Ordering an energy audit means finding out from a professional exactly where
heat and cool air is being lost in your home and what you can do about it and
other energy leaks. By using sophisticated equipment, like infrared cameras and
blower doors, energy auditors can help pinpoint hot and cool air leaks and areas
in your home with inadequate insulation. Keep reading for answers to frequently
asked questions about energy audits and how you can order one.
If I have a new home, do I need an energy audit?
Trained energy auditors inspect both new and older homes, and they know exactly
what to look for. The investment in their time and services is usually well
worth the cost and can pay itself back after just a couple of months of energy
savings.
How much does it cost?
That depends on the auditor. Some companies include a free audit with a furnace
tune-up or air duct cleaning. Meanwhile, some utility companies and state energy
boards provide basic energy audits free of charge.
Exactly, what does an energy auditor do?
Some energy auditors provide a few services that go beyond a basic insulation
audit. These experts often call themselves "house doctors" or "home performance
contractors" and they'll look at your house as a complete system - evaluating
each aspect and energy draw point.
Typically, they know how to improve a home's safety, indoor air quality, energy
efficiency and comfort. Because construction flaws are often the cause of high
energy costs, they can also identify safety issues or the causes of other
problems, like air quality.
The energy auditor will do a full, room-by-room inspection of your home. He'll
look inside your walls, your outlet covers, heating ducts, furnace systems and
plumbing. His job is to be as thorough as possible.
How do I find an energy auditor?
For more information on energy auditors in your area, try contacting your
state's energy office, your local utility company or asking a local contractor
that you trust. You can also look online for auditors or companies in your area.
How do I prepare for an energy audit?
Start by writing down any rooms or areas of the house that you feel are
particularly drafty or damp. Keep these notes on a list that you can give to the
auditor. Also, compile at least a year's worth of energy bills and be prepared
to answer questions about your household's energy consumption.

Slash Your Power Bills by 80% Or Even Eliminate Them Completely -
http://powerforhome.key.to/

The world's quickest and fastest electric vehicle on the quarter mile is
coming to New Zealand in January.

My friend Philip at Greenstage has organised the KillaCycle team to come
out for a tour of the North Island including a few runs at Meremere.
This bike is seriously fast, it does 0-100km/h in less than 1 second! It
holds the world electric drag record, covering 1/4 mile from a standing
start in 7.864 seconds and doing 169 MPH at the end. That's 272km/h.

The confirmed events are thus:

       * Thur 21st - Sun 24th Jan - Wellington, show and talk at Te Papa
         (Bill Dube will be speaking 6:30pm Thursday and 1pm Sunday for
         30-40 minutes).
       * Mon 25th Jan - Manfield, show and talk (Te Manawa museum).
       * Wed 27th Jan - Taupo, show and talk (exact location to be
         determined)
       * Thur 28th Jan - Hamilton, show and talk (Wintec, Automotive
         workshop D1.01 Avalon Campus).
       * Sat Jan 30th - 4 and Rotary Nationals - show and shine (ASB
         Showrounds, Greenlane, Auckland)
       * Sun Jan 31st - 4 and Rotary Nationals - exhibition drag race
         (Fram Autolite Dragway, Meremere).

Phil will announce any further events on his blog at
http://blog.greenstage.co.nz

If you're interested in hosting an event or sponsoring the tour, talk to
Philip at philip@...

