electricity

If you've made it to our site and are reading this post, you probably already knew that it's Earth Hour day!

According to Wikipedia, "Earth Hour is an international event organised by the WWF, and held on the last Saturday of March each year, which asks households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change." The hour occurs at 8:30 PM, where ever you are, just as it's getting dark (we love daylight savings time)!

If you're getting closer to the hour (it's just 2 hour away for us), before turning off your computer, make sure you check out the official WWF Earthhour site (www.earthhour.org). It's packed with all sorts of real-time updates and content coming in from all over the world-- I heard on the news that over 88 countries are participating.

There's also other great activity happening around the web-- we liked the Twitter Earthhour tweet-up where greenies all over the place are talking about their experiences with Earth Hour (tweet #earthhour -- watch the action here. ). By the way, have you added BuildingGreenTV on twitter yet?

Ceilings, frame walls, and stem walls are always an option for plumbing and electrical locations. When you do have to run these systems through a bale wall, how do you do it?

Plumbing leaks are more critical within straw bale walls than within stick frame walls for obvious reasons: straw rots pretty quickly if it gets wet and stays wet - a lot quicker than 2×4s would rot. As a precaution, it is best to keep most of the plumbing within interior walls and run the water into the house through a stem wall. The highest standards of fitting can help minimize the risk of leaks. Careful planning eliminates unsightly messes at this point. Before beginning construction, you should plan for water to enter where pipes will not be seen in plain view, such as under a sink or in a mechanical closet. Use of the stem wall is appropriate for running water into your structure.

The electrical system in a bale home is the same as in a stick frame home from the circuit breaker to the switches and fixtures. However, electrical wiring has different installation methods in a straw bale wall. UF (Underground Feeder) cable is recommended for its durability and moisture resistance. A metal “needle” is used to thread the wire from the exterior to the interior where necessary. A chainsaw is used to cut a 1.5 inch channel in the straw bale walls. The wire is stuffed into the channel or in the seam between bales and run to switch and fixture locations. Plug and switch boxes are screwed to a wooden stake which is driven into the bale to keep the box in place.

This post was submitted by ThinkDwell. Visit Our Blog.

Don't be caught without power during the next outage in your area, consider a bio diesel generator. This past week Southern New Hampshire was without power after an ice storm. It lasted for an entire week. Some residents were prepared, and were able to shower and cook thanks to their diesel generators. However loud they are, and even if you have no plans to get off the grid, a small one is a great investment. Prices range from 1000 on up. There is also an option to get a 'closed frame' generator, that doesn't make as much noise. Powered by green diesel fuel such as soy bean oil, canola oil, peanut oil or corn oil, they are cheap to run. A 6000 watt generator will be enough to handle to handle the fridge, lights, and television. How do they work? They have 2 components, a motor that burns petrol or diesel, and the generator head that turns power into electricity (www.cleanenergyltd.com) Emergencypower.com has diesel generators available for the home and some used ones as well. They offer stand-by generators, water cooled (as opposed to gas) that turn on automatically when the power fails. They also offer portable generators, that cat can be moved from place to place. They are lighter, and can be easily stored. However, portables aren't the best choice if you're looking to keep the heat on. Another thing to consider when choosing a generator, is to be sure to look for one that offers maintenance services, coolant spark plugs, changing the oil, all need to be done. It's a literal comfort to be prepared, and who knows, you might love your bio-diesel generator so much, next thing you know, you'll be off the grid!

Part 7 of our 15-part Q&A series on all aspects of green building from the publishers of HealthyHouseInstitute.com. Click here for the introductory post and furthur details.

Question: What are electromagnetic fields?

Answer: Electromagnetic fields, or EMFs for short, are invisible areas of energy. There are actually many different kinds. EMFs can be found around gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared radiation, and radio waves. However, the kind most people are concerned about are the EMFs surrounding electrical wiring and appliances.

Anything that uses electricity will be surrounded with electromagnetic fields, of which there are two types—magnetic fields and electric fields. Just plugging something in will cause it have an electric field around it, but it must be operating (current must be flowing) to have a magnetic field.

Most researchers believe that electric fields are relatively benign, and that health effects are more likely to be related to magnetic fields. Magnetic fields are measured in units called milliGauss (mG), but there aren’t any well-established guidelines as to how much is too much. Still, it’s believed by most researchers that you should stay away from long-term exposures above 3 mG.

Question: Can electrical appliances and the wiring inside my walls make me sick?

Answer: In most cases, probably not—but there are certainly situations where you should be concerned. The most common health effect researchers are looking into is cancer, but the evidence is often conflicting. In electrical occupations (electricians, linemen, etc.), some forms of cancer are seen more often than in workers who aren’t routinely around high-strength fields. And, some studies have found leukemia more often in people who live near high-voltage power lines.

Power consumption has always been relatively invisible to us as consumers. We learn of our usage after the fact, and are usually barely aware of the shadowy figure who flits into the back yard once in a blue moon to read the meter. And because of this, our attempts to reduce consumption always smack a bit of faith healing--we trust that buying EnergyStar appliances and CFLs are bringing our useage down, but the evidence of our success is highly interpretive--we're never really sure which action has had the most impact on our habits. This is where the Watts Up? meter can help.

A device that allows you to "accurately and quickly determine the cost of everything you plug in," the Watt's Up unit comes in two flavors, the standard unit for around $100, and the deluxe $200+ model, which allows you to monitor your useage live, via wifi, from anywhere in the world. You can use the Watts Up to identify sources of power leakage, ferret out phantom loads, and to calculate the payback on energy saving appliances, and to experiment with which energy saving practices yeild the most savings for the least effort or sacrifice.

If you're building a home, Watt's Up? can be used during the installation of your electrical system, preventing waste based on miscalculations and design errors. Come to think of it, Kevin could have used one of these in Episode Nine, when he was troubleshooting his own electrical installation.

Thanks to the Alternative Consumer for the tip.

It's time to lighten up on Building Green. Join host Kevin Contreras for Episode Nine: Lighting, as he discovers how to light his home in ways that are healthy, energy-conscious, safe and absolutely gorgeous. Learn how to bring daylight into rooms where you never thought it possible, and how to wire your home for maximum energy efficiency while reducing electromagnetic radiation. Kevin uses a special meter to help determine the best placement for his rooftop solar panels, and even roasts a chicken in a solar oven.

If this information-packed episode flew by, don't worry, as our detailed Episode Guide has links to all the products, practices, experts and materials mentioned on the show, and we'll be updating our video page all week long with new clips.

If you're wondering when Building Green airs in your neighborhood, check out our handy Station Finder.