Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2004 1:43 am Post subject: Low Energy Lifestyle and Best Place for Discount Solar Goods
Hey everybody,
This is the first draft (right off my head) for an upcoming article in the newsletter. It will include some type of daily journal, although I don't anticipate it being terribly exciting:
I just moved into a new apartment and will be minimizing my energy usage as much as possible. I'm doing this for a few reasons:
1. Just to see how low I can go. (Have decided to make it like a game)
2. Will save money.
3. I've figured if something is going to happen, even if it is unpleasent, you may as well try to find a way to embrace it as much as possible. Some good may come out of it that way.. The Dim Ages are rapidly approaching. So rather than shy away from them, I'm running straight at em.
Thus far, my plan is:
1. No car. Will be using a bike only. Luckily, I work for home so this is a bit more of an option for me than for most people.
I may have to get a car at some point depending on a variety of factors, but I'm going to hold out as long as possible. If I do end up getting one, I will use it only when absolutely necessary.
2. No air conditioning. Okay, this one is going to suck, as the summers here are pretty hot. (Don't let the fact I'm an hour north of SF fool you - it routinely breaks into the upper 90's, 100 here.
3. No refrigarator. There are very, very, few things I use the fridge for anyhow. Fruits and vegetables are about it. Those, however, I will just acquire and consume each day, rather than buying a few days worth and storing them in the fridge.
Pretty much the only thing I will be using electricity for is to power the laptop. There are solar powered laptop chargers out there, but I've looked around and a good one seems to cost in the $300 range. That is a bit pricey for me right now, so the laptop is getting plugged into the wall for the time being.
4. For lighting, I will be using the 120 hour candles you can buy online, and possibly a solar powered lantern. It stays light out till about 9 right now, so this isn't going to be a very difficult adaptation to make.
5. For entertainment, I will be relying on my trusty Baygen Freeplay radio. These things are really nifty: radio and flashlight combined, they can be powered via battery, via solar, or via a windup thingy. Apparently, these things are so valued in parts of Africa that one can be traded for a wife.
For some reason, that doesn't seem to be the case here in Norther California. But I will keep trying and let you know if I find any takers.
6. I will also be getting rechargeable batteries and a solar powered battery charger. These will be used to power CD player, plus any other battery powered devices I might think of. If I can find a good battery powered fan, that will be of great use as the heat is going to get pretty bad here.
6. As far as clothing: I will be using the washer, but am going to experiment with hanging my clothes out to dry. We'll have to see how this one works out. I may experiment with washing them "old school" as well, but I want to get the other adaptations under way first.
As far as the solar powered goods: I've been shopping around online to try to find the necessary equipment that has the best combination of high durability and low cost.
The problem is there are sooo many outlets online, I'm having trouble deciding which one to go with. Everybody knows about realgoods.com, but there prices seem comparitively high.
If you've got recommendations, please list em.
A couple of general, semi-related notes:
1. Eventually, we have to prepare ourselves for doing without even things like solar powered batteries, lanterns, etc. . . as the resources necessary to construct/distribute these items will become too scarce. That time is the "Dark Ages." There will be an intermediate "Dim Ages" that will precede the Dark Ages. I"m going to enjoy/make use of these devices while they are available (on into the Dim Ages), but I recognize they will likely not be around by the time I enter either middle age or my elder years.
2. While we can lower our energy usage by leaps and bounds, doing so really just puts off the day of reckoning. As long as we have a growth based economy, the thing is going to implode at some point.
Furthermore, the extremely modest alternatives we have available to us will not be pursued aggressively until fossil-fuel energy prices are totally out of hand. Conservation lowers energy demand, thereby lowering energy prices, thereby deterring us from pursuing these modest alternatives. (See "The Oil Factor" by Leeb for more on this).
From a societal standpoint, we are totally screwed. Petro-civiliation is this far (holding fingers apart) from dead. Trying to save it is a waste of time and energy - both physical and emotional.
From a purely individual/local community standpoint, however,we can takes steps (such as those listed above) to make the transistion less painful and more enjoyable, and perhaps more gradual and thereby less disruptive - both economically and emotionally.
3. Psychologically, some of these adaptations will be more difficult than for others.
Let's use the bike example to illustrate: personally, my self-image is probably less dependant on the "toys" I have than the average 26 year old male. Nonetheless, I have been thinking to myself, "How am I going to roll up to the club on my Schwinn?"