Killacycle: http://www.killacycle.com
Greenstage: http://www.greenstage.co.nz

New government programs encourage people to make their home more energy
efficient and green. Insulation is an important part of an energy efficient
home, but more insulation is not always better. Adding insulation and installing
insulation in previously uninsulated spaces may be a waste of money and can
actually harm your home.
Additional insulation reaches a point of diminishing returns. Before the point
of diminishing returns, every dollar spent increasing insulation yields at least
a one dollar reduction in energy costs over a reasonable time period. After the
point of diminishing returns, every dollar spent yields less than one dollar
energy cost reduction over the same time period. An investment in additional
insulation does not make financial and energy efficiency sense after the point
of diminishing returns.
One place to begin looking for the point of diminishing returns is The
International Residential Code (IRC) 2009. The IRC contains minimum insulation
requirements for new homes. The IRC required insulation is not at the point of
diminishing returns, but it is close. For example, IRC minimum attic insulation
in warm climates is R-30. Increasing to R-38 approaches the point of diminishing
returns. Exceeding R-38 may pass beyond the point of diminishing returns and may
not significantly improve energy efficiency in warm climates.
We have simplified the eight IRC climate zones to three zones because the attic
and crawl space insulation requirements are similar for some zones. Where
insulation requirements in our zones differ from the IRC requirements, we use
the higher requirement. Contact your local building official to determine the
insulation requirements in your area.
Our zone one covers the southern one third of the country and includes states
such as South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Hawaii and most of Texas,
Arkansas, Georgia, and California. Our zone two covers the middle one third of
the country and includes states such as Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut,
Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada, and parts of Michigan, Colorado, Utah, and
New Mexico. Our zone three covers the northern one third of the country and
Alaska.
Minimum attic insulation in our zone one is R-30. Minimum insulation in the
floor over a ventilated crawl space is R-19. Minimum attic insulation in our
zone two is R-38. Minimum insulation in the floor over a ventilated crawl space
is R-30. Minimum attic insulation in our zone three is R-49. Minimum insulation
in the floor over a ventilated crawl space is R-30. If the floor framing over a
crawl space will not allow for full depth R-30 insulation, then R-19 is
acceptable in our zones two and three.
Insulating a ventilated crawl space is more complicated than simply placing
insulation between floor joists. This is particularly true in warm and humid
climates where insulating floor joists can permit moisture condensation that can
damage wood and encourage mold growth. The IRC now allows unventilated and
insulated crawl spaces. You should do more research on crawl space insulation
and crawl space moisture problems before insulating a crawl space.
More insulation is usually better for improving a home's energy efficiency, up
to a certain point. After the point of diminishing returns, investment in other
energy efficiency techniques may yield better returns. In new construction these
other techniques include passive solar design, air tight construction, high
efficiency windows, and attic radiant barriers. In existing homes these other
techniques include sealing gaps between the home's interior and exterior and
attic radiant barriers.

Create Electricity At Home: http://www.homeenergymi.tk/

Press Release: Is An Electric Car Coming To Your Driveway? – Sustainable
Energy Forum

Can electric vehicles, and electric transport in general, solve the
problems of New Zealand's transport system? Are they the answer to worries
about a world running out of oil and choking in the by-products of using
fossil fuels? Is an electric car coming to your driveway?

These issues and more will be discussed at the Sustainable Energy Forum
(SEF) seminar "Electric Vehicles and Electric Transport in New Zealand:
2010 and Beyond". The seminar will be held in the Large Gallery, Turnbull
House, 11 Bowen St, Wellington, from 12.30-2pm on Friday 6 November.

SEF Convenor Tim Jones said "Electric buses and electric trains are
beginning to make significant inroads in public transport, but electric
cars still aren't commercially available in significant quantities in New
Zealand. The questions are: why not, when will they be available, and is a
changeover to electric vehicles necessarily a good thing?"

"I'm going to kick off the seminar with an overview of electric transport
at all levels, from electric-assisted bikes right up to electric trains, "
Tim Jones continued. "Then researcher Doug Clover will take a close look
at recent developments in electric vehicle technology, in particular
battery technology."

"Meridian Energy have been trialling the Mitsubishi iMiEV electric car
here. Hayden Scott-Dye of Meridian will present an overview and some of
the key results of the Mitsubishi iMiEV evaluation, and give his view of
the benefits and key challenges of adopting electric vehicles in New
Zealand."

"One of the claimed benefits for the adoption of electric vehicles is that
this will reduce transport greenhouse gas emissions — but the electricity
to power electric vehicles has to be generated somehow. Energy analyst
Steve Goldthorpe will look at how to assess what effect a significant
uptake of electric vehicles would have on New Zealand's greenhouse gas
emissions."

