Water Hydro Fuel

Robin Green asked:


If your windows are ancient and aren’t doing a passable job of keeping heat inside your home in winter (or keeping it out in warm weather), maybe it is time to consider having new, energy saving windows put in. But new windows, especially good quality energy efficient ones, can be prohibitively expensive. This means that it can take a long time for them to pay for themselves in energy savings. For the amount of cash you would pay to replace the windows in a single big room, you can achieve almost the same energy savings with some basic weather stripping and by using energy efficient window coverings to eliminate heat transfer between your home and the out of doors.

Let’s first review how windows keep the cold out in winter, and the hot out in summer. Windows reduce heat transfer in three ways: convection, conduction, and radiation.

Windows stop or reduce convection airflow between a room and the exterior, blocking heat from passing through the window along with the airflow. A leaky window, or one with cracks in the glass or broken putty, allows air through these openings, so heat gets out in winter, and heat sneaks in during hot weather.

Even the thinnest sheet of glass has some insulating properties, but if the glass is double-glazed and the space between the panes is an inert gas such as argon, the panes provide extra insulating value, which reduces heat transfer through conduction. Conduction is the type of heat transfer that causes the metal handle of a pot to heat up when you boil water in the pot; so you can imagine that a metal window frame, if not properly built, can conduct a lot of heat. Although you can’t readily add extra glass panes to a window, there are other techniques to create extra still air spaces between the window glass and the room, which will increase insulation and reduce conduction transfers.

Radiation, the third type of heat transfer, usually happens when sunlight in the infrared spectrum travels through windows, heating the air inside, or when infrared radiation inside the room radiates out through the glass. Home energy auditors can actually take infrared photos of a house to illustrate where heat losses are most significant, and windows are often among the greatest sources of heat escaping from houses in winter.

How does knowing about heat transfer through convection, conduction, and radiation help you cut energy losses through your windows?

The first issue to tackle is convection. If your windows have broken panes, get them repaired. If you still have the old wood-framed windows with putty holding the glass in, check the pane for any peeling or missing putty. It’s fairly straightforward to pry cracked putty out with a putty knife and put a fresh layer on in its place. If the wood of the window itself is rotten, or if the glass is hard to get out for replacing, you may not be able to avoid getting new windows, but if you can cut the minor air leaks, you’ll have accomplished a lot towards minimizing energy losses and should feel some relief in your heating and cooling bills.

You might be surprised to know how much heat can travel out of a house in winter through the wood trim around a window. Just wait for a really cold day, put all the exhaust fans on in your house( kitchen range vent, bathroom exhaust fans, etc.), and run your fingers along the edges of window and exterior door trim on the inside of rooms. Anywhere you feel cold air coming in, you have a draft that should be sealed. It probably doesn’t hurt to run a thin bead of clear or white caulking around window and door frames to cut this convection heat transfer.

The final thing to try to minimize convection heat losses is to use tape-on or Zip-Loc type window kits to close off any windows that are very drafty, or windows that really should be replaced but that can’t be replaced because of your budget (or because you are renting the place). These window insulation kits are a good way to rapidly cut your heating losses in winter: the kits normally come with several sheets of 3 by 5 foot clear plastic, and a roll of double sided tape. (If you have many windows to cover you should purchase a 48″ roll of the plastic and get the tape separately as you’ll pay far less than buy buying several kits.) You measure and cut plastic rectangles slightly bigger than the window, run the tape around the window frame, remove the protective tape from the double sided tape, and then place the cut plastic over the window, sealing along the tape line. Blow dry the window plastic for five minutes, and it shrinks to form a tight, flat extra pane of ‘glass’ that is practically unnoticeable. This plastic can hold its flat shape for weeks, although you may find it needs an occasional short blow dryer blast to pull up the odd wrinkle in the plastic.

The next problem you’ll want to tackle is conduction - heat being drawn through the solid materials of the window. In terms of energy saving window coverings, your goal here isn’t really to stop this conduction - you can’t usually change the materials the window is made of - but to add barrier layers between the window and the room to slow that conduction down. The plastic window insulation kits stop convection heat loss by eliminating drafts into the room, but they also eliminate conduction, by providing a layer of still air between the room and the window. A curtain can accomplish a similar task: when closed, the curtain traps a small amount of air between the curtain and the window, so that on a cold day the air behind the curtain naturally gets cold but the room itself stays cozy.

When you put curtains on a window to reduce conduction heat transfer, you need to consider convection currents within the living area. Hot air rises, and cold air falls, so if you install curtains you should ensure that the air currents are blocked, preferably at both the top and bottom of the curtain or blind. Otherwise, in cold weather, the cold window will cool the air between the window and the window covering, and that colder air will fall down onto the floor, drawing warm air from above the window covering down in front of the window in a continuous cycle. In summer, the flow runs backwards, with the air between the curtain and the window warming from sunlight, flowing up out the top opening, and drawing cool room air up towards the glass where it gets heated.

You can stop these air flows by having the window covering flush with the wall at the top and bottom, or by having the bottom touch the floor and by closing in the curtain rod area at the top.

