The"Tech tree".

[PedalUma]

I just hate seeing those outdoor heaters. "So we're heating up the great outdoors so self-centered diners can eat outside without actually being outside, while simultaneously burning away petroleum which we are sending soldiers to die for in the Middle East?? Like, REALLY??" (This was in the Before Time.)

I saw an attractive compact electric SUV today for 2023 made in Tennessee. Because @PatriciaK is on I will include some silly milk trucks I saw today in thumbnails.

 

[Art Deco]

I just hate seeing those outdoor heaters. "So we're heating up the great outdoors so self-centered diners can eat outside without actually being outside, while simultaneously burning away petroleum which we are sending soldiers to die for in the Middle East?? Like, REALLY??" (This was in the Before Time.)

Indeed. Even the Britts replaced them with electric heat and an Onoff switch. I mentioned them in a Blog post. They are about as effective as they are efficient. Just wear a sweater.

 

[PedalUma]

I have worked in certified green office buildings where some scantily clad people have electric space heaters under their desks and others have them under their thermostat so the AC kicks in.

 

[Art Deco]

The British Pubs will offer you a blanket and a hot water bottle if you step outside.

 

[Art Deco]

The devil tells me that I would really, really like a propane fireplace installed.

Having lived in areas of the country where winter storms caused power outages, I am nervous about my all electric house. I don't want the mess of firewood and I've sold my chainsaws.

Some trivia: Back in the 50s and 60s, it was cool to have all electric houses in this part of the country, and some towns strived to be chimneyless. All this was due to the dam building on the Columbia River.

My house is also a midcentury house on a street without gas. But they did build for lots of solar gain through the south windows.

 

[Cowlitz]

My house is also a midcentury house on a street without gas. But they did build for lots of solar gain through the south windows.

Same here. And it even has eaves that seem to let in the winter sun but block the higher summer sun. The ugly tree affects half the house for part of the day, then the sun moves around enough to get the house. It would be a good house for roof panels, I think.

 

[Art Deco]

We have electric stoves at the moment... When it's time to replace, we'll do induction. I may get a portable unit in the meantime to try out.

There is a lot that people can do that isn't all or nothing that would significantly reduce fossil fuel usage, but that all or nothing thinking helps avoid considering doing anything that might be inconvenient.

You have to have a good sized counter space to leave the induction unit out but it serves double duty you can boil water or keep something warm in the same space .

 

[Art Deco]

Same here. And it even has eaves that seem to let in the winter sun but block the higher summer sun. The ugly tree affects half the house for part of the day, then the sun moves around enough to get the house. It would be a good house for roof panels, I think.

The hard part is a big south facing roof. The rest just depends on how much power you need and technology . Panels and batteries are big.
You’ll want the most power for the least cost per year in any battery. For house batteries, the power is measured in either amp-hours (AH) or reserve capacity (RC). AH refers to how many amps the battery will put out over a 20-hour period, while RC refers to how many minutes the battery can support a 20 amp output. From an RV lifestyle site, I don't have batteries yet.

 

[Art Deco]

I showed my system on the first page or two of the Green Room.

The Green Room

Climate is what the experts expect. Weather is what people get. And this weather sucks. "No one could have predicted this, Its all a hoax that will never happen, OK so It's changing, but it won't be that bad" are all Bull AFAIK . A hot topic, indeed, even for EBR off topic. You are a smart...

electricbikereview.com

 

[indianajo]

It's not just cars - here's something to consider about gas inside the home:

I live in an area where the electricity is produced with coal, and natural gas from Texas/Louisiana is cheaply available in the home. Because the heat transfer is so slow between electric stove burners and the pot, I fry and heat water with gas. I do a lot of cooking with the microwave, but that doesn't work on everything.
I heat the kitchen end of the house with natural gas. 100% efficient. The living room end of the house I heat with an unvented gas heater. 100% efficient. The experts tell me I will kill myself. Not yet. Direct gas didn't kill my grandmother, either. This house is NOT sealed with plastic sheet, the walls breathe. Top side is insulated with fiberglass. 4 walls are insulated with fire retardant newspaper. My gas costs were under $120 a month this winter, which was colder than average. I do let the inside temperature to get down to 56 on nights when it is 9 outside with wind gusts of 40 mph. I don't heat or cool the summer camp, it is drafty. It is cool enough in the summers with just a fan.
I've looked at solar panels, but it rains 220 days a year here. Won't pay off IMHO. Not enough windy days to pay off either. Green energy here is burning methane from county dumps in diesel generators.
Where I really save energy is gasoline & diesel. I used 3 gal gasoline last year mow my city lawn. I put 20 gal gas in a U-haul truck to transport a mower deck from city to the summer camp. I used ~40 gal diesel to mow my 23 acres at the summer camp. If the area is not mowed, it grows up in trash trees like locust & basswood. That sort of scrub land has 1/3 the value of mowed land. I'm too close to cashing out to let it go. I put 20 gal gas in the wife's car to take a short vacation in a nearby state. That's it. The wife drives everywhere, but the car gets 30 mpg city 48 mpg freeway.

 

[PedalUma]

Here is an example of a person riding a bike to do local errands.

