PV Gap

Jennifer Said:

is this a good economical and environmental plan for an island?

We Answered:

From what I understand, Bermuda has done a lot of work using new and old towards sustainability on a resource limited island. You might want to look into what they do and then scratch the surface.

Have you ever visited care2.com? It has a lot of info, numerous links, and then links to links. Don't forget to consider solar-thermal energy assistance and use; you pre-heat water or other materials stragetically placed and/or plumbed to reduce the solar power load. A lot of folks currently reducing thier grid use and/or going off the grid are returning to 12 volt systems or sub-systems. (It is my understanding that back in the day, obviously before my day, that 12 volt electricty arrived at homes long before the current 110/220.)

Also, have you ever been to cityfarmer.org? It is out of Vancouver, BC and its goal is to promote city farming in the Vancouver area and world wide. Certainly at one time, it had a board for the posting of urban farming research, papers, and the more. It also had a posting of a guy who did a paper (thesis/thesis related I think) about establishing farming capabilities in poor, urban areas with limited water access and use. His area was some place in Africa. Posted were some dimensions and drawings of some raised beds using found scrap materials for the growing of lettuces and I think it was tomatoes. The beds included different levels and a slucing system that were arrived at. Included in the discussion were alternative material suggestions, critical technical aspects about the bed dimentions and slucing system, yield discussion, and future and alternative design considerations one could/should make. I'm not sure if this board or posting still exist but, the administrator can probably get you information from the archives. Certainly in the past, this was a good site for connecting to others doing urban and other food production exploration under different conditions.

Lillie Said:

what kind of solar products are available to the public?

We Answered:

I have a solar watch, solar out door lighting, solar heating for our pool and Jacuzzi, a solar calculator, a solar flash light, a solar radio, and now I am waiting for a solar vehicle.

Lillie Said:

Reports suggest that Solar Water Heaters in tropical countries are unreliable and prone to failure. How true?

We Answered:

If a bucket of water is kept out in the sun it gets quite warm in a couple of hours in spite of losses. The reports are quite baseless.

All that can happen is that the efficiency may decrease a bit, and the glass requires cleaning more often.

I made a crude one for myself. Experimented witha low cost galvanized iron collector and GI tubes welded to the sheet. It was painted with ordinary matte black black board paint. The glass cracked when a stone fell on it, and rain water seeps under it. The paint has peeled off in some places. Yet, we get sufficient hot water even in the morning after a night in storage. It is six years old now. Looks ugly as sin. The point is it still works. The collector area is about 18 sq.ft. with an ordinary window glass over the plywood box. No seals worth speaking.

The latitude is 13 degrees.

Forget reports and install one.

Eric Said:

If I installed energy efficient features to my house, will my house be worth more than before, how much more?

We Answered:

Any upgrades you make to your home ideally make it worth more, but honestly this all depends on the housing market itself, what local properties are going for in your area, and what your property taxes look like. Your house will likely be more appealing to home buyers looking for energy conscious and cost-efficient properties, but if the housing market is dire in general than you obviously will not be getting much for your property regardless. It's hard to say to what amount your house will be worth more so much as it just makes your home more desirable and more marketable to potential buyers (and with any luck if you get more than one or two interested parties, you'll have bidding occur and reap the rewards.) That's all you can really do.

I heard some recent advice that I'll share: Keep up with, but don't surpass, the Jones. If you make too many upgrades to your home to the point that it prices it that far above what properties in your neighborhood are going for, they can be wasted features. Someone might be willing to pay a bit more for a house with amenities and features, but not so far above local competition.

That said, you may be able to claim all those upgrades as tax deductions this year, and potential home buyers might be able to make some very small deductions later, so that's to be considered to. Though I would check next year's tax codes as that's never a definite.

Hugh Said:

How can I make my home/lifestyle more 'eco-friendy'?

We Answered:

you can buy solar panels online or from any construction people. recycle, energy star appliances, energy saving light bulbs, etc