"It's clear that electric vehicles are on their way — but it remains to be
seen whether they represent a fundamental shift in how we move people or
goods around, or a distraction from the bigger issues of transport
emissions, oil depletion, congestion, and creating an effective public
transport system. This seminar might not provide all the answers, but it's
a great opportunity to debate the issues," Tim Jones concluded.


Contact for this press statement – Tim Jones, Convenor, Sustainable Energy
Forum, convenor@..., ph 027 359 0293

There is a growing trend in today's world towards using cleaner, greener, and
most importantly, renewable resources. It is no longer a question of if we run
out of oil, only when. And people are already feeling the pinch every time they
gas up at the pump or get the latest gas bill.
The result of this trend has been more and more home owners looking into
alternative energy sources to run their household on. This is both a necessary
step in our evolution as a society and a sound economic choice for home owners
today. What are some of the methods that can be used to power a home today?
Let's take a look at a few of the more common choices.
1. Solar Power
Everything on the planet runs on the energy provided by our sun. The oil your
car runs on is nothing more than stored solar energy, when you get right down to
it. So the move to solar power just makes sense. Solar power can be used in a
few different ways. It is possible to run a home directly off of your solar
panels, and rely on the power company to provide electricity when the sun is
down or on cloudy days. When your solar panels are operating, you feed any
energy you are not using at the moment back through your meter into the power
grid. This has the effect of actually making your meter run backwards during the
day. Hopefully, either you will produce more during the day than you use at
night, or at least break even. The second and most common method of using solar
power is to simply have your solar panels charge a large bank of batteries that
your house then draws power from. Again, any excess energy produced can be fed
back and sold to the power company, with electricity from the grid making up any
shortfalls. The third way of utilizing solar power is somewhat more complex, and
is probably not currently applicable to the average home owner. Using solar
power to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen, you can store solar energy
in much the same way as oil does, and release it later by combustion or fuel
cells. This is really only feasible right for the power companies, but has the
advantage of storing up excess solar energy in a form that can be used on cloudy
days, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of power.
2. Wind Power
This alternative energy source is best used in conjunction with the solar power
methods described above. In stormy weather, for instance, the sun may be hidden,
but the wind may be blowing hard, and vice-versa for sunny days. This can help
smooth out the available alternative energy levels available, and lead to more
power being sold to the power company.
3. Hydroelectric Power
Most people would probably not think of hydroelectric power as a viable source
of alternative energy for their home, but if you have access to a source of
running water like a creek, you can generate a surprisingly large amount of
power with only a small dam. When used either in conjunction with solar and
wind, or on its own, hydroelectric power can easily completely replace the power
company as the source of power in a home.

Do It Yourself Solar Power under $200 - http://www.solardiy.tk/

There are several different types of energy efficient mortgages which a person
is able to apply for. These types of loans can either be used for purchasing an
already existing energy efficient property or to allow you to make improvements
to your home in order to make it more energy efficient.
The types of mortgages that are available are the conventional energy efficient
mortgage (EEM), the FHA EEM and the VA EEM. Below we take a look at what these
are and who can actually apply for one if they want.
Conventional EEM - This can be used by anyone and the amount that one borrows
will depend on how energy efficient the home or the improvements made are
considered to be. The costs of the energy efficient components of the home are
directly transferred to the bottom line valuation of the home during the
appraisal process.
The FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage - This type of loan is taken out by those
people who are looking to make improvements to the house they currently live in
to make it more energy efficient. In most cases, they are allowed to borrow up
to 100% of the total costs of the works that they wish to carry out. But with
this type of loan the maximum amount that one is actually allowed to borrow are
$8,000 and no more. Normally homes that already qualify as an energy star homes
are granted such loans and this is why they are sometimes referred to as energy
star mortgages as well.
VA EEM - This particular type of mortgage is only available to those people who
are either currently serving as military personnel or are reservists or can
shown that they are a veteran. As with the FHA, this type of EEM can be used to
help make improvements to a property. Currently a person is able to borrow
between $3,000 and $6,000 to make such improvements to their home in order to
make it more energy efficient.
When you take out such mortgages or loans in order to make improvements to your
home there are certain benefits to be gained from using the ones that we have
mentioned above. Certainly making improvements to your home can help in the
future to save on your utility bills, but it can also increase the value of the
home if you should decide to sell it in the future. Below we take a look at a
couple of other benefits to be gained from taking out these kinds of loans or
mortgages.
The savings, which you make on the energy costs of your home, actually means
that you are able to apply for a much larger sum of money to borrow. So what
this means is that you may find that you are actually able to afford the kind of
home for you and your family that you did not first think was possible.
Another benefit is that taking out an energy efficient mortgage you will find
that you can include the cost of any improvements that you wish to make within
the sum that you wish to borrow. This means again that you are going to be
saving yourself money and you are then able to pay back the sum borrowed over
the lifetime of the mortgage rather than over a much shorter period.

