Oct
01
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Wednesday, 01 October 2008 |
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 Dear NNN: Help! I saw something skitter away from my compost pile, and I think it was a rat. How can I get rid of it without using poison or traps? -- Patty
Dear Patty: Good question! We asked David Jones, one of the experts at Bio Tech Pest Control in Westerly, what to do, and here is his advice.  Patty, you are wise to want to keep your yard free of rats, especially at this time of year when they will soon be looking for warm winter quarters -- and you don't want them to consider your house as an option. Mice also may be considered cute little creatures when they're outside, but you don't want them to think about coming indoors. Their waste products are smelly and dirty, and if one gets into your food pantry, or dies in your basement or garage, you won't like it. Also rodents can chew through electrical cables, which can cause fires in your home or even in your cars.
We do have nontoxic, environmentally friendly options for dealing with them -- click on "More..." for the rest of the details.
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Apr
28
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Monday, 28 April 2008 |
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 How can I get going on amending the law which waffles on whether or not NEVs (neighborhood electric vehicles) are street legal or not? No one that I’ve been able to contact at DMV even knows what I’m talking about.
 The ZENN car (Zero Emissions, No Noise) can go up to 40 mph. I could use it to get almost everywhere (except Matunuck and other “south of the border” villages) from Narragansett. And it has enough storage capacity on board to make a round trip to Providence (via back roads, of course). Where do I start?
Nina Pratt
Narragansett Nina, D.J. Johnson has tried out several alternative vehicles, including an electric scooter, and here’s his advice. (Click on "More.")
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Mar
11
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Tuesday, 11 March 2008 |
 Hi NNN,
Can you please help me find a "green" wedding dress? Preferably local. Thanks!
Sejal
What a great question! We checked with Kara DiCamillo, of Newport, Treehugger's green- consumer- lifestyle correspondent. Here's her response:
Hi Sejal,
I don't know of any R.I. businesses that necessarily sell a "green" wedding dress... however, I would say that recycling/reusing one is just as eco-friendly!
For example, one from maybe a family member, or even one from a site such as Craig's List or Ebay - I'm sure they're out there.
And it's amazing what can be tailored as well. Many women don't realize that just because they don't necessarily fit into one that was their mother's, grandmother's, whoever's, it can be tailored in such a way that it fits just right. Hope that helps!
Best, Kara
P.S. Also, check out this Treehugger resource to help with planning an all-around green wedding, "How to Green Your Wedding."
And more ideas here: "How Green Was My Wedding," New York Times Style section. Advice from Grist: "Nice Day for a Green Wedding." And this site, portovert.com, calls itself the "Gateway to Greener Weddings."
Good luck!
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Nov
19
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Monday, 19 November 2007 |
 Dear NNN,
I've seen compact fluorescent bulbs on sale 3 for $1, or $1 apiece, but I've also seen them at $10 each in some stores. Is there any difference between one CFL and another? If there is, what should I look for to be sure I get a good one? Are there any safety concerns with using the cheaper ones?
Signed,
Frugal but skeptical
Click on "Read more" for the response from energy expert Karina Lutz.
Dear Frugal,
The less-expensive compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs you see aren't really "cheaper" -- they are subsidized with incentives to participating retailers from the National Grid-administered energy efficiency program.
The utility used to provide a rebate directly to customers to encourage them to choose CFLs, but now works with retailers to lower the price and promote the bulbs. This program is intended to phase out when "market transformation" occurs -- that is, when everyone knows that even at $7 to $10 each, CFLs are a bargain compared to incandescents, and everyone starts making the smart choice. At one-quarter to one-third the electricity use, CFLs save money on your energy bills. And they are less expensive to buy than the handful of incandescents that would be needed over the lifetime of one compact fluorescent.
Still, it's good to be on the lookout for quality CFLs. Good old UL labels ensure electrical safety. EnergyStar labels are granted by the U.S. EPA to bulbs that stand up to tests for quality. Consumer Reports tested various CFLs and concluded that you should buy only EnergyStar bulbs. If you are a subscriber, you can access the Consumer Reports Web site for more details on brand ratings, or check the library for the October 2007 issue.
Anecdotally, I've heard that more off-brand CFLs lately have been burning out before their time, often within weeks of installation. If you encounter these, please return them where you bought them -- as an effort to stem the tide of declining quality. And let National Grid's EnergyWise program know what brand it was if it was one of the discounted bulbs.
Be aware that CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury. If any CFL breaks, be sure to handle the broken bulb carefully to avoid mercury contamination. Click here for more info on safe handling of the bulbs.
Because of the mercury, used-up bulbs must be treated as hazardous waste. Take them with your other household hazardous waste to the Eco-Depot.
Karina Lutz is director of development and advocacy for People's Power & Light and Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance.
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Nov
05
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Monday, 05 November 2007 |
 Hi NNN,
I bought a condo in Westerly this spring. It's set up like a duplex, so I have a roof, three walls and a basement. Currently it's heated by electric, which might not be so bad considering the rising costs of oil.
Anyway, I would really like to heat with a renewable resource. I looked at pellet stoves, but they seem very expensive and the pellets are quite pricy too. The place doesn't have a chimney or I'd just put a wood stove in. I heated with wood when I lived in Maine and I don't mind it.
I looked at high efficiency gas stoves, but the price of the stove was out of sight and gas isn't renewable.
So I would like to know more about what are the alternatives, if there are any.
Thanks!
Dave
Click on “Read more” for the response from alt-energy expert Karina Lutz, director of development and advocacy for People’s Power & Light.
