Todays generation cares more about the environment than any to come before. People are looking for simple solutions to help them be both environmentally friendly and economically stable. Solar energy is an excellent resource that is widely underused. Some solar energy projects require professionals to install, while others are simple and do-it yourself.

Solar energy can be used to heat water. Solar water heating systems are an efficient way to use natural, renewable energy. While installing water heating systems should be done by a professional, there are many steps that a homeowner must take before deciding on a system and a contractor. Learn these steps with this solar how to.

There are three types of solar thermal systems: flat-plate panel, integral collector-storage and evacuated tube collector. Most solar water heating systems on todays market are flat-plate panel systems. Flat-plate panel systems pump water through a series of tubes and a black surface that coverts the sun’s radiation into heat.

Integral collector-storage systems are best in climates where there are moderate weather changes. This type of system works on a pipe system and could be sensitive to freezing in severe weather.

The evacuated tube collector system traps the sun’s heat like a vacuum and is highly efficient. This type of system is mostly used in commercial application.

The cost of these systems varies from $6,000 to $10,000 depending on the area and type of system needed. Even though the initial cost may be high, solar thermal systems greatly reduce home energy costs and are eligible for a federal tax credit. On average, a homeowner can save 50 to 80 percent on water heating bills and be protected from future fuel shortages.

When selecting a solar water heating system, paying attention to building codes and regulations is crucial. Homeowners should investigate local building codes and zoning compliances. A special permit may be required for a solar water heating system.

The site around the home also needs to be evaluated. If the home has south-facing walls and unshaded areas, it will be ideal for a solar water heating system.

Since solar water heating systems can be complicated to install, it is best to consult a professional before starting a job. When searching for a professional installer, be sure to ask the following questions:

o Does the company have experience installing solar water heating systems? If so, how many years?

o Does the company have a license or certification to install this type of equipment?

The company selected should have experience installing the type of solar water heating system that works best for the home. It is acceptable to ask for a list of references from past customers. Some states require special licenses or certifications to install this type of system. Consult with the town or city contracting board first. Then make sure the contractor selected has the proper certifications if required.

Installing a solar water heating system is not the only way to save money and resources when it comes to the home. Heating outdoor pools may extend the swimming season, but it is costly to both the environment and a homeowners wallet. A simple solution is to switch from electrically heating a pool to using solar technology.

A solar pool heating system is a do-it yourself project for anyone who can use power tools and read a manual. The system is more affordable than a conventional electric heating system and can last up to 20 years. A solar pool heating system can be purchased at a pool supply store or through the Internet.

Heating water using solar energy is an environmentally friendly use of a naturally occurring alternative fuel source. Not only do solar water heating systems save homeowners money; they also protect them from fuel shortages and rising fuel prices. Alternative energy sources is not an idea of the future. It is an idea that needs to be applied to todays homes. The use of solar energy is one of the best options available for homeowners.

Video instructions for your next solar project. Solar How To. information is free and available to you.

Solar cooking is interesting to many people because it not only saves money, but is also environmentally friendly. Building a solar cooker is not as complicated as it may seem, especially if you follow the instructions in this solar how to. There are many types of solar cookers, and the most simple to construct is the solar box cooker.

A solar box cooker requires very little monetary investment and could be built in just one afternoon. The basic materials required for a solar box cooker are two cardboard boxes, one sheet of cardboard, a small roll of aluminum foil, a bottle of white glue, one can of flat-black spray paint, a piece of stiff wire and a clear plastic cooking bag. (A thin sheet of glass could be used instead.)

To construct the solar box cooker, the directions are as follows:

1. Fold the lids of the box that will be used for the bottom so they are closed. Place the second box on top of the closed lid, and trace around the second box. Each of the cardboard boxes should be at least 15 inches by 15 inches. The second box should be slightly smaller than the first box, which will be used for the base.