If you have cloth blinds that cover the window frame, you can use Velcro tabs along the sides of the blinds that you then press into Velcro tape along the window frame; this completely seals the air space between the window and the blind, providing an excellent insulation barrier. Cloth blinds as well as curtains can use a similar technique but with magnetic tape in the fabric, and metal along the framing, so that the window covering sticks to the walls on either side of and below the opening.

Another method you can try to add an insulation barrier to conduction through the window is to buy cellular blinds, which are made in a honeycomb or cellular cross section, or other blinds that incorporate a hollow space within the blind (for example, air-foil shaped blinds). Cellular blinds when fully retracted take up almost no space and the cells are empty; when extended, they can add insulating value from R-2 (for single-cell blinds) to R-5 (for double-cell).

Window blinds can help address the third type of heat transfer, radiation, by preventing heat from radiating across the window pane (into the house from sunshine in summer, and towards the outside from the radiant heat inside in winter). The most effective blinds use light, reflective colors on the outside, so that sunlight is more or less completely reflected away from the room. Good blinds can reflect enough solar energy away from the window to reduce heat transfer by up to 45%, but they do very little to the R-value of the window, so have little effect in winter.

Roller shades, which have a spring mechanism and can be pulled up or down (we used to call these blinds when I was young) are a great barrier against radiation, and also provide good insulation to reduce convection air flows around the window that lead to conduction losses through the pane or frame. Roller shades, because they are placed so close to the glass, are better at reducing convection currents, especially if their sides and bottom are attached to the window frame (for example, by using side tracks). Unsecured shades can cut heat exchange by as much as 28%, while secured-edge shades cut it up to 45%. Shades that can be reversed, with one side dark and the other light, are ideal, because the light side can reflect the heat where you want it (outside in summer, inside during winter).

Awnings and overhangs are a good way to cut direct light from entering a room and heating it up in summer. Because the solar angle is lower in the winter, these window coverings only block the sunlight you don’t want, letting the lower-angled winter sun warm your home.

Storm windows - which are found on many older homes - can be up to 50% more energy efficient than single-pane windows, provided the storms are sealed against drafts. So if you have old wood-framed storms sitting around in your basement or garage, you should use them each fall and take them down once winter has passed. If you have aluminum framed storms you can typically leave them up all year long; just don’t forget to close the glass during the winter.

Windows make up such a small percentage of the surface area of a home, yet they are among the biggest potential sources of energy waste in a house being heated or air conditioned. So it’s important to do anything you can to limit heat exchange through convection, conduction, and radiation. Just remember to set aside a portion of the money you save on lowered utility bills, so you can replace any worn-out, leaky windows with new, energy efficient ones when the time comes.

Nicole Schubert asked:


Cold and flu season is here, conjuring up visions of fevers, aches, pains, bed rest, tissues and chicken soup.

No one likes to be sick but it’s hard to control whether or not you’ll come in contact with the cold and flu culprits: unhealthy germs floating through the air. You can, however, affect your immune system. A weak immune system makes a cold or flu worse by letting germs in easily, whereas a strong immune system fights them off. That’s where the green energy drinks combined with other immune boosting strategies come in.

1. Get a green plan. Eat 5 - 9 servings of fresh veggies a day, mainly for chlorophyll. Chlorophyll, the basis of plant life, provides oxygen to the brain and body, stops unhealthy bacteria, alkalizes and rebuilds blood cells, helps cure infections and heal wounds, neutralizes pollutants and helps purify the liver.

Green drinks, or green juice, are an easy way to get your greens (one scoop of green drink powder equals two pounds of veggies!). Green drinks are chock-full of the immune boosters and antioxidants necessary to keep your body primed to fight invading viruses, including:



Echinacea — The top cold and flu remedy in the U. S. before antibiotics, echinacea strengthens white blood cells and stimulates the lymph system.

Barley Grass and Wheat Grass — Rich sources of chlorphyll and totally alkaline.

Spirulina and Blue Green Algae Powder — Stimulate cells that fight everything from cancer to HIV to the common cold.

Chlorella Powder — Contains chlorophyll; vitamins E and C; all the Bs; trace minerals; beta-carotene; and amino acids.

Broccoli Powder — Loaded with phyto-chemicals, this green is famous for fighting cancer (and therefore other unhealthy invaders) and providing beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Spinach Powder — Another rock star green, spinach contains the antioxidant lutein, iron, and folate and is vital in maintaining red blood cells.

Green Tea Leaf Extract — A famous antioxidant, recent studies show green tea boosts immunity as well.



2. Keep stress levels down. Do one fun thing just for you every day; exercise; take walk-breaks at work; meditate; vent to a friend; laugh.

3. Have a weekly exercise plan and follow it. Even if it’s a half hour walk in the morning, exercise has an exponential effect on everything you do to keep your body healthy.

4. Eat fresh fruit or veggies high in vitamin C every day. Citrus is your best bet. Red peppers are another tasty source.

