Dear Mr. Energy, Everyone talks about being more “green.” Green, green, green, green. It gets a little overwhelming sometimes. I try to buy organic food for my family and carpool when I can, but should I be doing things to my home (besides avoiding toxic cleaners and the like) to be more “green?” –Chartreuse in [...]
More than cutting down on your meat consumption, more than any re-use or reduction of various products, more than recycling, composting, or growing your own organic produce, more than driving a hybrid vehicle, and more than saving the rain forests! Seriously. Not that the previously mentioned efforts are bad things to do. Au contraire. We [...]
Dear Mr. Energy, I want to know how to make my home Energy Star so I can get credit for my utility company. Do I get an energy audit? My house is only about ten years old. Because it’s fairly new shouldn’t my house easily qualify? –Bargain Shopping in Benson Dear Bargain, Isn’t it great [...]
I’ve heard people say that energy audits are an “extra” they can’t afford. I’ve heard others say that audits are just for people who want to be PC and super-green, but for the rest of us they’re not worth the money. I’ve heard others say they’d rather turn their a/c up or their heat down [...]
Dear Mr. Energy, What’s this I hear about Cash for Caulkers? I know you’re probably excited about it, because it will mean business for you, but what does it do for me? Seems like the government is just throwing money down the drain. –Disgruntled in Durham Dear Disgruntled, My, my, sounds like someone has low [...]
Dear Mr. Energy, My husband and I are in an argument about something. I love my whole house fan! There’s nothing like fresh air circulating through the house on a beautiful spring or fall day. But my husband says he read somewhere that a whole-house fan is a big source of energy loss when its [...]
Up until now we’ve been telling you that an energy audit and subsequent weatherization will pay for itself in 2-3 years. We have years of data from Energy Star and the Low Income Weatherization program to back this up. But now it’s time to give you real examples of ways that our clients have saved [...]
If your home is too hot, too cold, too drafty, or too damp, you need an energy audit. If your energy bills are too high, you need an energy audit. If your house was conventionally built, you need an energy audit. Basically, you need an energy audit.
Minnesota Power is responsible for this wonderful graphic that prioritizes how homeowners can achieve energy efficiency: I like how the arrow on the left has the equation: complexity/investment. Return on investment is exactly what we have been preaching all along. What can a homeowner do that does the most good for the least amount of money? This [...]