GoingTrueGreen's Blog Postings

ANNIVERSARY OF OIL COMPANY’S REPRISAL

6/29/2021

Bosch, heating, oil, oil heat, sustainable living, sustainable actions, going green, going true green, sustainable steps, saving on heating bills, net zero house, oil companies, SSE, green house, global warming, co2, political leaders, paybacks, new windows, saving energy, helping the environment

OIL DROP

Twenty years ago I was using oil as the fuel to heat my house. This year is the Twentieth Anniversary of when I was shocked by an incontrovertible reprisal from my oil company. That is correct, steps were taken against me for the actions I took to save energy and our environment. There were no congratulations or rewards offered. I was scolded and punished for being successful. This wasn’t that much different from when I was scolded by my previous employer, a utility company. I was the manager leading their energy saving auditing department and we went well over our pre-set quota for teaching homeowners and companies how to save energy. That wasn’t acceptable according to the VP, but that is another story for another time.

Here is my story with the facts about my house and the oil delivery company…

The previous owners of the house had informed me that they were consuming a minimum of 1,200 gallons of oil per year. I knew that amount could be lower.

The “Heating System” for the house produced heat for the winter months and domestic hot water all year round for Faucets, Showers and the Clothes Washer. I did not have a Dish Washer appliance, but used hot water when washing dishes by hand.

The “Heating System” had 3 parts:

1st - Oil was the fuel
2nd - The boiler that created the heat
3rd - Hot water baseboards delivery the created heat throughout the house

So after moving in, I immediately changed the 1970 thermostats to new Multi-Set back programable clock thermostats. When the oil company’s manager, who my family knew and bought oil from for 40 years, saw my new thermostats - he lied to my face via the process of omission! After all, he probably was thinking, how much can this young kid know?

He proceeded to tell me that turning down the heat at night with these new thermostats would cost me more money, because I would be burning more oil in the morning to get the house warm again. I wasted my money buying them and I should return them, was his final proclamation.

Yet, the facts remained. My house wasn’t that old and the pervious owners added insulation and a new 81% efficient Retention Head boiler that replaced the old Steam heat unit from the 1940s. They also installed throughout the house a new Baseboard delivery of the heat to replace the steam radiators. The oil company’s manager omitted those facts from our conversation to secure his narrative.

My savings with the new thermostats was good, but not tremendous. Perhaps I decided to go “tremendous” because of being told calculated lies created through the omission of certain facts. At least that was the catalyst for me working in earnest to really save, save big and save fast.

Over the next two years I addressed all three parts of the Heating System and lowered the consumption of oil from 1,200 gallons of oil per year to ONLY 290, then 250 gallons per year!

What I did was not Rocket Science. I implemented logic, current technology and trade secrets. Below is a list of what I did after changing the thermostats:
*I did an SSE test on the boiler. SSE is a Steady State Efficiency test and ALL Oil Heating systems need this test EVERY year. If you don't have an Access hole on your boiler's stack, the SSE test was never done! See image below. Details about this are available through previous Going True Green blog posts and in our GTG Membership.

*I put in a separate Hot Water Heater that used Natural Gas as the fuel, not oil.

Wrapped Hot Water Pipes

*The next action was wrapping all the Hot Water pipes with insulated foam.
See image on left.
*The Biggest action, which immediately saved 1/3 the oil I was using, was the addition of a Cold Start Control Panel. See box mounted on right side of my heating unit in first image below. This cost $400.00 and I saved that within the first winter! Details about this are available through previous Going True Green blog posts and will be available in our GTG Membership.
Just type in “Cold Start Boiler” in the Search box at the very top of this page.

