www.greenhomeguide.com- from USGBC, Green Building Council
www.notsobighouse.com- Susan Susanka, Architect- for smart, not-big design
www.energystar.gov- appliance ratings, etc
www.healthhouse.org- American Lung Assn, about air quality
www.greenbuilder.com- catch-all info source- good spot to find organizations and activities
www.mastercomposter.com/- anything you can possibly imagine about composting
5 ways to go green- for FREE:
Unplug your chargers when not in use
Compost your kitchen waste (but not animal products except eggshells)
Stop buying bottled water
Lower your water heater temperature setting to “warm”
Turn off TV and entertainment unit power strips when not in use
5 ways to go green for under $50:
Caulk and seal air leaks in your home
Use low-flow showerheads; add low-flow aerators to your faucets
Put an insulating blanket on your water heater
Use compact florescent bulbs
Use a programmable thermostat
Until recently, it was hard to get a plumber to install a tankless heater- in Chicago, anyway. To do it you had to have an industrious handyman, preferably one who had one in his own home. Tankless water heaters have been in use in Europe forever, so the manufacturers were typically European, and plumbers were nervous about callbacks on a product they didn’t know.
Now, more US manufacturers are producing the products and more homeowners are asking for them. Here’s a little info to get you started:
Typical savings quoted for tankless: about half the tank water heating cost. Of course, the savings is because the water isn’t kept warm, waiting in a tank just in case you need it.
Tankless heaters CAN provide enough hot water, but need to be sized to accomodate your needs- just the same as tank heaters. This was one of the big bugaboos slowing their acceptance.
Tankless water heaters will NOT make the water at your sink turn hot faster- that’s a result of the faucet being too far from the heater. To solve that, you need a circulation pump. Or, since the tankless heater is smaller, it could be put closer to your faucet.
Some things that the tankless installation needs, different from the tank model:
- venting is usually bigger, due to the higher btu’s, (and may need to be stainless steel)
- gas line may need to be bigger.
- they are smaller and often wall mounted, so will free up some floor area in your mechanical room.
Start with water. If that doesn’t work, try warm water.
Then move up to natural products, like vinegar- (amazing what it can do!) and lemon juice, or baking soda, borax, and washing soda.
If you need more oomph, hydrogen peroxide is a LOT less polluting than regular bleach- try it for stains.
Dishwashing liquids are a good try, too- less pollutants than other detergents.
For mold, try tea-tree oil, 2 teaspoons to 2 cups water. Same formula, but with 2 tablespoons dishwashing liquid, makes a pleasant smelling effective general purpose cleaner.
There are a lot of links if you search for green cleaning. For stain removing: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/your-20-greatest-stain-removing-tips.html
One could write a blog only about William Morris. As you probably know, he was one of the greats of the Arts and Crafts movement. Here’s my favorite quote from him:
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
Here’s one source for William Morris-designed products:
See earlier posts about why you want to keep your old windows.
Now that you do- consider Restoration Works, Inc, www.restorationworksinc.com. They have demonstrated at the Traditional Building Show several times. The restoration is impressive- and green!
Studio Italia Design’s hand-blown clear glass cylinder- embellished by Murano artists- with clear glass extrusions. Contemporary, but elegant.
Also available as sconse, table, or surface lighting.
1,000 lbs of CO2- saved PER YEAR by wrapping a water heater in an insulating jacket! There’s no excuse to not do this one, people- get to the homestore today and wrap it up!
720 lbs- saved PER YEAR by using a solar water heating system
2,490 lbs- saved PER YEAR by insulating the home, tuning up the furnace, and installing energy-efficient showerheads. Wish they said what the savings were for the showerheads and furnace tune up…
Source: Alno, from K+BB magazine
Wood windows have been named as one of Preservation Chicago’s 7 most endangered buildings:
http://www.preservationchicago.org/chicago7/2009/7_wood_window.html
For more info on wood windows and why you should think twice before replacing them, see http://www.remodelingconsultants.net/articles/TradeSecret.htm, a jpeg of an Old House article about utility savings buyback.
Or, scroll down to previous posting of this info. You really want to check it out b4 buying new windows!
