Off the Grid

Off the Grid
Stories from a disconnected life by Alanna Vitucci

For most homeowners who choose to live off the grid, a passive solar home is the best way to manage energy needs. And, it’s pretty much free! The trick is to have as many windows facing south as possible so that sunlight heats the rooms in the winter. Then, well-positioned shade trees keep the spaces cool in the summer. As a result, less energy is required to keep a fairly comfortable temperature inside.

While the practice works great in the Midwest, rainy Northwest or even the snowy Northeast, in our house, and across Arizona, it’s the exact opposite. Given that we spend roughly 100 days hiding inside air-conditioned spaces as the temperatures sore past 105 degrees, the less sun the better. Nor, does the natural climate lend itself to massive shade trees – unless you plan on waiting a good ten years for a new tree to reach peak size.

However, we haven’t yet turned into moles, ground hogs or even vampires. (OK – I will fess up. There is one vampire in our house. It’s our cat Maggie, who spends her days sleeping under the covers of our bed.) Instead, creative architectural design and site placement enabled us to build a home that it is intimately connected with our property and fairly energy efficient.

So, how’d we do it, you ask? Easy. First, we ensured that the south side of our home is snuggled up into the side of the ridge we built on. Since we had to create a flat pad to build our home on, the excavation process naturally created a cooling dirt wall. And, since the only window on that side of the house is a small one over the guest shower, it didn’t create any real visual problems.

Then, since the design of our house has large covered front and back patios, we replaced all the windows with French doors that open onto them. This means we get tons of light in the house — without direct sun from unshaded windows.

And lastly, the two covered patios create perfect seasonal zones. The back patio, which faces west, is a pleasant place to hang out during the fall, winter and early spring when daytime temperatures are in the 60s and 70s. It’s also a great place for breakfast in the summer since the sun doesn’t reach that side of the house till around 11 a.m.

Then, during the hot afternoons, we use the front patio that faces east. This area, which includes a walled courtyard, is in the full shade from about noon onwards. (Which means it’s a perfect place to enjoy a glass wine on even the warmest of evenings!)

Although we are still using electricity to heat and cool our home (temperatures can be as low as 30 degrees in the winter), we haven’t had to pay more than $150 a month during the hottest part of the year.  So even though we are not off the grid, our careful design is ensuring that we are helping to conserve costs and energy.

Alanna Vitucci is the President of Cactus Blossom Communications, a full-service marketing communications firm located in Ft. McDowell, Arizona. For additional information or to request a project quote, please log onto elance.com and search for CactusBlossomCom under the provider list. Or, contact her directly at 602.418.9068 / cactusblossomcom@direcway.com.

Tuesday ~ January 01, 2006 by CactusBlossom
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Demographics of the Typical Hybrid Consumer- What Makes Them Tick

More and more people in the market for a new car today are considering the advantages of purchasing a hybrid. The number one reason hybrids are gaining in popularity is due to their smaller, fuel-efficient engines. As prices at the gas pumps continue to soar, many people see the many benefits to driving an “alternative-fuel” vehicle (also known as alt-fuel). According to a recent survey, approximately 88,000 hybrid vehicles were sold in the United States in 2004. This number is projected to more than double to amounts close to 220,000 by the end of 2005. However this is only a small fraction of the amount of new vehicles (more than 15 million) that are sold in the United States on an annual basis. Many people believe that these cars that run on half gas and half electric power are not front and center in the public eye, as they should be.

Who is the typical hybrid consumer and what makes them tick? Let’s take a closer look.

Many environmentalists are of the viewpoint that a car that requires less gasoline to run it is a good investment indeed. This idea is catching on with consumers as well. The combination of the two powers, electric and gasoline, give hybrid vehicles the same and/or a greater range of fuel efficiency than do traditionally run gas engines.

What do hybrid consumers demand of their fuel-efficient vehicles?

Not only do they have smaller and more fuel-efficient engines but also hybrids are equipped with other things that allow for the best mileage possible. Smart consumers look for the traits listed below in their hybrid vehicles.

Energy in a hybrid vehicle is allowed storage in the battery. This is how the process works- the faster speed your car is traveling at, the greater level of kinetic energy it contains. When you step on the brake, energy is displaced. Hybrid vehicles are equipped with the unique ability to store up energy in the battery to use at a later period of time. This is defined as “regenerative braking.” In other words, the electric motor in the vehicle works in combination with the brakes to slow and eventually stop the car. The electric motor plays the role of a generator and aids in charging the car’s battery as it is in the act of slowing down.

Hybrid cars are constructed with an alternate power source, by way of batteries in the vehicle and the electric motor. When stopped at an intersection the hybrid vehicle has the option of turning off the gas engine to conserve energy.

Drag is reduced by the use of advanced aerodynamics with regard to hybrid cars. Aerodynamic drag is the force that is used to move your car through the air and /or down the highway. This drag force is not a good thing and can be reduced in a number of ways in hybrid cars. One way it is done is by constructing smaller front ends of vehicles. To give an example, SUV’s have much larger front ends and need a much larger area to push through the surrounding air than do smaller, more compact sports cars. Drag can also be reduced by placing covers over wheel housings. This has a tremendous effect on airflow.

Consumers who purchase hybrids are concerned about the environment. Pollutants in the air are one of their primary pet peeves. Hybrid cars are helpful in reducing both air pollution and global-warming pollution. It has been proven that the excellent design of the hybrid makes it possible for smog pollution to be reduced by ninety percent or more, in comparison to the cleanest non-hybrid car on the market today. To give an example of this, the Toyota Prius when compared to the national average, achieves a success rate of ninety percent in smog reduction. Not only helpful in reducing air pollution, but hybrid vehicles are beneficial in cutting down on global-warming pollutants in the air due to the reduced amount of fuel that is required to keep them on the roads. The first hybrid cars manufactured were successful in reducing harmful global-warming pollutants in the air by approximately a third to a half. The forecast for the future is that more advanced hybrid models will be able to cut emissions even more.

Thursday ~ January 01, 2006 by admin
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