Cold Start Control Panel

clock thermostat, thermostats, Bosch, heating, oil, oil heat, sustainable living, sustainable actions, going green, going true green, sustainable steps, saving on heating bills, net zero house, oil companies, SSE, green house, global warming, co2, political leaders, paybacks, new windows, saving energy, helping the environment

Multi-Set Back Thermostat

Access Hole for SSE Test

*Then I added additional insulation giving me a higher R value. Details about this are available through previous Going True Green blog posts and will be available in our GTG Membership. You can also use the Search box for Insulation.
*I changed shower heads and faucets to low flow efficient ones.
*I caulked each 1942 window in the house and put new weather stripping around the doors since I did not have the money to change all my windows and doors to new ones. Additionally, the payback with changing windows is found in comfort and connivence, not dollar savings. For more info about this fact, please see my previous 6/15/21 GTG blog called: The Big Picture Review

So after two years of energy saving actions, I was using as little as 250 gallons of home heating oil per year. This was such an apparent astonishment for my oil company that they responded not by offering me any congratulatory comments, but by demanding I buy 800 gallons minimum per year. When I stated that wasn’t possible, because I was only consuming 250 gallons held in a tank that only holds 250 gallons, they retaliated by refusing to sell oil to me. They dropped me as a customer, because I didn’t buy enough oil from them. Perhaps they thought I was buying oil from another company between their oil deliveries. Of course this was a completely false presumption.

I asked if what they were doing was legal and apparently, yes. They could sell or not sell, to anyone they want. Wow, a heating fuel that is a necessity to keep warm, to keep alive through the cold winter months and they could just drop me on the spot. This isn’t like buying some other product that we could still live without. Utility companies can’t just shut off your electricity due to a few unpaid bills, they have to wait months and investigate the complete story behind the belated payments. Yet, an oil heating company can just drop us like a rock. Thank you political leaders NOT really looking out for us or our environment.

NEW 95% EFFICIENT HEATING UNIT

Over the years I purchased oil directly from other oil companies who offered the lowest price until I was able to upgrade to a 95% efficient instant hot water heating system.

So the moral of this story is to do your homework and then implement. Don’t wait for some government or politician or celebrity or company or organization to save the day for you. They haven't and they won't.
You are the super hero !

Today I have a Net Zero house for electricity and still working toward True Green within my own budget of time and money. One more thing, I am doing this without sacrificing anything in order to save, because there is always another way for accomplishing.

Yes, this is a Happy Anniversary.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Old Man Winter, Old Houses and Insulation Answers

1/7/2020

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Happy New Year everyone and with the cold winds of winter blowing down on us, I wish to share some insulation questions I receive each year. Some of these questions have been asked several times over the decades. Below I am sharing some of these questions and concluding with the most popular query.

I am thinking of buying an old wood frame house constructed in the 1920s. Would there be insulation in the walls?

Balloon Construction, insulation, vapor barrier, insulated homes, insulated walls, going true green, hot air rises, hot to cold, GTG Blog

1920 Farm House

Not unless a previous owner of the house had insulation put into the walls. Houses back then were built without insulation because fuel was very cheap. Your best test would be to drop a small marble from the attic down into the wall. If the marble comes out in the basement you know the walls are empty.

This type of design is not only costly with energy bills, but also outside noise will be louder inside. In addition, this design known as "balloon construction," is a serious fire hazard. The walls would act like a chimney in a fire and the wood frame house would be destroyed. Putting insulation into these walls will address all three of these problems: Costly energy bills, Noise levels and Fire hazard.

Is it possible to put insulation in backwards?

Yes, and this happens far too often. Many serious problems come about with insulation installed wrong. In most cases the cause of these problems are a mystery to the homeowner. For example, nobody can imagine why a certain wall gets damp or sweats. The Foil or Paper on one side of the insulation is known as a "vapor barrier" and this "vapor barrier" must always face the warmer side of the house. Always! If there is an outside facing wall that is crying or moisture builds up on the inside surface of that wall, odds state that the insulation was installed backwards. Once confirmed, the inside wall needs to be removed, the compromised moisture filled insulation must be discarded and replaced the correct way.

Insulating the ceiling in my unfinished basement isn't going to save much, right?

This action, in most cases, saves a great deal of money and energy. Put insulation in an unfinished basement ceiling with the "vapor barrier" facing up, because upstairs is the warmer side of the house. However, if you are going to heat or cool your basement, then different rules apply. Also don't let the air from upstairs that has been cooled by air conditioning drop through the floor to your unfinished basement because there is no insulation in the basement ceiling. Cool air dropping into the basement only makes the basement damp and the electric bill higher for the air conditioners working longer on the main floor. "Cold Air drops" that is the rule of mother nature. The other rule mother nature has "Hot Goes To Cold First" then Hot Air Rises! Don't let your heating bills be higher because the heat comes out over a cold floor that is over a cold basement with no insulation in the ceiling. Insulate and save! Reports have shown the savings of several hundred dollars can provide a payback on the cost of insulation and labor as fast as four months.

