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Newsletter September 2009How to be more energy efficient – Part 4This month (September 2009):
Part 4 FOUR – Refrigeration (fridges and freezers) A couple of things here; they will use a lot more electricity if positioned in a warm or hot area. When designing your new home consult with your architect to place these kinds of appliances well away from sunlight or heating duct outlets, and freezers can go out in the garage. Not all fridges and freezers are created evenly with most rated for energy efficiency. So when purchasing your next appliance, remember, that the higher the ‘Star’ rating the more efficient it is. 7 being the highest and most energy efficient, but also the most expensive. However, Greg suggests to at least aim for a 5 – you should be more than satisfied with this. Greg Hoskins of Hoskins Energy really knows and understands his stuff on this subject. If you wish to speak to him directly about any point he raises here he can be contacted (sometimes) on 0274-475-117 or after hours on 06-379-7904. A BOTTLE OF WINE----A TOUCHING STORY ALL WOMEN WILL ADORE! 
THE BOTTLE OF WINE For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren't married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine: Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally. 'What in bag?' asked the old Navajo woman. Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, 'It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.' The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, She said: 'Good trade.....' I don’t find this very funny? HRVsLack of ventilation can be a problem with air tight modern homes especially when using aluminum windows and doors, because these seal so air-tight. Lack of ventilation and heating can contribute to mould & mildew growth, condensation problems and allergies. Lack of ventilation can also result in the build-up of toxic fumes in your home. Old homes had lots of gaps which meant lots of air movement. New homes need artificial ventilation systems, or you need to open windows, even in winter. This naturally creates energy efficiency problems. Extractors to bathrooms and kitchen cook-top hob are an absolute minimum. You must have ventilation in these spaces as no one will leave a window open to let steam out on a cold winter’s morning. A more aesthetically pleasing, sophisticated, more energy efficient solution is to fit a Heat Recovery Ventilation System. This ducted air distribution system removes stale (damp) air from your home and replaces it with clean, dry air. The system uses about the same electricity as a couple of light bulbs, but will dehumidify your whole home more efficiently than a dehumidifier. As an added bonus it can also replace the bathroom extractors, as the system can adjust itself automatically to extract more air when bathrooms are used. A Heat Recovery Ventilation System is superior to a Heat Transfer Fan. A heat transfer fan is an internal ceiling duct that distributes the heat evenly throughout the house from a single source e.g. wood burner. But a Heat Transfer Fan is simply circulating stale air when all the windows are closed on a cold winter night. Your Heat Recovery Ventilation System will not introduce heat to your home. You need another heat source. This can be a wood burner, a flued gas heater, an air-conditioner, a central heating system of some kind or passive solar heating. There’s much confusion in the marketplace about the differences between a HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) and the many Attic Fan systems available. An attic fan will bring the generally warmer and drier air from the attic into your home. Provided the system is set up correctly, you could therefore obtain ‘free’ heated air from your roof space. If you do use this roof space air, it’s important to ensure that your roof space is clean. An HRV unit can be set up to also collect this hot air, and introduce the recovered heat to your home, but not the roof space air, which is an advantage for allergy sufferers. Next month:
Kind Regards Julian Moss PS: If you wish to unsubscribe please notify us by reply email.
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