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, So the weather is turning hot again. I got my electric fans out of the closet. On the back of these, there are no indications of what amount of electricity they use. Could you illuminate which ones are most efficient? Howard Nelson Portland, Ore. Dearest Howard, Not really. Efficiency is very important for commercial ventilation, and even home ceiling fans and oven fans are given an Energy Star label, but I fear our lowly person ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency (all these topics)

Matters of the Hearth On fireplaces	Umbra Fisk	23 Jan 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We pile on socks and sweaters, but there are just times you need more warmth. Should we use the fireplace or our central (gas-powered) heater? Also, can you let us know which is better, natural firewood or those chemically infused logs that claim lower particulate matter is released? Kas Sut Davis, Calif. Dearest Kas, Although we've contemplated this heating dilemma before, I find I have more to say about fire. Don't use ...
Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Over the Chill On preparing for winter	Umbra Fisk	05 Oct 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, With the coming winter, our local news did a story on how to save on heating. The tips included window treatments, lowering the water heater, etc. But those of us in apartments are limited in what we can do. I can feel the cold air seeping through the cracks, and laying towels on the window sills doesn't seem to help. Any advice? Carol Lafayette, Ind. Dearest Carol, Yar. It's going to be doom and gloom this winter acro ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green building, green living (all these topics)

Sill and Grace On windows	Umbra Fisk	12 Sep 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I just bought an old house and need to replace some of the windows. Are there alternatives to vinyl windows that will still cut down on heat loss? Noah Winer Philadelphia, Pa. Dearest Noah, I hope I've caught you before you've placed your window order, because you are at a moment of opportunity. Window replacement will make a huge difference in your house's energy efficiency. You could be losing up to a third of your heat through t ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green building, green living (all these topics)

Get a Load of This On washing machines	Umbra Fisk	11 Jul 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I have a top-loading washing machine that's nine years old. I've heard that front-loading machines are a lot more efficient and use less detergent, so I'm thinking about taking the plunge, even though my old machine works fine. How much less water do the front-loading machines use, and why? And is it true that they use less detergent? (I just switched to an environmentally friendly detergent, but boy, is it expensive -- ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

String Theory On clotheslines	Umbra Fisk	08 Jun 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We would like to install a clothesline this summer to take advantage of the few months of sun that we get here in Oregon. Any advice on the best kind, and how to keep air-dried clothes from feeling like cardboard? German Whitley Philomath, Ore. Dearest German, Excellent. If your power supplier is, as I suspect, Consumers Power Inc. in Philomath, you are paying about 7 cents per kilowatt-hour; their handy electricity calculator ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, fashion, green living (all these topics)

Fan Attic On whole-house fans and their righteousness	Umbra Fisk	29 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We just moved to the steamy climate of Washington, D.C., from the other Washington. Faced with our first experience using air-conditioning to cool our home, we've got some questions about efficiency. The house we're renting has a central AC unit that we can control with a thermostat. It also has a roof ventilation system that circulates air under the roof using a fairly noisy and probably pretty old and ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

To Air Is Human On opening windows versus running the AC	Umbra Fisk	26 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My friend and I have been having a debate that I hope you can help us settle. What is the rule of thumb when turning off the air and opening the windows? I live in Texas and in the spring we have one or two days in a row that are cool enough for open windows followed by four that are not. Should I open the windows when it is nice only to have to close them again and turn the air on in a day or two? ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Icebox, Icebox, Baby On when to retire a fridge	Umbra Fisk	15 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I love to freeze fresh veggies at their peak of ripeness during the summer. Then, in the winter, I don't have to buy commercially frozen veggies or long-distance transported ones. In order to do more of this, I'd like to move my 1985 refrigerator to the basement and use its freezer entirely for this purpose. I would buy a new one designated Energy Star. Would this end up being environmentally a plus, a minus, o ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, food and agriculture, green living, local food (all these topics)

