04-09-2005 21:46									#61
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

Well, no fundage to speak of until after the wedding, so these plans will be on hold until then, but once we get past that, the first thing I'll be doing is going out on a mission to replace a BUNCH of incandescent 75w bulbs (17, by my count). That should bring consumption down nicely, I think.

Spiff, unfortunately, the hot water heater is just one big unit (well, two, one for each floor), and not easy to get to, so I can't easily turn it off and on, tho hearing about the system in your flat, I'm thinking that it's probably superior!)

Cerberus - the two-behind trailer is prolly something I'll have to do, if I can't find a truck that delivers the kind of mpg I'm looking for. A pity tho...I DO love my truck...

-=Vel=-

	04-09-2005 21:53									#62
	Tired of ads?

energy-saving lightbulbs

I don't buy any new old-school bulbs - just the fluorescent bulbs.

	04-09-2005 21:54									#63
	Inflate your Upload Space

Sounds like quite an adventure. I can't wait to have a house and tinker with efficiency. (stuck in an apartment for the next 1.5 years while wife finishes her phd)

	04-09-2005 22:03									#64
	Put an end to popups!

Well, it certainly should be! I'm lookin' forward to getting into the guts of it...sadly, there will be some delay as we gear up...a lot of the things I have in my mind are gonna be rather expensive to implement (I've been looking at portable biod processing plants...yeah, the initial investment ain't cheap. True, I could make my own and save, but the stuff I'm seeing out there is a) worlds better in terms of quality, and b) vastly more efficient than anything I could build myself, so....

-=Vel=-

	04-09-2005 22:49									#65
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So...Pictures.

Taking a break from figuring out how much juice we use around here, I went outside and took a few snapshots of the house as it is right now....with some notes about what I'd like to do to really get the journey off on a solid footing.

Again, this is NOT gonna happen overnight, cos it's gonna be frightfully expensive to implement, but...it will serve as a blueprint and a reminder to myself, so here goes.

This first picture shows the east side of the house...big expanse of roof = LOTS of room for solar panels....

*Notes*
1) The patio is going to be enclosed, to make a screened in porch (and will give us more roof area to play with in terms of planting solar panels) - the large window that looks into the dining room will be removed in favor of French Doors opening onto the porch when we get to that point...that will need to be done before we go monkeying around on the roof with solar panels).

2) The little "built-out" section on the right hand corner of the house will likely be extended several feet, and this MAY provide sufficient space to store the batteries and diesel generator...dunno. Will have to get a sense for how many batteries are needed and how big the genny is, and plan accordingly.

Attachment: back of house.jpg
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	04-09-2005 22:49									#66
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Re: converting your car to use an alterative fuel option or whatever - check out this...

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/index.html

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/afv/conversion.html

	04-09-2005 22:51									#67
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As for making your house 'environmental friendly' try this http://www.environ.org.uk/~environ/ecohouse/index.php

	04-09-2005 22:51									#68
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The front of the house faces west...because of the windows there on the second floor, there won't be room for as many solar arrays as there is on the back (east) side of the house, but still enough to catch plenty of afternoon sun, so this will definitely be part of the plan:

Attachment: front of house.jpg
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	04-09-2005 22:53									#69
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Side Yard...room enough for perhaps half a dozen Japtura trees, in a line at the edge of the property.

Attachment: side yard.jpg
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	04-09-2005 22:55									#70
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Back Yard, One:

Broad expanse, running down the south edge of the property....easily enough room for several more of my new favorite tree....

Attachment: back yard 1.jpg
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	04-09-2005 22:56									#71
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Vel

	04-09-2005 22:56									#72
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

quote: Originally posted by Spiffor I don't know how it is in the US, but in Europe we have energy-saving bulbs. They are more costly than a regular bulb when you buy them, but they are less costly in the long run: - they eat up about 5 times less electricity, and provide as much light. - they have an extended life expectancy Another thing we do to save energy is investing in thermic isolation of the house. A well isolated house can dramatically reduce the costs of both heating and air conditioning. Again, I have no idea whether the isolation is on the same par in the US, or not.

