With Energy Efficiency

With high temps in the 80s over the past few weeks here in Virginia, there’s no question that Spring and Summer are on their way into the region. And with that, it means time to get outside and start working on the house for some energy efficiency cooling measures.

Cutting the grass, mulching, weed-pulling, repainting the mailbox, and cleaning your gutters are all on the high priority list.

But this year, add a few more to the list:

1.  Change your air filters.

2.  Plant deciduous trees near your AC unit, to cool the air that your unit uses.

3.  Check around your house for cracks and leaks (Can you see light through the crevice around your door? You might need some weather stripping).

4.  Check to make sure the insulation under your house hasn’t fallen out from the floor joists.

5.  Clean your ceiling fan blades, and make sure the air is blowing downwards when the fan is on.

6.  Change your light bulbs to CFL lights (Think about all the money you can save!).

7.  Open your foundation vents.

And here is our popular video on Summer Energy Savings Tips.

Posted by Stephen,  www.dom.com

If the video does not open for you, try this link,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0EZ3nxXctg

About Dominion

Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,200 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,300 miles of electric transmission lines.

Dominion Has Power

Dominion operates the nation’s largest natural gas storage system with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states.

Dominion practices environmental stewardship and contributes more than $20 million annually to the environment, education, arts and culture, and health and human services, and energy efficiency.

Dominion’s strategy is to be a leading provider of electricity, natural gas and related services to customers in the energy-intensive Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the U.S., a potential market of 50 million homes and businesses where 40 percent of the nation’s energy is consumed.

energy solutions

A high home-cooling bill might have less to do with your air conditioner than with your home’s attic insulation, air ducts and air flow.

So before you sink a bundle into a new AC system, look into other energy solutions, find out if your home’s air ducts are leaking at the joints, if the AC filter is too thick or too dirty for air to pass through, or if your attic insulation is properly installed so it touches a hard surface such as drywall or wood.

You don’t have to figure any of this out by yourself. The state’s three major electric utilities are offering energy solutions and to pay most of the tab for a “home performance” professional to come to your home and check it for problems that could be causing it to waste energy.

The Home Energy Solutions Auditor.

In particular, the auditor can spy energy inefficiencies that force your AC to work so hard to counteract them that it’s costing you more than it should to run the system.

SRP and APS will pay all but $99 of the usual $299 – $499 price tag for their customers to have an approved contractor conduct a Home Performance by Energy Star audit of the home. TEP calls its similar program BrightSave Home.

Like the inspection that utilities used to call an “energy audit ,” the home-performance assessment can reveal whether your home is pouring expensive, conditioned air into the Great Outdoors through leaks such as cracks and gaps in walls, around windows and doors, and through the roof.

It also will clue you in to easy fixes that will cut your energy bill, such as adding exterior shade screens to sun-struck windows or switching from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent or LED lights.

But the home-performance auditor doesn’t stop at pointing out your home’s energy flaws. After conducting tests at your house, the energy specialist will determine how a problem – or a solution – in one area of the building might affect the performance of another.

Examples: The reason an air-conditioning system kicks on too often might be an insulation failure in the attic. Re-attaching or adding insulation could solve the AC problem and save you from replacing the system.

The Air Conditioner May Not be the Problem.

Likewise, a homeowner might figure a new air conditioner will stop a room with a sun-drenched window from getting too hot during the summer. But the auditor might reason that adding an exterior shade screen or planting a leafy tree outside of the window might be a better – and cheaper – fix.

energy solutions

“It looks at the whole house as a system,” says Jerry Thieken, principal project manager for SRP, of the home-performance audit. “Up until now, we have just addressed the single issue without realizing what impact changing one thing could have on the rest of the house.”

Once the auditor figures out – with the help of computer software – the causes of your home’s energy woes, you’ll get a long list of recommended repairs and upgrades, and some more help from your electric utility to pay for the work. SRP, for example, offers rebates on duct repair, insulation and high-efficiency air conditioning systems, and a discount on shade screens.

In fact, Todd Russo of REEis, who conducts home-performance audits, estimates a typical list of recommendations for a home that doesn’t need a new AC runs around $2,200. After taking advantage of utility rebates and government tax credits, the homeowner would pay less than $1,500.