For more information on insulating houses, see my previous GoingTrueGreen blog called:
Buying A House? Beware!

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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What Home Heating Fuel is More Efficient, Oil or Natural Gas?

9/24/2019

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snow, winter, heat, heating system, oil heat, gas heat, oil, gas, natural gas, saving on heating bills, heating costs

Snow & Heating Costs Can Pile Up

With the 2019 winter heating season just around the corner for most of the United States, the title of this article is the most popular query I have been asked over the years about Heating Systems. Unfortunately the answer is not that simple and the answer depends on several variables.

If you ask someone who is associated with Oil heating in any way, shape, or form, the answer is Oil.

If you ask someone who is associated with Gas heating in any way, shape, or form, the answer is Gas.

Both "someones" are leaving out important details and information so immediate justification for their fuel can be given.

The question now becomes:
Who is correct? Here is the TRUE answer:

Depending upon several different circumstances either answer can be correct...
The reason for this is because heating your home ALSO depends on what type of Heating Unit being used and HOW Heat is Delivered throughout your house. All Heating Systems consist of three (3) parts:
The type of Fuel used, the Heating Unit, and the Heat Delivery Method throughout the house.

The question now needed to be asked is:
What are the circumstances and how do we know what is the most efficient Fuel for us?

With OIL, the fact is more BTUs are produced by Oil as compared to Natural Gas, thus making Oil the more efficient FUEL at face value. HOWEVER, some Gas Heating Units offer the highest efficiency rates. Thus by using Gas as a Fuel in tandem with a higher efficiency Gas Heating Unit and a more efficient method of delivering the heat throughout the house, GAS becomes the more efficient FUEL.

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. This is an approximation for the amount of energy needed to heat up one pound
of water, one (1) additional degree in the Fahrenheit scale.

Let us start to break down the circumstances...

First thing to realize is that there are numerous steps to improving and making all the components contributing to heating the house far more efficient. Even if you finally do decide to get a new heating unit, gas or oil fired, all the additional steps must be looked at, considered, evaluated and implemented when necessary for maximum energy savings. Below are two questions from some of my clients:

I now use oil to heat my house, the heating unit is almost seven years old and I have gas in the house. Currently natural gas is cheaper than oil. Do I make the switch from oil to gas?

Whenever the above details are true, the answer is No. This is because the cost to switch (at least $5,000 to $7,000) probably will have a long payback period of 7 years or more. Additionally, over the years the cost for oil and gas will follow historical trends making one fuel more expensive than the other from one year to the next. Another expense will probably come into play if the way heat is "delivered" throughout the house needs to be upgraded to one of the more efficient methods. Now this action with save more on heating costs, but add additional years to the payback period. Thus upgrading the way heat is delivered throughout the house, such as changing from a Hot Water Baseboard delivery method to a Hot Water Radiant Floor Heating method, will wipe out the additional savings gained.

Rating the way heat is delivered throughout the house:

Radiant Floor Heat

Most efficient delivery method to send heat around your house:
Hot Water Radiant Floor Heat
(Today, PEX tubing - not copper pipes, would go down first in order to be under the floor. This is best installed with new construction or complete remodeling projects.)

Hot Water Baseboard

Second best delivery method to send heat around your house:
Hot Water Baseboard

Then comes methods such as:
Forced Hot Air; Hot Water Radiators; Steam Radiators / Steam Pipes; etc.
(The order of efficiency for these methods could alternate depending on other variables in the house, such as how well the house is insulated and / or the location of vents. {Facts on vent location is below})

Also please note these delivery methods of heat throughout the house become less efficient with additional variables.
For example: Forced Hot Air coming out of one set of vents on the wall where the vents are up by the ceilings. This (less expensive to install for a builder) "single room vent" with a dual function for delivering heat in the winter and AC cold air in the summer, has a much higher expense in energy cost for the homeowner due to a lower efficiency with delivering heat. The reason for this is because we have basic laws of physics that state Hot Air Rises. Why then would we place the vent that delivers heat to a room up by the ceiling and not down near the floor? Vents by the ceiling are only good for delivering Cold Air from a central AC system, because Cold Air Drops. Another law of physics. We all need two vents per room, one for heat by the floor and one for cold air at the ceiling.

