Blog

I lost 5000 pounds in 8 weeks!

Postings
low carbon diet - carbon footprint
Actually, I shaved more than that off my carbon footprint.  And I’m going to tell you how. A couple months ago, a friend showed me the “cool community” program and talked me into starting a local group.  The idea is that you get a group of 5-8 neighbors to get...

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Do this, not that… technical edition

Amy Musser
Part of my job is that I get to see a lot of new, popular, and cutting edge things that people do in new homes.  Last week I wrote about some of the things that people see and fall in love with, and how some of these things can cause...

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Living with Batteries

Boone Guyton
solar systems – Version 2
I got our February Electric breakdown and was glad to see for that month we had a 58 kwh credit for the month. We now have about 500 kwh excess energy produced for the year. That is the first full year of having our Leaf electric car and our additional...

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Do this…. not that (Pinterest edition)

Postings
Induction cooktop
I'm usually the first to know about new home design trends because I spend a lot of time in new homes.  If it comes with an energy penalty, I'm the first to sound the alarm.  And if it ends up causing other problems, I get that feedback pretty quickly from...

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Comfort and Asheville Green Building

Guest Bloggers
In the last eight years, I’ve had the pleasure of working on and visiting many “green homes” across the country.  Without exception, clients and homeowners feel good about living a more sustainable lifestyle and the reduction of energy consumption. They’re proud of their green building materials and count kilowatt use...

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Moisture Drainage Management

Guest Bloggers
Moisture from rainfall can be a serious problem for many homes and buildings, particularly if it builds up behind the exterior cladding. Homes and buildings built in areas with high levels of rainfall each year – 20- to 60+ inches – can benefit from having a moisture drainage system installed....

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Forest Fires and Air Quality in WNC

Amy Musser
air filter 2
This is going to be a quick one, because it's the middle of my workday and yours.  We've got forest fires burning in WNC and no rain in the forecast.  We can smell it outside in Asheville and they're issuing air quality alerts.  What can you do about it?  What...

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New Energy Code Training Materials Available

Amy Musser
The North Carolina Energy Efficiency Alliance has recently completed a study to identify commonly missed requirements of the North Carolina energy code, and they have followed that up with some training materials to help builders improve their homes.  The training materials are available online at the NCEEA web site.  What...

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Solar surplus- A conundrum

Boone Guyton
net metering graphic
We have now had a battery back up and enlarged solar system for about 6 months and have driven our electric LEAF for about 5,000 miles over that time.   We also bought and EGO self propelled electric lawn mower that I should be using right now. I talked about that...

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