Want a way out? Try radiant. Problems solved.
Dirty air vents. Allergies. Asthma. Airborne dust. Noisy forced air. Hot one minute, cold the second. Maintenance calls to clean ducts. Money to pay for maintenance calls. 100 degree summer weather. Maintenance calls to fix broken air conditioner. Money to pay for broken air conditioner. Expensive heating and cooling bill. Annoying floor air vents interfere with furniture placement.
Want a way out? Try radiant. Problems solved.
0 Comments
![]() The thrill and excitement of watching Nascar racers speed their sleek cars around corners while dodging competitors are inevitable feelings an onlooker may get, but is there ever any mention of what goes on in the cockpit of a race car? Unmerciful temperatures ranging from 130-215 degrees Fahrenheit surrounding the driver pose danger not only to the well-being of the driver, but his/her surrounding competitors as well. ![]() After several heat induced life-threatening black outs victimized drivers, Nascar voiced concern over the safety of their drivers. In 1980, Life Support Systems created Cool Head and Vests™ who then supplied it to Carlson Technology who tinkered with the invention. The result: an interior cooing system equipped with hardware and powered with controls, designed to keep drivers’ body temperatures at a safe level. Also called “cool suits”, these cooling devises are put on just like any article of clothing and sits directly on the skin. Fluid circulates throughout the helmet liner and vest in plastic tubes, which is kept cool and pumped by a refrigeration devise connected to the garment. Just by wearing a helmet liner, drivers were able to eliminate 40-60% of stored body heat, once again normalizing body temperatures, enabling a much safer driver. ![]() The simplicity and effectiveness of this invention interestingly enough may remind us of radiant heating or cooling in our ceilings or floors. The way that radiant heating/cooling works in ceilings or floors are as follows: modules are heated by running circulated water through tubing. This in turn heats or cools the objects it comes in contact with. If both NASCAR drivers and homeowners use the same cooling technology, this may just be something to look into.
Though its looks may deceiving, this is one of the most informative websites on energy efficiency out there:http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/solar.html
If you keep clicking through, you will find plenty ways on how to reduce your energy consumption, in and outside of your home. Enjoy! ![]() It seems logical that a white roof reflects more sun than a traditional dark roof, but does it actually save you money, and is it better for the environment? To help us find out, Talbott Solar's Dean Newberry volunteered a section of his roof for our "white roof paint" experiment. Hypothesis: Painting roofs white will reflect off a large portion of sunlight, therefore keeping buildings cooler, save money in peak summer seasons, and will be a cheaper environmentally-friendly alternative to solar. Experiment: Tools necessary for this project were a white roof paint, a retractable roller, and a temperature gun. A temperature gun, shown in Figure 11, is a hand held temperature reading device that shoots out a light beam that records surface temperatures. Referencing the "Davis Weather" picture, it was 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17.2 degrees Celsius) and partly cloudy on the day that the test was administered. Taking the mild climate into account, it was shocking to see that the roof's surface temperature was over 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius), as compared to a much more agreeable 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) on the white roof. Analysis: According a CNN reporter Vincent Valk, a promoter of painting ones roof white states: "If 80 percent of the roofs in urban areas in the tropical and temperate climate zones were painted white (or some other "cool" color, which reflects non-visible light), it would offset 24 billion metric tons worth of carbon dioxide emissions. This is the equivalent of our 300 million cars, or of 500 medium-sized coal power plants" (Valk, 2011, Why we should all paint our roofs white). David Malakoff, writer for Guardian Environment Network throws Valk’s ideas out the door. He states that while white roofs may save some energy savings, it may cause unintentional environmental harm. A study conducted by the National Center for Atmospheric Research showed that by painting a roof white, reflective light to bounces off the roof and back into the sky. This causes a reduction in cloudiness and induces more sunlight to heat the earth. If everyone was to paint his/her roof white, this too could offset the natural warming and cooling processes of our earth. Conclusion: Since both sides have strong arguments, further research must be done to determine to go white, or original. Putting that aside, Professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, Mark Jacobson, gives an “ Option C” to those debating the issue. He remarks: “The better thing to do is to put a solar panel on the roof because that not only cools the house by absorbing the sunlight to make electricity. It also offsets fossil fuel generation at power plants" (Green Prophet, 2011). The decision lies in your hands--to paint, or not to paint....or to save a risk, invest in a PV system. Click on the blue lines below to be forwarded to helpful links: _ _ ![]() Happy 4th of July, Talbott Clients! We have celebrated our county's independence with bbqs, fireworks, outdoor activities and sports over the years with our families. Now that we are in the patriotic mood and brainstorming other ways to evoke feelings of independence, why not give energy independence a thought? Requesting a solar estimate today will lay out your potential energy and monetary savings at a steady rate for years to come. Why not be independent from our utilities and make your own decision on how much you want to be paying each month? Stay cool and enjoy this wonderful holiday! We realize that different companies recommend varied ways/products to use on solar modules. We would like to share our solar module cleaning method with you.
