I recently attended the RESNET conference for Building Performance in Austin, Texas; I was amazed at the number of attendees that were Homebuilders, Utility Company Representatives, and HVAC contractors. It was nice to be able to discuss energy efficiency issues with industry professionals ... Continue reading
My first blog mentioned how my travels shaped what I think of as green. The first country on my journey was Turkey and for those of you that have been there you are probably thinking I'm crazy, but bare with me. Like many in Turkey we didn't own a car, so we walked, bicycled, car pooled, or u ... Continue reading
Programmable thermostats are an easy way to reduce energy consumption! There is one catch. They need to be programmed for your lifestyle. Reducing the temperature setting in the winter and increasing it during the summer when you are not home or sleeping can reduce the amount of energy you use. O ... Continue reading
Last week I visited several HVAC contractors in Alamogordo to see if they had the equipment, training and were willing to meet the requirements to install HVAC in ENERGY STAR® homes. The results were rather disturbing to me. Several contractors have the equipment and training to meet the requir ... Continue reading
This past weak end I attended the Solar Fiesta in Albuquerque put on by the New Mexico Solar Energy Association (NMSEA). NMSEA is a non profit dedicated to education that was founded in 1972. I would recommend getting involved with NMSEA for anyone that is interested in our energy future. ... Continue reading
The other day I was asked a question if item A was more efficient than item B in New Mexico. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to that question. If you built two identical houses one in Alamogordo and one 20 miles away in Cloudcroft the energy use patterns and total energy used would be ... Continue reading
If you are in the market for a new home how do you tell if the house is ENERGY STAR® qualified. The way homes are marketed or advertised it can be somewhat misleading for the uninitiated. During my recent class it was discussed that some homebuyers believed that because a Homebuilder advertised ... Continue reading
Recently I attended a class sponsored by El Paso Electric company on changes to the ENERGY STAR® program. I was one of four Home Energy Raters and approximately fourteen builders. Everyone except me was from the Las Cruces area. I find it interesting how Green or Energy Efficiency has ta ... Continue reading
If you are concerned with energy efficiency look no further than your TV set-up. If you have a HDTV with DVR it may cost you more than to run your refrigerator! Check out this article in the NY Times for more details. Continue reading
Do you care about the environment? If not, how about your wallet? An ENERGY STAR® or HERS Rated home can help you with both. When you buy a car you know how many MPG the car gets, so why don't you know a comparable number for your home. The HERS Index gives you that number. You can use it to c ... Continue reading
