What's going on over at EcoRenovator

[Daox]

More updates.


I did some sealing work on the house this weekend. Old farm house, lots of leaks!

Basjoos has been teaching us about how he has naturalized his garden so he doesn't need to till and replant every year.

We've put together a couple recipes for organic weed killer.

Ben Nelson put together a DIY solar hot water heat exchanger

I found a great list about how long appliances normally last.

[Daox]

Some more goings on over on ER:


AC Hacker did a some cool eco hacks to his rice cooker.

Robert Smalls is working on winterizing his apartment.

Ben Nelson made a DIY solar food dehydrator.

Ben is also refurbishing some solar hot water panels.

I did some testing that shows the effect of defrosting on freezer efficiency which is part of an ongoing series on freezer efficiency.


Come check things out and get some ideas. We'd love to see what you are doing too.

[Daox]

There are some great updates this time around.


Xringer has put together a great thread on a DIY install of a Sanyo heat pump / AC unit.

I've gotten batteries for the riding mower and have begun making battery racks for it.

Charlie D has a house up in Canada with big utility bills that he is trying to winterize on the cheap.

AC Hacker has put together a great thread containing info on DIY hydronic floor heating.

GvilleRenovator has done some recent work in his attic sealing air ducts leaks.

[Daox]

Its been quite a while since my last update here. I figure there are new users interested in home efficiency. So, here are a few things that have been going on recently over at the EcoRenovator forum.

Xringer has been experimenting with his new solar PV panels and trackers.

I recently blew the motor on my electric riding lawn mower.

Gasstingy has been working on his new garage / shop for a while now.

Patrick coated his roof with white roof seal to lower attic temperatures and reduce AC usage.

Trikkonceptz recently picked up a bed fan to reduce AC usage during the night.

[Daox]

Heres some more links for those interested:

Aproldan has started doing work on yet another electric mower. This one is combining a tractor front end with a golf cart back end.

RobertSmalls has broken down his energy usage by appliance and is analyzing how to further conserve.

I've been experimenting with using attic heat to heat my house.

We've been discussing the benefits of enclosed showers.

We've also been talking about thorium reactors and the benefits they provide over nuclear power plants.

[Daox]

Heres another short list of some of the happenings over at ER. If you have any interest in home efficiency I suggest taking a look.

Patrick and nibs have been discussing how to make efficient wind turbine blades.

I've been working on making some interior storm windows for the windows in my sunroom which should triple the insulation value of the window, and easily pay for them self in the first year of use.

Xringer's solar tracker project is showing excellent results as his 500W array has hit over 500W of production.

Robertsmalls is working on a way to heat only certain areas of his house effectively.

We've also had some good discussion going on about low cost LEDs.