2. Decide how deep the cooker should be. A good way to measure is to use a pan or kettle as a guide. Mark the inner box with the depth of the pan or kettle. Use a sharp knife or box cutter to make slices down the sides of the inner box. Fold each side of the box down at the slits, creating extended flaps.

3. Glue aluminum foil to the inside of both boxes and their flaps.

4. To keep the inner box from moving, crumple newspaper and place it inside the outer box. The inside box should now fit snuggly into the outer box. Fold the flaps of the inner box over the outside of the outer box. Next glue them onto the outside of the outer box.

5. A base pan must be constructed for the bottom of the inside box. Cut a piece of cardboard the size of the bottom of the inside box and spray paint it black. Allow the cardboard to dry. Then glue this piece to the bottom of the inside box. This is the base the pans will rest on when cooking.

6. A cover must be made for the cooker. Cover the cooker with a piece of corrugated cardboard. Use your box cutter to make slits along the side of the cardboard so flaps can be made. Fold these flaps inside to create the lid. Glue the flaps in place if necessary.

7. Slice the inside of the lid along three of the edges of the cooker. This will create a flap that should be the size of the inside of the cooker. Glue aluminum foil to the inside of this flap. Be sure to leave one side of this flap secure to the cover.

8. Slice the plastic oven bags open. This will prevent condensation from forming inside the bags. Glue the bags to the underside of the newly constructed lid. The lid should now have plastic covering the hole where the flap was made.

9. To prop the aluminum foil covered flap open, insert a piece of stiff wire (a portion of a wire hanger works best) into one side of the corrugated lid. This cover can now be removed and replaced each time the cooker is used. It will both insulate the food being cooked and create an additional reflective surface to trap the suns energy.

The solar box cooker is the simplest solar cooker to construct. It can be placed anywhere that receives direct sunlight. The solar box cooker is ideal for homeowners, renters or campers because it requires no electricity and is portable. solar box cookers are also efficient ways to cook food while using the most abundant natural resource: solar energy.

Video instructions for your next solar project. Solar How To. information is free and available to you.

Image by wallyg via FlickrEnergy is the latest buzzword to garner media attention. Fuel costs are rising, and finding an alternative and economical fuel source is vital to todays economy. Concern for the environment is also at the forefront of the energy issue. Solar energy is both an economical and eco-friendly alternative fuel source.

One simple step in harnessing solar power is planting. Growing fruit tress or having a vegetable garden is a healthy and natural way to use solar power. Home-growing fruits and vegetables also cuts down on grocery bills. Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, which helps to clean the air of toxins. This idea can be taken a step further by planting a roof garden. Roof gardens can be planted on the tops of houses, garages or sheds.

Roof gardens help to insulate and retain heat in houses more efficiently than conventional thermal insulation. They also use natural precipitation for water, which reduces run-off and a homeowners sewer costs. Roof gardens also absorb ultra-violet light, which can strip a roof over time.

There are three different types of roof gardens:

o Extensive living roofs

o Semi-extensive living roofs

o Intensive living roofs

Extensive living roofs are the easiest to maintain and require the shallowest soil systems. They are also the lightest and are ideal for sheds or garages. The downside is that extensive living roofs lack the visual appeal of the other two types of roof gardens.

Semi-extensive living roofs are more aesthetically pleasing than the extensive living roof. They require a denser soil and can support different types of vegetation. They are heavier and are more suited to flat domestic buildings.

The third type of roof garden is the intensive living roof. This type of garden requires a strong structure to support it, such as the roof of a commercial building. The soil is denser and can sustain trees and full working gardens.

Roof gardens can be planted on flat or slanted surfaces. When choosing to plant a roof garden on a slanted surface like a shed, be sure to check for adequate structural support. The best types of plants for roof gardens on slanted surfaces are mosses and lichens.