Below is another question from a different client:

I have oil heat for my house and the boiler (heating unit) needs to be replaced. I have gas in the house for my gas stove and clothes dryer. Should I switch from oil to gas and will I save money on my heating bills?

The answer will be Yes, if all the answers to the following questions are YES...
- Do you have Hot Water Baseboard or Hot Water Radiant as the Heat Delivery method throughout the house?
- Can you get the new gas heating unit installed with a rebate, tax credit, or low interest loan?
- Is the new gas heating unit offering a high efficiency rating of at least 87%?

If your answers are NOT all YES, then consideration should also be given to a new more efficient oil heating unit, compare the numbers with payback times as well as look at all other elements connected to lowering overall operating costs for heating. For example: Insulation levels throughout the house and if hot water pipes are covered with insulated wrap.

WARNING - Please Note that sometimes we can get an incentive from our utility company for converting, when they also provide Natural Gas service, but in most cases they are only offering a new gas heating unit that provides 80% efficiency or less. A far cry from 87% and the better gas heating units that offer up to 95% efficiency.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Light and Heat

2/3/2017

2 Comments

colds, dry air, heating, winter colds, energy, duct work, going green, saving energy, winter dry throat, dry throats, force hot air

Dry Air, Dry throat, Winter Colds

HEAT:
Winter time stuffy noses, dry and scratchy throats are upon us and most of us feel only washing our hands is all we can do to prevent getting these symptoms. While that might be true for fighting against germs and the common cold, there is much more we can do when dealing with a dry nose, watery eyes, and scratchy throat, that is caused by our indoor environment.

If you have a Force Hot Air heating system in your home or facility, the number one culprit for these irritating symptoms is dry air and an excess of particulates in that air. Dust and dust mites, along with mold spores, are a major contributing factor. Opening your windows is a temporary solution to the problem and raise the heating bill for your house or business. Vacuuming, cleaning, and dusting, is helpful with heat delivered by Hot Water Base Boards or Steam Radiators. Cleaning under and on top of all radiators when they are OFF and COOL is crucial.

heating, heating systems, duct work, mold, duct cleaners, going green, sustainability

Build up on Duct Work

However, with a delivery system that is Forced Hot Air and uses Ductwork to deliver the heat throughout the house, that ductwork may need to be cleaned out professionally if necessary. For example: When large amounts of dirt has built up over the years or when Mold is growing. If your system's filters are changed on schedule, a professional cleaning may only be needed after twenty years of use. Nevertheless, I have seen inside ductwork that has never been cleaned out for decades and nobody wants to breathe that stuff into their respiratory system! Also a well maintained humidifier on the heating system is necessary when you have Forced Hot Air. End results: Healthy inhabitants, lower heating bills, and more money saved in your pocket, not the pockets of your utility or doctor.

Edison, Thomas Edison, first light bulb, energy saving bulbs, light bulbs, LEDs, first lightbulb, lightbulbs, incandescent, going green, sustainability

The 1st Lightbulb

LIGHT:
With Indoor Lighting, we finally have long overdue advancements since Thomas Edison’s first light bulb. LED bulbs are meeting all our needs and lowering our electric bills tremendously. Soon a 3.5 watt LED bulb will give off the same amount of light level as an incandescent 60 watt light bulb, while lasting decades before burning out.

Yet, you may have now seen on the internet various articles that take part of a truth and make it into a money grabbing scheme. Perhaps some of these titles have crossed your email box:

- Can light affect your health?
- We are sharing the HIDDEN dangers of LED lights!
- Major downsides to LEDs!

These articles immediately use Key Words that invoke fear. Such as: EMF radiation, macular degeneration, blindness, and metabolic disorder to cancer.

Then they use large technical words as if to justify the fear. Words such as: Nanometers, lumens, color rendering index (CRI), visible spectrum, infrared, and kelvin temperatures.

