“These spills are horrible, of course, but so too are the spills that occur when the oil pans in our cars drip oil. Each year in the U.S. roughly 180 million gallons of motor oil is either dumped down the drain during oil changes or is leaked from engine crankcases, according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The few drops of gasoline that most of us spill each time we fuel up our cars add up to hundreds of thousands of gallons per year nationally. Leaks from our outboard motors leave that familiar iridescent sheen on the water. The lubricating oil we use in our chainsaws is deposited directly onto the ground as we cut our cordwood (as it’s intended to do). These smaller incremental leaks each year add up to many times as much oil contamination as the BP spill to date.

This is not at all meant to trivialize the BP spill, but rather to point out the significance of oil spills that we consumers can do something about. We can repair our cars so that they don’t drip motor oil. We can be more careful when fueling up. We can use biobased lubricating oil for chainsaws. And, of course, we can use less energy—by driving less and better insulating our houses.

If we’re serious about our anger at the BP oil spill in the Gulf, we should direct a large share of that anger at our own consumption of petroleum in our cars and our homes. As Pogo said in Walt Kelly’s famous comic strip: “We have met the enemy and he is us.””

From GreenBuildingAdvisor.com

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Jonathan, through his work with the commission, aspires to encourage others to become involved in promoting energy efficiency and eco-friendly practices at the grassroots level.  The commission meets the fourth Friday of each month at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center.

For more information about the Little Rock Sustainability Commission, visit www.littlerock.org.  To find out more about how you can be involved in promoting energy efficiency in your own home, continue to keep up with Impact through this blog.  You can also stay up-to-date on the latest Impact information through Facebook and Twitter

Many of you who have done business with me over the past few years have also had the pleasure of reaping the benefits of Dwight Johnson’s cabinetry skills. Dwight has a gift for wood work and has made custom made bed frames, built-in shelves, bathroom vanities, kitchen cabinets, just to name a few. Dwight has also worked his magic on existing shelves and cabinetry to make them more suited to his client’s needs. As my 11 year old daughter says “Dwight can make anything”

It is with great sadness that I pass along some news on Dwight’s family. His son, Jeremy, died suddenly and unexpectedly on March 21 and left behind a wife and two small children. Julianne is 4 and Elizabeth is 1. Funeral services will be held at 12 pm Tuesday at Christian Assembly of God Church, 10601 Highway 107 in Sherwood. The family will receive friends from 2-4 pm Sunday and from 6-8 pm on Monday at North Little Rock Funeral Home, 1921 Main Street.

In lieu of flowers, Dwight has set up a memorial fund for his son’s daughters. It is called the Jeremy Johnson Memorial Fund Account #0125395777 at any Regions Bank.
If you are unable to make it to a Regions due to time constraints or simply because you don’t have one close, I will be happy to make a deposit for you. If you choose to have me make the deposit, please make a check out to Jeremy Johnson Memorial Fund and list the account #0125395777 in the memo. Any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your support and most importantly, please remember Dwight and his family in your prayers.

Jonathan
Jonathan Rogers
Impact LLC
1119 Rushing Cir #1
Little Rock AR 72204
jonathan.impact@mac.com
501.690.7575

www.LittleRockPaintingAndRemodeling.com

• Insulate, Insulate, Insulate. Air leaks in your home mean leaks in your pocketbook.  Not sure how to find those air leaks? Impact, LLC  is among the first and few residential contractors to use a state-of-the-art thermographic camera to locate those small air leaks that cause big heating and cooling bills.  The heat-sensing camera reveals those hard-to-find leaks without the invasive methods that can damage walls and fixtures.
• Use lighter exterior finishes. Using light-colored roofing and siding on your home can reduce your energy spent on cooling by up to 15%.
• Upgrade your air unit. If your air unit needs replacing anyway, opt for an energy efficient cooling system with a SEER rating of 14 or higher. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio.
• Take advantage of natural shade. Consider planting leafy shrubs and trees near south and west-facing walls and windows to block the summer sun’s intense afternoon rays.

FLIR Thermographic Camera

]]> http://littlerockpaintingandremodeling.com/summer_home_energy_savings/feed/ 0 http://littlerockpaintingandremodeling.com/fluorescent_lightbulb_energy_savings/ http://littlerockpaintingandremodeling.com/fluorescent_lightbulb_energy_savings/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:56:28 +0000 jonathan http://littlerockpaintingandremodeling.com/?p=93 A standard incandescent lightbulb emits 90% heat and only 10% light.  Compare these statistics to those of a compact fluorescent bulb (CFC), which emits 90% light and only 10% heat, you can see the potential for huge energy savings! But how do you pick the right CFC and avoid that dreaded blue hue?

CFCs are rated on two indexes: CRI (Color Rendering Index) and Kelvin. Balancing these two is key to creating a warm light suited to your home.

CRI is measured 1-100 and rates the ability of light to show an object’s true color.  Sunlight is rated at 100. Look for compact fluorescent bulbs with a CRI rate of 80 or higher.

Degrees Kelvin are used to describe how “cold” or white a light is.  Most office lights rate about 4,000 Kelvin. Since most homes aim for a more “warm” lighting, look for bulbs in the 2,600-3,000 K range.  (A standard incandescent bulb rates around 2,800 K.)