The first step in planting a roof garden is to layer a moisture-retaining protective mat over the area. A root barrier and drainage layer must also be added. The root barrier protects the waterproofing of the rooftop. The drainage layer allows for collection and proper evaporation of water run-off. A filter layer is added to protect the drainage layer from fine particles being washed out of the soil. The vegetation layer contains a zinc-mineral based soil that helps the plants adapt. There are several different types of vegetation to choose from when building a roof garden.

The choice of plant life for a roof garden should be based on the type of garden and the climate. For extensive living roofs, the lightest vegetation is mosses and lichens. These are small plants that do not flower. They can survive in various different climates and are a hearty option. Sedums are the most widely used variety of plant as they are drought resistant. They also change color based on climate change. Wildflower and Calcareous Grassland plants can also be used for living roofs. These types of vegetation need ample space and would not be a viable option for a shed or small garage.

Roof gardens are a natural way to harness solar energy and insulate buildings. They can add style and beauty to a home while also saving a homeowner on heating and cooling bills. Investing in a roof garden or small home garden is an excellent way to save on natural resources and energy costs.

Video instructions for your next solar project. Solar, How. information is free and available to you.

Achieving a steady supply of fresh fruit from your backyard is great. Many homeowners strive to reach this goal. But, many people don’t know how easy it is to get a fairly serious infestation of worms in their fruit. I can’t think of anything worse than biting into an apple off of the tree you’ve worked over for so long, only to find that you have not been diligent enough with your pesticides.

Even though it seems like a chore to always be spraying pesticides, it is something that you should never overlook. Spraying pesticides is a fairly quick and easy process, and you shouldn’t have to do it very often at all.

Spraying can seem like a time consuming chore. After all, you have to go out and purchase all the supplies, mix the chemicals, apply them, and clean up everything you used in the process. Sometimes you’ll even require a ladder to reach all segments of the trees. The entire task can take as long as four hours if you have several large trees. Doing this every 2 weeks can get very tiresome and irritating. However, you should always persevere. Usually being consistent in your regular spraying will help stop infestations of such things as moths, but sometimes it’s just not enough.

Usually you can recognize if moths have laid eggs on your trees by the ends of the branches. If you see something that looks like a cluster of moth eggs, you must immediately prune the branch you found it on and destroy it. Examine the rest of the tree very carefully. If the eggs were to hatch, you would have a vast amount of moth larvae crawling around through your tree and into your fruits. I don’t know about you, but the very thought of this makes me queasy.

I once had a friend who was dealing with a very bad moth infestation. there wasn’t a single fruit on his tree that didn’t have a worm inside of it. He had to cut down the entire tree and have the stump professionally removed to get rid of all traces.

I myself live in the same neighborhood as that friend I just mentioned, and I have never had an issue with moths. This is because every Saturday during springtime, it’s part of my schedule to spray down my entire tree. Preventing the infestation of unwanted guests is much better than having to cut down a tree and start completely over just because of a little laziness.

After all that hard work, you deserve some relaxation time. What could be nicer than relaxing under a pergola. Building one is not that difficult, does not have to cost a fortune and and be built in a weekend.
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How to build a pergola
Build a pergola
these articles are packed with practical tips and advice on using a pergola plan to build yourself a pergola.

In order to attract the kind of birds you want at your bird feeder, you will need to know what kind of wild bird seed each species prefers. For example, black oil sunflower seeds will attract a variety of songbirds including chickadees, finches, cardinals and grosbeaks, siskins and buntings but won’t necessarily attract orioles, tanagers and doves. Orioles and tanagers like suet and fruit, even nectar while doves and other ground feeding birds prefer corn, millet and milo. Woodpeckers, on the other hand, prefer suet.

Not only do you need to get the right kind of bird seed, but a good quality seed as well. It is best to get your seed from a high quality distributor. Those mixed bird seed bags you find at the “Big Box” stores have often been sitting around in a warehouse for a long time and are very far from being fresh. Those bird seed mixes also have a lot of filler type seed like milo and wheat that birds don’t particularly like and have poor nutritional value. When offering such mixes, you’ll often find that the birds will kick all the filler seed out of the way in order to get to any of the better quality seeds that remain. Even worse, the milo may attract undesirable species like cowbirds, grackles and starlings as well as uninvited squirrels and even rats.

