Cope Environmental Center
Energy Use Monitioring
This is what we need to do to monitor our power use.
Links
Landscaping
From Green Remodeling:
--general landscaping-- kentucky bluegrass-conventional, need lots of water and chemicals to thrive in our area "xeriscaping": landscaping that minimizes water demand -->proper soil prep, drought-tolerant plants, rainwater harvesting, mulching. Costs half as much as standard landscaped yards.
--landscaping for wind-- might be a concern for us because we are working with an older and leakier house. could reduce our energy use by 10-40 percent, depending on how windy it is in our area and how much draft gets in. -most effective windbreaks are trees or shrubs with low crowns and dense foliage -where to place them? -page 180 has placement of trees around hypothetical house
--landscaping for heating/cooling-- trees can assist in cooling by the shade they produce and by the process of evapotranspiration deciduous treeson east and west sides of the house only in areas that are more than 60 degrees e or w of due south from the house. Don't place on south side where winter sun will be blocked from providing energy (even bare branches can block a lot of sunlight).
