Getting Greedy?

[EcoVan]

These are not European Solutions...they are simply the way almost everyone lived after cities began to grow. Look at any older U.S. city.. the densities in many areas are now higher than many European cities, especially in Germany where there are sunlight regulations in cities. In fact the densities are so high, that costs are far higher than at more moderate densities that are found in older neighborhoods just outside the central core( think 25 x 125 foot lots).

I'm not saying we should go back to the overcrowding than once occurred and still does in some areas, but there is a place in between that is much healthier than either of the extremes.

Higher efficiency lighting and HVAC systems are not European, they just are what they are. They are just as effective in the US as they are in Europe.

[EcoVan]

A simple example of the "addiction". I use full size vans for business. The typical gas powered van gets about 12 to 13 mpg in city traffic and runs about 15,000 miles per year. Almost everyone buys these vans.
However, Chevy makes that same van with a diesel that gets about 21mpg city and over 30 mpg highway, which has huge amounts of bottom end torque that is very useful in city driving. The diesel option is around $1500.00 more than the typical larger v-8 option.
I sat down and did the math before I made my decision. Monthly payments are slightly higher for the Diesel opt, however, I will be saving about $300.00 a month on fuel. I now have a new van that is only costing about 390.00 a month, instead of 650.00 per month over 6 years. The diesel will have some extra maintenance costs, but will very likely last much longer. Over the 15 year life of the vehicle, I will save about $35,000.00 in fuel costs over the gas vehicle.

Almost no one buys the optional diesel.....

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by EcoVan

The studies done many years ago at IIT in Chicago regarding ethanol use are quite interesting. The only area which yielded a net gain or balance in energy use ( energy used for production versus output) was in Agricultural within a radius of maybe 30 miles of the production location. That radius has probably grown with improvements in diesel mpg of trucks, but the fundamentals still hold true.

Oil wells and refineries are also within a long radius of the end users too.

The other really interesting side discovery was that the area needed to be under ethanol producing crops to run the farm equipment was basically the same as the land area that needed to be under production to feed the horses that were used in the old days.

Corn-based ethanol is not so bad at all, considering the distillation grain is even better to feed livestock than fresh corn, leading to a higher gain of weight within a given timeframe. And in other countries such as Brazil where sugarcane is the most common feedstock for ethanol, the leftovers are often used as fuel for thermal powerplants supplying both the sugar and ethanol mills and being integrated to the national electrical grid.

Ethanol proved to be a negative energy source for nearly all applications, so it should be left to history, except for agricultural use.

I am favorable to ethanol, not only for agricultural use to which I honestly prefer biodiesel or even straight vegetable oils (either fresh or as reclaimed cooking grease). Most people have been fooled to believe ethanol is some sort of "evil", while it can be integrated to food production and eventually resort to some residues and leftovers of the industrial processing of many crops intended for food.

[ME_Andy]

I'll throw in a few thoughts about housing.

Why do we use shingle roofs that need replacement every 20 years?

Why do we seal things with caulk that needs touch-up every few years?

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by ME_Andy

I'll throw in a few thoughts about housing.

Why do we use shingle roofs that need replacement every 20 years?

Why do we seal things with caulk that needs touch-up every few years?

After working in construction for years I'm pretty sure the answer is that people want houses that are big, quick and cheap. Quality and longevity are not priorities for most people.

[freebeard]

Why do we use shingle roofs that need replacement every 20 years?

They save enough to be able to staple vinyl 'shutters' on either side of the windows.

[Piotrsko]

My last two re-roofs have owens corning 50 year guaranteed extra triple thick shingles. They cost 3-4 times as much as the celotex one's everyone else uses and another + 20% for install labor, cutting and high wind special nailing & glueing. One roof has gone 20 some years so far, but I don't own the house any.more.

Most people run away screaming away from an extra 5 thousand for a good roof. When was the last time you thought you'd spend 50 years in the same home?

[Hersbird]

I paid under $1000 to put metal roofing on my home. It was used, had been on a shop for a couple years and the lady didn't like the sage green color it was. She wanted forest green. Then we just installed it right over a 30 year old shingles. It's been up there 18 years now without problem. I tighten the screws every couple years.

Even if I had to pay full price any future roofs I do will be metal.

[freebeard]

My whole house is metal, but it has a membrane roof of some sort. Hasn't leaked in 20 years.

Were I building, it would be standing seam metal with rolled -in solar panels in the Southern exposure.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Metal roofing in my country is not so popular for residential buildings, I see it more often in commercial venues and industries.