Last year in the Erhardt residence, we took the 8 degree pledge. This winter it will be the 10 degree pledge. Luckily there is a LL Bean outlet in town and I plan on stocking up on plenty of warm, comfortable indoor clothing!
Determined conservation is something we can all do now and it doesn't cost a cent. I can tell you from first-hand experience that it does make a huge difference in energy consumption!
Posted by Robert Fisher on September 24, 2008 at 8:31 AM
It does indeed make a difference, Jim. I've kept my house at 68 or 69 degrees in winter for the past several years. I don't have A/C so that's not an issue.
The other thing that can make a big difference is replacing regular light bulbs with CFL bulbs. The downside to those is the problem when discarding them, of course, but they do save quite a bit of money on the electrical bill.
Posted by Brad Hill on September 24, 2008 at 9:16 AM
Hi Jim and others,
Good post. To me the thing that is so good about it that it argues for a behavioural change rather than buying (another) new product to conserve something else. I'm amazed how many folks have, or are about to, buy a new hybrid car, rather than using their current one less. What's going to happen to their old car? Is it going to be recycled (unlikely) or simply re-sold and continue to be used? How much energy, emissions, and raw materials went into producing the new one?
It's really simple: Reduce, re-use, recycle. Behavioural changes are what really make a difference - like turning down the heat/air-conditioning in your home.
Jim, an excellent post.
Although my wife and I have never had our own children following in our footsteps we have always felt the need to protect for those in future generations. 10 years ago we made a large investment in double glass windows and reinsulated our attic. It made a big difference in our A/C & Heating consumption. At the same time we changed all of our standard light bulbs to fluorescent, another noticeable difference. Not one new bulb has failed to date after 10 years. I was amazed last year when I was in Home Depot I heard a husband and wife discussing and wondering what the heck the fluorescent bulbs were and why so costly. I told them the reason behind the usage and of course the cost. But, how could anyone have not even known what they were and why the need was to switch to them this late in the game.
Good post Jim. The $5.17/gal tag on our last delivery of home heating oil provided ample motivation. Though we live in Alaska, we've long taken pride in averaging less than 100 gallons a month year round in heating a 2400 square foot house. That once was easily bearable, but now it means over $500 a month year round for heating.
We recently decided there's NO WAY two people need 2400 square feet. Fortunately our house is layed out in such a way (800 sq ft original and 1600 sq ft addition without plumbing) that we can simply shut down the addition and move back into the original house. We're doing that. Goal is to get below 50 gallons/mo.
We also have access to ample fire wood. We're going to re-install our wood stove. Goal is zero heating oil consumption. We'll also be replacing our existing vehicles with the very first electric car to come along with a 100 mile range, charging provided by our local (hydroelectric) power coop.
STICK THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT, BIG OIL!!!!!!
Posted by Steve Foss on September 24, 2008 at 2:49 PM
Ever since we've moved into this (1,500 square foot) house, we've been upgrading the old windows, adding insulation where possible and sealing, sealing, sealing.
As soon as we moved in, I bought a second-hand wood furnace for the basement that I hooked into the ductwork so the furnace fan would push the heated air just like it does from the propane furnace. I'd planned on using the wood furnace for backup. Now, with the cost of propane, the high-efficiency propane furnace will be the backup to kick in on the cold nights when the banked wood furnace doesn't put out enough heat all night.
Eight full cords of hardwood is what it takes to heat our home all winter, as well as one 500 gallon tank of propane. Heating with wood instead of propane will save us over $2,000 this winter. That's VERY good news. Not to mention that cutting, splitting and stacking 10 loggers cords of firewood is very good exercise for middle-aged old me. We're also helped out because in this two-story house, the only rooms upstairs are bathroom, two bedrooms and my office. The only heating duct kept open is the one in the bathroom. We don't need any bedrooms during the day, and I like things cool in my office, so we're really heating only about 1,000 square feet, which helps.
Now, the environmental questions are, of course, whether we can live with contributing to the logging industry by consuming our share of birch and maple, and whether the woodsmoke we produce pollutes the air more than the high-efficiency propane furnace discharge.
Whichever the case may be, we have defintely brought our energy consumption down with all the sealing, weatherproofing and window replacement. And there will be more to come once we completely empty the attic by selling off a lot of our old stuff. We'll be calling it: The Garage Sale to Help the Environment. That sort of thing always plays well in Ely.
Posted by Steve Foss on September 24, 2008 at 6:27 PM
Mr. Shmarty pants! It's what you metro Californians turn on in your car when you go to the mountains to get away from the smog.
Posted by Rick Dunn on September 24, 2008 at 7:20 PM
Yep - great post.