Those repairs, of course, are optional. Joe Salkowski, a spokesman for TEP, says that’s one reason for the utility rebates, which are available to customers whether or not they have the $99 evaluation.

“The reality is that we want customers to make these improvements. There’s not a lot of benefit in having an audit done if it does not lead the customer to take action on the problems that have been identified.”

Air Leaks and Insulation.

Russo says the most common recommended repairs are sealing leaky air-conditioning ducts, replacing or fixing failing attic insulation and solving the causes of air-flow restrictions, which can range from replacing undersized ductwork to changing a dirty AC filter.

Having your home’s performance analyzed as a way to save money and energy is a smart move. But what might be even more important to you and your family is how much more comfortable your house feels once all of its parts are operating in harmony and performing at their peak.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 35 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the Rosie on the House radio program from 8-11 a.m. Saturdays on KTAR-FM (92.3) in Phoenix. Look for more Energy Solutions.

Keep Cool

Staying cool in the summer can be an enormously challenging task. Sometimes the need to Keep Cool comes with fairly hefty price tag.

Interestingly, I find that most people end up paying a lot more to cool their homes because they rely principally on their air conditioners to do the job. Fortunately, there are other ways to keep cool that don’t cost as much. One way to cut down on cooling costs — and to reduce your carbon footprint — is to employ natural cooling methods.

Cool nighttime air can often be used to cool a home. This works really well in hot, desert climates, but also humid climates early and late in the cooling season. So, before you turn your thermostat down to keep cool, be sure to check outside temperature. If it’s below 75oF – and it often is early and late in the cooling season in many locations – open windows and let the cool nighttime air cool your home.

To accelerate the cooling, a whole house fan can be switched on. Or, you can place a couple box fans in windows to draw cool air into your home. Fans use a lot less energy than air conditioners.

Opening windows in upper stories also helps draw hot air out of a home, accelerating the influx of cool air from lower windows.

Next morning, shut the windows to prevent daytime heat gain. You may want to draw curtains to reduce heat gain during the day, especially if you are gone during daylight hours at work or at school.

Repeat this procedure the following evening until the evening temperatures are too warm to cool your home. At this point, you will very likely have to switch over to your air conditioner … although there are many other things you can do to reduce air conditioner use that I’ll discuss in subsequent blogs.

Our Do-It-Yourself Air Conditioner

Keep Cool

By Liesl and Myles Petersen,  www.motherearthnews.com

Hot, muggy, sweltering August heat? No air conditioner? Tapped for cash?

Not everyone is able to run out and purchase an expensive air conditioner for their home. Besides, the operating costs of one are sky-high. We’ve found that this simple, do-it-yourself solution saves the day when summer heat is melting you.

Do-it-yourself Air Conditioner

What you need:

• a few trays of ice
• shallow container or bowl
• a standard fan

What to do:

1) Place ice in the shallow container. Set container on a low table top.

2) Place fan in front of the ice. Turn fan on. The fan will suck the cool air generated by the ice into the blades and push it out into the room. Refill ice as necessary. We found this technique to work most effectively in a small, enclosed room.

Overall result? A noticeably cooler, ice-chilled room with minimal effort and cost! So,  Keep Cool this summer with a few natural cooling methods.

With the rising costs of fuel, many people are choosing green solutions to help reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, particularly in the home. A good proportion of the energy used by a family in a single year goes towards heating and cooling the home. Fortunately, there are many changes that can be made to help reduce the use of these fuels. While some options, such as installing new windows, can be expensive, there are far cheaper alternatives. Conservatory blinds are designed to insulate the window from heat and cold, thus maintaining a more consistent temperature in the house. These blinds are a convenient way to make a home more eco-friendly, as the house need not be altered in any way to install these blinds. Additionally, they can add a stylish decorative touch to many rooms.

Conservatory Blinds Maintain Temperature

Everyone loves window-filled homes, as these windows let in light, air, and refreshing outdoor views. Unfortunately, even a closed window can let in cool air in the winter and hot air in the summer. Though older windows cause major fuel expenses, replacing them with newer versions can be quite costly. Modern windows are complicated, expensive, and require professional installation. Conservatory blinds are a great way to help improve the functionality of current windows. These well-insulated blinds can help keep heat from entering through the rooms in the summer, leaving the house much cooler without the necessity of air conditioning. Conversely, conservatory blinds function to keep cool air out in the winter, reducing the heating bill. These blinds are also useful in homes with newer windows. Even the best windows on the market let in unwanted temperature changes. This one simple change is a great way to make the move toward greener living.

