Eco friendly improvements
I've been looking into putting solar heating and panels on my house. While doing research I also found out about a ceramic additive you can put into paint that acts like an additional layer of insulation. You can use it in the interior and exterior painting. It is also great for painting on the inside of the attic roof. It is environmentally friendly and also lowers the amount of heat lost during winter and ac lost during summer.
Its funny, since learning that Bob's Big Boy is going solar, it really made me stop and think about what I could do to contribute to a more ecologically friendly planet. There are so many little things we can do.
As I research more I will return and report my findings here. Keep coming back. You never know what I will find out next.
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I found a website about the paint insulation everyone has been asking about. Here it is:
http://www.insuladd.com/
Really interesting information. I never knew you could do this. I was already thinking of doing the solar in my home. This would be a great addition to making my house pay for itself.
We really have enjoyed this forum. As we are looking forward to adding solar panels, the insulation in our 25 year old house hadn't occured to us.
whoa I've never heard of that before. Where do I find out more information on that?
Ceramic additive huh? That sounds like a very good idea. I am getting ready to paint my house and it sounds like it woulds be worth the extra money for the additive. Thanks for such a great idea.
Besides a big solar conversion project, what can regular people do to help out and lower their costs are home?
I am in complete support of PV (solar), but many right now cannot afford the cost, even with rebates (that includes me!). So what can someone do? Weatherization. Making you home less drafty/leaky. Weather stripping around windows and doors. Upgrading existing insulation in the attic. Replacing old electrical appliances with new Energy Star rated appliances and upgrading to energy efficient windows (if you have the $). Changing the light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs. All of this helps!
The very first step is to get an energy audit of your home (HERS), then do weatherization, upgrade appliances,insulation, and windows. Then determine the size of PV system you need. Because you increased the energy efficiency of your home, the system size will be smaller and cheaper!!
Hope this helped!
Good question. I have heard of rainwater reclamaition. You know reusing rainwater you've collected for watering your lawn and that kind of stuff. You've got me wondering now.
Hey gilliwig that sounds great. Could you tell me where you found this additive? I'm going to check out Canadian solar because I want to install solar panels but I had no idea that you could add this stuff to paint to add more insulation. That's really exciting, especially for my power bill.
I have to say that I am more and more impressed with Bob's Big Boy. They not only have a rockin place to eat, see classic cars and celebs but they also are concerned about the environment and get involved with the community through Habitat For Humanity. Way to go!
I know what you mean. I have always loved Bob's for awesome food. But since they started doing this whole sixty and solar thing I have gained a whole new level of respect for this company. I don't know of too many companies, let alone national, that gets as involved as they do. Not only are they going green with solar but they also help rebuild lives, one house at a time, in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity.
I applaud you gilliwig for looking into making changes to better the environment. I have started researching how I can do some of this with my home too. Keep in mind there are a lot of great incentives and rebates available for almost any type of commercial or personal solar projects. I found this web site that gives detail for both state and Federal http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?State=US&ee=1&re=1. Also, I know Heliopower.com and Canadiansolar.com provide solar products and installation. They both have links at the bottom of this page. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the info anon! I'll check'em out!
A week ago I checked in with our local hardware store and asked some questions about our insulation. It appears that the company that built our house didn't put in enough insulation resulting in higher than normal electric bills. The following day we had them come out and discovered that our insulation was only at 3" in depth. A well insulated attic should be at 18" in depth. We rented a blower this past weekend, bought a good quality insulation, and brought our insulation to 18". We are really looking forward to our first power bill after the installation. To think this all came about because I read the Bob's Big Boy "Sixty and Solar" and started thinking green.
There is so much that we can all do to help save our planet! Solar panels are a good start. Bob's definitely started something good here!
Finally! A business that is environmentally sound! I'm not surprised that the Bob's in Burbank started it! I hope it becomes a trend! Love the food and the atmosphere!
I agree! I think it's awesome that such a trend icon did something so environmentally friendly. Bob's is surely a leader of the pack on this one. We need to spread the word about this great achievement. I ran across this website while I was on the environmental forum Hugg. Glad to see that "going green" is spreading. Any amount of reducing, recycling, or reusing helps sustain our environment. When I get a chance to visit, I can be very proud to tell my friends that it was eco-friendly too!
I love that one of the places that I love to eat at the most is also the leader of the pack as far as doing things to improve not only the community but also the environment. Way to go Bobs.