Our last house was about 40% smaller than our previous, and oriented to maximize sun exposure in winter (lots of south facing windows) and minimize it in summer (sun higher in sky = no direct light). Deciduous trees in front of the windows provided shade in summer, but didn't block sun in winter. We like it cold, so the bedroom was on the main floor, north facing. We kept the house at 59 at night, 64 during the day. Unused rooms are closed off, vents shut.
Also, no grass in the yard - all native xeric species; beautiful landscaping with very low water req'ts, and no lawnmower exhaust!
More companies are tolerating/encouraging working from home. I now work 3 days out of 5 from the house - 60% less fuel is very nice.
I don't like the light from CFL bulbs - plus the disposal issues - so I have dimmers throughout the house. We rarely need the full wattage.
Wear clothes multiple times before washing, when possible - saves on wear and tear of the clothes, and we rarely run more than two medium loads per week.
Shop for food and other items that minimize packaging. We also track what food we throw away due to spoilage or going stale, which has allowed us to plan better and reduce waste.
Great post! Very creative reduce, reuse, and recycle plans you've all come up with. A tip of the cap to all!
Right on, Hank and Steve! Very funny, Charlie-- But what about the a/c, there, in San Diego?
So, true. And behavioral change is the most difficult thing to accomplish for most people. So, again, kudos to you champions for the environment!
Posted by David Prichard on September 25, 2008 at 1:15 AM
Hank and Steve,
Are wood pellets catching on in your part of the world? We are considering replacing the wood stove for a pellet. They are being used as supplementary boilers in a number of larger buildings here, but I don't know if the cost over a existing wood stove is worth it for a home unit.
It is my understanding Steve that wood burning is carbon neutral, basically redistributing existing carbon as opposed to petroleum productions which are stored carbons being released into the environment.
They're just starting to appear here in Kodiak, mostly due to the previous cost of shipping pellets. But now that a company is ginning up to produce pellets locally, I expect them to become popular. Our one hesitation is the requirement for electricity to run them, since we do experience power outages in sever weather.
We have several friends in both Washington state and Colorado who own them. Universally they give rave reviews. Interesting enough a few years back when corn was cheap, it was discovered that some models would work with corn. At $20 a ton at the time for corn, lots of folks burned corn rather than pellets. I doubt that's the case these days!
Posted by Steve Foss on September 25, 2008 at 9:10 AM
David, wood pellet stoves have been around awhile, but I don't know anyone up here who uses one. I'd be interested in looking at the relative costs of fuel. A logger's cord of hardwood (8-foot logs stacked 4 feet wide and four feet high for 4x4x8 total volume) runs from $85 to $100, and the 10 cords I buy will yield 8 full cords of wood cut, split and stacked.
Other than the cost of a new wood furnace (if I remember right, pellet stoves are specialized), don't know what pellets cost. And honestly, working with that much cordwood is excellent exercise for me, not to mention being one of those manly pursuits that makes me feel, well, manly.
Quite a few here use outdoor wood boilers to heat water that runs through underground lines and into the house for heat and hot water, and that of course further reduces electrical or propane/gas consumption for hot water heating.
Wanna ship me a bunch of that firewood Steve? We could both make money even after shpping! No hardwood available here, and spruce is going for $275-325 for a short cord.
Even after paying shipping, pellets appear to be cheaper by comparison. A neighbor is currently using a pellet stove and buying pellets 400 pounds at a time from Walmart. I don't have a handle on cost comparison, but she says she's saving money while limiting hassles.
Posted by Jim Erhardt on September 25, 2008 at 2:09 PM
The good thing about pellets is that they are a waste product, made from the sawdust of wood-product manufacturing. Other than the (minimal) electricity required to operate a wood pellet device, I think these devices are a great way to provide heat for the home. We are considering a wood pellet insert for our traditonal wood-burning fireplace.
Posted by Robert Ganz on September 26, 2008 at 12:32 PM
For another good site with information on this and other "green" initiatives check out:
I have greatly enjoyed watching how the recent spike in world oil prices resulted in a drop in demand and immediate drops in prices. Talk about a double bonus when conservation results in lower prices!
We have close friends highly placed in the oil industry up here. Last time we had them all in for dinner, I outlined our plans to dispense entirely with home heating oil and gasoline. The leader of the oil pack got really wide-eyed and serious. He said a little too loudly for the setting "That's not funny!"
Followed by much laughter and words of encouragement to me from our guests who aren't making their living in the oil patch.
Subsequent conversatoin pretty well confirmed that there's serious worry in the oil industry about conservation and reduced consumption. Howzat for an insight!!!!!