Conservatory Blinds are Convenient

In addition to their ability to help maintain a room’s desired temperature, conservatory blinds are also useful. Depending on the shades chosen, they can be used to darken the room. This is particularly useful for families with young children or those who work the second shift, as these individuals will likely have people sleeping during the day. Alternatively, these wonderful shades also come in varieties that let sunlight in while keeping heat out.

Conservatory Blinds are Decorative

While many might fear that window blinds chosen for functionality may not be stylish, conservatory blinds are a popular decorative choice for homes. With many different colours and styles available, there is a set of blinds that will look beautiful in any room. When hung, these blinds also provide enough space for homeowners to mount decorative curtains, ensuring that the window decor will blend beautifully with the rest of the house.

Everyone knows that it is important to make eco-friendly choices in home design. However, these choices can be cost-prohibitive. Fortunately, the increasing popularity of conservatory blinds has provided an option for families that want to take the green option without spending a lot of time, money, and energy on major home improvement projects.

Relief from the heat, instantly. .

Air conditioners are a nice convenience, but they’re not completely necessary for keeping you cool during the summer. They can be noisy and expensive to run. And as nice as cool air is, fresh air coming in the open windows carries the distinct advantage of making your house smell like summer and giving you free background music via the birds in your neighborhood.

While Lloyd has done a magnificent job of writing about improvements you can make to your home to cool it without air conditioning, I thought I’d focus on easy tips and tricks for cooling off. These quick, simple ideas will offer immediate relief from the heat, no matter how hot it gets.

5  Easy Ways to Cool Off

1. Keep a Spray Bottle in the Fridge

Keep a small spray bottle full of water in the refrigerator. When you’re feeling hot, mist your face and neck a few times with the cold water for instant relief. To make this do double duty, you can add a few slices of cucumber to the water for extra cooling, or use weak green tea instead of water — the green tea will cool you off and improve your complexion, thanks to all of those antioxidants.

2. Place an Ice Cube on Your Pulse Points

This is so easy, and it really works! Take an ice cube, and place it in a wash cloth or handkerchief. Hold the ice cube to your pulse points in your wrists and/or neck for up to thirty seconds. By some estimates, this cools your body temperature an amazing three degrees — which makes a big difference when you’re hoping for some relief from the heat.

3. Cold Washcloth on Your Neck

Wet a washcloth with cold water. (If you’re really warm, consider placing it in the freezer for a few minutes.) Wring it out, and hold it to the back of your neck. You’ll feel instantly cooler.

4. Soak Your Feet in Cold Water

How many of us have sat with our feet dangling into a lake or pool and felt immediately refreshed? You can get that same cooling effect by filling a small tub or large pot with cold water and soaking your feet for a little while. And, if you want a little extra pampering, why not give yourself a pedicure when you’re finished soaking your feet?

5. Wet Bandanna

Wet a bandanna with cold water, and tie it over your head. This will instantly cool you off, and you can just re-wet the bandanna as needed to help keep you cool.

We hope these tips help you keep your cool this summer!

No, it’s not your imagination—it definitely is getting hotter. The eight warmest years on record occurred over the past decade. But staying cool this summer doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay a fortune to keep the air-conditioning running day and night. Here are 10 tips—most costing less than $25—that will keep you comfortable and cut the typical $1,000 cooling bill by as much as half. What’s needed to get the temperature to drop? Only a little time and a few changes in your routine can beat the heat.

The Right Setting

Typical air-conditioning settings for a programmable thermostat at different times of day:

• • 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. = 75 degrees
• • 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. = 80 degrees
• • 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. = 75 degrees
• • 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. = 80 degrees

1.  Set the Dial Higher

If you have central air, set your thermostat above 78 degrees (all temperatures cited here are in degrees Fahrenheit). You’ll save 5 to 8 percent on cooling costs with each degree above that mark. For a typical household, setting the thermostat at 80 degrees saves 10 to 15 percent; raising it to 85 degrees will save 35 to 55 percent.

