Hot Weather Window Tips

Adapted from Real Goods Solar Living Source Book,edited by Doug Pratt and executive editor John Schaeffer.

The main source of heat gain through windows in the warmer months is from sunlight. Here are some tips for handling the sun that will help keep your house cool.

• Install white window shades or mini-blinds. It’s a simple, old-fashioned practice. Mini-blinds can reduce solar heat gain by 40-50 percent.
  
• Close south and west-facing curtains. Do this during the day for any window that lets direct sunlight in. Keep these windows closed, too.
  
• Install awnings
  Another good, old-fashioned solution is to install awnings. Awnings work best on south-facing windows where there’s insufficient roof overhang to provide shade. Canvas awnings are more expensive than shades, but they stop the heat on the outside of your building, and they don’t obstruct the view.
  
• Hang tightly-woven screens or bamboo shades outside the window during the summer. They’ll reduce your view, but are inexpensive and stop 60 percent to 80 percent of the sun’s heat from getting to the window.
  
• Plant trees or build a trellis
  Deciduous (leaf-bearing) trees planted to the south or particularly to the
  west of your building provide valuable shade. One mature shade tree can
  provide as much cooling as five air conditioners (although they’re a bit
  difficult to transplant at that stage, so the sooner you plant the better).
  
• Deciduous trees block summer sun, but drop their leaves to allow half or
  more
  of the winter sun’s energy to warm you on clear winter days.
  
• Apply low-e films
  Low-e films are thin metal coatings allow the shortwave
  radiation of solar energy to pass in, but block most of the long-wave
  thermal energy trying to get back out. Low-e films block most solar heat
  gain while transmitting most visible light.
  (see shop for supplies, below)
  
• Exotic Infills
  The other new technology commonly found in new windows is exotic infills.
  Instead of filling the space between panes with air, many windows are now
  available with argon, or krypton, exotic gas infills that have lower
  conductivity than air, and boost R-values. These inert gases occur naturally
  in the atmosphere, and are harmless even if the window breaks.

Conservation Nation: Use Less Water

Originally posted by Annie B. Bond Apr 24, 2007 5:58 pm
Adapted from Water: Use Less, Save More by Jon Clift and
Amanda Cuthbert (Chelsea Green, 2007).

Did you know that Americans use 127 percent more water than they did in 1950? Or that about 95 percent of the water we use goes down our drains? Given the severe drought conditions occurring in parts of the United States right now, it seems prudent to dive in and share some helpful water saving tips with you.

Although we appear to have plenty of rain in the United States, our water resources are under pressure. Quite simply we are consuming too much. Water also requires huge amounts of energy, both to treat it and pump it to our houses, so our thirst for water is damaging our planet in more ways than one.

The good news is that there are many simple things we can do at home and at work to reduce our consumption of water. Here are 10 of the 100 smart water-saving tips from Water: Use Less, Save More:

1. If you are making a hot drink, fill the kettle with only as much water as you need. You will save energy as well as water.

2. Garbage disposals use a considerable amount of water. Start composting and put vegetable scraps in your compost bin.

3. Use a bowl to wash vegetables or to wash and rinse plates.

4. Don’t keep the tap running when cleaning your teeth.

5. While waiting for shower water to run hot, collect the cold water and use it on your plants.

6. Have a five-minute shower instead of a bath and save 30 gallons of water.

7. Attach a hose to your washing machine outlet pipe. Collect the used water when the machine is discharging and use it to water the garden.

8. Use a rain barrel to collect the rainwater from your roof rather than using treated drinking water on your garden. (Read all about using rain barrels here.)

9. Make sure everyone in your home knows where the main water valve is and how to work it. Use it to turn the water off if you have a leak.

10. Keep the telephone number of a plumber handy for emergencies.