Concerning the carbon question between burning wood or oil....and I may have this wrong. As far as carbon goes, they are the same. Both have carbon "trapped" in them. Burn either and their carbons are now released. The carbons are being "re-distributed" in both cases. The trapped oil carbons happen to be trapped underground while the trees carbon is trapped above ground. The best alternative is a power source that releases no carbons at all! Like solar, wind, and water - all sources that do not require energy to produce.
Think of all the energy sources the general public would use if the "Big Government" subsidized energy on the scale that they subsidize so many other products (like paying a farmer NOT to grow something). It baffles me that people complain about not wanting windmills in their backyards and will complain bitterly about their own energy costs. Its about time that windmills were considered "good" looking!!!
Troup
Posted by Jim Erhardt on September 27, 2008 at 4:20 AM
Troup, I am with you on the windmills! Off-shore "windmill farms" make a lot of sense to me and aesthetically shouldn't be any worse than off-shore drilling platforms.
On the carbon thing, what you say is true except for one difference - the "underground carbon" has been trapped there for millions of years while the above ground carbon is part of the current cyle of carbon exchange. Letting the stuff out from underground and introducing it to the current cycle, while decreasing the ability to reabsorb it (through deforestization) is the real problem.
All of this said, IMO conservation remains our most powerful means to significantly reduce our energy consumption. If we can all learn to make due with less, that will also pave the way to practical application of alternative energy forms, such as photovoltaics.
It all starts with conservation, and conservation all starts with us as individuals!.
Posted by David Prichard on September 27, 2008 at 10:26 PM
The Canadian government's explanation of carbon neutral.
Discussion
19 repliesLast year in the Erhardt residence, we took the 8 degree pledge. This winter it will be the 10 degree pledge. Luckily there is a LL Bean outlet in town and I plan on stocking up on plenty of warm, comfortable indoor clothing!
Determined conservation is something we can all do now and it doesn't cost a cent. I can tell you from first-hand experience that it does make a huge difference in energy consumption!
The other thing that can make a big difference is replacing regular light bulbs with CFL bulbs. The downside to those is the problem when discarding them, of course, but they do save quite a bit of money on the electrical bill.
Good post. To me the thing that is so good about it that it argues for a behavioural change rather than buying (another) new product to conserve something else. I'm amazed how many folks have, or are about to, buy a new hybrid car, rather than using their current one less. What's going to happen to their old car? Is it going to be recycled (unlikely) or simply re-sold and continue to be used? How much energy, emissions, and raw materials went into producing the new one?
It's really simple: Reduce, re-use, recycle. Behavioural changes are what really make a difference - like turning down the heat/air-conditioning in your home.
Cheers...
Brad
Although my wife and I have never had our own children following in our footsteps we have always felt the need to protect for those in future generations. 10 years ago we made a large investment in double glass windows and reinsulated our attic. It made a big difference in our A/C & Heating consumption. At the same time we changed all of our standard light bulbs to fluorescent, another noticeable difference. Not one new bulb has failed to date after 10 years. I was amazed last year when I was in Home Depot I heard a husband and wife discussing and wondering what the heck the fluorescent bulbs were and why so costly. I told them the reason behind the usage and of course the cost. But, how could anyone have not even known what they were and why the need was to switch to them this late in the game.
We recently decided there's NO WAY two people need 2400 square feet. Fortunately our house is layed out in such a way (800 sq ft original and 1600 sq ft addition without plumbing) that we can simply shut down the addition and move back into the original house. We're doing that. Goal is to get below 50 gallons/mo.
We also have access to ample fire wood. We're going to re-install our wood stove. Goal is zero heating oil consumption. We'll also be replacing our existing vehicles with the very first electric car to come along with a 100 mile range, charging provided by our local (hydroelectric) power coop.
STICK THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT, BIG OIL!!!!!!
As soon as we moved in, I bought a second-hand wood furnace for the basement that I hooked into the ductwork so the furnace fan would push the heated air just like it does from the propane furnace. I'd planned on using the wood furnace for backup. Now, with the cost of propane, the high-efficiency propane furnace will be the backup to kick in on the cold nights when the banked wood furnace doesn't put out enough heat all night.
Eight full cords of hardwood is what it takes to heat our home all winter, as well as one 500 gallon tank of propane. Heating with wood instead of propane will save us over $2,000 this winter. That's VERY good news. Not to mention that cutting, splitting and stacking 10 loggers cords of firewood is very good exercise for middle-aged old me. We're also helped out because in this two-story house, the only rooms upstairs are bathroom, two bedrooms and my office. The only heating duct kept open is the one in the bathroom. We don't need any bedrooms during the day, and I like things cool in my office, so we're really heating only about 1,000 square feet, which helps.
