Green at 50

The car of the future

Here is the car of the future. The GM Hy-Wire is an hydrogen powered car with nothing but water as emissions. The car is powered by a computer. Now, if I just had 5 million. GM says 10-20 years for this car. Fantastic.

 

Dialing down the electric bill

We've had our share of natural disasters lately in Eastern Iowa. The winter of 2008 was brutal and ice storms caused massive power outages and damage to power lines and poles. The next spring, record floods invaded the local power plant in Cedar Rapids causing severe damage. It was nasty. To recover their losses, Alliant energy has proposed an 18.1% rate hike...adding insult to injury to consumers trying to recover from these disasters and on top of a struggling economy. I understand it but it still stinks. But take heart, there are still things we can do to lower our energy bills. My family and I have been reducing our energy consumption for nearly a year, now, and the savings are really beginning to show on our electric bill...here's a few things that have helped us:

1. Reduce usage: Use fluorescent bulbs, air dry dishes in your dishwasher, install (and use) power strips on your computers/TVs and radios, turn down your hot water heater, purchase energy efficient appliances, use battery operated clocks, hang out your clothes, unplug chargers when not in use (see more ideas in my Energy Leeches post.)
2. Insulate, insulate, insulate: Stop air leaks and insulate walls, floors and ceilings. Check in your local area for rebates for the purchase of energy efficient window, appliances and insulation for your home.
3. Try "Time of Day" program with your local utility company: Electric companies produce energy to meet their maximum need 24 hours a day...so a lot of that energy is wasted in off-peak times such as nights and weekends. Alliant energy offers a "Time of Day" program that allows customers to purchase night time and weekend electricity for 50% of the regular rate. Of course, the rate during the weekday is 140% of the regular rate - so it does take a little thought. When we went on the program, we monitored our usage for a week to see if the program would work for us. We decided that if we used 70% of our power off-peak that we would save money. So far, we use 82% of our power off-peak and save about 17% a month...and that's with me working from home.
4. Cycle your air conditioning:  Alliant also has an "Appliance Cycling Program." When the demand for energy reaches a critical point for the electric provider, they can activate a cycling of your air conditioner (usually 15 minutes on/15 minutes off) while your fan still runs to circulate the air. They guarantee this will only happen during the week and never on weekends or holidays. The savings is around $7 a month.
5. Results:  We've been very pleased with our electric usage and bill. Electricity usage seems to be easier to impact than natural gas. We have gas heat, hot water heater and stove and an electric dryer. Since last year, we have reduced our usage by 42%. With the Time of Day program, we have further reduced our bill by 17% per month. The end result is we have reduced our total electric bill (including standard monthly fees) in February from $90 per month last year to $50 this last February. We also plan to sign up for the Appliance Cycling Program this summer. We aren't looking forward to the 18% increase, but 18% of $50 is a whole lot less than 18% of $90!

Recycled housing for the birds...

 No, really...I mean for the birds! I know that some of you still have stacks of political yard signs in your garage left-over from the election. I mean, how can you be an environmentalist and not have a few political opinions? It's OK, I understand. And I found some folks who can help. After the Canadian elections, a group called Les Fourmis (The Ants) created some simple plans for birdhouses made out of campaign signs and cable ties.

Who are Les Fourmis?
Anonymous people, citizens, neighbours and friends who get together to express themselves, share and shake things up a bit. They do it for their city, in their city and in life in general.

Mmm...sounds kinda like me. So get busy, America! Feature that piercing eye or bulbous nose someplace where the birds will amuse you...and do something good for the birds, too!

Apartment Therapy Chicago

Weird weather is coming? Honey, it’s been here and gone.

Dan Shapely published an article today about how scientists are united in predicting that not only are extreme climate changes coming, but that the government needs to increase funding for preventative measures to ensure that our infrastructure is “weather resistant.” He notes that the presidential candidates have not addressed this issue of prevention although they both say that they'll reduce greenhouse gases. I completely agree with this article, although I've never known any prevention plans that actually got off the ground before disaster strikes...here in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, we still have folks that are fighting the implementation of improvements that would make the city less vulnerable to flooding and other natural disasters. In this neck of the woods, we still have our utilities in the basements of businesses and homes. Most of the legal history of the city was lost during the flood because the paper documents were stored in basements of law offices and city hall (which is on an island in the middle of the river...nice looking but geez.) Even one of the banks had their safety deposit boxes in the basement...we definitely need to change the way we think about our infrastructure, but don't expect the candidates to come up with a plan. It's just not glamorous enough.