Before you decide to clean your panels, we strongly advise you to assess your working area. We do not recommend for non-professionals to climb up onto their roof to clean panels. There can be several factors that may occur that can lead to potential harm or even death. If your panels are located on your roof feel free to call our office to schedule a panel cleaning. Our experts are happy to help. That being said, this article is aimed at those of you who have ground installations or low arbor modules that can be accessible with a ladder. We recommend putting together a solar panel cleaning kit before you start to optimize your results. (You may find other products in addition to/instead of these to get you started). Cleaning Kit 1. Brush a. Amazon: Mr. LongArm 0404 Very Soft Flow Thru Non Restrictive Cleaning Brush: starting at $12.09 i. http://www.amazon.com/Mr-0404-Flow-Thru-Polyester-Cleaning/dp/B002P45NZ6 2. Pole a. Amazon: Mr. LongArm 8508 4-Feet to 8-Feet Hydrasoar Flow-Thru Extension Pole: $35.19 i. http://www.amazon.com/Mr-8508-Hydrasoar-Flow-Thru-Extension/dp/B002P47RBY 3. Squeegee a. Libman 24in Soft Rubber Floor Squeegee Model #515 $19.99 i. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200416600_200416600? cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Cleaning%20Equipment%20%2B%20Supplies-_-Brooms%2C%20Brushes%20%2B%20Squeegees-_-132372&ci_sku=132372&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=%7bkeyword%7d 4. Cleaning Cloth (small and medium) a. Target: Microfiber Cleaning Cloth starting at $10.99 i. http://www.target.com/s/microfiber+cloth 5. Cleaning Agent a. Ace Hardware: 64oz Meguiar’s Gold Car Wash $13.99 b. Amazon: 64oz Meguiar’s Gold Class Cara Wash $6.97 i. http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Class-Shampoo-Conditioner-64oz/dp/tags-on-product/B0009IQXFO c. Safeway: Distilled white vinegar $2.99 Directions In an empty bucket, add 1-2 tbsp soap and 1 cup distilled white vinegar for every gallon of water. To create soap suds, add water after soap and vinegar. You will then attach your gentle bristle brush to an extendable pole and dip into cleaning product. Alternating between circular and up and down motions, gently scrape away at build up, such as water stains, bird droppings, or dirt. Wash away with water and repeat process if necessary. You may opt to use purified water for better results. Follow rinse with a squeegee and wipe down with a finish up with a microfiber cleaning cloth. These cloths are an effective way to leave your modules lint free and smudge proof because of their chemical free, non shed make-up. Hope this helps and good luck! Remember, if your modules are in an inconvenient place and would like a Talbott Solar expert to clean them for you, give us a call. Best, The Talbott Team So you saw the savings that solar gave you in black and white, and now you are hooked—you want to save more. Who would blame you?
