Research Blog : energy

Support EVPL & save money with a free home energy assessment

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:51:00 GMT

With the record-breaking temps we've had this summer, many are looking for ways to reduce their utility bills.

Energizing Indiana offers free home energy assessments to those who apply. An Energy Advisor will visit your home to perform the assessment. You'll receive step-by-step guidance; energy saving products, such as CFL bulbs, low-flow faucet aerators & shower heads, and insulation for your water heater; and a comprehensive report detailing additional ways to make your home more energy efficient.

This service is free, and the library Foundation will receive $25 for every energy assessment conducted through EVPL. Reduce your energy costs while helping our library Foundation!

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For information about our other environmental initiatives, visit www.evpl.org/goinggreen.

Greening your life

googler@evpl — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:20:00 GMT

You can tell I'm behind again in reading my RSS feeds -- I've caught up to Earth Day. But these are such interesting sites I have to share them.

Free Green offers free energy-efficient house plans, with full construction documentation and other related material. You can also join the community and ask questions about specific designs or green building in general.

Sierra Club Green Home is dedicated to helping you create a more sustainable home environment. The site is full of information about reducing emissions, saving on energy, recycling, and more. They have a discussion board for members, too.

Sustainable Table celebrates local sustainable food, educates consumers on food-related issues, and works to build community through food. They encourage the purchase of organic and local food, and their locator will show you markets, coops, and even restaurants within 20 miles your zip code that meet their criteria. They also have a section called "The Issues," which gives a huge amount of information about what they see as the problems with our food choices, from factory farms to additives to pollution caused by the agriculture industry.

The US Department of Energy has a website devoted to energy efficiency and renewable energy. There's information about designing and remodeling, appliances, landscaping, lighting, alternative energy sources like wind and solar, and much more.

Homepower magazine is a good source of information and inspiration about solar, wind, and other alternative energy systems.

The web makes it pretty easy to make every day Earth Day!

Who is T. Boone Pickens and what is the Pickens Energy Plan

T-ref@evpl — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:41:00 GMT

I have been hearing a lot about the Pickens Energy Plan. His plan calls for more wind power to generate electricity and the use of domestic natural gas and biofuels for transportation. I have seen a lot of wind farms popping up around the midwest on my travels and am hopeful that this will alleviate some of our dependence on foreign oil.

Maybe the world won't end after all

E-Ville Librarian@evpl — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:07:00 GMT

Ever heard of Hubbert's Peak? No it isn't a mountain in the Rockies. It is a logistical theory that we have passed the peak of oil production and from here will continue to decline until we are in another Dark Age. While it is true that such a peak more than likely exists, and we may have passed it already, something tells me that mankind may have a few tricks up its collective sleeve. Case in point is a post at the Tech blog Engadget. According to this article, researchers at the Departmant of Energy's Idaho National Labaratory have created an "antenna" which can harvest 80% of the energy from infared rays. Not too shabby, especially compared to traditional solar panels. Hit the link for more info.