Tom Delconte's Blog (26)

In Building Science Building Envelope Design Thermodyamics, the term surroundings (and its synonym, the Universe) is used in a more restricted sense, meaning everything outside the thermodynamic system.…

Just wondered, does anyone know of a better looking intelligent managed power strip? Ethereal Star Wars Design Power Strip I've used this one for about a year and estimate it has saved about $29. Their calculations say it saves when fully loaded:…

His economic truth about homeownership:

By contrast, real home prices should decline with time, except to the extent that households shell out some money and plow back some of their incomes into maintenance and improvements, because homes wear out and go out of style.

"Here is a harsh truth about homeownership: Over the long haul, it’s hard for homes to compete with the stock market in real…

Nest 2.0 just added more features today. It may or may not be compatible with your utility's smart grid, however. It now does dual fuel!

Nest Labs announced the thermostat’s latest update today, which packs in several features that should make the sweltering summer heat more bearable. And as with all of Nest’s…

We Are About to Pass 400ppm CO2! The global warming tipping point was 385ppm, as set by James Hansen. The upshot of the CO2 escalation is that there is no longer any environmental point to pursuing energy efficiency. This fact has only been published in this blog, you will not see this noted anywhere…

In the meantime, Germany is about to go under due to gov't spending on alt. fuel:

Nordseewerke, which produces Statue of Liberty-sized foundations for ocean wind turbines, ramped up its manufacturing capacity and head count in 2011 after Merkel declared that Germany would begin a massive project to install 25,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by…

MyEnergy.com

This site is supposed to be the next big thing. You give it your electric co. and water co. names and passwords. It delivers a free & pretty usage report to you. It promises you all these local friends that you will get together with at the local speakeasy to talk about home…

1. Plug the Leaks!

2. Install a better thermostat.

3. Replace your lightbulbs.

4. Buy Energystar!

5. Reduce your hot water use.

6. Find 10 more ways on your own.

Remember what he said Tuesday night: Let's cut in half the energy wasted by our homes and businesses over the next 20 years, or else!

Today, according to experts, most heat pumps only have a durability of 15-25 years, but researchers at the University of Stavanger in Norway (USN) and the University of Oslo believe that they have developed a new heat pump that…

For some reason this is never reported in the popular media, anywhere: We have blown Way Past the climate tipping point! The proof of this follows:

The Climactic Tipping Point we passed it 5 years ago! More…

From the great region of the country that gave us rock, blues, country, dubstep, and Tejano music origins, not to mention the space program, horns mounted on pickup trucks, and Gilley's (everywhere, now) comes the newest invention and innovation, the …

Tankless- expensive, high maintenance, high failure rates, high install costs, limited flow rates, poor winter performance, long payback.

Hybrid Electric- too tall, need surrounding space for heat exchange, poor durability, noisy, may need condensate pump.

Solar- requires southern exposure, cold & cloudy days: poor performance, very long payback, high install costs

What works?

The good old Storage Tank water heater- electric is OK, fast…

It's out! The news you were waiting for! It's not from the Feds, since they gave up on thermostats three years ago, finding them too difficult to test! Some independent agency did it, and it's still a mystery:

User friendly thermostats report

Venstar(top three) & Nest(top three?) are mentioned, but who are the others? Is Lux at the…

Add: 7/2 finally, an unbiased review of Nest: http://o.canada.com/2012/06/26/nest-learning-thermostat-review/   (it doesn't work)

Thermostats: hysteria or hysteresis?

Despite all of the…

Too Much Humidity

• Your skin often feels clammy, sweaty or sticky.
• Musty-smelling odors are invading your living space.
• Wood floors, trim or wood furniture is warping or rotting, paint is peeling.
• Condensation, frost or ice have formed on the inside surface of your windows. Water pipes are "sweating".
• Damp spots, or worse, mold and mildew, have formed on ceilings or walls.
• Your allergies or asthma have gotten worse due to the…

 -Draw blinds, shades, drapes – Close window dressings to block the sunlight during the hottest part of the day, especially on south and west-facing windows. 



· Adjust the thermostat – Adjusting your thermostat a few degrees can lead to big savings on your bill. The Grid recommends a setting of 78 degrees or higher. Remember to keep the air flowing freely by replacing air filters. 



· Use programmable thermostats – Use of programmable…

Energy Battle is a new game that may be the solution to training a younger generation to save energy at home. It was developed by graduate students at Delft University of Technology.…

These are the latest ideas and bills in congress, which may or may not actually happen.

First up are new tax credits for homeowners investing in energy efficiency upgrades. The Cut Energy Bills at Home Act.

It's based on annual predicted energy cost savings from heating, cooling, hot water and “permanent lighting” in a primary residence. For a minimum credit of $2,000, homes would need to reduce energy costs by 20 percent. Incremental credits are…

It's intermittent. Solar energy is only available when the sun is shining.

It's low efficiency. It requires large areas of land.

It's not completely free of environmental impact. Ultrapure polysilicon is now scarce.

It's high cost.

You must climb your roof to wash it off. Just ask Ed Begley, Jr.!

You woke up this morning full of vim and vigor, ready to tackle the world of home energy efficiency. Of course, your first dreamy thoughts were: is this major solar flare going to knockout electricity in the midwest power grid, and then, if Fermilab has found proof of the Higgs Boson, will I be able to fully explain the phenomena of convection and chimney effect to people? After your morning coffee, the reality check sets…