When you leave home for more than one hour, set the thermostat to 85 or 90 degrees. Reset it upon your return, and the room will cool down in only 15 minutes. The system will use less energy during the cool-down period than if you had left it running at a lower setting while you were out.

Cost: $0

Benefit: 15 to 20 percent or more off your cooling bill

2.  Use a Fan

A fan which costs two to five cents per hour to operate, will make a room feel 4 to 6 degrees cooler. Also, a fan works well in tandem with an air conditioner because the dehumidifying action of the air conditioner provides drier air that the fan can then move around.

In frequently used rooms, install a ceiling fan (set it to spin counterclockwise in summer). You’ll save the most money by running the fan only when you’re in the room. A motion-detector switch (around $20), which turns the fan on when you enter a room and off when the room is empty, is a good addition. However, if you have pets that move in and out of the room, make sure the switch can be turned off manually. Otherwise, your pets can cause the fan to run while you’re away.

If nighttime temperatures drop into the 70s where you live, you might want to purchase a whole-house fan, which runs $300 to $600 installed. This type of unit goes in an upstairs ceiling, ideally in a central hall. When run at night with the windows open, the fan will pull cool air into the house as it vents hot air out through the attic. Most models are designed to slip in between joists for easy installation. Whole-house fans, which draw only as much power as a couple of lightbulbs, are usually outfitted with a variable-speed switch and/or timer. If you install one, be sure to get an insulated box to cover the portal in winter.

Cost: Ceiling fans range from $30 to $200. Floor fans cost around $20, and whole-house fans run from $300 to $600.

Benefit: Ceiling fans can decrease your cooling bill by up to 15 percent, while a whole-house fan can slash it by 50 percent.

3.  Practice “Texas Cool”

“Texas cool” is a morning and evening routine that takes advantage of cool outdoor temperatures at night and keeps the heat at bay as much as possible during daylight hours. It’s very simple to do: At night when the temperature drops, open windows and bring in cool air with window fans or a whole-house fan. As soon as the sun comes up or the air starts to heat up, shut the windows and shades and keep doors closed.

Cost: $0 (plus minimal fan use)

Benefit: 20 to 50 percent off your cooling bill

4.  Use Sunblockers

As much as 20 percent of summer heat enters your home as sunlight shining through windows. To cut “solar gain,” add curtains or blinds to rooms that get direct sun and draw them in daylight hours. With the shades drawn, a well-insulated house will gain only 1 degree per hour when outdoor temperatures are above 85 degrees.

Pay special attention to west-facing rooms late in the day. Shades and blinds to consider include roller shades (the least expensive option), venetian-type micro-blinds, reflective curtains and insulated curtains (the most expensive, at $100 per window). Two exterior options are to install awnings or plant shade trees.

Cost: $8 to $100 per window

Benefit: Up to 20 percent off your cooling bill

5.  Install a Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat lets you preset temperatures for different times of the day, so air-conditioning is working only when you are home. The least-expensive thermostat models ($30) let you set four cycles that, unless manually overridden, repeat every day. Higher-priced models ($50 and up) allow you to create settings for each weekday and for each weekend day.

These thermostats come with complete directions and are easy to install. Just remove the old thermostat, unscrewing the wire leads attached to the terminals on the back. Reattach those wires to the terminals on the new model (in a system with separate A/C and heating units there may be four leads on the back, two for each unit). AA batteries maintain the settings if the power ever goes off.

Cost: $30 to $50

Benefit: Up to 20 percent off your cooling bill

6.  Cook Smart

Any appliance that generates heat adds to your cooling load. An oven baking cookies can easily raise the room temperature 10 degrees, which in turn jacks up overall cooling costs 2 to 5 percent. Save cooking (especially baking) for cooler hours, or cook outdoors on your grill. It is also a good idea to run the dishwasher and clothes dryer at night.

Cost: $0

Benefit: 2 to 5 percent off your cooling costs

7.  Get Cooler Lights

Incandescent bulbs don’t contribute as much heat as unshaded windows, but they do add heat to a house and can raise the perceived temperature, sending you to the thermostat to seek relief. To reduce this hot-light effect and save lighting costs year-round, replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. They use about 75 percent less energy and emit 90 percent less heat.

