98% humidity this weekend. I think that pretty much sums it up. We did not turn on our AC. I wish I could say it was because my family is so environmentally conscious and deeply concerned about our carbon footprint. We are - but we are also cheap. And frankly that was the real reason.
Anyway, when the AC does go on this summer, remember these tips:
- Don’t set the AC too low. For every degree you raise the thermostat this summer, you can cut energy consumption 3-5%.
- If using fans, remember that fans cool your body, not the air or the room. If your body is not going to be in that room, turn off the fan.
- Once you turn the AC on, that does not mean you then must leave it on all summer long. That is a myth.
- If you use a dehumidifier (and those come with EnergyStar certification) in certain rooms, make sure those windows are closed. Otherwise you are trying to dehumidify the great outdoors and in Kansas that will never, never happen.
Almost twenty tornados touched down in Kansas this weekend. For more details, see Salina Journal.
The Kansas coal controversy has died down? Really? On some level, I think it’s headed into a whole new realm. Maybe we can’t really call it the “Kansas coal controversy” anymore, though. It’s becoming more and more about energy. I’d like to acknowledge the non-partisan bit of the discussion first.
Folks in both parties are now talking about developing a comprehensive energy policy for Kansas. Because the legislature’s Republican leadership supports the coal plants, some folks seem to think that all Republicans do - in fact, some of them do not. Just like some Democrats supported the plants. The issue does not follow a simple party breakdown.
A recent editorial in the LJWorld makes exactly this point. “This year’s fight over the coal-fired plants in western Kansas was primarily a political battle. Now it’s time for everyone to put the politics aside and take a practical, scientific approach to the state’s energy future.”
That’s the policy approach. Then there’s the politics. In that realm, the coal controversy is very alive and well. This past weekend, Kansas Democrats and Republicans said very different things.
According to Harris News/ Hutch News, Christian Morgan, executive director of the state Republican Party, said that Republicans may make the plants an economic development issue in the upcoming elections. Quotable: “‘It isn’t a defeat or retreat, it is a change in strategy,’ Morgan said in an e-mail of Neufeld’s decision.” In the Leavenworth Times, party chair Kris Kobach is quoted as saying that “the Republican party will be ‘aggressively targeting’ a veto-proof majority in order to get the Holcomb coal plant legislation approved.”
Mike Gaughan, executive director of the state Democratic Party, had a different take on the issue. According to the Harris News report, he “said Democrats simply wanted a responsible, balanced energy policy this session but faced GOP roadblocks.” Quotable:
He said Kansans are most concerned about such things as high gas prices, affordable health insurance and the high cost of prescription drugs.
“While the Kansas GOP spends the next six months fighting about Holcomb, our Democratic candidates will continue to talk about solutions to the challenges Kansans face every single day,” Gaughan said.
It’s not easy being an environmental regulator these days. EPA administrator Stephen Johnson, who is widely accused of dragging his feet in putting together rules and regs for carbon dioxide regulation, gets hauled over the coals by the congressional committee chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman (story from LATimes).
You remember Waxman. During the KS coal controversy, he asked why the RUS was still funding coal plant development with taxpayer dollars when Wall St considered them too risky for private investment. RUS has suspended the program indefinitely.
— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org
CEP Climate and Energy Star: Michelle Chappell, DVM
February 28, 2008
By Eileen Horn
Who are Climate and Energy Stars? They are everyday Kansans working to address climate change in small but important ways.
Climate and Energy Star Dr. Michelle Chappell DVM is a veterinarian and small business owner in Lenexa, KS. Dr. Chappell took CEP’s Eileen Horn on a tour of her new clinic, Mariposa Veterinary Center, and shared many of the energy efficiency features of the building- all part of Chappell’s vision to “care for pets, people, and the planet.”
My conversation with Dr. Chappell began with an invitation to peek into the “truth window.” This wooden door measures about one square foot, and is built at eye level into the building’s Spanish-style stucco wall. As I opened the “truth window,” I was immediately greeted by an earthy smell emanating from a bale of straw wrapped in metal mesh.
