General
Make Your Meter Spin Backwards
A Spin You Can Trust How often do we wonder if what we hear on the news is really the truth? “It’s all in how you spin it,” they say. One reporter says that “such and such happened” and we believe it. But then we change channels and get hit with a totally different “spin”…
Read MoreSolar Hot Water: Reduce Your Energy Bill by 20–40 Percent
by Don Wemple Solar hot water systems (SHW) use basic thermal principles to capture incoming solar radiation and heat water for domestic and other uses. Over the years, a variety of system designs have been developed and tested to meet specific consumer needs and conditions. Due to the cold climate in the Northeast we use…
Read MoreA Home Energy Audit Helps You Save
by Tim Biebel, Vice President, Prudent Living Inc. Not so long ago, when fuel oil and gasoline prices were hitting an all-time high, people struggled to pay for their heating bill and gas for their vehicles. Not everyone can install a high-efficiency furnace or buy a new car that gets 40 miles per gallon, but…
Read MoreWhen Prudence and Presumption Collide
by Paul Biebel, President, Prudent Living, Inc. It was on February 10, 1989, when this builder and his architect suddenly discovered that life guarantees nothing. Of course, we knew this was technically true, as most thinking people do, but we weren’t living as if we believed it. In fact, everything we were doing and how…
Read MoreVermont Home Tour
Passive-solar homesite: We designed our home to function at a passive-solar level by positioning the majority of windows to face the sun. This meant our home would be placed on the site almost on the compass points with the least amount of glass facing north, and the maximum glass facing south. Our intention was to…
Read MoreThe Way of the Future
by Paul Biebel, Founder and President, Prudent Living, Inc. If I were a prophet, I would predict that: • The development of Renewable Energy and Strategies for Sustainable Living will prove to be as important to the 21st century as indoor plumbing, electricity, and the telephone were in the last century. • Renewable Energy and…
Read MoreHow’s That Work? – Debunking Energy Myths
by Tim Biebel, Vice President, Prudent Living Inc. Marketing firms always present their products in the most positive light possible. In their defense, that is their job. In your defense, you need to be aware that some things aren’t always “AS SEEN ON TV” when it comes to energy efficient upgrades to your home. It…
Read MoreNIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard)
by Paul Biebel, Founder and President, Prudent Living, Inc. Last summer, I attended an evening SEON (Sustainable Energy Outreach Network) conference in Brattleboro, Vermont. It was a Building Science Guild meeting where Representative Margaret Cheney was the keynote speaker. She had just returned from a visit to Europe and was sharing a presentation about the…
Read MoreExpect Rain
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, “Into each life some rain must fall.” Must is the key word in this simple phrase. If some rain must fall into each life, sometime, the most prudent approach is to be prepared. The word “pre-pare,” originating around 1525 AD, is from the Latin praeparāre, means to make ready beforehand.…
Read MoreNet Zero – Is It Worth It?
A net zero home is one that generates as much energy as it consumes over an annual basis, but is it worth the extra expense? If you have ever pondered this question you would be well served to join us next on Thursday the 29th for a workshop titled, “A Tale of Two…
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