The Heat Is On Advice on heating tiny urban dwellings	Umbra Fisk	25 Feb 2004	Ask Umbra
OK, Umbra, I live in a building in Brooklyn where, in typical Brooklyn style, we do not control our own heat. That is, there is no thermostat in our apartment. Thus, our only options for regulating the temperature in the winter are turning off the radiators or opening the windows. Obviously the latter is an absurd waste of energy; I don't want my poor radiator trying to heat all of the outer boroughs of New York City ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Tank You Kindly On tankless water heaters	Umbra Fisk	26 Jan 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, While you were warning folks to plan ahead for a potential water-tank failure, I thought you should mention the natural gas heat-on-demand systems that they should use to replace their tanks. Last spring, when our 50-gallon tank decided to give our basement floor a thorough cleaning, we had to scramble to find an energy-efficient alternative. First, we had trouble finding a plumber who knew how to install the new ene ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

The Tao of Stove On wood stoves	Umbra Fisk	26 Jan 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, When you suggested that someone may want wood heat because it "makes you feel like a country stud," you made an erroneous assumption -- that your audience is entirely urban. Here in Skamokawa, Wash., many a mile from the nearest natural gas line, the choices are essentially wood or electricity. In September, my family installed a Blaze King wood stove, which uses a catalytic converter to convert smoke to heat. Not on ...
Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Aqua Delve-a (Sorry) On water heaters	Umbra Fisk	18 Dec 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I have a question that's been nagging at me for some time. Since I have a water heater inside my house, any waste heat from the water heater contributes to heating the house. Does it still make sense in terms of energy savings to put an insulating blanket on the water heater? Kurt Littleton, Colo. Dearest Kurt, Getting tanked. Photo: PNNL. After space heat -- that is, heating your entire home -- water heaters are the l ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Thermostatic On turning down the thermostat	Umbra Fisk	18 Dec 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My housemates and I are engaged in an ongoing argument about the heat (gas) in our somewhat old house. I argue that for the minimum eight hours that we are out of the house during the day, we should turn our heat down to at least 62 degrees. They argue that we should leave it at 68 at all times, because it takes more energy to heat up the house later when we all arrive home. Not surprisingly, we can't agree about a ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Naturally: Gas On home heating	Umbra Fisk	18 Dec 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Can you shed some light (or some warmth) on the most environmentally sound ways to heat one's home this winter? Natural gas over coal and oil for its lower carbon (and particulate) content? What about fireplaces: good or bad? Would burning gas logs be a good alternative to burning real wood? Thanks for your help! Janet Washington, D.C. Dearest Janet, What we cold eco-folks are looking for is a heat source that is clean to prod ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, coal, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, natural gas, oil (all these topics)

Hail Magnetron! On microwaves	Umbra Fisk	17 Nov 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, We recently bought a new (to us) house and acquired a microwave oven. Having gotten this far in life without one, we figured we wouldn't use it all that much. Ha. We use it all the time. It's just so much faster than heating things on the stove. I do wonder, though, which is more energy-efficient. Is it more eco-friendly to heat milk for a minute in the microwave, or five minutes on the gas stove? And is there anything to the pe ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, food, food and agriculture, green living (all these topics)

Scrub Tub On dishwashers	Umbra Fisk	25 Sep 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm in the market for a new dishwasher, one that uses as little water and energy as possible and still gets that flatware sparklin' clean. But I don't have a lot of dough to blow on appliances. Any thoughts? Dean Orem, Utah Dearest Dean, I really can't say enough about Consumer Reports and its online archives of product reviews and ratings. The subscription is worth the $4.95 per month. An Energy Star-bellied dishwasher. Photo: U.S ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

The Illumin-Naughty On mercury in compact fluorescent lights	Umbra Fisk	16 Jan 2003	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Here in Texas, where it is very hot in the summer (granted, we deserve to be in hell for having produced George Bush), some of us have been enthusiastically switching our light bulbs to cooler compact fluorescents. Is this a bad thing due to the mercury they contain? Lisa Smithville, Texas Dearest Lisa, Thanks for your question, as it will allow me to keep shedding light on the compact fluoresc ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, mercury, toxics (all these topics)

Off With Their PCs! On computers	Umbra Fisk	04 Jun 2002	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I normally turn my computer off when I leave the office. However, I was recently told that the act of turning on a computer requires more energy than is saved by keeping it off from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. The person said that it is better to let your computer go into "sleep" mode and just wake it up when you get in. Is this true? Thanks, Bryna Dearest Bryna, Simply putting the computer in "sleep" mode will not ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (all these topics)

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