Green Articles
Your Local Library Might Let You Check Out a Watt-hour Meter
From the “Cool Developments” File: The other day my brother mentioned that our local public library is now loaning out watt-hour meters to the public. Searching online revealed several recent articles that discuss how public libraries across the country are starting this practice so that residents can evaluate and improve their energy usage. This is a great development, since most homeowners don’t want to actually own a watt-hour meter; but are willing to borrow one and see where they can trim the fat. The most common...
OPC’s Visit to the Chicago Smart Home Exhibit
There’s plenty of talk about eco-friendly building, but you don’t always see how these sustainable ideas can be brought to market. About a month ago I visited the Smart Home Exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It was very cool to learn how they’ve implemented technology to create the “greenest home in Chicago,” and what really came across was the heavy emphasis on efficient systems. As consumers, we often focus on buying efficient products like LED light bulbs. While they are beneficial,...
Blower Door Test, Setup and Results
One aspect of an Energy Star certified home is the airtight-ness of the structure or thermal envelope. We all know that heating and cooling your home accounts for the bulk of your monthly utility bill and that’s why minimizing air infiltration is so important. Air leaks can have a huge impact, negating triple pane windows or spray foam insulation. They occur in many different places like doors, window frames, outlets, fireplace dampers and attic entries. Blower door tests reveal these problems so you can take the right steps to...
Common Solar Energy Questions, Expert Answers
We were contacted by a national nonprofit group called Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) to help spread awareness about solar energy. They were established in 1974, and works to make solar power a mainstream and significant energy source. One way they achieve this goal is by educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. In that effort, they offered One Project Closer an exclusive interview with a Solar Industry expert! Here are the answers to my questions. If you want to learn more, leave a comment or join the Solar Generation...
LED Home Lighting Bulb Comparison
I’ve been writing a lot about LED home lighting recently. Previous posts have covered how LED bulbs compare to CFL’s and purchasing LED bulbs for your home. The big question that hasn’t been answered is how well do LED light bulbs perform? Even with the amazing energy savings and unprecedented lifespan, consumers won’t convert to LED’s unless they put out good light. This post will cover my experience with several different types of LED lights available at The Home Depot. This post does not cover all the options...
LED Home Lighting Buying Guide
LED home lighting is a very attractive option because it uses approximately 85% less energy than incandescent bulbs and up to 50% less than CFLs to produce the same light output. Plus, LED bulbs have a tremendous life expectancy — up to 100,000 hours. Imagine never changing a light bulb for the next 12 years. LEDs have even more benefits, like virtually no heat output and no internal hazardous materials (such as mercury, which is found in CFLs). The biggest hurdle with LED home lighting is the initial investment and adaptation to...
Green DIY Oven Cleaner
Our oven was in need of some serious cleaning and it’s a little embarrassing to reveal just how dirty it had become. One day, I began preheating the oven and soon after smelled smoke. I checked the oven and realized that some of the char was in danger of igniting! So I turned off the oven and let it cool down.I used my new-found time to look into finding a “green” method to clean my oven. It didn’t take much time to find some recommendations to use baking soda. The best part, I kept reading about how baking soda...
Recycle Your Carpet
When Kim and I went to Georgia to see the unveiling of Shaw’s new Tigressa carpet, I really knew very little about carpet except that ours has not stood the test of time or kids! In addition to seeing some beautiful and durable carpet, Shaw really opened my eyes to the potential for waste and negative environmental impact of discarded carpet. It had never occurred to me that once the carpet goes the the dump, it stays…FOREVER! Shaw is making a big effort to improve the sustainability of carpet through the re-use and recycling...
DIY Toilet Cleaner
Making your own cleaning solutions is an easy way to save money and ensure you are not using damaging chemicals around your house. Just about every surface and material can be cleaned in an environmentally friendly way. Todays post is all about how to keep your toilet bowl nice and bright.Making Toilet Bowl Cleaner Lots of great cleaning solutions can be made with baking soda and vinegar and toilet bowl cleaner is not very different. Materials1 cup vinegar 1/4 cup baking soda Scrub brushAlternate instructions call for 2 parts borax...
Green DIY Grout Cleaner
It’s easy to make a variety of cleaning solutions to use around the house and most take no time at all the put together. These options are usually cheaper, safer and create less waste than commercial cleaners. What’s not to love? This post marks the beginning of a series dedicated to Green Cleaning Solutions and how well they work. I’ve written a fair amount about grout- who knew there was so much to cover. I’ve touched on everything from selecting the right grout to the best way to remove grout. Well, I recently...
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