Hmmm. With a name like “truth window,” I must admit I had higher hopes than a wooden door that opened into a pile of dried grass.
However, this is truly how straw bale construction works. In this green construction technique, the bales (in this case local ones from Belton, MO) are sandwiched between thick stucco walls. The straw bales serve to insulate the building, and do so more effectively than conventional insulation materials often made of foam or fiberglass.
An insulating material’s “R” value is a measure of resistance to heat flow. The higher the “R” value is, the lower are your heating and cooling costs. The 21” thick straw-bale and stucco walls of Mariposa Veterinary Center provide an “R” value of 50. By comparison, conventional high density fiberglass insulation “R” values range from 15-38.
In addition to the straw-bale construction, architects and builders from Rothers Design-Build and HarenLaughlin Construction integrated multiple energy-saving features in the 4,000 square foot clinic space. For example, Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), made of compressed wood and styrofoam, were used to construct the roof. SIPs provide superior and uniform insulation compared to traditional stud or “stick frame” construction. They also offer energy savings of 12%-14%.
Other energy efficient features include double-paned windows which minimize air leaks. Full spectrum compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) use 75% less electricity than traditional bulbs. The building itself was also carefully oriented on the site to take advantage of passive solar heating in the winter and natural day-lighting throughout the year.
In the future, Chappell hopes to place solar panels on the roof to generate their own electricity for the clinic, but that is a retrofit that will happen later. For Chappell, it was important to “do the structural elements like the walls first- the stuff we couldn’t go back and change later.”
These energy efficiency measures and other “green” features of the clinic (including non-toxic paints, stormwater control using native plants, and chemical-free digital X-ray technologies) were inspired by Dr. Chappell’s desire to care for her staff and animal patients.
According to Chappell, “I didn’t want to create an environment that would be unhealthy for people or animals, especially since this is supposed to be a healing environment. “ As a savvy small business owner, Chappell also realized that healthy people are more productive, and a non-toxic work environment would create a happier and more productive staff.
Energy savings were another powerful motivator. For a typical 4,000 sq. foot office space with traditional lighting and HVAC systems, a monthly energy bill would be approximately $550/mo. Last month, Mariposa Veterinary Clinic’s energy bill was $300, for an annual savings of $3,000.
“The way energy costs are going, I really suspect that this building will be even more valuable as time goes by,” Chappell said. “To some people, it may look kinda silly not to have gas, to be fully electric, but I think in the future we’ll be sitting in a better situation than most folks.”
Chappell had predicted the energy savings, the productivity, and the happier staff, but she also discovered an added bonus: the marketing potential of the green building.
“Everyone on our staff came on as a result of reading about the building construction. Several clients have come in out of curiosity. It’s been an amazing marketing tool - lots of people just wanting to see what a straw bale building looks like.”
Often, these curious visitors become clients, as they learn about the integrated services this veterinary clinic offers pets: acupuncture, allergy treatments, surgery, dentistry, and chiropractic care.
Yes, it’s just one building. But it’s one building that saves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, realizes multiple economic savings and benefits for a small business owner, and contributes to the healing of pets and the humans that work there.
On second thought, maybe “truth window” was the right term after all.
(Text by Eileen Horn. Photos by Monica Terry.)
For more information about energy efficiency in your home, business, or office space, visit:
- Department of Energy Consumer’s Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/
- KSU Engineering Extension, http://www.engext.ksu.edu/home.asp
- CEP’s Take Steps section - http://www.climateandenergy.org/TakeStep/EnergyTips/Index.htm
For more information on straw bale construction, see Mother Earth News: Expert Advice on Straw Bale Building.
Also, both KCP&L and Westar offer home energy analyzers at:
Dirk Greenhouse to the rescue! use energy wisely - or else
February 22, 2008
Because it’s Friday…. for your viewing pleasure.
Happy weekend, all.
