What is Passive House?

Although many people cannot afford to build their own home, there are energy lessons to be learned by this new technology regarding in-home efficiency. Keeping your home properly insulated is the key to this concept. Keep your doors and windows properly sealed so it can ultimately reduce heating and cooling leakages from your home. That's money leaking from those cracks! Planting trees on the south side of your home or using blinds during the hottest part of the day are small things that can also help reduce your energy consumption! Taking lessons from revolutionary ideas can help everyone on the grid. Stay concious of your energy expenditure and stay informed!

Here is an article we found that demonstrates just that:

“Maximize your gains, minimize your losses”. These are the basic tenants of the Passive House approach. A Passive House project maximizes the energy efficiency of the basic building components inherent in all buildings; roof, walls, windows, floors and the utility systems: electrical, plumbing & mechanical. By minimizing a building's energy losses, the mechanical system is not called to replenish the losses nearly as frequently, saving resources, operational costs and pollution. Unlike any other structures, Passive House buildings maintain occupant comfort for more hours of the year without the need for mechanical temperature conditioning of the indoor air. The opposite has been the norm in this country with a history of inexpensive fuel and construction techniques with little consideration for energy losses through thermal bridging, air-infiltration, let alone being conscious of using some or even any insulation.

Thus, to minimize losses, Passive House theory is focused on insulation. The research shows that energy conservation is the most cost effective and immediate solution to global energy production and resulting global pollution concerns.

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Energy efficiency – there’s an app for that!

Efficiency Nova Scotia is kicking-off its one-year partnership with the Discovery Centre with the release of Canada’s first energy efficiency game app: Spot it!

The game app was developed in collaboration with Emmy-winning app developer and Nova Scotian Jason Nickel and Impact. The game features 13 levels where players have to spot the difference between efficient and inefficient rooms in a typical household. At the end of each level, the game explains the differences.

“Our ultimate goal is to help make energy efficiency normal behavior,” says Leanne Hachey, director of communications and stakeholder relations. “One way to do that is to teach our children how to use energy better so they can share that knowledge with their families, present and future.

“Spot it! is a way to speak to kids about energy and efficiency in a way that’s relevant to them — and it’s fun.”

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Let's Get Crafty!

Looking for a fun and creative way to teach your children about renewable energy? Pinwheels are a fun craft to demonstrate wind power and are easy to make! Follow these steps to get started.


Materials:

• Construction paper • Scissors • Thumbtacks • Crayons • Pencils with erasers

 

Instructions:

STEP 1: Cut construction paper into a square. Fold it diagonally in half (corner to corner). Open it back up and fold the paper diagonally across the other two corners. Open the paper to a flat square again. You should now have an X folded into the square.

STEP 2: Decorate all four sections of the paper on both sides. Use any colors and patterns you like.

STEP 3: Cut the paper-starting at each corner-along the four fold lines. Stop cutting about a thumb's width away from the center on each line. Gently bend the long point from each cut triangle across the center.

STEP 4: In the center where the points cross, poke a thumbtack (ask an adult for help) through all the paper and then into the dowel stick or pencil. OR poke a brass paper fastener through the layers. Wrap the end of the paper fastener around a dowel stick or pen.

STEP 5: To start your pinwheels, turn the paper wheel around a few times to loosen it so it can spin. Then watch the colors dance as the breeze or your breath catches your creation. Adult assistance may be needed!  

Enjoy your new creation!

 

 

Europe joins race to store energy at the bottom of the ocean

"Imagine opening a hatch in a submarine under water. The water will flow into the submarine with enormous force. It is precisely this energy potential we want to utilize." This is how German engineer Rainer Schramm describes his idea for storing energy under the sea. By using surplus energy to pump water out of a tank at the seabed, the water is simply let back in again when there's an energy shortfall, driving turbines as it rushes in. The deeper the tank, the more power is generated.

The technology is being developed by Schramm's company, Subhydro AS. Based in Olso, Norway for access to deeper water, the company claims to be the "first in the world to apply a specific patent-pending technology to make this possible." In fact the energy storage principle is identical to MIT's underwater hollow concrete spheres which could store surplus energy from offshore wind turbines. Subhydro also positions its tanks as a logical counterpart to offshore wind, but like MIT's technology, it could also be used to store energy from the grid.