For me, this is not really that big of a deal as I'm purty enough that I don't need a vehicle to feel good about myself. But for a lot of folks, it is going to be a really big issue.
There are other areas, however, such particularly food and supplement consumption, in which I may have more challenges reducing my energy consumption than in areas. We will each have our own challenges.
Good luck Matt. It'll be interesting to see how you get on with the low-energy lifestyle.
From my own experience when I was a pennyless student, it's really not that hard - as long as your expectations are low.
I've got by without a car, a fridge, air-con (not required in UK!), and even a washing machine!
Although I have to admit, washing clothes by hand in a bath tub is not good fun - nor does it clean that well.
Drying clothes in 90 degree heat shouldn't be a problem though?
There was a time when I had no access to TV or radio at home too, I became pretty good friends with the staff at my local library - I can tell you!
Just for arguments sake though - might low-energy bulbs be more efficient than candles? They're a lot safer too! _________________ Burning the midnight oil, whilst I still can.
Last edited by OilBurner on Wed Jun 30, 2004 2:37 pm; edited 1 time in total
I came up with a few suggestions that might be helpful:
Most people here in the bay area have air conditioners, and I think that they're pretty useless for hot summers. I've found that the best way to cool down the house is to leave all windows open once the air gets cool enough for the entire night. When you wake up, hopefully early enough before the air heats up, close all of the windows. The cool air from the night will fill the house, and the only heat around would be near the windows, unless you have the blinds down, and your own body heat. It might not be as comfortable as an air conditioning, but it doesn't cost anything, and it will eventually become necessary when there is no power.
Consider reducing the amount of resources used to bathe, unless you sweat a lot or look for useful stuff at the junk yeard. The average slob does not need to take two, six, eighty, or whatever the average amount of showers most people take is, a day. Taking a bath could be a decent transition, but if you want to do what I do, shower very rarely. The only parts that really need washing are the four areas that I'm sure you're familiar with, and if you take good care of yourself to begin with, you might be able to skip the lower parts. One adequate form of hygiene involves dunking my head in a bucket of water, preferably rain water, and washing it with normal shampoo, eventually dumping the remaining water on some flora. Get some powerful deoderant. There are some products that can keep you from stinkin' for weeks.
I still may be a filthy slob, but that's because I do the poor man's style of hygiene on an infrequent basis, because I rarely go places around the town I live in. Whenever I do take my two steps to a faster shower, there is little difference when compared to a full, wasteful shower. The skin might be a little flaky, but it looks alright -- not that I care -- because I eat a lot of nuts.
Try getting used to eating bugs, because insects provide a convenient source of protein, and truly aren't that bad if you know what to do with them. Pretty soon, rotten logs will be the new fast food places, so you might want to do something that will attract termites, unless, of course, you live in certain parts of Kentucky, where some species of flesh eating termites reside. I've found that most bugs are alright fried in oil and served with soysauce, though oil and soy sauce may be hard to come by soon, so maybe try them by just pan frying them. There are plenty of guides and rules about insect consumption. Do research on google; there are plenty of explantions that are far better than mine.
One thing you might want to invest in is a bike generator. I'll probably build my own pretty soon when i get some of the required parts. There are guides on the Internet to build your own, so do a bit of searching.
Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 6375 Location: My Grandkids' Farm
Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2004 3:07 pm Post subject:
On cheap solar - the old fashion kind:
Pay attention to the orientation of your windows. Insulate all windows using blankets when temps are extreme. Foil (left over from the haberdasher), shiny side out, will reduce gain on the north, east and especially west faces during summer, shinny side in reflects heat toward living spaces in winter.
An indoor clothesline in dry climes will humidify the air in summer, the same for winter in cold areas. Hang the wet clothes in front of an open windward window for a natural “swamp” cooler; be sure to open a downwind window for a breeze. The same can be done with an open weave type of fabric anytime. Be sure to open windows at night during the summer to release the stored heat. Locate your daytime workspace in a central room or the south east corner of the house.
Any mass - books, bricks, water in jugs (careful, some milk jugs are biodegradable), etc., will provide a moderating (flywheel) effect by absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Locate large pieces of furniture on the north wall to absorb heat. This is good year round, in any climate.