— Maril Hazlett, www.climateandenergy.org
blog harvest and YouTube
January 23, 2008
Most Midwesterners have spent a good chunk of their vacations in Colorado. It’s close, it’s cool, it’s gorgeous; good hunting, fishing, hiking, off-road activities, etc.; you can camp and not have to spend money to stay in a hotel…
Colorado is like a big wonderful backyard for many of us, but climate change is threatening that. As Timothy B. Hurst reports on Sustainablog, rising average temperatures are contributing to the spread of a massive pine beetle epidemic that is devastating Colorado forests. And, I might add, after the beetles pass through, intense forest fires often follow.
From Think Progress - the clean coal PR folks (ABEC) sponsored the CNN Democratic presidential candidate debate last night - and, oddly enough, there were no questions asked about global warming. If you read that entry thru there is a great post linked from DeSmogBlog, who got ahold of the “ABEC request for proposals for PR assistance in Nevada, in which it hopes to ‘image and credibility of ABEC’ and increase ‘public awareness of the importance of coal to America’s energy mix.’ One of the key ways it hopes to achieve these goals is through a ‘comprehensive presidential outreach program.’”
Great video clip over on Earthnotes about the recent climate summit in Bali. Papua New Guinea, 1 - U.S., 0.
Energy efficiency notes - from BuildingGreen.com, a fascinating and sobering look at how the boom in small electronics (iPods, cell phones, PDAs, Crackberries I mean Blackberries, big screen TVs, etc.) is contributing to load growth in the U.S. A lot of the problem could be lessened by more efficient batteries and chargers… and of course, by consuming less. *cough cough* (says the woman who just had to buy a new cell phone).
How to help solve the problem now? Beware of phantom loads in your home, make copious use of power strips, don’t overcharge your small electronices - and just generally, check out the CEP energy tips section.
And then just a little spurt of funny … an EnergyStar commercial, for your viewing enjoyment.
— Maril Hazlett
Want to know more about climate and energy in the Midwest? Check out www.climateandenergy.org.
Put a little holiday in your light socket…
November 28, 2007
I’m giving CFL lightbulbs and smart powerstrips for holiday gifts 
no, I’m not kidding, and yes, I do expect a big giant “uhhh….?” when people first tear off the wrapping paper.
Hey, whenever I blather about how people should change their lightbulbs, all I hear is “but they are SO expensive…” Up front they are, but you save so much money on your electricity bill later - $30 over the life of the bulb. (Dear family - this means you must just smile and thank me. Instead of a $10 gift, I actually gave you a $40 one. Truly.)
Those links are just to help introduce you to these products. Before you order anything online, it’s always a good idea to go down and check with your local retailer (in this case, the hardware store) to see if they carry these items. If not – ask. They can’t know unless you ask… and if they don’t carry the bulbs because they are afraid that they can’t sell the rest of the case, go nag your friends and family, book club, co-workers, congregation, whatever, to split the costs of an order between you.
And for folks like my sister-in-law, who really wants to budget to buy one CFL lightbulb per week but feels like she always ends up with the wrong size/ color, here’s a guide to buying CFLs (Energystar.gov). You want to make sure you get the right color temperature. (Also remember that some of these bulbs need about five minutes to warm up after you turn on the light.) By far the best CFL/ green lighting comparison chart I have ever seen is actually in print, not online – you can find it in the Real Goods catalog. It’s helpful in also understanding uses for LEDs (light emitting diodes), another emerging green lighting technology.
When your CFLs eventually need replacement, remember to recycle them appropriately because they do contain small trace amounts of mercury. I save the directions on the CFL package by storing them in my recipe file. Also check with your local municipal waste management, or with EnergyStar.gov.
There are actually black market CFLs (I kid you not) – don’t buy them. You will hate the color. Right now in the CFL market, you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, some big box home improvement stores carry the yuck brands, not the good ones like Philips or Sylvania. Beware.
Ah yes. As to why you want to buy CFLs – it helps fight climate change. Quotable from the EnergyStar website:
If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.
See? CFLs make really great gifts.
