 Stories About: energy AND energy at home AND energy efficiency AND green living AND green products
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Author |
Published |
Section |
New bulb on the block
Spendy mercury-free LED bulb supposedly lasts 50,000 hours |
JMG |
24 Apr 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Somewhere, in school or on the job, every engineer learns about tradeoffs -- that there is no free lunch, and that, once a design is at all reasonable, gains in one dimension come at the cost of compromises in others. The shorthand statement of this is the pithy evergreen in design classes: 'Good, fast, and cheap. Pick two!' There's a new bulb out: a 13-watt LED array bulb with an integral diffuser, so you don't see the annoying space-craft look of little tiny rows of LE ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products (all these topics) |
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Do 'green' appliances live up to their promises?
The WSJ asks and answers |
Sarah van Schagen |
07 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| As home-appliance technology continues to move toward the energy-efficient (and brightly colored), more and more consumers are looking to replace their old appliances. But is it really an upgrade?No, says Jeanine Van Voorhees, who spent $1,000 on a new energy-saving washer only to find that it coughs up dingy, cat-hair-covered clothes. "I curse that machine every time," she says, and she often washes her loads twice. (I'm no expert, but that doesn't sound ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products, toxics (all these topics) |
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CFLs and marital bliss ... not
Not tonight ... your CFLs give me a headache |
JMG |
30 Apr 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I have to say, this story has sure played out at my house, where my bride lovingly (I hope) refers to me, in moments of teasing (I hope), as 'Mr. Conserver Man' for what she considers to be an excessive devotion to making the electric meter spin more slowly and for my habit of figuring out ways to avoid using the car. But the 100w incandescent in her bedside lamp says that I'm at least smart enough to know when to quit:Fluorescent Bulbs Are Known to Zap Domestic Tranquillity ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products (all these topics) |
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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 ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products (all these topics) |
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