Yep those are available in the States. We are not all energy guzzling barbarians

Actually, right now, every single bulb in this house where I live has been replaced with those bulbs including the one in the freezer

Expensive to start with but definitely worth it in the long run. The only 'downside' is that there's a slight delay between flicking the light switch and light coming on at the full strength. Which is very insignificant.

	04-09-2005 22:58									#73
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

more of the back yard....lots of open space, room for more trees at the perimeter, still leaving a healthy amount of space in the yard for play....shed out back could possibly also be outfitted with some panels on the roof....not sure how much shading will occur when the trees mature tho...will have to investigate that.

Attachment: back yard 2.jpg
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	04-09-2005 22:59									#74
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Hey, nice pics! Sorry for 'getting in' there, didn't realize you were posting

Speaking of solar panels, my mother's house have this light fixture in the kitchen that's powered entirely by solar energy. It works great and I love its soft glow.

	04-09-2005 23:05									#75
	Got spare money?

And thank you for the links, Barinthus! As soon as I hit "submit" on this post, I'm off to check them out!

Yeah....I get the feeling that in order to fully implement these plans, there's gonna be a LOT of upfront expense....but that's okay. I think that the destination is a worthwhile one, and even if I'm not able to get to the point of COMPLETE energy self-sufficiency, it'll still be a journey worth taking, and who knows...as the technology continues to improve, the systems I put in place can continue to improve, and in the long run, I might get there after all, even if it proves impossible in the immediacy.

And thanks Che!

-=Vel=-

	04-09-2005 23:06									#76
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara Vel

	05-09-2005 02:43									#77
	Put an end to popups!

Just concluded a fascinating conversation with my future mother in law, who's got more than 20 years experience working with an HVAC company....will post my findings AFTER dinner...

-=Vel=-

	05-09-2005 02:45									#78
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Vel
Dinner

	05-09-2005 08:00									#79
	Tired of ads?

Just back from a FANTABULOUS dinner!

Interesting tidings to report, too.

Christina's mom is the office manager for an HVAC company in Myrtle Beach...has been for twenty years. Knows spookylots about the technology and gave me a crash course in it this evening.

Highlights:
* All ac units are given a SEER Rating (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating, or somesuch)

* As of the first of the year, the minimum SEER unit allowed to be sold will be a 12 (not precisely sure what the numbers MEAN, but it's a measure of effie...higher = better).

* Construction companies don't do an assessment of how much heating/cooling power you need for a house. The rough it out, based on square feet (x sq. feet per ton of coolant), and this is how they determine how much ductwork to run, etc.

* The ductwork is done on the cheap ($1k/ton, as figured above), and so, the HVAC companies hired by builders will, by default, put in the cheapest AC unit they can legally get away with.

* What that means is that in houses that are 15-20 years old (the range my house is in), the AC units will have SEER ratings in the 6-10 range. Top of the line units selling today have SEER ratings of 20-21. Double your SEER rating, and you double (or better) the effie of the unit.

* Basic maintenance (clean the coils 1x/ 3 months) and using better than standard filters (HEPA filters placed at the air handlers rather than the box filters placed at the exchange) can give you an average of 20% greater unit effie. (and the advantage to the BIG HEPA filters placed at the air handlers is that they only have to be replaced 1x per year).

The primary unit outside is the eldest of the two, SEER rating of 8. The newer unit (auxillary downstairs and primary for upstairs) is SEER 10. Both still have several years of service left in them, but replacing them with a SEER 20 unit could dramatically cut the juice bill. I'll have to get estimates on how much of a reduction I could expect and see if the cost to replace might be worth it, and in the meantime, I'm makin' plans to get some special coil cleaner and will go check out the special filters...that'll help some, regardless of whether or not I decide to replace the units, and I may wait....if they've still got life in them, unless the savings are truly compelling, my inclination is to let it ride until one or the other starts to fail.

