Grist | Topics | 111 Results

RESULTS		Results 76 – 100 of 111
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
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)

Follow Her LED On LEDs	Umbra Fisk	18 Sep 2006	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Where are the LED replacement bulbs for normal household incandescents? They're supposed to be more efficient, cheaper, cooler, longer-lasting, and less toxic, right? So why aren't there any LED bulbs similar to CFLs? I've been looking around but haven't been able to find any yet besides flashlights, holiday lights, and the like. Still in the dark, Tim Eureka, Calif. Dearest Tim, As you suspected, LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living (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)

Win by losing Are you America's most energy-inefficient person?	Katharine Wroth	20 Apr 2006	Gristmill

Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency (all these topics)

You Can Grow Your Own Ray Jason Edens, rural solar advocate, answers readers' questions		31 Mar 2006	InterActivist
Jason Edens, Rural Renewable Energy Alliance. How do I find out if my site is suitable for solar, and how do I go about building my own system?�� -- Louise Wickham, Wellington, New Zealand Determining if your site is suitable for solar starts with assessing your solar resource. Essentially, you're determining if enough sunlight strikes the proposed solar array location to make it worthwhile. We u ...
Topics: energy, energy at home, green living, InterActivist, interview, Japan, Minnesota, Poverty and the Environment, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Garden of Edens Jason Edens, rural solar advocate, answers Grist's questions		27 Mar 2006	InterActivist
Jason Edens. Where do you work? I work at the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance, a grassroots nonprofit organization whose mission is to make solar power accessible to people of all income levels. What does your organization do? At RREAL, we install solar heating systems onto the homes of low-income families qualifying for energy assistance. In Minnesota, and indeed across the country, hundreds of thousands of ...
Topics: energy, energy at home, green living, InterActivist, interview, Japan, Minnesota, Poverty and the Environment, solar voltaic power (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)

The Joy PUC Club California regulators approve landmark solar-power plan		13 Jan 2006	Daily Grist
The Joy PUC Club California regulators approve landmark solar-power plan With one eco-tastic vote, California is set to become a global clean-energy leader: Yesterday, the state's energy regulators approved about $3 billion in subsidies to promote solar power. Rebates will be paid to residential and business utility customers to encourage insta ...
Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, business, California, energy, energy at home, legislation, news, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

You Light Up My Strife Solar LED lamps provide clean, cheap lighting to rural poor		05 Jan 2006	Daily Grist
You Light Up My Strife Solar LED lamps provide clean, cheap lighting to rural poor A handful of villagers in rural India are receiving a life-transforming technology: low-cost, solar-powered light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. Bombay-based Grameen Surya Bijli Foundation has installed the $55 lamps free of charge in about 300 homes. "Children can now study at night, elders can ma ...
Topics: air pollution, energy, energy at home, India, news, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Do the Bath On heating with bathwater	Umbra Fisk	16 Nov 2005	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, After a hot bath, I leave the water in the tub so the heat will go into the room. My husband says the heat saved is inconsequential. How would one calculate the BTUs saved this way? J. Reiman Helena, Mont. Dearest J., I do that too. I'm trying to heat the entire office building with my baths, and I've been making my editor bring me my encyclopedias in the tub. Ay, there's the tub. Roughly speaking (and cut me a little s ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, 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)

Photovoltaic Finish California's Million Solar Roofs bill dies in legislature		12 Sep 2005	Daily Grist
Photovoltaic Finish California's Million Solar Roofs bill dies in legislature Partisan squabbling effectively killed California's closely watched Million Solar Roofs legislation last week, as the state Assembly session ended on Thursday with no vote on the bill. The measure, which would have dramatically boosted the state's use of so ...
Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, business, California, energy, energy at home, legislation, news, politics, solar voltaic power (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)

Soccer moms, flexitarians and hygridders Wired reports on the new power generation	Chris Schults	10 May 2005	Gristmill

Topics: electricity grid, energy at home, energy efficiency, green living, green products, renewable energy (all these topics)

She's Got Sol and She's Super Bad On finding solar-power stats	Umbra Fisk	16 Sep 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Are there any statistics that show what percentage of solar power is generated state by state, and which states are more solar-friendly? Also, do power companies give out any figures on how much energy they buy back from home solar producers? Thanks from Los Angeles, Calif. Dearest Los Angeles, Life is great. As your researcher, I get paid to find previously obscure (to me) gems like today's f ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, solar voltaic power (all these topics)

Solar Perplexus On installing solar panels	Umbra Fisk	13 Sep 2004	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, My husband and I have decided to install a solar electric system. We live in the high desert and enjoy sun 360 or more days a year. We have been surfing to find information and are increasingly befuddled. Nanosys will have new technology out, but I don't know when. Should we wait a year or two for new, less expensive technology or go with existing solar panels? Kathy Joshua Tree, Calif. Dearest Kathy, How exciti ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, solar voltaic power, tech (all these topics)

Fan Attic On whole-house fans and their righteousness	Umbra Fisk	29 Jul 2004	Ask Umbra

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)

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