However, mixed into this vortex of excess verbiage, which I know and “correctly” used throughout my career, are the most important words of all: Can, potentially, if, may, perhaps, and maybe. All these words prove that the article is speculative at best and with no cited cases or proof that you “will” have an issue. Yes, if an LED bulb shines into your eyes all day long from just a few inches away, you will have a problem. Then again, any light source within those parameters will be an issue for everyone.

Then when you are about halfway through the article, the Ad pops up in your face. They are selling something, perhaps their own lightbulbs or a lifetime subscription to a newsletter warning us of all the things that can cause harm. A "so-called" doctor's newsletter, with new warnings every week, and all for just $9.95 a month... Amazing.

Bill Lauto, at Going True Green
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Attic Lies

12/22/2016

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Insulation, going green, sustainability, heating, cooling, energy savings, R-30, R-15, vapor barrier, unfaced insulation, fiberglass, blown-in insulation

Attic Insulation

I have lost count on how many times people have told me what contractors did in their attics that is wrong and a lie. Perhaps the work was an honest mistake, but probably not. Countless times, everyday in America, people are being ripped off for energy saving work done wrong.

The tales told are no holiday story, but more on the order of the Grinch stealing Christmas. Claims that play on people’s fear, incomplete truths and lies by the process of omission run rapid just as the snow falls upon your roof. The reason for this blatant deceit is the old-time evil known as GREED. These demons just want to make more money off of you and in turn can cost you thousands of dollars more years down the road.

Here is one example:
“I called a contractor to add extra insulation in my attic, because my power company gave me that energy saving tip so I can save money on my energy bills.”

THE FIRST LIE:
There are no “TIPs” to saving energy, only work! The situation has to be evaluated, facts must be studied, and applications must be customize for your house or business. (The facts and information the consumer needs to know and to empower themselves, are numerous, but GoingTrueGreen.com is just an email away to help with answers.)

Yet, a different example:
“The contractor told me they will add extra insulation with a vapor barrier on top of the insulation already on the attic floor. That vapor barrier will make the job more energy efficient and the “extra cost” is well worth it because I will save more money on the heating bill in the long run.”

Paper Vapor Barrier

THE SECOND AND THIRD LIES:
The insulation on your attic floor already has a vapor barrier! Get a helper, then put on a long sleeve shirt, some work gloves, a dust mask, goggles, a hard hat, and go into your attic to confirm. Lift a corner of the insulation to see if foil or paper that is brown or black in color is against the floor of the attic. A “yes” answer means you never need another Vapor Barrier anywhere in your attic!

You will NOT save any additional money with another Vapor Barrier and you will NOT save more money on the heating bills. In fact, this will cost you more money in the long run. All you need is “un-Faced insulation” (no vapor barrier is on the insulation), which costs much less. If you put in insulation with another vapor barrier, moisture will be trapped and over the years cause mold and mildew to build up. The ceiling below your attic can suffer the consequences.

Rules that never change:
1) The one vapor barrier ALWAYS faces the warmest side of the house. In an attic, that will be the floor above the heated rooms below.
2) Have the insulation on your attic’s floor add up to a value of R-30. This will save money no matter where you live in America, because this also helps with Air Cooling bills!
Our GoingTrueGreen website offers more true facts and details about this topic, please visit or email us anytime.

One last example:
“Then the contractor told me that if I really wanted to be more sustainable and save even more money by being more energy efficient, I also need to put insulation between the rafters of the roof.”

THE FOURTH LIE:
Isn’t it amazing how numbers are never given so you can know approximately how much you will save and how many years it will take for you to get a Return on your investment when installing this extra insulation on the floor and now the rafters? We have a right to know what our payback will be, but these types of contractors will never spend their time to crunch the numbers. Even if they knew how, they won’t, because what they are doing is wrong and will cost you more money.

Putting insulation on the rafters of an attic that is not living space with heat, is an abomination! Especially with another Vapor Barrier! You want to stop the heat rising up from your living space below at the floor of the attic. Not the roof, because you already lost heat and money into the cold attic and stopping the heat at the rafters with a second or third vapor barrier will cause moisture to accumulate in abundance. Thus, sacrificing the integrity of your roof’s wood structure and possibly costing thousands in repairs twenty years down the road.

My next blog called, Two Square Feet, will continue with these sales pitch lies, such as closing off your attic vents to save more energy and having electrical work done by someone who is incompetent or just doesn’t care. Either way, they aren’t paying your energy bills.