Anyway, I was pretty intrigued by the information....had no idea how cheap the construction companies were when it came to HVAC...the duct work is cheaply made, can gather mould if it gets waterlogged, and is structurally weak and easily damaged. The ductwork she recommended was plate steel construction...pricey, and not something I'm gonna do with this house, but when we move from here eventually, it's something I'm definitely keeping in mind!

-=Vel=-

	05-09-2005 08:19									#80
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Additional research yielded this quote re: diesel trucks:

Attempting to justify buying a large pickup truck by going with diesel instead of gasoline is a bit like justifying hitting yourself in the head with a brick by saying, “It’s a rather small brick.”

An article touting the wonders of diesel engines says that, properly geared, you’ll get up to 23 mpg out of a diesel truck (or as little as 17 mpg). That’s about the bottom end of what you’ll get from a passenger car, and what you’ll get from a small car will nearly double that.
As a bonus, truck emissions are regulated less strictly. If you drive a truck or an SUV, you are not only consuming petroleum products at almost twice the rate of the little car you’re looking down at, but you’re also belching out extra pollutants for each of those gallons.

The simple fact is, unless you actually use a truck, as in hauling large objects on a regular basis, there’s no justification for owning one. Buying one that runs on diesel doesn’t change that.

Before you convince yourself that all those weekend projects really do justify buying a truck, do this exercise: Find out what it costs to rent a truck. Balance that against the price difference between a truck and a car, plus the fuel cost difference for all the times you drive the truck when a car would do as well. You may be surprised at just how much hauling you have to do to amortize those additional costs.

Looks like that's that then....on to cars...

-=Vel=-

EDIT: Two top contenders, at present seem to be:

VW Jetta (Automatic) 43mpg
Peugeot 407 (Automatic) 51! mpg (nod to the 407!)

(Vel HATES driving manual transmission cars, even tho they get slightly better gas mileage!)

Last edited by Velociryx on 05-09-2005 at 08:25

	05-09-2005 12:01									#81
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

Manual Transmission
Scifi Autodrivers

	05-09-2005 12:32									#82
	Tired of ads?

Manual transmission
Enjoying driving
Robotic transmission
Auto

	05-09-2005 21:18									#83
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Velociryx The simple fact is, unless you actually use a truck, as in hauling large objects on a regular basis, there’s no justification for owning one. Buying one that runs on diesel doesn’t change that.

This is exactly why when I'm in my socialist mood I will say that trucks, SUVs, and any other large civilian/recreational vehicles ought be banned. They serve absolutely no purpose for the average citizen other than status and image projection. The difficult part is how to grant those who have sincere need for those vehicles the ok to buy, own and operate those.

	05-09-2005 22:39									#84
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quote: Originally posted by alva alva has visions of Vel appearing on the US remake of 'The Good life'.

In the US, it showed up a "Good Neighbors." I don't know why the name change. Excellent show. I have a trio of them on videotape.

	06-09-2005 03:12									#85
	Remove this text

It's been an interesting weekend, in terms of planning and research for the new project. I've gotten Christina all kinds of jazzed about it now...so much so that she's helping me as we begin the arduous process of researching various vehicles.

Our search has led us in a variety of directions....the early front runner, and still odds-on favorite is the Peugeot 407...awesome car, and quite easy on the eyes. It's drawback, is that it is not sold in the USA, and would cost more to GET one here than it'd be worth.

So...strike that, but should the company venture back to the USA before I get the cash together to replace the vehicle, they'll definitely get the vote.

Golf...too small. Jetta looks better in terms of fitting into the thing, but we'll have to do some test driving to see. Both have the advantage that they're actually SOLD here.

Two Audi models made the cut, but they are less efficient from a mpg standpoint than either the Golf or the Jetta.

So....we're leaning strongly in the direction of a VW...IF I can squeeze into one.

Might go find that out with what's left of the weekend.

-=Vel=-

	06-09-2005 06:43									#86
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

I spent the rest of my evening this long weekend gathering information. My findings are as follows:

* Golf and Jetta (diesel, automatic) get *exactly* the same fuel economy, and the Jetta is the nicer of the two cars.

