Going Green with Log Home Living
“Going green” seems to be on everyone’s minds these days, especially with the struggling economy and the news about global warming. What many people don’t know is that log home living has always been environmentally friendly. Log home owners not only save money on energy costs but also do their part to promote the health of our environment.
What exactly does going green mean? It means using less energy, using more renewable resources and limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Log homes accomplish all of these goals and more.
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What exactly does going green mean? It means using less energy, using more renewable resources and limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Log homes accomplish all of these goals and more.
Read the rest of the article here!
See more featured Green Living articles here!
More Ways to Save with the Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Association and participating power companies offer consumers an additional opportunity to save money-- a program called Green Power Switch Generation Partners.
For eligible customers, the Tennessee Valley Authority will purchase all of the green energy output at a rate of 12 cents per kWk for solar above the retail rate and any fuel cost adjustments.. The customer is guaranteed payments for 10 years from the start of the agreement with a local power company.
All new generation partners will receive a $1,000 incentive to help offset start-up costs.
For more information visit the TVA website here to view the Generation Partners Program.
For eligible customers, the Tennessee Valley Authority will purchase all of the green energy output at a rate of 12 cents per kWk for solar above the retail rate and any fuel cost adjustments.. The customer is guaranteed payments for 10 years from the start of the agreement with a local power company.
All new generation partners will receive a $1,000 incentive to help offset start-up costs.
For more information visit the TVA website here to view the Generation Partners Program.
For more information about solar technology, visit Mississippi Solar's Website by clicking the image below:
University of Tennessee Studies the Durability of Log Homes
Building with logs offers the opportunity to live in a unique and beautiful house. Log homes are a symbolic connection to a rural, more self-sufficient past and they also can offer good performance in terms of fire and earthquake resistance and heating and cooling costs. However, log wall construction also presents some special challenges in terms of design and durability.
You can read the rest here!
You can read the rest here!
Living Off the Grid
From the Mother Earth News October/November Issue 2011 pg.71, article "Living Off the Grid (And Without Propane)" by William Kemp
THE RENEWABLE ENERGY HANDBOOK/AZTEXT PRESS
Having a home that is powered by the sun, wind and wood, and consumes almost zero fossil fuels is very much a possibility with the new technology of today. The Kemp family from Ontario, Canada made it happen! Twenty years ago when the family decided to move to their dream home, they decided to run their house off of completely renewable energy because connecting to the closest power grid was costly in the rural location of their property. They put their plan into action and have been enjoying life off the grid ever since!
Read the rest of the article on Mother Earth News here!
Read the rest of the article on Mother Earth News here!
Harvesting Wind Power
From The New Pioneer Fall 2011 Edition, pg. 50 article "Harvesting Wind Power" by Gregory McNamee
As popularity has increased for renewable energy and energy independence, more and more people have been looking into getting solar panels for their homes. But because the cost of solar panels is so high, consumers are looking into history to find their “new” source of renewable energy: wind mills. Wind mills are efficient and less costly than solar panels, and have been used for decades to power mostly rural locations because the power grids needed to provide power were not available. In some cases, like on some ranches, power lines have never been connected far enough to reach the land. As a result, owners of homes and ranches in rural locations have stuck with the tried-and-true source of wind power.
The best locations to utilize wind power are generally near mountains where the wind spills downward, keeping the turbines spinning. If mountains are not in your building location, places like New England, the lowlands of the Southeast, and the entire Pacific Coast are prime areas for wind turbines.
If the location of your home does not typically get enough wind to continuously power your home, you may want to consider the option of using both wind and solar panels. The two sources used together form a “killer combo” and create an abundant amount of power.
To read more about Wind Power efficiency, click here!
The best locations to utilize wind power are generally near mountains where the wind spills downward, keeping the turbines spinning. If mountains are not in your building location, places like New England, the lowlands of the Southeast, and the entire Pacific Coast are prime areas for wind turbines.
If the location of your home does not typically get enough wind to continuously power your home, you may want to consider the option of using both wind and solar panels. The two sources used together form a “killer combo” and create an abundant amount of power.
To read more about Wind Power efficiency, click here!