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In my last newsletter I mentioned that we
were looking for office help. The response
from the Globe article made that even more
important. I'm please to announce that we've
hired Carmel Cowan.
Carmel is from West Boylston, MA and I've known
her for a number of years through our work
together on
the Arts Alliance board of directors (www.UpWithArts.org).
.
Carmel has been on the job three weeks and
already the place is running better. As a
bonus, at least two of our cats have adopted
her so that means she can stay :-)
(FYI, I have a small part in the Arts
Alliance's upcoming production of How
to Succeed in Business Without Really
Trying. You can see the show at Hudson
High School on Aug 1,2, 8 and 9.)
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And what if your home faces the "wrong way?"
No problem, just turn the house :-). Actually
it's a bit easier to turn the solar panels.
Here is a recent 3-panel system installation
(click on the image for a larger version).
Here we mounted the panels on a back roof
perpendicular to the ridge line. This
mounting put the panels at the north most
point of the property with minimal shade (the
bottom of the panels will be shaded a bit by
the roof peak at sunset.)
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In this news letter you see pictures of three
different sized solar hot water systems.
Ranging from a single panel to three panels.
How do you decide which is right for you?
Sometimes, the decision is made for you. In
the single panel system (pictured to the
right, click on the image to expand), the
homeowner didn't have room for a large enough
storage tank to take advantage of the energy
captured by a two panel system so we
suggested a single panel system. It helps
that only two live in the home and their hot
water usage is moderate to low.
In most hot-water-conscious small families,
(two adults, one or two small children) a two
panel system will generate plenty oft hot water.
The three panel system pictured above was
sized to the home not the number of
residents. The home, currently occupied by
two people, has room for a family of five or
six. but the homeowners, thinking ahead,
decided to go with the larger system.
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I have no doubt
that the record crude
oil prices ($143/bbl) and
the all-time high gasoline prices are driving
the strong interest in renewable
energy.
Another impact of the high cost of energy is
that other newsworthy items are getting
pushed off the front page. For example, we
don't hear much about climate change these
days (though the extreme weather in the
Midwest is a not so subtle reminder of the
potential effects of climate change.) Is bad
news is losing out to worse news? Is there
any good news? Yes there is.
Energy and climate change are tightly linked.
By addressing one problem, we will invariably
address the
other. With high energy costs, we work to
reduce our usage of fossil fuel. That
reduction has a positive impact on the global
climate. And, working to lower our carbon
footprint to help the climate means that
we'll use less fossil fuel and reduce our
energy costs.
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Use a fan instead of an air conditioner, turn off the lights, switch to compact fluorescent bulbs, put computer gear on a power strip and turn it off at night, unplug unnecessary appliances, ventilate your attic, take shorter showers, walk instead of drive, ride a bike, group your errands, inflate your tires, grow your own food, eat locally-produced food, recycle, use your most efficient vehicle, get a hybrid vehicle, wash your clothes in cold water, buy less packaging, use a clothesline instead of the dryer, drink tap water, print with narrower margins, use both sides of the page, buy less, compost, install a renewable energy system...
Thanks for Reading the Energy Miser,
 Mark Durrenberger
New England Breeze, LLC
phone:
978-567-WIND (9463)
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