None of my other contenders are in the same ballpark, and my favorite (which also gets even BETTER gas mileage) isn't sold in the states, so...Jetta wins by default.

I ran a fuel economy comparison, dating back as far as 1999, and the Jetta's numbers are consistent through the entire period, 1999 - 2005, 32mpg in the city, 42 highway (and almost all of my driving is done on the highway). So...replacing my aging Ranger with a Jetta will double my fuel effie, which should in turn, halve my annual fuel needs, and more than halve my annual fuel cost (since diesel is cheaper than regular unleaded in Cola-Town).

Good.

I test drove the Jetta and enjoyed it. Not only did I fit, but I fit with room to spare. Surprising amound of room in the relatively smallish car. I was impressed.

An interesting side note here....the diesel model is on a 60+ day back order. It seems that the recent spike in gas prices has sparked a surge in demand for diesel here in the states...or at least in SC. I would imagine though, that we are not unique in that regard.

Next stop, after the test drive, was to Lowes. I talked to Robbie, the young fellow in the plant department, who told me that while Lowes doesn't carry the Jatropha tree as a regular item, it was extremely probable that they could be ordered.

I asked him to check into it to verify that for me, and get me pricing on Jatropha saplings. I'm also attaching a picture of my new favorite tree.

After that, Christina and I went off to investigate the lightbulb scene at Lowes (yep, we truly lead exciting lives...LOL)

The high effie bulbs are just a smidgeon over four bucks each, consuming 13w of power and emitting the equivalent of 100w of light.

I'll replace a total of twenty bulbs in the house, which will put my initial outlay for this project at 80-odd bucks.

We'll see what that does to consumption levels.

And that's all I have to report on the continuing research.

-=Vel=-

	06-09-2005 06:50									#87
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Meet the Jatropha tree. It's oil production capabilities are second only to the Palm (Palm Oil is the A-#1 largest yield producing of all the plants that I've found), but even tho Jatropha comes in second, it has some advantages.

Chief among them are that Jatropha is an extremely hardy tree, and can be grown in almost any climate. And it doesn't sap much in the way of nutrients, or require much in the way of care. Very much a plant and forget type of tree, and that's the name of the game. I intend to structure my energy independence plan in such a way that I have to invest as few man hours into achieving the goal as possible. I don't want to have to jump thru hoops to get the oil ready for processing (with palm oil, you have to cook the seeds first, before taking them to seed press...not the case with Jatropha-the-wonder-tree!...just pluck the seeds and dump 'em in the press. Voila! Out comes oil.

Cool beans.

Plans are shaping up!

So....two things need to happen relatively soonish then.

1) Replace those 20 bulbs...relatively inexpensive, and should save me 1195W of power used.

2) Get lossa Jatropha saplings and get them in the ground. They'll need to grow for a time (at least a year, possibly two) before they begin producing copious amounts of seeds, so the sooner I plant them, the sooner I get seeds.

And that's the state of the project.

Attachment: plantation-henning-nicaragua.jpg
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	06-09-2005 07:32									#88
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

Hey Velocyrix, have you thought about independence from medicine?

Beef up and get strong and healthy now, because when the Apocalypse comes, you won't be able to go to the clinic or take a Tylenol...

	06-09-2005 08:01									#89
	Increase the size of your Attachments

Vel, Consumer Reports is saying in its October 2005 issue that the government has been routinely over-estimating the fuel economy of the vehicles it tests.

If you are comparing your ranger's known milage to the Jetta's reported milage, you may be in for a bit of a shock.

See if you can rent one, and do your own tests.

	06-09-2005 08:18									#90
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

quote: Originally posted by alva It's a famous English '80 show about a couple doing just that. ________ My ex's Golf did about 100 Km on 4,5 to 5 liters, I'd 60+ miles to the gallon(?) something like that. Someone here will do the exact math, I'm sure.

More like 50 miles to the US gallon