Results for appliances

You've Already Got a Solar Clothes Dryer, Use It

SCOTT THOMSEN / Tuesday, June 9, 2009 01:27 PM

After an extended, gray winter, Seattle is now enjoying the kind of summer that reminds us why we live here.

As the long-awaited sunshine pulls us from our fleece cocoons and recharges our vitamin D levels, THIS SPACE is here to remind you that sunshine also offers one of the simplest, low-investment opportunities for saving electricity -- the solar clothes dryer. You might recognize this energy-efficient technology better as a clothesline.

Hanging clothes to dry used to be a commonplace event, but largely disappeared with the arrival of affordable, convenient appliances.

That convenience comes with a cost, which you can turn into a savings. More...

TAGS: HOME, appliances, energy efficiency, starting now

East Bay Local and Federal Rebates for Green Building and Renovations

CARISSA WODEHOUSE / Thursday, April 3, 2008 05:52 PM

Credit: iStock PhotoYour Home Remodel: Before and After Greening

Free Fix for Water Heaters and Furnaces

Before: A water heater set above 120 degrees uses more energy than necessary and raises your bills. After: Turning the water heater down to 120 degrees saves 500lbs of CO2/year and reduces your monthly bill. Cost: Just a trip to the basement. While you are down there, check your furnace filter. Clean filters can save you 5% of your heating costs.

Washing Machines and the Original Eco-Fashion Tip
Before: Washing clothes in hot water dulls fabrics and costs an average of $1,310 over the lifetime of the machine.  After: Washing clothes in cold water reduces your carbon footprint by 500lbs of CO2/year. Installing an Energy Star rated washer saves an average 700 gallons of water and $550 in operating costs over the life of the machine. Cost: The price tag may be more upfront for Energy Star machines, but get $125 or $200 off with rebates. Energy Star does not rate dryers, because the energy use is similar between models. The best option is a clothes line, perhaps the oldest eco-fashion practice in the book. The cost is minimal, or you can spend more an automated clothes line.

The following information originally appeared in our monthly green tips email. Sign up for your own monthly copy by creating a user profile.


Envision the following improvements on your home and the resulting reduction in carbon emissions and utility costs. In addition to our exclusive coupon offers, we tracked down the local rebates and federal tax credits available to you if you make your home more efficient. If you have a vision but need the tools, register and check them out of the Tool Lending Library (at the Oakland Public Library in Temescal) for free if you are a resident of Oakland, Piedmont or Emeryville. Experienced remodelers or those just brimming with ideas will love the non-profit Build it Green, which has a directory of builders, product lists, lists of loans for green building, and a useful spreadsheet of the incentives and tax credits available to us in the East Bay. You can also call their "Ask and Expert" hotline at 888-40-GREEN for any home building questions, so if you get stuck on one of these projects, you know who to call.

Credit: iStock PhotoInsulation and Leaky Ducts
Before: Uninsulated attics in older homes release as much as 40% of home heating and cooling costs into the air. Leaky ducts release home air into attics and walls. After: Insulation reduces heating and cooling costs and increases home comfort. Cost: Rising Sun Energy Center gives a sample cost of $500 to insulate a 1,000sq foot attic through their co-pay program. PG&E also offers a rebate of $0.15 per square foot on attic or wall insulation and a duct sealing rebate of up to $600.


Roofing
Before: Roofs absorb heat, causing home temperatures to rise and increased use of air conditioning. After: Using cash incentives through Go Solar California, you can install solar panels for electricity or for solar hot water. Cost: Up to 50% of the project can be covered through cash incentives and income tax deductions, then bask in the reduction in your monthly energy bill. A second option is a Cool Roof, which reflect sunlight. PG&E has rebates up to $200 per 1,000 sq.ft.

Materials for Floors, Decking and Cabinetry
Before: Lumber may come from a poorly managed forest far outside of North America. Lack of accountability makes it difficult to know the impact and can disguise habitat destruction and social impacts. After: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood comes from managed and protected forests, and ensures loggers meet social, economic and environmental criteria.  Cost: Square foot per square foot, building with FSC lumber does not have to mean spending more. We love the comparison Green on a Budget by ecohaus, a business in EcoMetro cities Seattle and Portland similar to our own Ecohome Improvement. They compared FSC wood flooring with non-FSC wood and found the FSC cost $6,435 for 1,500sq.ft while the non-FSC wood cost $10,365. Make use of bamboo, cork, marmoleum, and recycled tiles from new or salvaged sources.

Smaller Fixes and Adjustments

Water
Before: Older model toilets, showerheads and faucets use more water than needed. Toilets are the largest home water hogs at 4 gallons per flush, matches by showers at nearly 4 gallons per minute.  After: By purchasing dual flush toilets (with a half-flush option), you use less than 2 gallons per flush and save up to 6,000 gallons/year. Cost: Aerators and efficient showerheads are free to pick up through EBMUD, or ask for a free home water survey and have them brought to you. Toilet rebates of $150 are available to EBMUD customers until June 30th.

Phantom Power
Before: Phantom power from TVs, gadget chargers, appliances, and more sucks up power and costs you money. After: By plugging all appliances into a power strip or purchasing a self-regulating Smart Strip, you can save 1,000-1,500 Co2/year. Cost:  About $30 per strip, which the company claims you will save in several weeks of regular use. More...

TAGS: HOME, LIVE, appliances, energy, energy efficiency, home remodeling

EcoMetro Active: Clean Out Your Closet

Green Home
ECOMETRO EDITORS / Monday, October 1, 2007 02:52 AM

What’s lurking in your closet, garage, basement? Take stock of both bulky items (mattresses, appliances) and hazardous materials (old paint, insecticides, batteries). List them on the recycling page of our book or on a piece of scrap paper, then go to StopWaste.org to find out how to dispose of both types. More...

TAGS: LIVE, appliances, building materials, computers, ecometro active, e-waste, hazardous waste, interiors, recycling
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