Library builder

■ BY SEAN GROOM I nstead of turning down the thermostat on the way to bed and again on the way out the door, you can cut home-heating costs and count on a reliable, comfortable temperature with one of today’s program­mable thermostats. Basic models ($30 and up) store different settings for weekdays and weekends. More […]

Solar hot-water systems involve a fair amount of labor-intensive planning and plumbing, but a typical collector installation is fairly straightforward. On this membrane-covered shed roof, (1) the first step was to erect the alumi­num frames that hold the panels. The frames are adjusted to a fixed angle that maximizes the collector’s solar gain and are […]

What takes the sting out of the high cost of buying into renewable-energy systems is a combination of federal tax credits and state and utility rebates. The federal credit, pegged at 30% of system cost, is open to everyone. State and utility rebates, however, vary. Where they are generous, such as in California or Hawaii, […]

Solar collectors are commonly used for do­mestic hot water, but they also can supple­ment both forced-air and hydronic heating systems. In Europe, says Tim Merrigan of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., package systems that do both are relatively common. But due to heavy winter-heating loads and reduced solar potential, homeowners in this […]

Most Americans use about 20 gal. of hot water a day, a standard industry benchmark. Most hot-water tanks are sized for a single day’s consumption, so an average family of four, for example, might end up with an 80-gal. tank. Solar hot-water systems shouldhave no trouble delivering that kind of volume, but there aren’t any […]

■ BY SCOTT GIBSON T here’s nothing like a looming energy crisis to bring history full circle. More than a century has passed since Clarence Kemp, a Baltimore heating-equipment deal- er, came up with the first commercial solar water heater. His patented Climax Solar Water Heater, which sold for $25, was a hit. More-efficient designs […]

WHAT TO LOOK FOR • The Energy Star label. Energy Star- qualified dishwashers are at least 41% more energy efficient than the federal minimum. Keep in mind that some mod­els exceed the standard significantly more than others; check the EnergyGuide label or the list of qualifying dishwashers at www. energystar. gov for high-performing machines. • […]

Dishwashers have changed quite a bit in recent years. They use a lot less water, which translates into lower energy use for water heating. In 1978, water use by dishwashers ranged from 11 gal. to 15 gal. for a normal dishwashing cycle. By 2000, that usage had dropped to 6 gal. to 10 gal. As […]

First introduced as a practical kitchen appliance in 1965, microwave ovens have revolutionized cooking and offer substantial energy savings over standard ovens (They are 5 times as energy efficient as a standard electric oven). They work by producing non-ionizing microwave radiation (a certain frequency of radio waves) with a magnetron and directing that radiation at […]

More efficient cooking saves energy and money directly, of course, but by keeping waste heat out of the kitchen, it also saves on air-conditioning. Although this impact might not be huge in a typical home, it can make a difference. As a rule, electric cooking appliances are more efficient than gas-fueled ones. But the relative […]