Secret For Generating Free Electricity:  http://www.magniework.tk/

Going about a home energy audit is one smart way of cutting the utility bills
that you pay for at the end of every month. Many people tend to forget about the
parts of their homes that might be causing the rise in the home energy
consumption. One fact that you must learn to take note of is that the home
appliances that you possess, although they are switched off and not in use,
still consume energy because of the phantom loads that they create.
Examples of these are the VCRs, stereo components, microwave oven, toasters, and
the stoves.
Although they are turned off, they still consume energy. How much more when you
total their consumptions in a day and then for the entire month? Likewise, the
remote controlled devices are always put on a ready mode. Such state of
readiness also consumes home energy. Apart from these concerns, the parts of the
home contribute to the escalating home energy consumptions. Among these are the
attics, fireplaces, and the rest of the less obvious parts of the house.
The general purpose of the Home Energy Audit
Why is a home energy audit recommended by the experts? What is this process
devoted for? For everyone's clear understanding, the ultimate purpose of the
home energy audit is the making possible of the efficiency in the energy
utilized in the home. When the home energy used is maximized and securely
utilized, there will be the most possible reduction of the utility bills today
and the succeeding years to come.
A home energy audit will work best for homeowners who are confronted with very
large electric bills. In fact, conducting the needed home energy audit will let
you save thousands of dollars in the upcoming years. Stop dwelling on the
windows and doors you have at home for they are obvious spots that let you lose
much home energy. Why not look into the less obvious spots like the attic, the
ceilings, and the fireplace?
Most homeowners put away their unused things and keep them in the attic. Sure,
the attic is a great place to store your junked stuffs. But then didn't you ever
glance at your attic and consider the renovation of it so that there will be
proper insulation in there? You may indeed throw out big bucks for its
improvement but it will do your attic good, so to speak. The attic must be
installed with open air vents so as to keep up a good air circulation. When
there is no proper air circulation in the attic, the utmost tendency is for the
roofing and the stored stuff in the attic to get destroyed.
Now take into consideration the ceiling you've got at home. It must have enough
insulation so that the home energy will be kept from escaping from it and to go
upwards to the attic. The easiest way for heat to transfer into the attic is
through a hole in the ceiling.
Also take a good look at the fireplace. When the concern of regulating and
controlling the temperature inside the home comes in, the fireplace is the most
difficult spot to cover. As the design of the fireplace is concerned, it is
particularly aimed at moving the smoke out of the interior environment of the
home.
The process is known as the propulsion of the heat. But then the main problem is
that whenever the fireplace is not in use, it still goes on with the propulsion
of the heat towards the exterior borders of your home.
When dealing with a fireplace, you should bear in your mind that the flue must
always be kept closed when it is not being used. But if you intend to have it
open, simply turn off the heater inside your home since it will come out of the
vents then cross the room, and then right into the fireplace the heat will be
blown out. For some logical reasons, such situation will just cause you a
nightmare in terms of the electrical bills that will confront you.
If you are serious with your intention of cutting back your home energy costs,
conduct a home energy audit at your home today.

