Author Archives: T.D. Inoue

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About T.D. Inoue

Ex-digital imaging entrepreneur, Green building advisor, professional problem solver. Amateur chef. Avid ice cream maker and general troublemaker

Ask questions!

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I’ve been getting great questions and feedback from readers, but I know many people are “shy” about participating in these public discussions. I strongly encourage you to ask anything – there’s a good chance that there are lots of other people wondering the same thing, so your questions will help others.

I choose a lot of the content that I write based on the questions I get both on and off-line. So there’s a good chance that I’ll end up writing an article inspired by your questions.

As we head into the new year, I look forward to hearing from many more of you who are helping to make Ted’s Energy Tips one of the most read energy efficiency sites on the web!

-Ted

Christmas brings puppies

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This years holidays brought the sad loss of one of our family members (Baltar) and the addition of two new dogs, Wilbur and Ripley.

Wilbur is a 3-year old Cocker Spaniel that we got from a rescue. Ripley is a 7-week old Basset Hound / Cocker mix, same are our beloved Baltar.

Since I’ve had no time to think about energy efficiency, I figured I could share a few pictures of our dogs. This is a great time to peruse the archives and read older articles that you might have missed the first time around!

Baltar and me swimming this summer

Baltar was only 3 when he was taken from us due to kidney failure arising from Lyme disease.

Wilbur

Ripley

Insulating walk-in attics

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A walk-in closet behind a knee-wall

Most walk-in attics are behind knee-walls – those little walls about 3′-5′ tall that intersect the sloping roof line. Usually the entire space would have been an attic, but they were reclaimed for living space and a wall was installed to make a bonus room. The resulting rooms are often neglected and poorly conceived and are the least comfortable areas of the house. In addition, their design leads to a variety of insulation and moisture problems that can be tough to rectify. Continue reading →

Attic insulation problems and solutions – Part 2

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Fiberglass insulation against roof deck plus moisture = roof failure

In the first post, we looked at how adding insulation could lead to frozen pipes if the insulation was put in the wrong location. But, just like a sweater, if you put everything you want to be warm inside the insulation, you can keep your house and pipes happy and energy efficient.

This time, we’re looking at how to install insulation properly so that you don’t rot out your roof. Unfortunately, the photo above shows how not to insulate under your roof!

Continue reading →

When can adding insulation cause problems?

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What happens if you add insulation?

Sometimes, attics and insulation can be confusing. Usually they make a lot of sense, but occasionally, they’re really confusing! So when people ask “how do I insulate my attic?” – the only correct answer is: “it depends…”

Suppose you purchased this house this past October. You get your first electric bill and it’s  really high, so, after reading Ted’s Energy Tips,  you go up to the attic to look for problems and find this. “Holy cow!” you think – not only is there a space heater up in the attic, there’s all this missing insulation.”

Continue reading →

LED Christmas Lights

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As you shop this holiday season, you’re probably seeing a lot more LED Christmas lights. Their colors are more vibrant and they’re vastly more energy efficient than conventional incandescent Christmas lights. But do they pay off?

Let me ask you something – when you buy a string of lights for decorating, are you thinking “what is the cost-benefit ratio of these lights?” Or, are you thinking “will these look good in my house?” Me personally? I’m thinking that I hope they last for more than one season and I don’t spend next Christmas searching all day for that one burned out bulb! Few things put me in a foul mood faster during the holiday season than having to waste time. I’ve purchased a variety of LED light sets. Some are fantastic, while others are too faint. But all have been reliable and none have burned out. This alone make’s it worth the $10-$20 per string.

What about energy savings?

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First winner – Ted Nadeau

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Congrats to Ted Nadeau for winning the compact moisture/temperature gauge. Ted’s fueled a great discussion on peak energy demand and conservation on the Ted’s Energy Tips Facebook page. Join now and share your knowledge with others to help make a greener tomorrow.

A special thanks to Mr. Tight-Watt’s Energy Page on Facebook and on the web. There’s always great efficiency tips to be learned there.

http://www.tight-watt.com/aspx/TightWatt/Default.aspx

Doing your own energy audit and save energy – step 1: Open your eyes

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What is your house telling you?

During the winter, as I look around, houses yell out to me. Do they speak to you?

Look at this photo. It’s a beautiful day after a light snowfall. Half of the roof has virgin snow. The other half is totally melted. Clearly, the melted side is losing energy compared with the other side.

This winter, I encourage you to look at your roof after a cold night. If some of the roof is covered with frost or snow and some isn’t, ask yourself why? Sometimes, you’ll think that it’s the Sun melting the snow, but this photo is a perfect example. The roof faces south and gets lots of sun. Half isn’t melted, so obviously, it’s NOT the sun melting the snow.

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Are you unintentionally poisoning your family?

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A missing barometric damper

A family friend recently told me of “issues” with their home heating system – “when it runs, the lights get halos around them from all the soot in the air.”

I couldn’t believe it when I heard this, and immediately warned him that the condition likely is making his family sick and could easily kill them. No joke.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the “leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America” – it’s colorless, odorless and quickly affects your brain, knocking you out then killing you. In lower amounts, it can lead to chronic headaches, dizziness, depression, nausea and a host of other problems.

As we tighten up our homes to make them more energy efficient, we have to be particularly vigilant about keeping any combustion devices in the home tuned up and properly vented.

Let’s look at this in more detail….

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The Energy Geek Video 3: Ultra Efficient Heat Pump Review

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I bumped this back up to top of the list since it’s one of the most popular posts I’ve ever done. I also just had the misfortune of losing ALL THREE indoor units during a recent storm and power surge that killed appliances all around my development. Argh! However, they’re up and running again, good as new.

I love these heat pumps! There’s one in the bedroom, one in the basement “party room” and one in the large, living room that’s full of windows – a space that has been uncomfortable for years.

After installing these systems, I don’t know how we dealt without them before. The summer comfort is waaay better than ever. And in our basement room, I turned off the main heating system and used the Fujitsu exclusively all winter.

Keep in mind that this is one special little unit. There are many mini-split systems on the market that look like this, but most of them are barely half as efficient as this one. They’re just not in the same league.

Continue reading →