Late last year, we installed 8 Solar PV panels on our house totaling 2.2kW of generation capacity. Since then, we have happily watched our house drop off the grid when the sun comes up – the entire house powered by Solar PV. At the same time, we also installed an iBoost hot water diversion unit […]
I’m currently in research mode looking into the next step towards energy independence. For the next investment (actually reinvestment, of savings from previous investments, particularly the electric car), I’m weighing up Battery Storage or a Heat Pump. Each have their merits. Battery storage provides a way to store excess Solar PV in summer, and to […]
I really don’t like having to pay someone to burn coal and gas on my behalf in power plants so I can run my lights and appliances. It’s really expensive, for one. Also, the price can change from one year to the next, and I don’t like being at the mercy of oil, coal and […]
It’s been 18 months since this project started and it’s a pretty good time to check in on progress so far. The aim is to get to zero energy costs, so if they’re measurably less than they were, then that’s progress. If you remember from the first post, the first step to reducing something is […]
The first post on the energy of Transport showed that if you want to travel efficiently, there’s nothing for it: use a bike. However, many car-dwellers have the a predictable reaction: “I see that cycling is way cheaper than driving.. But I haven’t cycled since I was seven and I wouldn’t be fit enough.” What […]
When we moved into our house, it had single glazed windows, no attic insulation, and a host of leaks. The wind basically blew straight through it, and it took the heat with it. After installing attic insulation, and adding new rubber seals around the windows and some doors, we decided one of the next moves […]
This is a simple, low cost, but effective project. A tap aerator (or faucet aerator) can be screwed onto the faucet head, creating a no-splashing stream and often delivering a mixture of water and air. This is quite useful for reducing the amount of water coming out of the faucet without reducing it’s usefulness. In […]
While I cycle to work and most other places, Mrs Green Mohawk is reluctant to become a carless household. This means we need to find a way of achieving motorised transport without significant expense and emissions. I expect this is a universal hope across most households, so let’s get it worked out. Since we started […]
As part of Step 5 on the journey to energy freedom, I installed a Wood Burning Stove with a back boiler to reduce our dependence on natural gas for heating the house (and hopefully eventually remove it completely). That was one year ago, and so I wanted to calculate how much money it has saved […]
The amount of heat that leaks out of the building, which you then have to replace with expensive heating (or cooling) is primarily driven by the fact that there’s a difference in temperatures between your house and the outside. (That’s why installing insulation saves you so much money!) There is therefore one thing you can […]