Create Electricity At Home: http://www.homeenergymi.tk/

Whenever you're deliberating saving money with a homemade installation of solar
panels for your solar power home, purchasing a kit constitutes an excellent
idea. However it is not quite the equivalent of visiting your local DIY supply
store and collecting a package of components to put together. It's also not the
same as selecting a bookcase at IKEA and assembling it in your lounge. There's a
lot of preliminary preparation that you'll need to do to enable you to purchase
the correct kit for your house.
If you've numerous experience setting up solar equipment, you will be all right
on your own. You possibly will only require minimal manufacturer support to
resolve occasional enquiries regarding particular components. You may require a
few answers to technical questions to affirm your purchasing decisions. However
you will likely be okay just locating a kit inside your price range and
purchasing it on the web. Your position would be related to a qualified auto
mechanic buying a kit car online. You are aware what you require, you recognize
which components are the most suitable. You know how to construct them all to
work together. You genuinely are qualified to do this with minimal help.
However if you've zero experience setting up solar panels, your best play will
be to locate a kit supplier who offers a lot of specialized support for both
designing and for installation. You will need to locate a kit provider that will
be accessible not only by email, but also by telephone. You may even prefer to
find one that offers up personal support, whenever required.
Your supplier ought to be capable of assisting you to work out the correct
dimensions for your solar power at home energy system, founded on your
household's latest and proposed energy requirements. This pre-planning step is
essential. You will be blowing money if you purchase a system greater than you
require. And if you purchase one that's too modest for your energy requirements,
you will finish up either without any power when you need it, or worse still,
having to purchase energy from the power grid.
You'll also require skilled assistance to analyze your house's energy
requirements according to its positioning and it's orientation towards the sun.
Nearby trees and constructions could impact on how efficient your solar panels
will be. In addition, mean outdoor temperatures throughout the year can impact
what sort of panels you will need.
Your supplier will also assist you to decide what sort of support storage
constitutes the most beneficial fit for your family. Even if you contrive to
stay attached to the power grid, you will need at least a few batteries to store
energy in the event of power cuts. Also, there is a broad range of batteries to
select from. A few require more maintenance than others, a few will endure
longer than others, and naturally, some will cost a great deal more than others.
You will need assistance to arrive at the best option.
You'll also need assistance ascertaining which manufacturer pitches the most
superior quality for the best price. As with most leading buys, cheaper Is not
always better. However the costliest isn't always the best, either. Solar panels
are available in many different combinations of voltage and amperage. Once
again, you will not want to be caught short, or spend money for more than you
require.
The time you take to explore a qualified kit provider will be worth it in the
long run. Asking many questions in advance will save you both time and money.
Carry out test runs of their email responding system, their telephone consulting
systems, and their personal support, if it's available. You will make a complex
project a good deal simpler and more enjoyable. Your conversion to a solar power
home will be straightforward.

Secret For Generating Free Electricity: http://magniework.key.to/

EV.com has been privately held since the early days of the internet and is for
the first time seeking investment partners and offering co-ownership development
rights for those businesses and individuals interested in the Electric Vehicle
(EV) industry.

Ken Burridge the current owner of EV.com and President of Escape Ventures (an
international business and internet incubator) says he is ready to assist others
catch and ride the eco-friendly green wave that's currently sweeping the planet
by helping to promote and sell Electric and Hybrid vehicles using the EV.com
domain name.

EV.com is one of only 676 two-letter dot coms in the world and is thus
considered to be one of the rarest and valuable pieces of virtual real estate in
cyberspace.  In addition the term "EV" has become synonymous to mean "Electric
Vehicle", which could make the EV.com domain name the default website on the
internet for information pertaining to the promotion and sales of the Electric
Vehicle (EV) industry.

Escape Ventures is currently selling/leasing a percentage of EV.com and other
related internet domains to help fund the promotion of Electric Vehicles and the
green industry in general.

Additional sales and contact information can be obtained on their EV.com test
site.

I have 6 MRV70 deep cycle batteries for sell retail $295 sell $205.
If you want to buy all, you can have the battery rack to match.  I have also
chargers to match and  a spare DC motor. (I am changing to LiFePo4 batteries.)
Ph 03 383 6525 anytime (Christchurch) Would freight anywhere at your expense.

