Part 4 of Mold: Enemy of a Healthy Home. Guidelines for Mitigation and Personal Protection Common intervention methods reported in the literature for residential mitigation of mold hazards include: Location and removal of sources of moisture (control of dampness and humidity and repair of water leakage problems). Increasing ventilation. Use of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) […]
Part 3 of Mold: Enemy of a Healthy Home. In general, visual observation of active or past microbial growth, or measurement of mold in dust or samples of source material, can be used to establish potential for mold exposure. As inhalation is the primary exposure pathway for molds, air sampling for mold can also be […]
Part 5 of How Can A Flood Damage Your Home. Rates of Rise and Fall You may not have heard these terms before, but they describe important characteristics of flooding: how rapidly the elevation (and therefore the depth) of water increases and decreases during a flood. These rates are usually expressed in terms of feet […]
Part 4 of How Can A Flood Damage Your Home. You may have been told that your home is in “the 100-year” floodplain, or you may have heard that term used to describe a specific flood. You may also have heard similar terms used, such as “50-year flood” or “500-year flood.” These terms can be […]
Part 2 of How Can A Flood Damage Your Home. The depth and elevation of flooding are so closely related that, for the purposes of this discussion, they can be viewed as a single characteristic. Flood depth is the height of the floodwater above the surface of the ground or other feature at a specific […]
What will happen to a hurricane that runs through this oil slick? Most hurricanes span an enormous area of the ocean (200-300 miles) — far wider than the current size of the spill. If the slick remains small in comparison to a typical hurricane’s general environment and size, the anticipated impact on the hurricane would […]
Another way to use renewable energy in your home is to use solar energy for water heating. Today’s systems carry a rating that tells you how well they’ll meet your hot water needs. And they provide a clean, reliable, and cost-effective source of hot water. Solar water heaters can be either active or passive. An […]
Part 7 of Landscaping for Energy Efficiency. Many suburban and urban land need loosening before you plant. If the soil is compressed until it an area of at least five times the diameter of the root ball. Plant your new trees and shrubs in a cool or cloudy days to reduce the stress of moving. […]
Part 1 of Energy-Efficient Water Heating. The next time you pay your utility bill, try one simple calculation. Divide the total amount by seven. The result is the amount you spend to heat your water. (If you receive separate utility bills for gas and electricity, use the gas bill for this calculation if you have […]
Part 3 of Battery Power for Your Residential Solar Electric System. A long cycle life, or how many deep discharges the batteries can provide. Thick lead plates—the thicker the plates, the deeper the discharge and the longer the battery life. If you have flooded batteries, look for space at the bottom of the battery case […]
Part 2 of Learn About Saving Energy. We use a lot of energy to heat and cool our homes. We burn fuel in our furnaces or boilers for heat. We also burn fuel to heat water for our baths and showers. Large utility companies use energy to make electricity. These companies usually burn fossil fuels, […]
Part 2 of Conserve Energy and Heat Your Swimming Pool with Solar Energy. Almost all of a pool’s heat loss—about 95 percent—occurs at the surface, mostly through evaporation to the air and radiation to the sky. A pool cover is an effective means to keep heat (and water) in a pool by reducing evaporation of […]
Part 1 of Conserve Energy and Heat Your Swimming Pool with Solar Energy. Swimming pools provide a great way to exercise and beat the summer heat. Building and maintaining a pool, however, also means relatively high costs added to your household’s budget. There are several ways that you can reduce operating and maintenance costs, lower […]
Part 9 of Ways to Save Money on Energy at Home. Appliances account for about 20% of your household’s energy consumption, with refrigerators, clothes washers, and clothes dryers at the top of the consumption list. When you’re shopping for appliances, you can think of two price tags. The first one covers the purchase price—think of […]