Cost: $12 to $25 per bulb

Benefit: Up to 5 percent off your cooling bill plus electricity savings

8.  Snug Up the Ducts

Leaky ducts can cut into air-conditioning efficiency. Ductwork must be balanced between the supply and return sides of the system in order for it to work safely and efficiently, so making a repair in one section can cause a problem in another. Leak-prone areas include the return plenum; where branch ducts meet the trunk line; and where ducts attach to outlets. Also, insulate ducts that run through a hot attic with a blanket of R-11 fiberglass insulation.

Unless the duct repairs are minor, it’s wise to leave them to a HVAC pro. While the contractor is on site checking your ducts, have them tune up the air-conditioning unit by cleaning filters, unplugging coils, unblocking drains and lubing the fan.

Cost: $75 to start for a service call

Benefit: Up to 40 percent off your cooling bill

9.  Seal Air Leaks

The places where cold air infiltrates in winter are routes for hot air in summer. And what’s worse, hot air is often accompanied by high humidity, making you even more uncomfortable. Armed with a flashlight, exterior-rated silicone caulk and a couple cans of expanding foam insulation, hunt down and seal all leaks. Concentrate on the attic, basement and crawl space; pay close attention to anything that passes through a ceiling or wall, such as ductwork, electrical or plumbing conduits and kitchen and bath vents. Other common leaky spots are around windows and doors. If you can rattle a window, it’s leaking. Seal it with weather stripping.

Cost: $6 to $25

Benefit: Up to 10 percent off your cooling bill

10.  Defeat Attic Heat

The temperature in your attic can reach 150 degrees on a hot summer day, a situation that if left unchecked can drive up cooling costs by as much as 40 percent. If your attic has less than R-22 insulation—7 inches of fiberglass or rock wool, or 6 inches of cellulose—you should add more. (The U.S. Department of Energy says most homes should have between R-22 and R-49 insulation in the attic. To check what’s right for your region, go to the Department of Energy website.)

Before insulating, seal around recessed lights, vents, and plumbing and lay down a 6-mil polyethylene vapor barrier. When insulating, place boards across the tops of the joists to walk on, and as you insulate, don’t cover or pack insulation around a bare stove pipe, electrical fixtures, or any other equipment that produces heat, unless the fixture is labeled as suitable for direct contact with insulation. Otherwise you risk fire.

Also make sure your attic is ventilated. Gable vents (around $25 each, plus $75 per vent for labor) can lower attic temperatures about 10 degrees; a ridge-and-soffit ventilation system (an extra $200 during reroofing) will reduce attic temperature to around 100 degrees.

When reroofing, use white or pale-gray shingles instead of dark ones. These keep the attic cooler than dark shingles.

Cost: approximately $25 each for gable-end vents; around $200 for ridge-and-soffit ventilation in a new roof

Benefit: Longer shingle life, and up to 20 percent off your cooling bill

It is one of the lunacies of housing in America that builders pay no attention to orientation or window placement, then have to oversize the air conditioning unit to compensate, forcing the homeowner to pay more up front and higher operating costs through the life of the house. So what do you do if you are stuck in one of these dinosaurs? Tristan Roberts of BuildingGreen has some suggestions, which have been republished in Green Building Advisor. Some of them surprised me.

Many of the ideas he proposes are not new, and are seen in the Jessup House in Westport, Connecticut: Curtains, which Tristan claims can block 20% to 60% of solar gain. This surprised me, because it breaks Rule Number 1:

• Don’t let the heat through the window in the first place.

For those like me who cannot stand curtains, rolling blinds can do almost as good a job. The Jessup house also has operating shutters, Tristan writes about their virtues:

Shutters shade the window while allowing ventilation as well as daylight; some hinged shutters can be manipulated with adjustable louvers. Hinged shutters generally block views from the interior, though, and are more popular for weather protection. They may also be more accepted in historic areas and condominium communities, where many new-fangled exterior attachments are not allowed.

There are also more modern rolling shutters that are very popular in Europe.

Awnings can block up to 90% of solar heat gain. Tristan notes that they can also save your furniture and upholstery from ultraviolet damage. They used to be common on almost every house, with a service industry devoted to putting them on in the spring and removing them in the fall, so that the people in the home could take advantage of the solar gain in winter.