Although these types of mixed bird seed bags are cheaper, you really end op spending about the same if not more than you would on higher quality mixes. Perhaps half or even more of it ends up on your deck, porch or in your yard, makes a mess and is wasted. Sometimes you even have to fight the weed seed that starts sprouting in your lawn. So try to get your bird seed from a local bird shop or an easier way is from an online bird seed store.

A lot of people will buy sunflower seeds, but don’t realize all sunflower seeds are not created equal. There is black oil sunflower and striped sunflower seeds. Go for the black oil. Yes, they cost a little more than striped, but black oil sunflower seeds have twice the calories per pound than striped. Also, their smaller size and thinner shells are easier to crack open for a wider variety of birds than the thicker, harder shelled striped seeds that only birds with big seed-cracking bills can eat. If you love your birds, you will give them black oil. Enough said.

Now, if you don’t want to just serve sunflower seed, you can make your own mix of wild bird food. Try mixing hulled sunflower seeds, white millet, cracked corn, red millet, peanut pieces and hulled millet to attract a variety of species like doves, goldfinches, white-throated sparrows, house finches, indigo buntings, juncos, purple finches, quail, towhees, white-crowned sparrows and other species. If you don’t want to make your own, try to get a mix that is labeled “No Waste”. These mixes have no filler seeds and are usually all shelled so there is virtually no waste and less mess with no hulls piling up below the feeder.

Please visit Bird Watching Bliss for more information about wild bird food, the best sources for wild bird seed as well as free bird feeder plans to build your own feeders.

A basic herb garden is not hard to create and it can be created in a remarkably small amount of space. Everybody loves an herb garden. The idea of gathering fresh herbs from the garden to use in the kitchen is so enticing. Therefore, no matter if you live in an apartment or you have a yard that is perfect for planting making a basic herb garden is easy.

There are a few things that you will need to get started for creating a basic herb garden. The first thing is to decide what type of basic herb garden you want. Do you want a container herb garden or are you looking for something a bit grander like a kitchen garden or a backyard herb garden. One of the nicest ways to add a special something to your cooking is by using herbs and spices, and luckily it is very simple to create an indoor herb garden to make sure everything you use is as fresh as it possibly could be.

Once you have decided the kind of garden that you want to create you will need to decide if you want to create your garden from seeds or from already existing plants that you will transplant. Once you have authenticated the mode of planting you want to do for your basic herb garden.

Supplies

There are a few supplies that you are going to need for your herb garden. Of course, these supplies vary depending on which mode of herb garden you are creating. The list includes all the supplies necessary for both gardens. Some of the supplies are going to be the same so the list is combined for the purpose of being brief. The items you will need are: soil, fertilizer, seeds or herb plants, containers, and a spade.

Instructions

If you are using a container or containers to create your herb garden, prepare the container by placing the soil in it. Then depending on the type of fertilizer you are using add the fertilizer to create the growing environment. You may or can not depending on the type of soil you get want to wet the soil down before planting. If you are, using seeds follow the planting instructions for the types of herbs you are planting. If you are using already appreciated plants follow replanting instructions. These are usually listed with the plant, but can be found online if necessary.

For kitchen gardens weed and till the area to break up the soil and remove any hefty objects like rocks. Then add in the top soil and fertilizers and plant the seeds or transplant following the same as above instructions. Make sure that you look at the lighting needs of your herbs and place them in areas that receive the right amount of light and shade to ensure proper growth.

Are you seeing the same recycled information on every website you visit? Try http://www.herbgardentruths.com for fresh information!

Enjoy these exciting decorating ideas for your windows. It’s more than just looks. These very practical suggestions will help you choose just the right style and functionality for your window treatments. (more…)