Bill Lauto, at Going True Green
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Saving Money with Space Heaters: Trick or Treat?

10/31/2016

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Space heater, room heater, oil filled heater, electric heater, portable heater, sustainability, going true green, saving money, saving energy, bill lauto, lower heating bills, oil heat, gas heat, alternatives to fuel heat, environmental issues

Decorative Electric Heater

That’s a good question not just for all the costume covered kids at your door on a cold Halloween night, but also for everyone thinking of buying and using a Space or Room Heater.

The “Treat” today with Space Heaters is the fact that they are inexpensive to buy and much safer. However the more decorative looking units, such as the ones resembling a fireplace or wood burning stove, will cost more money to buy.

The “Trick” remains the same:
How to save money on your home’s heating costs by using a Space Heater?

Most Space Heaters use electricity, functioning like a giant toaster, to create heat. That of itself is inherently costly to operate. Especially if you don’t have solar electric panels and pay a high Kilowatt hour rate from your electric utility. So despite the marketing claim that Space Heaters save on heating bills, they can actually cost you more money if the owner does not acknowledge and adhere to the following facts:

1.) A Space Heater cannot heat your entire house.

2.) Using a Space Heater in a room that is always cold because your house heating system fails to provide sufficient heat to that room, will not save you money. This will cost you more via your electric bill. Suffice to say, you will save more money in the long run, by having the heating and delivery system for that room evaluated and repaired. If you need a Space Heater to supplement the heat levels in your house because you have no other choice, then obviously you will have the additional cost on your electric bill.

3.) Operating a Space Heater with a timer every day, will cost you more. Just being plugged in with the timer running will use electricity and if your schedule changes for arriving home on several days or evenings, you will be paying to heat an empty room with electricity, the most costly way to heat.

4.) Going to bed or leaving the room where you are using the Space Heater without a timer and forgetting to shut off the unit, will cost you much more money. For example: If you heated only your bedroom for the night, then in the morning went into the cold kitchen to make coffee, you perhaps decided to get coffee and breakfast on the way to work because the kitchen was freezing! Thus, in your haste, you left the Space Heater on in your bedroom… All day.

5. & 6.) Trying to delay turning on your oil or gas heating unit in the cool days of autumn, with a Space Heater, will most likely cost you more money AND Trying to lower you oil or gas heating bills by supplementing the heat level in your house with a Space Heater will most likely cancel each other out. Here is why:

Most home heating units maintain a minimum temperature that you are already paying for. I trust your service company lowers the minimum temperature for the summer months (about 120 degrees Fahrenheit) and increases that temperature only for the winter months. If they don’t, ask them to do so! Subsequently operating an electric Space Heater can prevent the need to turn on the heating unit or keep the thermostat at a lower temperature, but now you have the higher electric bill to pay. Turning on your home heating unit for a brief time, in all likelihood will not cost you any more than the electric Space Heater that just heats one room. What do you prefer, briefly warming the whole house or just one room? The key is using the home heating unit for a “brief” amount of time on "one or two" cold fall nights. On the issue of supplementing your heat level and lowering the thermostat a few degrees by turning on an electrical Space Heater, that will have the savings wiped out by the electric bill for the Space Heater.

7.) I do not recommend buying a Kerosene Space Heater in place of an electric unit. Kerosene has been linked to causing cancer and refilling can cause spillage. That alone leads to numerous issues from a stained house rug, odors, and outside spills getting into our drinking water supply.

Oil-Filled Electric Heater

The Bottom-Line to saving money with an electric Space Heater is by using the
“Warm Room Concept” in the following and only effective way:

Dinner is over, you and the family are settling down to watch a movie together in the family room. You lower all the thermostats in the house to 62 degrees Fahrenheit and turn on your family room holographic fireplace with the heat setting at medium. After the movie is over, everyone helps clean up the snacks and you shut off the holographic fireplace with heat. Everyone gets in bed and under the covers. About 45 minutes prior to waking up the next morning, your multi-set back clock thermostats, kick-in as scheduled and raise the heat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

So by using the “Warm Room Concept” for the evening and all night, along with a Space Heater that has several temperature settings (never use the highest setting which can be thousands of electrical watts) and multi-set back clock thermostats, that is how an electric Space Heater can save you money.