As to washing clothes:
When I was a young “bach” I would simply get in the shower fully dressed (less shoes, lol) soap up, then undress and stomp the soap out of the clothes as I rinsed.
IMO, I would stash the candles in a cool place for when the grid goes down from time to time – especially in the summer when you are trying to cool the house at night. Certainly one should practice with candles and lamps in the winter to get used to using them safely – there is a surprising number of tricks involved in using open flame lights; filling, trimming, adjusting, saving and reusing wax, etc. But why not buy and save the candles, fuel, etc., while they are cheap and flip a switch while IT’S still cheap?
BTW, I love my Freeplay, especially the LED lamp with the magnet and 6’ cord! _________________ Make a plan and work it:
Air Conditioning- Fluff. One more sign of the severe domestication of modern America that so many consider AC essential.
A basement is another cool place in the summer. Take a siesta down there in the afternoon. You can also take a swim in the local hole. Or maybe just sweat it out
Bathing- take cold shower, its guaranteed to keep it short. Swim. Keep your hair "high n tight" for low maintenance. Resist the "gotta have 45 different health and beauty products" mentality. And like Itch said, unless you're dumpster diving, you prolly arent gonna stink all that bad really.
Eating bugs- go a couple days without eating. All kinds of stuff starts to look appealing.
Pedal power- I have a pedal powered grain mill. A Bike powered water pump is in the works as well. Doesnt a bike powered water pump/tank make more sense than an expensive exercise machine? Ridiculously priced energy has created some really silly stuff...
Giving up luxuries is a nice start, but like Leaf said, FOOD is the #1 issue for pretty much everyone. _________________ "The future power is manpower"
one summer when the heat became unbearable my wife and I got small plastic spray bottles to mist ourselves periodically. It works well and because it's hot you dry off pretty quickly. I guess it hasn't gotten that hot in awhile because we haven't done that since.
I agree with Pops, it's good to be prepared but we might as well use some energy while we still can. I'm not saying go and get an air conditioner but switching to candles seems a bit much at this point.
Drove out to the coast the other weekend and was feeling pretty guilty but then I figured for every person like me who is conservation minded there are probably 30 to 100 people who don't have a clue and go about wasting energy every day...so, at any rate, I justified my actions and had a great time playing at the beach.
Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 6375 Location: My Grandkids' Farm
Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 5:54 pm Post subject:
Regarding low cost PV try www.amazon.com/toolcrib. 1.8-watt - 150-watt setups that might be good for an apartment, $20 - $1100. I haven’t used the products but have purchased woodworking tools there.
And as for as eating bugs, dogs and cats, toughing out the heat, and not bathing…
if that’s what you’re preparing for, I would submit you aren’t preparing at all.
I could be wrong, but I hope not. _________________ Make a plan and work it:
Hi everyone,
This is my first post on these forums. And I am glad to make your acquaintance. For us, what we are doing is trying to become as self-sufficent as possible. We're a long way from it, but we are working in that direction. We are debt free, with the exception of a car payment (that I wish we could get rid of), and our monthly expenses. We own our home and land. For now, our home is a mobile home, but we are planning to build, or build on. The front faces south, so I intend to incorporate passive solar design when we build or add on. I certainly can't afford a solar powered house, but at least we can incorporate passive solar into our design, to make it more comfortable and efficient in hot and/or cold weather.
We also grow large gardens. While I have put a lot up in the freezer in the past, after reading about peak oil, I decided I'd better learn other ways to store food. So, I learned to can. For now, that works, saves electricity, and we are better prepared for the times when the power does go out (which it does from time to time in the winter). We don't have to worry about things going bad, at any rate. Since I've also considered the fact that I might not be able to find lids for my mason jars at some point in the future, I'm also learning about (and practicing, to a degree) dehydrating foods, smoking meats, and other storage methods used before the advent of modern canning methods. We may not have to use it anytime soon, but it's best to be prepared. I've also been reading up on foraging - have a mushroom identification book, for example. We regularly pick wild berries and nuts to use.
For now, we also have chickens. They provide us with our eggs, and can, in a pinch, provide us with meat. We have several laying hens, and right now, 4 roosters (for making babies :D ). We also plan to get other animals as funds, and time, allow. These include dairy goats (for dairy needs obviously), perhaps a few cows, and some pigs.