Our homes collect large amounts of solar energy, our homes when built are often
placed on our sections to get the best solar energy from the sun, even years ago
before we thought of using solar energy to heat or dry out your home the
builders did this. We have known for years that the sun can be used to make our
home feel warmer and better to live in. In fact in winter we look to find the
warmest part of the home to sit to study or watch TV. If your home was placed
well on your section this room is likely to be your lounge or conservatory. What
about your bedrooms or study how do they get warmth and fresh air?
Now think of your roof, it is the largest solar collector you have ever bought,
do you know how much solar energy your roof collects. Some homes use solar
energy to heat water most of the systems available use only 4m2 of solar
collector to heat 300L of hot water. Now imagine, what 150m2 of roof can do to
heat air. Air that is dried and heated by mother nature each day, warm dry fresh
air that we lose and waste each and every day. All that is needed is a very good
filter and a well designed and programmed controller to supply this energy into
your home.
Your roof - no matter what it is made of, iron or concrete tile - collects on
average 1404kw of solar energy per m2 per year in Auckland, New Zealand, Roofs
in Germany collect just over 1000kw per m2, in Sydney Australia each roof
absorbs a huge 1700kw per m2. This equates to thousands of dollars per year (for
each roof in each country) of electricity if we had to pay for this energy. It
is solar energy that is lost and wasted each year, in fact each day huge amounts
of solar energy is lost by your home. Why not use it?
This dry, warm, fresh, healthy air can be used to keep your home dryer and
warmer than your home has ever been. This will in turn reduce the damage caused
to your home by condensation, mould and dampness, with the advantages being a
reduction in each homes running costs and an improvement in the health of each
and every person who lives in your home, reducing illnesses, colds
and asthma symptoms, hay fever, running noses, time off work or school,
saving many hours lost in many industries and time people spend in hospitals,
let alone the cost of the time off work and the staff in the hospital.
Every house has one room that just feels colder or damper than any other,
imagine how that room would feel, just by pumping dry warm fresh air into it,
there will be far less condensation - possibly all gone - the carpet will feel
dryer/warmer, the bed will feel fresh and dry to get into, even without the
electric blanket it will not feel damp. The window sills will not need to be
painted as often, there will be no mold to clean regularly. Your home will feel
more comfortable and will be cheaper to heat - as you are not wasting your money
on heating the dampness in your home first, before you feel warm.
Visit www.EasierVentilation.com to learn why all homes should have a well
designed ventilation system.

Create Electricity At Home: http://homeenergymi.key.to/

I read your profile today, I thought I would drop you a line and hope to become
your friend! Check my personal page here:
http://kfroggy.zoomshare.com/files/invite.htm

--- In nzeva@yahoogroups.com, "George Tyler" <gw@...> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
>             See the government announced that EV's are going to be free of
> RUC for 4? Years!  We had a part to play in this decision by our submissions
> on RUC's, well done!
>
Certainly good news alright. I think we have MP Nick Smith to thank for most of
that, after making it a 2008 National election policy. Check out
http://www.national.org.nz/Article.aspx?ArticleId=28562 He was totally shocked
when told by the Nelson EV Club that electric vehicles were subject to RUCs and
vowed to do something about it. Which he has. Cheers Nick.

--- In nzeva@yahoogroups.com, "warwick.stephens@..." <warwick.stephens@...>
wrote:
>
> How do I go about selling my Ford Festiva 1993 EV? I want to build an EV
sports car and I am only allowed one EV. The car is very tidy runs on 72 volts
and fully complied.
>
Thanks Ben, Any one can email me( warwick.stephens@... )or call 03
3829199 if they are interested. Warwick

Sexy Models and Beauty Queens looking for Sugar Daddy! Check their sexy profile
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How do I go about selling my Ford Festiva 1993 EV? I want to build an EV sports
car and I am only allowed one EV. The car is very tidy runs on 72 volts and
fully complied.

And we want to know about a new car with ICE for what reason ?

You are invited to join my social network, check my friends list here:
http://grniedman.zoomshare.com/files/myphoto.htm

I read your profile today, I thought I would drop you a line and hope to become
your friend! Check my personal page here:
http://bellaisanc.zoomshare.com/files/friend.htm