Bill Lauto, GTG
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Going a Deeper Shade of Green

11/19/2014

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On the Road to Going True Green!

Solar panels, solar, Musk, solar city, going green, going true green, solar power, photovoltaic cells, energy, going solar

Solar Installation

Today I reached a much deeper shade of green as I continue to work toward Going True Green.

At High Noon today I was able to power up and activate my photovoltaic solar panels. Even on a Fall afternoon late in the season, I immediately started producing almost 3,000 Kilowatts with my 25 panels, far more than the 100 or so watts I was consuming at the time.

This day was a long time coming, for years clients, family, and friends, have been asking me if they should "Go Solar" and if there was a reasonable payback. And for years I saw no payback for the average American that works hard to stay within their own budget of time and money. However, now the new Solar Lease programs make going solar feasible and after evaluating 7 different Solar Panel Companies over five months, the company I went with far exceeded all the others.

Bosch, high efficient gas heating, heating systems, going green, saving energy, saving money

95% Efficient Heating System

In addition, after twelve hours of work, my new 95% efficient heating system came on-line yesterday. This was made possible through a low interest state loan program. I call this unit my giant coffee maker that hangs on the basement wall. End result: Domestic hot water and three zones to heat the house for far less.

Yes, the image on the side shows pipes in need of insulation wrap, some clean up and a paint job on the wall that shows the marks of an old, but efficient for its kind, oil burning boiler.

I will be posting more information over time and even setting up some online classes by next year to help provide a step by step educational look at these topics. If you wish to obtain more details at this time, feel free to contact me via email from EnergyHotwire.com or GoingTrueGreen.com.

So as of today, I am operating in a much darker shade of Green and it feels good!

Bill Lauto, GTG
Environmental Scientist at
GoingTrueGreen.com
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Home Heating Systems

1/20/2014

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heating, heat, oil heat, gas heat, heating system, saving heat, saving energy, going green, goingtruegreen, environment, fire, boiler, furnance, warm air, baseboard, oil bills, oil, gas, cold outside

How much more efficient are we today?

Winter brings colder temperatures to most of America. The majority of Americans no longer keep warm with a fire similar to the one shown or heat their houses with a fireplace. However the way we heat our houses, on average, is not that efficient. We are wasting on average, 60% of the fuel we consume. Let the fuel be oil, gas, propane gas, coal or wood.

How would you like to lower your heating bills by an average of 60%? I know this sounds too good to be true. Well, the good news is that this is true and you don't need solar panels or any rocket science to address your heating issues. All you need is the knowledge and data to apply the correct application of current technology to save money, energy and Earth. We have the technology, but don't expect your oil or gas company to teach you the details. They want to sell you fuel, they don't want Trade Secrets or Insider's Info utilized to consume less. Now while I am unable to provide all the data in just one blog (that is why I have EnergyHotWire.com and GoingTrueGreen.com) I can tell you about myself practicing what I preach...

"When I purchased my first and only house after years of renting, I learned the previous owners consumed at least 1,000 gallons of heating oil per year. After 2 years of energy saving steps, I only used 290 gallons. I received a payback on the energy saving steps within 3 winters. Today I am using 265 gallons of oil per year and this is all without making sacrifices. I do not put on a big wool sweater so I can lower the heat. The same is true for my electric bill when it comes to lights and electronics."

So what did I do? Below is the list of the steps I did to save a great deal of money, energy and our environment. Nevertheless, there are many variables involved so please realize that the list below was applicable to my situation. However, I also provide more specific data for free through my websites and blog postings so that individual home owners, such as yourself, can determine what applies to your situation.

What I did in my house that saved over 60% of consumption and cost:

1) Installed a separate domestic hot water heater
2) Added a second heating zone
3) Installed two multi stage programmable thermostats
4) Installed insulated wrap on all the hot water pipes
5) Installed more insulation on attic floor to a total value of R30. (Extra insulation did not have a vapor barrier)
6) Installed a Cold Start Control panel on the boiler for a total cost of $400.00. Parts and labor (12 yrs. ago)
7) Lowered the boiler's "maintained" temperature to 125

Many would be surprised to see the list on the left not showing new windows as a step. While you change windows for comfort and convenience, they are not a big energy saver. The average payback is 33 years because of this little known fact:
These new windows will save you 30% off your heating costs. Yes, but when you are only losing 7% of your heat because of your very, very old windows, you are only saving 30% of that 7% being lost!

