Re: [puma-news] Energy savings

Don Van Wie wrote:

> On that note, think about a tankless water heater when its time to
> replace. They have gotten a lot better, and they avoid keeping 50
> gallons of water at 130 degrees 24/7 for a few minutes of use each day.
>
> *Don Van Wie*

A note about tankless water heaters. There are two basic types:
electric and propane/natural gas. If you use the electric type, a
rather large capacity circuit is required to raise the water temperature
to a reasonable temperature for washing dishes, bathing, showers etc. A
130v/30amp unit will NOT sufficiently raise the water temperature of the
cold water that is obtained from wells up here. I have one installed
and I have to use some hot water through a mixing valve with the cold
water to raise the temperature for use. To get sufficient hot water
without mixing hot and cold at the input of the unit requires a 220/240
volt unit and a lot of amps, something like 3-40 amp circuits. I don't
have experience with the propane/natural gas units.

Allen

[puma-news] Penstemon virgatus

I know I've sent a photo out on this one already, but it just has to be
mentioned again because it is absolutely blooming its brains out on
Lower Magnolia right now! It would be worth a short cruise down to 119
and back up just to see it. At least, I think so, but how nuts am I?

Best,
J

[puma-news] Wild Grape

This native plant,Vitis riparia, is growing along with the poison ivy on
the wide right hand pull-out on Lower Magnolia. Its family, Vitaceae,
includes Virginia creeper, which is an alien ornamental common around
Boulder.

Best,
J

[puma-news] Tradescantia occidentalis

Commonly called Spiderwort, and in the Commelinaceae family, this plant
is going nuts on lower magnolia. It is native.

Best,
J

[puma-news] Phlox

A member of the Polymoneaceae, or Phlox, family, which also includes our
Gillias, this phlox plant is blooming on Lower Magnolia. It is one of
three probable species, and I haven't keyed it out exactly. But here it
is anyway!

Best,
J

[puma-news] Poison Ivy

We are lucky not to have this plan, Toxicodendron rydbergii, up here,
but it does grow along Lower Magnolia, and around Boulder, epecially the
Mesa Trail. Unfortunately, it loves disturbed areas. The only time I
personally had a bout with it, I got from petting a dog who had been
running around in it. It is a native, related to cashews, pistachios,
mangos, sumac, and squaw bush.

Best,
J

RE: [puma-news] Energy savings

On that note, think about a tankless water heater when its time to replace.  They have gotten a lot better, and they avoid keeping 50 gallons of water at 130 degrees 24/7 for a few minutes of use each day.

 

Don Van Wie

---

From: owner-puma-news@www.puma-net.org on behalf of Scott C. Reuman
Sent: Tue 6/14/2005 9:37 PM
To: PUMA News
Subject: [puma-news] Energy savings

PUMITES

Interested in saving the Earth from global climate change? Thinking about
buying a new car that gets better mileage to help with your budget and the
planet's greenhouse gas budget? Think again. To make a BIG contribution look
closely at your home.

Architect Ed Mazria, best known for his 1979 Passive Solar Energy book made
an astonishing finding, one he is just now popularizing especially among
fellow architects. Mazria took old data from the Department of Energy, old
data that had consistently shown industry and transportation to be the
biggest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, and looked at them
from a different perspective. Instead of the usual categories he
reapportioned the energy use into new categories. The new categories are
buildings, industry and transportation (the old were industry, residential,
transportation and commercial). And the big consumer is...buildings. He
reasoned this way: "Your car is small and you use it a few hours each day.
Your home is one hundred times the size and is "on" 24/7." Mazria found that
buildings, residential and commercial, account for 48% of the energy
consumed in the U.S. Transportation meanwhile comes in at only 27% and the
balance, 25%, is industry.

Water heaters and furnaces and stoves and electronics and so many other
things are on and running most or all of the day. If they don't consume
fossil fuels directly, they probably do so through your electrical supply.
Huge energy demands are made in the production of the materials used to make
your home. What can you do short of rebuilding? Get an energy audit. Look
into ways to store what solar energy comes in through windows. Consider
insulating your windows at night - the home's biggest heat loss. Check to
see if your electronics are off; computer monitors are big energy sinks as
are quick-warmup TVs. Replace all your light bulbs with compact
fluorescents. Use recycled materials for all new house parts and
replacements when possible. And if you're thinking addition? Ask about
making it solar, super insulated and super efficient. Yes, try to get rid of
that 12 mpg SUV too, but don't forget the bigger picture. Home Sweet Home.
How sweet it isn't.

******************************
Scott Campbell Reuman
Artist/Writer
Conundrum Designs, Inc.
Nederland, CO
http://www.conundrumdesigns.com
scottreuman@conundrumdesigns.com

[puma-news] Energy savings

PUMITES

Interested in saving the Earth from global climate change? Thinking about
buying a new car that gets better mileage to help with your budget and the
planet's greenhouse gas budget? Think again. To make a BIG contribution look
closely at your home.

Architect Ed Mazria, best known for his 1979 Passive Solar Energy book made
an astonishing finding, one he is just now popularizing especially among
fellow architects. Mazria took old data from the Department of Energy, old
data that had consistently shown industry and transportation to be the
biggest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, and looked at them
from a different perspective. Instead of the usual categories he
reapportioned the energy use into new categories. The new categories are
buildings, industry and transportation (the old were industry, residential,
transportation and commercial). And the big consumer is...buildings. He
reasoned this way: "Your car is small and you use it a few hours each day.
Your home is one hundred times the size and is "on" 24/7." Mazria found that
buildings, residential and commercial, account for 48% of the energy
consumed in the U.S. Transportation meanwhile comes in at only 27% and the
balance, 25%, is industry.

Water heaters and furnaces and stoves and electronics and so many other
things are on and running most or all of the day. If they don't consume
fossil fuels directly, they probably do so through your electrical supply.
Huge energy demands are made in the production of the materials used to make
your home. What can you do short of rebuilding? Get an energy audit. Look
into ways to store what solar energy comes in through windows. Consider
insulating your windows at night - the home's biggest heat loss. Check to
see if your electronics are off; computer monitors are big energy sinks as
are quick-warmup TVs. Replace all your light bulbs with compact
fluorescents. Use recycled materials for all new house parts and
replacements when possible. And if you're thinking addition? Ask about
making it solar, super insulated and super efficient. Yes, try to get rid of
that 12 mpg SUV too, but don't forget the bigger picture. Home Sweet Home.
How sweet it isn't.

******************************
Scott Campbell Reuman
Artist/Writer
Conundrum Designs, Inc.
Nederland, CO
http://www.conundrumdesigns.com
scottreuman@conundrumdesigns.com