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Johnson City Power Board Welcomes Its Three Newest Board Members!

Johnson City Power Board (JCPB) is governed by an eight member Board of Directors. Board members are appointed to serve four year terms by the elected boards and commissions of communities within JCPB's service territory: City of Johnson City (5); Town of Jonesborough (1); Washington County (2).

Current members of the Board of Directors include:

Mrs. Jenny Brock, Chair, Representing the City of Johnson City; Mr. Ralph Martin, Representing Washington County; Mr. Guy Wilson, Representing the City of Johnson City; Mayor Kelly Wolfe, Representing the Town of Jonesborough.

Joining these talented board members are three new recruits as of 2013.

Mr. Scott Bowman joined the JCPB Board of Directors in January 2013. Scott is the owner of Zak’s Furniture located in Johnson City. He has been with Zak’s for nearly 5 years and was previously employed with Nortel Networks for 18 years. Scott obtained his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and received his MBA from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Scott is a resident of Johnson City and has a daughter who attends the University of Tennessee. He is also a member of the Johnson City Rotary Club. Scott expressed his appreciation to be part of the JCPB Board of Directors in a JCPB internal publication and is looking forward to working with the employees of JCPB for the next four years.

Mr. Robert Thomas joined JCPB’s Board of Directors in March 2013. He is an ETSU graduate with a major in Marketing. Mr. Thomas previously spent 13 years in the wholesale industry in Louisiana. Currently, he operates as Vice President of Thomas Construction where he has invested 12 years alongside his father and brother in business. Mr. Thomas currently serves on the Johnson City Regional Planning Commission and during his free time he stays busy keeping up with his three children, twin daughters and a son. Mr. Thomas is looking forward to the opportunity to serve on the JCPB Board of Directors and is also enthusiastic about being part of keeping a great organization moving forward.

Mr. Gerald Sparks joined JCPB’s Board of Directors as of June 2013. Gerald owned and operated Sparks Construction since 1972, but is currently retired. He was also previously employed with Cross-Lacey Oil Company for 10 years. Mr. Sparks is a current Washington Country Commissioner and during his free time he enjoys showing tractors. Mr. Sparks lives in Jonesborough with his wife and has two daughters and a son. Gerald states that he is looking forward to the experience of serving on the JCPB Board of Directors.

These three new faces will bring diversity and a fresh perspective to the Board of Directors during the course of the next four years. We, at Johnson City Power Board, are excited to welcome these distinguished men into our organization and wish the best for them as they continue on their path toward success.

Improving hot water heating efficiency ... with cold water

 

Apart from heating and cooling the house, water heating is one of the biggest energy drains in the average home. But what if you could literally use cold water to create hot water? That’s just what San Diego inventor Hal Slater claims to have done with the creation of a water heater system that promises to improve water heating efficiency by as much as 50 to 100 percent.

The system works on the basis that cold water supplied to households in temperate climates averages around 70° F (21° C), which the researchers say is 15° to 20° F (8° to 11° C) warmer than it needs to be. By using a small water-to-water heat pump, the system extracts this excess heat from water in a 20-gallon (76 liter) cold water tank and delivers it to a typical 50-gallon (189-liter) water heater.

With funding from a grant from the California Energy Commission, Slater teamed up with a research team from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), led by Dr. Jan Kleissl of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, to test the system. To test real-world performance and determine the effects of different incoming cold water temperatures, they installed three prototype systems in homes in coastal, mountain and desert climates. They also monitored each system for a year to compare performance over different seasons.

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Learn More About Your Home's Energy Use!

Do you want to learn more about specific things you can do in your home to help lower your energy costs? Are you intimidated by the complexity of your home's systems, how they work, and how they relate to your energy usage habits? Johnson City Power Board has a convenient and powerful tool that may help you get a better handle on your unique situation. Take this quick and easy online survey and let our online home energy calculator do the rest.

CLICK HERE For JCPB's Home Energy Calculator