Passive and Proud - Green Energy Ideas for Your Home

!9# Passive and Proud - Green Energy Ideas for Your Home

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Solar energy comes from the sun. A biology class will tell you that in addition to affecting climate and weather, sunlight provides the energy that sustains most life on earth. It also can be harnessed to provide heating, lighting and electricity. Solar power has become a hot topic lately, but this technology is nothing new - Native Americans, people in China and even the early Greeks have historically turned their buildings to the sun for heat.

These early architects were using what is known as passive solar energy. This technique makes the best use of regular building materials to trap heat with no additional mechanical equipment used. Floors, windows and roofs play a role in attracting (or deflecting) the sun's rays.

There are a number of ways to take advantage of solar radiation, starting with the house's placement. Having the house face the equator (we'll assume we're in the Northern Hemisphere, thus the house should face south) means that it gets the day's sunlight. Window orientation is also important - for optimal efficiency, most windows should point within 30 degrees of due south. Maintaining a small percentage of north facing windows will ensure that your home is comfortable year round (and not cooking in the summer).

Rock or stone tile floors and brick walls will absorb the solar radiation and continue to give off heat after the sun is gone. While common windows allow heat to escape, special windows with low-e coating, multiple panes, inert gas fill, and/or insulated frames can reduce heat loss 50 to 75 per cent. By sealing your building envelope and insulating well, you will ensure that the heat stays in the house. It can then be distributed through the house using a regular ceiling fan.

Direct sunlight is not the only important light to think of when considering energy use. By using overall daylight to light a space you can cut down the need for electrical lighting and the heat that's created by it. Artificial lighting has only been the main source of illumination since the 20th century. And using natural light may have added benefits for your physical and mental health. In addition to windows, daylighting makes use of skylights, light pipes (also known as light tubes), atriums, and light shelves to illuminate the interior. This is best considered when building, but with a few small renos your house can be much brighter, naturally!

Passive cooling is another way to cut your bills and become more energy efficient. This is especially useful in warmer climates, where air conditioning can be a major power consumer. Passive cooling refers to using things for shading, to absorb the heat, and goes hand in hand with passive solar energy. It can be accomplished using exterior landscaping choices - trees and other vegetation - or interior/exterior building options, such as shades, blinds or special glazing on windows.

Whether you are building a new home, looking at doing some renovations or just want to cut your energy bill, passive solar energy and cooling techniques are an easy way to incorporated green ideas into your home. With the rising interest in environmental issues, they make an excellent selling feature and they'll save you money.

Passive and Proud - Green Energy Ideas for Your Home

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Savings With Solar Tube Skylights

!9# Savings With Solar Tube Skylights

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Also known as tubular skylights, these devices are used to light a room with natural sunlight. You may also see these devices referred to as solar pipes, or light tubes, but officially, they're known as the solar tube skylights.

A basic solar tube skylight consists of four primary components...

o Dome

o Flashing

o Tube

o Diffuser

Sunlight enters the device through the dome. The light is carried through a highly reflective tube to an inside room of your home. But before it enters your room, it is scattered through a diffuser to create a soft light effect. The flashing is between the dome and the roof to keep water from leaking into your place.

A Solar tube skylights differs from a traditional skylight in several ways...

o Entering sunlight is diffused - no heavy, direct sunlight

o Since the light is diffused, it provides for uniform lighting throughout the room

o Low summer heat gain

o Low winter heat loss

o Quick and easy installation - only 2 to 4 hours needed

o No view of the sky

A Solar tube skylight offers homeowners looking for daylighting solutions a lot of flexibility. For rooms that don't have direct access to windows or the roof, a tubular daylight device is yourbest solution for bringing in natural light. Adjustable tubing and angle adapters allow the Solar tube skylight to be efficiently routed to these interior rooms.

They are also great for smaller rooms where a traditional skylight may not be appropriate. Due to their compact size, they are an easy fit for these smaller rooms.

They can be applied in several kinds of places

o Offices

o Warehouses

o School Portables

o Retail Stores.

o Grocery Stores

o Auto Dealerships

o Restrooms

o Mfg. Facilities

o Industrial Plants

o Club Houses

o Farm Buildings

o Assisted Living

o School Hallways

o Class Rooms Sun

o Residential

There are also several great options you can include with your Solar tube skylights

o Dimmers can be used to adjust the amount of natural light entering your room

o Ventilating System fan

o Mixed electrical light for night-time lighting

All of this can be provided by a single ceiling fixture! On top of that, designer trim and diffusers are also available for some models.

Savings With Solar Tube Skylights

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13" Tubular Skylight Kit

!9#13" Tubular Skylight Kit

Brand : Natural Light
Rate :
Price : $279.95
Post Date : Nov 03, 2011 19:40:28
Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Tubular skylights are highly innovative and energy efficient lighting systems. The capped cylindrical dome allows natural sunlight to enter a room through its highly reflective light pipe. The mirror-like light pipe allows the light to scatter 100% evenly. A tubular skylight minimizes space and in the end impact on your roof. It's engineered to be weather-tight and leak-proof. Why tubular instead of traditional skylights?The highly reflective mirror-like light pipe allows the tubular skylight to emit more light than traditional skylights. Tubular skylights are far more energy efficient than traditional skylights. Tubular skylights are designed with a sealed shaft that minimizes the transfer of heat or cold into your home. This is a great feature as traditional skylights usually generate heat. Tubular Skylights scatter 100% of the natural light spectrum through the use of a diffuser, thereby eliminating the spot light issue commonly found with the traditional system. 99% of the sun's harmful UV rays are absorbed by tubular light's specially designed dome, thus eliminating bleaching or discoloring effects on carpets or furniture. Installation is quick and easy, as tubular skylights can be installed in two hours or less. These lights require very little space for installation, they can be installed virtually anywhere! Best of all they are less expensive than traditional skylights.Why Natural Light Tubular Skylights? Natural Light uses the highest quality materials in the manufacturing process. The entire unit was designed around performance, ease of installation and being able to withstand the weathering effects of any environment. The warranty is the best in the industry, 25 years.

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ODL EZ10SCANH 10 In. Tubular Skylight with Asphalt Flashing

!9# ODL EZ10SCANH 10 In. Tubular Skylight with Asphalt Flashing

Brand : ODL | Rate : | Price : $159.00
Post Date : Nov 03, 2011 02:18:54 | Usually ships in 1-2 business days

ODL, Inc. EZ10SCANH 10" tubular skylight; patented optic technology gathers sunlight - even during low-light hours of the morning, late afternoon, and winter season; reflective light tube optimizes light to control solar heat gain; Energy Star approved; Limited lifetime warranty

• Patented optic technology gathers sunlight at all times of day
• Reflective light tube has 95% reflectivity
• Energy Star approved
• Leak-proof flashing
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

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