Now, the environmental questions are, of course, whether we can live with contributing to the logging industry by consuming our share of birch and maple, and whether the woodsmoke we produce pollutes the air more than the high-efficiency propane furnace discharge.
Whichever the case may be, we have defintely brought our energy consumption down with all the sealing, weatherproofing and window replacement. And there will be more to come once we completely empty the attic by selling off a lot of our old stuff. We'll be calling it: The Garage Sale to Help the Environment. That sort of thing always plays well in Ely.
Our last house was about 40% smaller than our previous, and oriented to maximize sun exposure in winter (lots of south facing windows) and minimize it in summer (sun higher in sky = no direct light). Deciduous trees in front of the windows provided shade in summer, but didn't block sun in winter. We like it cold, so the bedroom was on the main floor, north facing. We kept the house at 59 at night, 64 during the day. Unused rooms are closed off, vents shut.
Also, no grass in the yard - all native xeric species; beautiful landscaping with very low water req'ts, and no lawnmower exhaust!
More companies are tolerating/encouraging working from home. I now work 3 days out of 5 from the house - 60% less fuel is very nice.
I don't like the light from CFL bulbs - plus the disposal issues - so I have dimmers throughout the house. We rarely need the full wattage.
Wear clothes multiple times before washing, when possible - saves on wear and tear of the clothes, and we rarely run more than two medium loads per week.
Shop for food and other items that minimize packaging. We also track what food we throw away due to spoilage or going stale, which has allowed us to plan better and reduce waste.
Save water, drink beer!
Right on, Hank and Steve! Very funny, Charlie-- But what about the a/c, there, in San Diego?
So, true. And behavioral change is the most difficult thing to accomplish for most people. So, again, kudos to you champions for the environment!
Are wood pellets catching on in your part of the world? We are considering replacing the wood stove for a pellet. They are being used as supplementary boilers in a number of larger buildings here, but I don't know if the cost over a existing wood stove is worth it for a home unit.
It is my understanding Steve that wood burning is carbon neutral, basically redistributing existing carbon as opposed to petroleum productions which are stored carbons being released into the environment.
They're just starting to appear here in Kodiak, mostly due to the previous cost of shipping pellets. But now that a company is ginning up to produce pellets locally, I expect them to become popular. Our one hesitation is the requirement for electricity to run them, since we do experience power outages in sever weather.
We have several friends in both Washington state and Colorado who own them. Universally they give rave reviews. Interesting enough a few years back when corn was cheap, it was discovered that some models would work with corn. At $20 a ton at the time for corn, lots of folks burned corn rather than pellets. I doubt that's the case these days!
Other than the cost of a new wood furnace (if I remember right, pellet stoves are specialized), don't know what pellets cost. And honestly, working with that much cordwood is excellent exercise for me, not to mention being one of those manly pursuits that makes me feel, well, manly.
Quite a few here use outdoor wood boilers to heat water that runs through underground lines and into the house for heat and hot water, and that of course further reduces electrical or propane/gas consumption for hot water heating.
Even after paying shipping, pellets appear to be cheaper by comparison. A neighbor is currently using a pellet stove and buying pellets 400 pounds at a time from Walmart. I don't have a handle on cost comparison, but she says she's saving money while limiting hassles.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/
We're all in the same boat.
We have close friends highly placed in the oil industry up here. Last time we had them all in for dinner, I outlined our plans to dispense entirely with home heating oil and gasoline. The leader of the oil pack got really wide-eyed and serious. He said a little too loudly for the setting "That's not funny!"
Followed by much laughter and words of encouragement to me from our guests who aren't making their living in the oil patch.
Subsequent conversatoin pretty well confirmed that there's serious worry in the oil industry about conservation and reduced consumption. Howzat for an insight!!!!!
Think of all the energy sources the general public would use if the "Big Government" subsidized energy on the scale that they subsidize so many other products (like paying a farmer NOT to grow something). It baffles me that people complain about not wanting windmills in their backyards and will complain bitterly about their own energy costs. Its about time that windmills were considered "good" looking!!!
Troup
On the carbon thing, what you say is true except for one difference - the "underground carbon" has been trapped there for millions of years while the above ground carbon is part of the current cyle of carbon exchange. Letting the stuff out from underground and introducing it to the current cycle, while decreasing the ability to reabsorb it (through deforestization) is the real problem.
All of this said, IMO conservation remains our most powerful means to significantly reduce our energy consumption. If we can all learn to make due with less, that will also pave the way to practical application of alternative energy forms, such as photovoltaics.
It all starts with conservation, and conservation all starts with us as individuals!.
http://www.canren.gc.ca/prod_serv/index.asp?CaId=103&PgId=586