5. Drink eight glasses of water a day. The purer the better. Thirst isn’t a good guide; you’re already dehydrated when you feel thirsty.

6. Follow the fist, thumb, fist rule. Keep your blood sugar stable, body metabolizing and immunity strong by eating the following at every meal:



a fist of lean protein (chicken, protein powder)

a thumb of healthy fats (fish oil, nuts)

a fist of complex carbs (leafy greens, green energy drinks, oatmeal)



If you have children, are recovering from illness, or come in contact with a lot of people, you’re a prime target for cold and flu germs. Giving your body a daily green drink and other immune boosters can make a big difference in how you fight them off.

Stan Stomp asked:


In December 2008 an Ice Storm barreled through the northeast knocking out power. Much of the New England states were left in the dark for several days while the rural areas went weeks without electricity. For some people they found refuge in a community shelter and for others, well, they were prepared - backup systems or a small generator. My family had a generator but, unfortunately it ran on gas and we ran out, the road we live on was littered with power lines and fallen trees. Three days past before town officials were able to go down the road with a loader to clear one lane. Once there was a lane cleared we went looking for a place to buy gas, after 40 miles of traveling and several detours we found a place that was able to pump the gas because they were on backup power from their generator. While pumping the gas tanks full and watching the panic of the society trying to function with no electricity, it was then and only then, I realized we have an addiction problem. 

    We as Americans take for granted the power that flows into our house from power lines. We take for granted that gas stations will always have gas for us -no matter how expensive. We take for granted that our oil tanks in our house will always be filled so we can live in a comfortable heated zone. The American culture for the last 120 years (since the invention of the car) has lived leaving a destructive carbon print on the earth.

 

    The point of this is we as Americans are addicted to fossil fuel energy whether it is gas or diesel for our vehicle, oil for our furnace, or electricity (generated from coal or oil plants). Like every good addiction breaking the habit is painful. Are we as a society really committed to changing or are we just willing to make small changes that really amount to nothing. Are we willing to invest money now in solar for our homes, community buildings, or even the streetlights that guide our way in the dark? Are we willing to place some wind generation on our hill sides, near the ocean, or any wind alley that could supply energy for society? Only you and I together as a working group willing to resolve our addiction to energy can answer this question. 

    We now have solutions to resolving some of our energy addiction; the new Government is focusing on green energy, clean burning coal, and hybrid cars for our future. Solar companies are making strides in improving photo voltaic cells, Wind generation companies continue to improve technology that can power a neighborhood. Wood pellet stoves can heat your home efficiently while burning clean not adding any more to the carbon print than the wood would if it rotted away. We are getting there as a society but, will our efforts continue with no days off till we have reversed the damage we have done to our fragile earth. Only time will tell.

Jamie Green asked:


With the current administration in a seemingly huge hurry to distribute the more than $800 billion in stimulus funds set to enter the market, we all wait somewhat impatiently for some information as to where our taxpayer dollars will be distributed and what they will be funding.  A great number of transportation energy projects have been proposed, most of them with heavy price tags and little payoff.  A look at two of those projects shows cities who either have unrealistically high hopes or who aim to help push the transportation market in the environmentally friendly and sustainable direction the last administration said we would soon find.  Who falls into what category has yet to be determined.

Atlanta, Georgia is one city that seems to have very lofty goals.  The city is asking for $64 million to push hybrid, electric, and biodiesel vehicles.  While a push on hybrid and electric vehicles is an excellent move and encourages energy independence, the biodiesel vehicle movement will likely take a national push or standard in order to influence consumers. 

While vehicles destined to remain local, such as mass transit systems, are good candidates for the biodiesel conversion, few drivers will want to convert until biodiesel is made available at most gas stations around the nation and vehicle warranties are made to cover cars that utilize the fuel.  This is particularly true for consumers who engage in frequent business or personal travel.  While more details may make the project more appealing, there are already the benefits of greater hybrid and electric car use as well as the creation of 550 new jobs.

Peoria, Illinois, on the other hand, is requesting $2.5 million to convert their mass transit system to run on natural gas or hydrogen.  The decreased emissions provide a great benefit, while the fragility of fuel cells and high cost of hydrogen use are seen as detractors.  The Department of Energy is working on methods of reducing the cost of fuel cells, and this project could be an effective way to test how well the project could work as part of a long-term alternative. 

If the hydrogen is obtained from the use of biomass rather than fossil fuels, the project could have significant local environmental impact, and could answer much public speculation about hydrogen powered vehicles.  Natural gas vehicles are currently well suited only for this sort of local use, as storage and distribution has not been made available for supplying the gas to vehicles, and this project could serve as a testing ground to determine the benefits of a natural gas powered fleet of vehicles.

These two projects are only a couple of the transportation projects being proposed by various cities.  No project is without flaws, and the goals of these projects can be deemed experimental, but perhaps these projects can help both the government and the citizens to see the need and benefit of renewable energy for transportation and will finally push the automobile industry to create vehicles that can run independently of fossil fuels.  These are two projects whose fate could revolutionize or at least greatly impact the future of American transportation.