Rocket Mass Heaters (RMH) are energy-efficient burners used for heating, and are usually assembled from recycled and/or natural materials. RMH's use about 80% less wood than 'regular' wood burners/fireplaces Advantages of RMH: * Relatively easy to build, you don't need to have high engineering skills * Energy-efficiency - uses significantly less wood * Eco-freindly - less pollution, can be made of recycled and natural materials * Beautiful & aesthetic! Read more about how RMH works and how … Read more
Energy Efficiency at Home Simple ways to save energy and money in your own home
There are simple ways to be energy-efficient and save on domestic energy consumption. Here are some of them... (Note: The tips below have been written in reference to a house in Israel - in other parts of the world you might need to make adjustments according to your local climate conditions) 1. Closing the house in winter, except opening windows to air the house out during the warmer hours of the day. The windows that are facing south remain closed, and their shutters are opened during the … Read more
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Clean and Efficient Power
A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity by a chemical reaction initiated by the fuel. In comparison with an internal combustion engine a fuel cell provides an efficient form of power generation and where Hydrogen is the fuel, the by product of the reaction is simply water. Although in practice a fuel cell generates only a very small amount of electricity the cells can be stacked together to multiply the power output. At point of use this is an extremely attractive ecological option … Read more
Tiny Houses Building Small Houses on a Trailer
The housing crisis has forced many to find imaginative solutions to housing themselves but it has also provided an opportunity for low impact living by thinking small and compact. The tiny house movement founded in the US uses vehicle trailers as the foundation around which a home is constructed. The limitations of size means that compact arrangements need to found resulting in a home that uses less raw material and less energy to run. … Read more
Poo Powered Bus Fueled with Gas from Sewage and Food Waste
The 40 seat 'Bio-Bus' operating in Bristol UK uses biomethane as its fuel and demonstrates that a greener, more sustainable, public transport is possible. The biomethane fuel is generated from sewage and food waste and because the bus' engine produces lower emissions than conventional diesel, it helps improve air quality and presses the case for more waste-to-fuel projects. … Read more
Compost Power The Jean Pain Method
Using brush wood cleared from forests in order to reduce fire risk Jean Pain developed a composting method that generated direct heat from the composting process and also enabled him to collect bio-gas with which he ran his car. The system benefited the whole forest eco-system around his home. The Compost Power Network was established in 2010 inspired by the work of Jean Pain and aims to further develop and promote the ideas and practices. There is a considerable amount of material on the web … Read more
Off-grid Living Now Recognised as an Economically Viable Option
Renewable energy systems are now well established and generally available but with costly or problematic electric storage issues few have risked going off-grid. However initiatives like Tesla Motors commitment to increasing battery production and halving their cost make the economics of off-grid living comparable to buying power from the Utility Companies. It might require an initial capital input but from there onward costs are principally maintenance and renewal and the power itself is free … Read more
Masdar City Abu-Dhabi's Sustainable City Project
Abu Dhabi has among the highest per capita energy consumption on the planet but Masdar City has been planned and developed to utilise the abundant solar power potential and uses enhanced traditional design practices to create natural cooling. The city is surrounded by walls that exclude hot desert winds, Streets are short and narrow and angled to provide maximum shade and a 45m high wind tower captures cooler breezes and directs them into the streets. This results in an impressive 15 to 20 … Read more
Passive Solar Greenhouse Produce More Food Locally With Less Energy
Groundswell Community Network in British Columbia, Canada have constructed a passive solar greenhouse that greatly extends the growing season for a wide range of crops and reduces energy consumption to a minimum. The north side of the building is insulated and built with a high thermal mass to store heat and the glazed structure is placed on the south side. Surplus heat collected during the day is feed into a heat store beneath the floor. There are also photo-voltaic and solar thermal panels … Read more
Eco Retrofitting Older Houses Refurbishing Houses for Low Carbon Emissions
Buildings are the largest consumers of energy and worldwide there is a vast stock of old and highly inefficient homes and commercial properties. Bringing them up to modern ecological standards is a skilled matter involving insulating the structure, correctly ventilating the spaces and recovering heat from exhaust air, installing the most efficient heating systems with the lowest carbon emissions and fitting appropriate renewable energy systems such as photo-voltaic panels. The links below … Read more