So start perusing my websites and blog for more data on these topics. We are here to answer any of your comments or questions within a reasonable time, but you must spend some time and work at this to get things right for yourself and your surrounding world - Yes, our environment for you, me and our children. After all, great rewards never come easy.

Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
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Holes in your Attic

1/2/2014

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Heating, heating bills, energy, lower energy bills, oil heat, gas heat, snowstorm, billard, snowing, rooftop, snow on rooftop, going green, going true green, GTG, energy audits, infrared camera, energy audits, heating the neighborhood

Snow and Saving Energy

Snow is on the way according to the 2014 weather report and any snow fall will be a significant help to confirming if you are keeping your house warm or if you have holes in your attic. Yes, you may very well be paying to heat the neighborhood!

Okay, not exactly "holes" in your attic, but close enough if your Attic floor is not insulated correctly or sufficiently. No "Rocket Science" needed to know if your house is losing heat and costing you money. To answer this very important question is to simply go outside a few hours after a snow fall and LOOK at your roof. No infrared cameras needed by you or any energy professionals if you are having them do an energy audit. AT GTG we don't need any special cameras when we conduct Energy Audits, so please don't fall for the line: "Oh that will cost extra because we have to use the special "Thing-A-Ma Jig" to detect heat lost from your attic." That is a complete Lie.

Also don't listen to any insulation company that tells you insulation is needed up on the inside roof of your attic as well as your attic floor. Unfinished attics only need insulation on the floor with ONLY ONE Vapor Barrier (foil or paper layer) facing downward to your warm house below. The R value of the insulation should be no less than R-30. Please take note of these facts because this is a big money saver OR a very costly mistake year after year. In fact, this is such a costly situation, we can list this as a major contributing fact to why America is NOT energy efficient. The photograph below shows the rooftops of two homes with snow on them. The house in the foreground has a rooftop completely white with snow and that is excellent. The house in the background is showing parts of the roof tiles through the snow where heat is escaping! Feel free to click on the images to enlarge and view details discussed:

The Tale of Two Houses: The house in the foreground on the right and below this text box is warm inside, saving money for themselves & fuel for America because no snow is melting off the roof from rising heat.
Remember, Hot air rises!

snow melting, roof, rooftop, heat lost, insulation, attic, attic insulation, vapor barrier, R-30, Heating, heating bills, energy, lower energy bills, oil heat, gas heat, snowstorm, billard, snowing, rooftop, snow on rooftop, going green, going true green, GTG, energy audits, infrared camera, energy audits, heating the neighborhood

Two Houses. One Heat Efficient and One Heat Inefficient.

The house in the background and shown below is losing heat and money to the outside. The solid white lines of snow is where heat is being blocked from escaping by the wood beams supporting the roof from inside the attic. The dark color areas show heat being lost.

efficient homes, energy efficientcy, snow melting, roof, rooftop, heat lost, insulation, attic, attic insulation, vapor barrier, R-30, Heating, heating bills, energy, lower energy bills, oil heat, gas heat, snowstorm, billard, snowing, rooftop, snow on rooftop, going green, going true green, GTG, energy audits, infrared camera, energy audits, heating the neighborhood

Solid White Layer of Snow on Roof Means No Heat Lost

Roof Showing through Snow Equals Heat and Money Lost

Roof Losing Heat

A closer look actually shows a couple of larger spots of roof showing through. This is where there is very little insulation inside on the attic floor just below the spots. Probably a low R-11 insulation value because part of the insulation was pushed away, moved, or folded over. However, the most probable possibility, there is just NO Insulation in that spot at all!
Click on image to enlarge and continue to read about savings.

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CheckList To Savings

2/1/2012

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"Communication without truth is only an illusion of accomplishment.To find truth, we all need multiple sources of input." L.J. Williams, 2008

going green, check list, sustainability check list, going green check list, Earth Day check list, saving energy check list

Updated Blog Post - From EnergyHotwire.com to GoingTrueGreen.com
Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!

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