One very effective solution that Tristan missed is the purgola. Katrin Klingenberg added one to the first Passivhaus in the US because it was too hot in summer with her huge south facing window. They used to be nicely integrated in to the designs of homes.

But the best thing of all is to plan these things out before you build and get it right. Look at this house in Pennsylvania; you can see the shadow line on the second floor, where the roof overhang is deep enough to shade over 2/3 of the window. On the ground floor there is both an overhang and a purgola. Oh, and they have planted some deciduous trees, perhaps the best air conditioning device you can possibly add to your house.

Air conditioning not only makes architects lazy, it makes them stupid. Nobody even thinks of doing these things any more, yet they can make a huge difference in the energy consumption of our houses.

It’s baking in New York City, with temperatures hitting over 100 degrees (feels like 105 with the humidity), and excessive heat warnings are telling people to avoid strenuous activity outside. Over 10,000 people have checked in to “Heatpocalypse” on FourSquare. On these blazing summer days you should be thinking about everything your utility is doing to prepare for the Heatpocalypse and also taking note of just how important it is for utilities to invest in smart-grid technology.

Your utility actually spends years getting ready for days like this. When scorching heat sends people indoors to ratchet up their air conditioners, the demand for power spikes and constrains the grid in many regions. The grid needs to operate in a constant balance of supply and demand, so when demand zooms way up, utilities have a few stop gap measures to meet that load.

One way utilities meet these peaks, is by using on-demand generators. For example, PJM, a regional transmission organization serving a population of 51 million, commonly starts generators to control regulation as often as hundreds of times per day. On Thursday the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO), which is responsible for the bulk power in a dozen states in the Midwest, issued an emergency alert and said the raging temperatures had stretched the load on its generators far more than it had predicted, reported CNN.

Just the day before, on Wednesday, MISO said that power demand had risen to its highest point ever in history at 103,975 MW, above the last record in the summer of 2006. Thanks to the trends of global warming and extreme weather, as well as population growth, it seems like these new demand records are just going to keep coming, so the power grid will be even more taxed in the future.

The answer to the already stretched power grid isn’t just to add more power generation, even if its clean power. It’s to build out the infrastructure of the smart grid to the point where utilities have many more options for shedding those power loads, doing it efficiently, and doing it in real time. Some utilities already do so-called demand response, where they ask companies, and even residential customers, to turn down power consumption of devices and appliances turning peak times.

But the reality is that demand response is largely a manual process right now. It could be far more automated — if smart, network connected thermostats and appliances, and energy algorithms could cut power loads for you (and you also saved money on it) then it would be far more effective. Adding more energy storage technology onto the grid would also help store on-demand power that could be available when demand spikes, reducing the need for generators.

Adding IT to the smart grid, just at the distribution automation portion (not connected to the home) will be a $10 billion revenue market by 2014, according to Pike Research. Smart meter infrastructure is another huge market, and Pike Research reported that global smart meter shipments were 17.4 million units for the first quarter of this year. For companies and VCs, that’s pretty hot.

A 115 degree heat index has planted itself in the Twin Cities and there’s no relief in sight. People are searching for ways to stay cool, proven by the increase in traffic here at Mall of America. Whether or not you have air conditioning, everyone needs a great fan and we happen to have just the one for you – Dyson’s Air Multiplier fan. This Dyson bladeless fan draws air in through a mixed flow impeller – a combination of technologies used in turbochargers and jet engines. And with no blades, it’s safer and easier to clean. How cool (no pun intended) is that?

by Duncan Geere, www.pocket-lint.com

The Air Multiplier uses friction in the air to push out its cool breeze. Around the rim of the circular fan is a little opening from which jets a very thin (1mm or so) stream of air at 55 mph. That thin stream of air pulls more air into the stream thanks to the aforementioned friction – Physicists call this process entrainment.

At the same time, the air that gets pushed away from the ring towards your beautiful face creates an area of low pressure – not quite a vacuum, but the same effect – in the ring. That low pressure pulls in more air from behind the machine (filling the gap) which is then in turn drawn into the air stream. That’s called inducement.

Safe

• A Dyson Air Multiplier™ fan has no fast-spinning blades. It’s safe.

Easy to clean

• No blades means there are no fiddly safety grilles to take apart. To clean a Dyson fan, simply wipe with a cloth.

