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The preservationist wisdom is that a lot of energy--gallons and gallons of gasoline--is locked up in our historic buildings, and should be saved. It's time to update that wisdom.

A surreal magazine ad just got even more surreal for me.

Most ceiling fans come without lights, but energy-efficient light kits can usually be added. There are thousands of residential ceiling fans out there. GreenSpec picks three lines that outperform others on performance and efficiency.

It's easy to get confused about the difference between energy and power, between watts and watt-hours. But if you can master inches and pounds, you can master this.

It's easy to get confused about the difference between energy and power, between watts and watt-hours.  But if you can master inches and pounds, you can master this.

How many mystery writers does it take to change a 60-watt lightbulb?

Two--one to screw the bulb almost all the way in, and one to provide a surprising twist at the end.

How many Energy Solutions columnists does it take to change a 60-watt lightbulb?

 

Fire guts half a block of a small New England town, revealing the built-in vulnerabilities of dense development.

Owens Corning's EnergyComplete latex foam sealant is applied with a paint sprayer, goes on quickly, and remains flexible after curing.

Build tight, ventilate right is the building science mantra. Spray-on latex sealants provide a new tool for airtight construction.

Can you make your life more resilient in case of disaster? Yes, and it may be greener, too.

Sometimes being a practical person isn’t that fun. Last night my wife and I were watching the classic 1977 movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”

Calculating miles-per-gallon used for heating your house may be easier than you think.

It turns out you can learn a thing or two from your fuel bill—and if you get fuel delivered, your delivery ticket.

But first, how cold a winter did you think it was? Or perhaps I should say, how cold has it been so far? I’m struggling to get a fire going this morning, and out my window there is two feet of snowpack still on the ground!

In April's EBN, we take a look at green structural engineering, insulation in-fighting, and a revolutionary anticorrosion coating. Plus: embodied carbon in 500 words or less!

The Evora cork flooring in this kitchen is renewable, comfortable, and surprisingly durable.

Power corrupts, and wind power corrupts pristine ridgelines. Maybe it doesn't have to.

Feeling bombarded with confusing information about measures of radiation? We sort out the millisieverts from the becquerels.

What is the measure of the time between slipping on a peel and hitting the pavement?

One bananosecond.

What is the ratio of an igloo’s circumference to its diameter?

Eskimo pi.

What is the metric equivalent of 1,000 aches?

1 megahurtz.

Risk perception is irrational and does not respond well to data. Can we make the leap from science to persuasion without leaving the facts behind?

Japan provides a picture of what it’s like to suddenly run short of power in a modern society with all its conveniences.

Looking for clean renewables in the pie chart of post-Fukushima global energy consumption? Try under “Other.”

With this new tool you can see just how significant embodied energy and blowing agents are in determining the role of insulation materials in addressing climate change.

by Alex Wilson