Nov

15

A Greener Home

Posted by cameron

November 15, 2007 |

Since electric photocell technology doesn’t seem to have a good payback at this time I have been researching alternatives that would make sense in my next home. Presently I am 100% electric with a heat pump for heating and A/C. I’m thinking that in the near term natural gas may be a better alternative until such time as solar cell technologies come up with a real solution, which is probably just a matter of time. Here is some of the natural gas benefits listed around the web:

  • Burns relatively cleanly with almost no residual waste.

  • Most comes from within the U.S. and some from Canada and Mexico. Basically home grown, so to speak. That’s a good thing.

  • High energy efficiency along the complete supply line.

  • Pipes are always underground so no ugly overhead wires or pipes.

  • Instant on/off.

  • Cheaper to run than all electric solutions.

  • Power outages don’t mean loss of heating.

 There appear to be many attractive benefits of natural gas. It’s interesting to note that most new homes built these days use natural gas and offer optional gas fireplaces. You can even get remote controls in some cases. Most new subdivisions show no signs of power cables strung up on poles making them more attractive than older neighborhoods.  Those overhead power lines are the cause of most power problems during storms and they are just plain ugly. I guess you could call that “environmental pollution” of a different kind. Whenever I see the energy company cutting tree limbs down to protect those ugly poles I have to wonder about that approach.

Well it is not perfect but it seems to me that moving to a natural gas solution will at least move me in a positive direction. I really like the fact that I will be less dependant on foreign energy and I really like the fact that we will not be at risk of freezing to death in deepest winter when the power goes out. I like the fact that overall I can reduce my energy consumption footprint when looked at the entire supply line. I’m probably naïve when it comes to exploration etc, but I can’t know everything. This seems like a good direction to go in for now.


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  1. A Greener Home | MetalTinSigns.com on November 15, 2007 7:09 am

    […] Read the rest of this great post here […]

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