Where I really save energy gasoline & diesel. I used 3 gal gasoline last year mow my city lawn. I used ~30 gal diesel to mow my 23 acres at the summer camp. If the area is not mowed, it grows up in trash trees like locust & basswood. That sort of scrub land has 1/3 the value of mowed land. I'm too close to cashing out to let it go.

Why not run some goats? Yes, they produce some methane, but they also work for free 24/7 and produce A1 level BBQ for free, without gas or diesel, plus they are cute and fun to be around. I was encouraged to share a new local review from someone who is using an ebike to run local errands instead of a car.



debbie davison

1 review

a day ago
New



Yes! Yes! Rick is amazing! I had my husband”s bike converted to an e-bike last year and have been jealous ever since. Brought it in for a tune up and Rick had a pink, woman’s, Dutch-style bike just waiting to be converted! Light weight and comfy so I said yes to it! (So many others I have tried are just too big, heavy and bulky) Just days later I am enjoying riding all over Petaluma with ease! Rick even made custom colored paint to match my pink bike and cover the black cable straps… now that’s perfection and going the extra mile! I know I have a one-of-a-kind, custom-made-for-me-bike!! Honestly, word of mouth is his business model, so I’m shouting loud…. PEDALUMA FOR YOUR E-BIKE NEEDS!!!!

 

[Art Deco]

Sounds like a Word from our Sponser in the old days. I like @PedalUma 's builds, but I don't think of them as workhorse cargo bikes, just as all round urban bikes. Heavy loads go on a different kind of bike, I guess.

That's is a "pink ladies bike" that a theif just may overlook in a bike rack. But it needs a pink unicorn on the water bottle.

 

[Art Deco]

our oven crapped out so we broke our piggy bank and got an induction stove. man so much time saved and so much less heat in the house.

I keep a cast iron skillet and a stainless pot out all the time anyway.

 

[Art Deco]

I live in an area where the electricity is produced with coal, and natural gas from Texas/Louisiana is cheaply available in the home. Because the heat transfer is so slow between electric stove burners and the pot, I fry and heat water with gas. I do a lot of cooking with the microwave, but that doesn't work on everything.
I heat the kitchen end of the house with natural gas. 100% efficient. The living room end of the house I heat with an unvented gas heater. 100% efficient. The experts tell me I will kill myself. Not yet. Direct gas didn't kill my grandmother, either. This house is NOT sealed with plastic sheet, the walls breathe. Top side is insulated with fiberglass. 4 walls are insulated with fire retardant newspaper. My gas costs were under $120 a month this winter, which was colder than average. I do let the inside temperature to get down to 56 on nights when it is 9 outside with wind gusts of 40 mph. I don't heat or cool the summer camp, it is drafty. It is cool enough in the summers with just a fan.
I've looked at solar panels, but it rains 220 days a year here. Won't pay off IMHO. Not enough windy days to pay off either. Green energy here is burning methane from county dumps in diesel generators.
Where I really save energy is gasoline & diesel. I used 3 gal gasoline last year mow my city lawn. I put 20 gal gas in a U-haul truck to transport a mower deck from city to the summer camp. I used ~40 gal diesel to mow my 23 acres at the summer camp. If the area is not mowed, it grows up in trash trees like locust & basswood. That sort of scrub land has 1/3 the value of mowed land. I'm too close to cashing out to let it go. I put 20 gal gas in the wife's car to take a short vacation in a nearby state. That's it. The wife drives everywhere, but the car gets 30 mpg city 48 mpg freeway.

Yeah It doesn't rain everyday in Pennsylvania. Sometimes it snows. My solar panels were under a foot of snow February before last.

 

[Art Deco]

I have worked in certified green office buildings where some scantily clad people have electric space heaters under their desks and others have them under their thermostat so the AC kicks in.

I've seen places where tenants jam a stick or pencil in the thermostat so it never shuts off and the door propped open ...

 

[Art Deco]

The devil tells me that I would really, really like a propane fireplace installed.

Having lived in areas of the country where winter storms caused power outages, I am nervous about my all electric house. I don't want the mess of firewood and I've sold my chainsaws.

Some trivia: Back in the 50s and 60s, it was cool to have all electric houses in this part of the country, and some towns strived to be chimneyless. All this was due to the dam building on the Columbia River.

My mess of stove and firewood.
You can see why we perfer the heat pumps

 

[Art Deco]

Same here. And it even has eaves that seem to let in the winter sun but block the higher summer sun. The ugly tree affects half the house for part of the day, then the sun moves around enough to get the house. It would be a good house for roof panels, I think.

You'll probably want to remove that tree when/if you add solar panels. Do both jobs at once.

 

[Cowlitz]

My mess of stove and firewood.
You can see why we perfer the heat pumpsView attachment 116971

I know all about it. I have heated with wood, in other houses, for years. I just feel that it isn't appropriate when living close to others in town.

 

[Art Deco]

Nope. Wood heat near town only works if it's hearing a whole big suburb with clean wood, not just a couple of a houses sharing one of those woodshed style burners. And creosote builup is a thing I try to avoid even in the burbs. Meanwhile the heat pumps don't use any power unless the compressor is running, and are cleaner and greener than most burners when they do.

 

[Art Deco]

Indeed I would think it wise to have wood/propane backup as well as electrical backup.