Just completed a video tour for Woodland Hills, a lovely residential community and golf course about 10 miles east of Lincoln. I had a great time photographing this beautiful place. The people who live there LOVE IT! Watch the video and see why.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Buddy makes Rachel Maddow!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Monday, July 20, 2009
Earth2Lincoln on KZUM
Tonight (Monday, July 2oth) I'm scheduled to be a guest on the KZUM radio show Earth2Lincoln. I told host, Eva Sohl, that I could talk about a variety of things related to improving home energy efficiency. Here are some of the links where you can get more information on the topics we're going to discuss:
For info on tax credits for home energy improvments, from the Nebraska Energy Office
Online information about Home Energy Audits
Home Energy Saver
Alliance to Save Energy
EnergyStar - Yardstick
And here is some information about energy efficient and green oriented developments in and near Lincoln.
Village Gardens is a development in the style of New Urbanism
The Bridges is a geo-thermal community
For info on tax credits for home energy improvments, from the Nebraska Energy Office
Online information about Home Energy Audits
Home Energy Saver
Alliance to Save Energy
EnergyStar - Yardstick
And here is some information about energy efficient and green oriented developments in and near Lincoln.
Village Gardens is a development in the style of New Urbanism
The Bridges is a geo-thermal community
Monday, April 20, 2009
Green Collar Workers
Buildings use a tremendous amount of energy. How could they not? We work, play, make things and live in buildings. Making our buildings greener requires new skill and techniques. Learning about them is the subject of a NYT video story The Greening of the American Hard Hat.
It's also entered the lexicon, Green-collar worker is an entry on Wikipedia. The Obama administration is counting on these jobs being a staple in the economic recovery and let's face it, if it means jobs and keeping more money in our communities, it's win-win. Of course it means an investment, energy efficiency and sustainable practices are generally not the cheapest, at least in the short term, but if you are in it for the long run there are lots of exciting new technologies and techniques to consider in constructing or retrofitting your building.
It's also entered the lexicon, Green-collar worker is an entry on Wikipedia. The Obama administration is counting on these jobs being a staple in the economic recovery and let's face it, if it means jobs and keeping more money in our communities, it's win-win. Of course it means an investment, energy efficiency and sustainable practices are generally not the cheapest, at least in the short term, but if you are in it for the long run there are lots of exciting new technologies and techniques to consider in constructing or retrofitting your building.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Got the gas bill blues?
I dream of going green ... or at least more green. I fantasize about solar supported radiant heat systems combined with zoned smart home features in a tight super insulated house. But for now I live in a little old house with its original windows and a big dog who likes the cold weather and is always going in and out and this winter has been cold! Yet I've not been shocked by my gas bill, I don't mind paying about $4 a day to stay warm in January, but apparently I'm getting off easy. My dad says he spent $400 in a month on propane to keep the family farmhouse barely warm. People are complaining about bills of $500 and even $1000! That's a lot of money for heat! I guess I'm not doing so bad.
What have I done? It's not complicated really, a few years ago I replaced my 20 year old furnace with a high efficiency one. It gets its combustion air from the outside so its better for the indoor air quality and it's probably paid for itself already. I wanted a finished attic, that meant sealing things up and adding insulation. It's more usable space and its more comfortable everywhere in the house. The cold rooms we supplement with electric heat when we are using them and whenever I paint or repair windows we try to seal up any cracks. Oh, sealing up the doors help too, as long as the dog doesn't push them open and did I mention, my house isn't very big and it's got some nice south facing windows that let in the winter sun.
As people are paying their gas bills this time of year, its a good time to be thinking about ways to make our homes more comfortable, safer and more energy efficient. Little investments add up and pay for themselves. Keep your heating equipment serviced, change filters, if your furnace is old and inefficient, a new high efficiency furnace will pay for itself in only a few years. Plug up the leaks, use storm windows and stop drafts around doors to the outside. Heat goes up so add insulation to the attic, but pay attention to ventilation issues, its as easy to create problems as it is to solve them. There are a lot of ways to make your home more comfortable and affordable through the long winter. You can download or order a book with energy saving tips from the US Dept of Energy
What have I done? It's not complicated really, a few years ago I replaced my 20 year old furnace with a high efficiency one. It gets its combustion air from the outside so its better for the indoor air quality and it's probably paid for itself already. I wanted a finished attic, that meant sealing things up and adding insulation. It's more usable space and its more comfortable everywhere in the house. The cold rooms we supplement with electric heat when we are using them and whenever I paint or repair windows we try to seal up any cracks. Oh, sealing up the doors help too, as long as the dog doesn't push them open and did I mention, my house isn't very big and it's got some nice south facing windows that let in the winter sun.
As people are paying their gas bills this time of year, its a good time to be thinking about ways to make our homes more comfortable, safer and more energy efficient. Little investments add up and pay for themselves. Keep your heating equipment serviced, change filters, if your furnace is old and inefficient, a new high efficiency furnace will pay for itself in only a few years. Plug up the leaks, use storm windows and stop drafts around doors to the outside. Heat goes up so add insulation to the attic, but pay attention to ventilation issues, its as easy to create problems as it is to solve them. There are a lot of ways to make your home more comfortable and affordable through the long winter. You can download or order a book with energy saving tips from the US Dept of Energy
Monday, January 19, 2009
Low Hanging Fruit
A new time, a new opportunity! Over the past year a great deal has changed and the changes have only just begun. There are a lot of ideas about stimulating the economy and addressing climate change. Wind farms, electric vehicles ... big changes. But a lot of little changes can add up to a pretty big change too. Retrofits and improvements to the existing building stock can create jobs and save energy. Lincoln's Cecil Steward, President of the Josylyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities has posted a call for a focus on existing buildings as part of the Building and Design Action Plan of Lincoln Green by Design. A recent NYT editorial has also taken up the call. The opportunities are enormous, besides, it only makes sense to start the big change with the easy stuff.
Monday, December 15, 2008
All I Need is the Air that I Breathe
Air, we take it for granted, but the fact is that the air indoors can become contaminated by toxins. Recently a cat and CO detector saved a Lincoln family. Of particular danger is Carbon Monoxide which can build up as a result of poor combustion in a furnace or back drafting from a fireplace. During the winter time the furnace may run a lot while houses are closed up tight. The danger is real but avoidable with the help of a Carbon Monoxide detector.
When the problem goes undetected, the symptoms can cause hallucinations of sounds and images and it is sometimes found that houses that are thought to be haunted have high levels of CO.
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