Dimmer switch power control

• Conventional fans have limited power settings. A Dyson bladeless fan allows you to precisely adjust airflow power.

Touch-tilt

• Dyson table fans pivot on their own center of gravity. They aren’t top-heavy like some other fans, and stay put without clamping.

Pricing from Amazon.com

Dyson Air Multiplier Table Fan, 10 Inches, White by Dyson (Jun 8, 2010), Buy new: $199.00, 17 new 1 used from $261.99, Get it by Friday, Jul 29 if you order in the next 20 hours and choose one-day shipping.

(26)Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping.

Dyson Air Multiplier Table Fan, 12 Inches, Silver by Dyson (Jun 8, 2010), Buy new: $229.00, 12 new, Get it by Friday, Jul 29 if you order in the next 17 hours and choose one-day shipping.

(48)Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping.

So you’ve decided to use solar window film to shield your and your home from the unforgiving heat. Brilliant! But the thought of putting on your old overalls, and a paint-stained bandana left over from you last big move makes you cringe. I understand, and therefore, present you, my posh reader, with the RollsRoyce Solution to installing solar window film.

In my last post, I discussed solar window films, UV window films, as well as decorative and security window film and the 2 ways of installing them. We ruled out option 1 which was to buy the cheaper PVC film from your local hardware store.

Option 2, buying the film online and installing it yourself has been explored in depth, thanks to Tim from www.windowfilmandmore.com If you missed the post, click here to recap. The third option, was to hire a full-service firm that will supply and install the film for you.

I have been lucky to get a chance to chat with Scott from The Glass Protector (http://www.theglassprotector.com/) – a premier glass film distributor and installer.

How much sunlight/heat/glare can a typical window film block?

Since glare refers to the degree of discomfort due to solar light, films can reduce from 15% up to 80% glare but the darker the film, the more metallic the films may appear from the exterior of the windows. Many films can cut half the heat and glare while still providing excellent fade protection.

A good example of a balance between efficiency and aesthetics is our Optically-Clear Spectrally-Selective Hilite 70, which provides a natural look without changing the windows views appearance, cut 20% glare, reduces heat by half and blocks 99.9% ultra violet light.

What is the lifetime of solar window films?

Most films last 20-25 years but beware there are many knock offs and re-labelers and a slew of films from Asia that are produced without sustainability or longevity in mind. Most films fade at 2-3% per year. Our higher quality films come with lifetime warranty on residential applications and a 16 year warranty for commercial. Plus something that many manufacturers do not come close to, we offer a 10 year glass breakage and matching manufacturer warranty on seal failure so if something happens to the films in 20 or 30 + years, we and or our manufacturer will back without any charge or deductible if something happens to the film.

Are some window types better than other for installation or results?

Single pane windows will allow for slightly better performance, however, we have installed our films on thousands of windows throughout the Tri-State area without any issues.

How much would a typical 1-bedroom apartment cost in film and installation costs? And what kind of savings can be achieved?

Typical window installations depend on number of windows, their size, total square feet, how high up – so many factors. Cheaper commercial films will run $6.5 to $8, better quality $7-$8, higher quality $8-$10 and the optically clear $12.50 to $15 per square foot. One thing we do is an energy analysis to show the customer how much they can save as well as how long it’ll take for payback, usually 3 to 7 years.

What should consumers look for when choosing this product?

A company that has been in business for at least 4-5 years, has a manufacturer-backed warranty as well as ask to see the warranty before making their decision (also ask is the warranty from the tinting company or from the manufacturer), meet or at least speak to the company sales or owner since so many companies embellish and exaggerate and as dealing with any contractor ask for references.

Ask how the process goes and compare what each company tells you, for example do they use drop clothes, wear booties on their work shoes, do they clean the windows and how many times before they install the film since preparation is the most important aspect of window film installations. Do they safeguard against water bubbles, do they have insurance including general liability, auto and workers compensation.

When comparing spec sample pages realize some manufacturers and re-labelers give specifications on single pane glass and most windows are dual pane for energy efficiency and noise reduction.

www.theglassprotector.com is a leading distributor and installer of window films in the Tri-State area. Their projects include government, security, commercial, and residential applications. They work with some of the most respected brands in the industry such as: Panorama, SolarGard, and ArmorCoat.