If you have even a small plot of land, you can set up a relatively self-sufficient homestead. I would recommend the book, "The Self-Sufficient Life and how to live it" - it shows plans for a 1 acre, or 5 acre piece of land. You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish in a small plot if you follow intensive farming practices, and rotate your crops and animals regularly.
I don't kid myself that we can do everything that will need to be done by ourselves. That is why we have moved closer to family. As many have stated, a good support system (community or extended family) will be absolutely necessary when the SHTF. I live 1/4 mile from my parents, 1/2 mile from my sister and her family, and about the same distance from an aunt, uncle, and cousins. My brother lives about 10 miles from us, but has plans to move out where we are in the coming couple years. The land we are all on was purchased nearly 40 years ago by my grandfather. It has all stayed in the family, and will remain so. It totals about 200 acres, and includes a community/family shop building, out buildings, and many farm tools (most of which, of course, are fuel burners, but which help in the setting-up stage). All members of the family are allowed to use any of the equipment, as long as we maintain it.
I am, perhaps, naive, but I think we have a pretty good plan going. If things will only hold together long enough for us to get established, we will be okay - I think.
I look forward to learning a lot from you all.
Thanks,
Kathy
Hi Pops,
I picked a gallon of blackberrries myself last night. Next thing to learn, on my agenda, is wine making :D . Since we can't legally own a vodka still (my husband's drink of choice), he will just have to learn to drink wine lol. That seems relatively easy to make. And, even if I screw it up, we can always use the vinegar.
I haven't had time to explore the rest of the topics yet, but I will... and will post more then. Though I must tell you, the "preparedness" angle is the one I'm most comfortable with.
Matt: As far as the laundry is concerned, there's nothing like hanging it out in the Sun to dry. The same rays which give us skin cancer (if we're not careful!) act to sterilize the clothes (e.g. cloth diapers!) in a similar way to bleach. Sure, the Sun causes colours to fade, but after years of hanging out the washing, I love the look of faded cottons, etc; they suggest cool and comfort in the middle of the extreme Summer heat (and when the air conditioner finally becomes part of history, that heat is all we'll have!).
As for actually doing the washing manually, Lehmans (www.lehmans.com) have a laundry section with a couple of manual washing machines. I've had them on my list of things to get after I get the more important things!
Joined: Jul 17, 2004 Posts: 11 Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:35 pm Post subject:
I just gotta say that this is one of the best forum topics I've seen so far on this website.
Living in the cramped confines of L.A. isn't that great. So far, all I've managed to do is put in compact flourescents and walk places more often. I have a hand-crank/solar flashlight. My girlfriend is growing herbs and vegies in containers outside. I'm working on getting the wee bit of soil in the back ready for next year. It's mostly clay and silt... rocky. It's good practice. I'm waiting to get a full-time job to buy solar panels and rechargeable batteries to operate our tiny little converted-garage shanty.
Soon, though, I think it'll be time to move on... maybe in four or five years My girlfriend's got family in southern mexico who live close to an eco-village she found on the internet. Her family's also got a ranch, but there seems to be some property ownership rigga marole within the family that doesn't sound promising. There's an eco-village group here in L.A. too. I'll have to get involved with them.
hope to see more! _________________ "And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forbodings too
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon"
Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2004 9:58 pm Post subject: Don't buy a James Washer!
Hi Laurasia,
You mentioned the Lehman's manual stuff...
We tried a James Washer, as part of our off-grid, solar and wind lifestyle. It took almost two months to show up, leaked, fell apart in several places after a few loads. The general workmanship looked like a middle school shop class put it together with no plans and dull tools. I like the concept, but the end product sucked!
We bought a $75 used el-cheapo top loader which has been working fine, although uses more watts
The Lehman's catalog is a good source for manual stuff- just beware the quality issues!
By the way, for those looking I am a solar contractor in So. Cal. and AZ. I have access to absolutely everything in alternative energy, and am happy to get quotes to one and all. We really do live off grid, with normal everyday stuff. I'm struggling like mad, though, to achieve the sustainable lifestyle that will soon be a necessity in the post black gold era.
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But for a lot of folks, it is going to be a really big issue.