Take the next step and request an energy home assessment/audit from one of our certified BPI Building Performance Auditors to get the most accurate information on how to optimize your home’s energy efficiency and safety. You may be wondering why you need a professional to assess your home when you have read various articles on how to do it yourself. Well, let’s just answer some questions first, and then we will see if you still want to assess your home yourself. Q) Who can request an energy assessment/audit? A) Anyone is welcome to request this service. Whether you are a renter, home or business owner, everyone can benefit from an assessment/audit. Q) What is an energy audit comprised of? A) A carefully executed four step in-house process is preceded by an informational meeting with you, the client, and succeeded by a detailed report created by our auditor. Through this process, our auditor will identify problem areas in your home in order to increase your home’s efficiency. 4 Step Process 1. Visual inspection · Main goal: identify safety/structural issues in both the exterior and interior 2. Combustion Safety: · Main goal: inspection of furnace, water heater, oven, other combustible appliances to find CO spillage problems · Combustion Appliance Zone Test-->detect dangerous by-products of combustion that are not properly vented · Combustible Appliance Draft and Spillage Test->identify if there is a carbon monoxide venting problem, if there is a CO spillage problem Combustion Gas Analysis-->identify if the fuel supply is properly converting into usable heat 3. Air Infiltration (Blower Door) Test · Main goal: identify how unconditioned air is entering your home and pinpoint problem areas through air measurements and calculations · Blower Door Testà calibrated fan and manometer tracks air flow and building pressures. 4. Duct Leakage Test · Main goal: pinpoint root sources of high energy consumption, health and comfort issues (such as: air leaks, insufficient insulation, moisture, defective ducts, gas leaks, ventilation, inefficient lighting and appliances). · Duct tester and calibrated monometerà after sealing off all registers, this tester blows air into grill and records leaks Q) How long will an energy audit take? A) About two to three hours Q) Do I have to stay home during the audit? A) You do not have to stay for the entire duration of the audit, but we do recommend that you be present for a portion of it, as it may be a good time to get information from the auditor. Q) What happens when the audit is over? A) You will receive a detailed report on the auditor’s findings along with applicable and useful suggestions on how to optimize your house’s efficiency and advise you on the next steps to take. Q) How much does an audit cost? A) This investment depends on the size of your home or business. Therefore we welcome you to contact our office to get your personalized quote. Still want to do this yourself? Go ahead and use our "contact us" form (/contact-sheet.html) to request a phone consultation, leave a post here, or call our office for more information! Fondly, The Talbott Team Hey Talbott Clients,
Summer is here and we are looking for your suggestions and ideas on blogging topics. We want to answer YOUR questions, so if there if there is anything that you have been curious about or if you would like to see discussion on various topics, please comment here. Possible topics may include: solar, radiant, our new leasing program, etc. Otherwise, we always welcome feedback on your solar array production or your comments. Thank you, we look forward to hearing from you! The Talbott Team We are happy to announce the launching of not only our new website, but our Facebook and Yelp sites for your convenience. We value what you have to say about our products, services, and energy productivity. For those reasons it is our pleasure to invite you on to our Facebook Business Page, where you can feel free to post questions, inquiries, or just share experiences you have had with Talbott Solar. We will also be updating our page with exciting new summer projects, updates, and discussion topics. If you are pleased with our service, why not "like" us?
Please copy/paste this link for our Facebook Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Talbott-Solar-and-Radiant-Homes-INC/280665592031199 Furthermore, we hope that you take this opportunity to rate us on Yelp, and even leave a comment so that your fellow community members can have an insiders perspective on our services. Please click this link for our Yelp Business Page: http://www.yelp.com/biz/talbot-solar-and-radiant-homes-inc-davis As always, we welcome any blog posts here at our Talbott Solar website, so feel free to post questions, inquiries, or anything on your mind about solar. We hope that this message finds you in good spirits. We look forward to hearing from you through our social platforms! Happy summer, The Talbott Team |
About the AuthorStephanie Carman Burgos, Marketing Coordinator at Talbott, is a current Cross Cultural and Sustainable Business Management Masters student at The American University of Paris. She completed her undergraduate degree at San Diego State University with a BA in International Security and Conflict Resolution: Environment and Security. Stephanie is a sustainability enthusiast and partakes in various outdoor sports in her free time. Archives
July 2014
Categories© Talbott Solar and Radiant Homes INC. 216 F Street #132 Davis, CA 95616 CSLB#: 887274 |