Dear Dave,
You've touched on some of the issues with heating with renewables in
existing homes--there aren't a lot of choices right now and most of
those we have are expensive.
* Passive solar design is the least expensive and most sustainable--if
it's done in the original design of the building. Sometimes, however, it
is possible to retrofit an existing home. Do you have or could you add
south-facing windows? Or could a passive solar addition go on the south
face of the building to collect and store heat for the rest of the home?
To find a passive solar architect or builder check www.apeiron.org's
Sustainable RI directory or www.nesea.org's Sustainable Green Pages.
* Active solar heating involves solar collectors like solar hot water
and some large storage for the heat. Probably not condo friendly.
* With your existing electric heat, you are probably paying a lot
already, but if you can afford it, the simplest thing to do would be to
switch to a renewable energy product such as People's Power & Light's
New England GreenStart. Using electricity to make heat is not the most efficient use of resources--because electricity is our most refined (and expensive) type of energy and heat the least--but at least you can go renewable today while you're working out a better solution.
* Wood, if harvested sustainably, can be renewable, but it is never
low-emissions. It really doesn't make sense in urban areas. Pellet
stoves are cleaner burning.
* If you are considering installing a new heating system, you might
consider--who'd a thunk it--oil. An oil burner can be fueled with
partially renewable bioheating oil--a mix of vegetable oil-based biofuel
and diesel. People's Power & Light is now offering biodiesel in South
County, and we hope to throughout the state before long. Click here
for info. Through People's Discount Heating Oil Service, the premium you pay for bio is generally offset by the discount from group buying power through our nonprofit program.
* Finally, there are new "microcogen" systems that burn natural gas and
make heat and electricity for residential use. These would be more
efficient than burning the gas at the power plant and letting 2/3 of the
heat escape up the smokestack. But you'd need to do an analysis to see
if the system would be more efficient overall than an ultra-high-efficiency new gas furnace or boiler. And then, like you said, you're still using nonrenewable fuel.
Lots to chew on there. Good luck! And whatever you do, tighten up and
insulate the condo first. The cheapest and most sustainable energy is
what you don't use.
-Karina
Click here for more Ask The Expert features.
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Oct
23
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Tuesday, 23 October 2007 |
Dear NNN,
This is a little complicated but it's been bothering me for a while. I live in a 40-year-old suburban home. It has the original windows, which I won't be able to change soon. I also have the usual New England oil-fired hot-water heating system. The house has central unheated halls on each level. Each room has windows and radiators on the outside walls. There is one thermostat in the dining room.
Does it make any difference in energy efficiency if I leave the room doors opened or closed? Closed doors reduce the window and wall heat loss, but also cuts off the heat from the radiators. Open doors do the opposite. What do you think?
Sincerely,
Olivia Obezky
Click on "Read more" for the response from alt-energy expert Karina Lutz, director of development and advocacy for People's Power & Light.
Dear Olivia,
Good question! It can get tricky to adjust individual radiators, but it sometimes can be done. Depending on the radiator, there may be a valve, usually about halfway up one side of the radiator. These valves can be adjusted, so that the pressure has to build more before the steam comes into one radiator relative to the other radiators in the home. Most of the older and cheaper valves don’t work well, but some do, and some are even thermostatic. [In hot water (also known as hydronic) systems, radiators or baseboard heaters sometimes are adjustable too.] If your radiators are not adjustable or if the valves don’t work, you can check with a plumber or heating contractor to see if the valves can be updated.
Turning radiators off at the base (the big round knob near the floor) is more tricky, too. Don’t do it while the system is warm, or it can trap water in the pipes (which causes clanging) or unbalance your system. When you do turn it, make sure you turn it all the way off or all the way on for the same reason.
You may not want to play with your radiators if you’re not willing to call the heating contractor to bleed the air out of your system—usually after a night of banging pipes. A less risky option is to ask your service contractor to adjust your radiators for the season when they come to clean and tune up your boiler and inspect and/or clean the flue—things that for most heating systems should be done annually anyway. Right about now, before the heating season begins.
One more note of caution: don’t let closed rooms get too cold if their walls contain pipes that might freeze, or if moisture condensation could be a problem in the outer walls.
If you do want to try it, to save energy in an unused room, here’s how. Turn the radiator valve down or turn the radiator off and close the door. If this unused area includes the dining room where your thermostat is, you can put a thermometer in the area you want to keep warm. Then adjust the thermostat—subtracting the difference between the thermometer and the dining room temperature. It can take a bit of experimenting to find the balance where you are comfortable in each room you use. And with many systems, some radiators get the steam first and other rooms may be colder than you want already, so it’s not just a matter of setting the valves according to the thermostats or dials.
The cheap and dirty way is what my dad resorted too after giving up on the radiator controls. Throw blankets over radiators in unused rooms. This slows the heat transfer, though it’s not necessarily as efficient as slowing the steam into the pipes coming to that radiator. But it does avoid the risk of unbalancing the system and trapping air in the pipes. [Be sure your blankets can absorb this much heat safely and are not flammable.] And if you do it in the morning in bedrooms, you can take off the warm blankets and put them on your bed when it’s time to climb in. Toasty!
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Aug
09
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Thursday, 09 August 2007 |
 Paper or plastic? Hybrid or electric? Solar or wind? Are you wondering how to green up your life, lessen your impact on the planet, but not sure how to do it? Are you looking for local, organic food, or a green lawn service, or need to know nontoxic ways to get rid of bugs in your home or garden? Whatever your conundrum,
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here at NNN and we will consult our network of Local Experts and find you an answer!
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