There are a number of reasons why someone would want a smaller appliances or even dual usage for one purchased item.  Smaller living space, reduced number of steps needed to get things done, or simply to save money – multifunctional appliances definitely have their benefits. 

These nifty duos have seen a considerable growth in the market place, especially with increased penny-pinching, reduced energy consumption, and a cultural push for simple compact life.

Aside from being energy friendly, small appliances are great for not only smaller homes, but for bachelors and bachelorettes, those looking to downscale their appliance usage, and they make great wedding gifts.

Check out these space-saving gadgets that not only make your life more compact, but also more eco friendly and innovative

Microwave Duos  LG has come up with some clever ways to pair microwaves with other popular kitchen gadgets, such as a toaster and a coffee maker.  This stainless steel duo saves a ton of space, and is cleverly designed to be chic yet functional. Instead of running both your microwave and your coffee maker, you now need to flip only one switch

Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters are an absolute must have for homes with limited floor space and plumbing options. These electric heaters produce and supply endless streams of hot water to multiple outlets simultaneously without any fluctuation in temperature. They are 30%-50% percent more energy efficient than a traditional water heater, and the automatic shut-off features provides huge energy savings.

The Ottoman Bench Press

Though not an appliance, Ottoman’s are great for smaller spaces. They can be used as a coffee table or as additional seating. Interestingly enough the “Otto-Bench” also allows the Ottoman to be used as a bench press/weight lifting station.  This two-in-one decor gadget saves natural resources by combining two needs in one.  The amount of time, energy and resources that would have gone into building two separate products is cut in half! And if you consider the beginning to end process for a consumer good, especially logging and transport, you can rest assure that you’re doing your part for the environment.

The Revolving Kitchen

The original Circle Kitchen is an innovative high-tech compact kitchen. The 180° revolving kitchen features all the amenities of a traditional kitchen but takes up only 1.8 square meters of space.  They come in a number of styles and are great for either a small home, apartment, guest house, and garage homes.  Plus smaller fridge, smaller apliances, means reduced energy costs and needs.

Great Gadgets for Small Homes is written by Shireen Qudosi. For more, or to view our Heater Guide, visit us at http://www.heater-home.com. Follow us on Twitter @HeaterHome

Andersen Corporation, a durable goods manufacturer for over one hundred years and the leading brand of windows and doors, continues its commitment to environmental efforts through increased use of Fibrex® material. Fibrex material is the company’s patented, highly sustainable structural composite that blends the best attributes of thermoplastics and bio-fibers – much of it reclaimed directly from the company’s manufacturing plant operations.

Andersen began producing windows made from wood in 1903, and in 1966 introduced vinyl cladding to help reduce maintenance and increase durability. After decades of experience with these two materials, the company introduced Fibrex® material in 1994. It combines the strength and stability of wood with the low-maintenance features of vinyl.

Fibrex material not only reduces the company’s need for raw timber, but reclaims much of its wood wastestream, as well. It provides an efficient use of embodied energy in the reclaimed wood fiber and helps reduce volatile organic compound emissions, since no wood preservative treatment or painting is required. Additionally, converted Fibrex material can be reclaimed and reprocessed into new components. Andersen has saved hundreds of thousands of board feet of lumber since its introduction.

Wood is an important and renewable material that we’ve used in our products for more than 100 years,” said Shawn Aherns, product marketing manager at Andersen. “Combined with our preference to certified wood supplies, Fibrex material allows us to conserve natural resources and strive for continuous improvement of our environmental performance.”

Andersen uses Fibrex® material in the construction of many of its products including its Woodwright® double-hung windows, Renewal by Andersen® replacement windows, 200 Series basement windows and sill components for windows and patio doors.

Independent testing has found that the material has a low thermal expansion and contraction rate, is resistant to rotting and termites, and retains its rigidity and stability in high temperatures.

The design flexibility of Fibrex material allows us to research exciting product possibilities and applications,” said Aherns.

The Andersen® brand is the most recognized and most used brand in the window and patio door industry. For a local dealer, more information or a copy of the Andersen limited warranty, visit www.andersenwindows.com, or call 1-800-426-4261.

My husband and I recently went on vacation in Vermont. On our drive up, we stopped at a rest area in New Hampshire where we came across this interesting sign posted in the rest area parking lot.

Even though I was on my honeymoon, I thought “this would make an awesome post!” (I’m either that dedicated or that crazy, I know).

When I got back, I decided to do some digging and get some information on the New Hampshire Idling Regulations and here is what I found:  

• When the temperature is above 0 ^oC (32 ^oF), a gasoline engine shall not idle for more than 5 consecutive minutes;
• When the temperature is -23 ^oC (-10 ^oF), 0 ^oC (32 ^oF), or anywhere in between the 2 temperatures, a gasoline engine shall not idle for more than 15 consecutive minutes; or
• When the temperature is below -23 ^oC (-10 ^oF), and where no nuisance is created, a gasoline engine shall not be subject to idling restrictions.

Above are the regulations for gasoline powered cars. Diesel engines have different standards. You can read the full regulations here.

This seems like such a good idea to me. Yes I am guilty of warming my car up in the winter, but never for more that 5-10 minutes. I think that every state should pass this kind of regulation.

What do you all think?

Posted by: Lauren

The holidays are right around the corner and with that comes lots of holiday shopping. I am notorious for procrastinating and doing all of my shopping the week (or a day or two) before Christmas and I have vowed that I will not do that this year. I have also decided that this year I am going to give handmade gifts (don’t laugh – I make really cute stuff!), buy gifts at local shops or support my fellow etsy sellers.

Luckily for me to accomplish this, it isn’t too hard or painful.  I happen to live in one of the cutest towns I have ever visited – East Greenwich, RI.  I live right off Main Street and can walk to all the great restaurants and stores.  One in particular that is new this holiday season is Studio Main Street – it is owned by a group of girlfriends – each bringing their own unique personality and trade to the store.  This is a great place to find unique vases, mirrors or serving pieces – all at very reasonable prices.

On etsy I have one particular shop that I want to support for a couple of reasons – the store owner is local (East Greenwich) and her products are beautiful.  Awcombes store features brightly colored belt buckles on great quality leather belts.  I have had my eye on one belt in particular since the first time I saw it (hint hint hint for anyone needing gift ideas for me J).

Many of you who are reading this might not have the great selection that I have in my town but etsy is a great place if you want to still try to shop and support local people.  When you go onto the site you can search by your town or state and have it shipped right to your front door.  What better way to spend your holiday money then supporting a fellow resident or a nearby shop.  It will brighten your holiday spirit and those close to you as well.

Happy shopping!

Posted by: Becca

If you’re building a green home, there’s one subcontractor that is going to have a harder time adopting green building methods than the others, and that is your electrician.

Why you may ask?

These guys are generally old school, the young guys who work for them, they learned the old school way. That means wires everywhere, overrun everything just in case and to cover the electrical code and challenging inspectors. They’re also used to homeowners (wives in particular, not that I am ackowledging my issues) who change their mind on the locations of fixtures.

But having just gone through this process, and working with an old school electrician guided by my young, eco consciuos electrical systems contractor (ESC), I’ve learned you must always work with subs who share your vision because if you don’t your project will never quite come out the way you intended.

For electricians who find themselves working on a green building project there are a number of areas we’re they can approach jobs from different perspective:

1. Layout: Establish your pathways as far ahead of actual construction as you can. In a green home, chances are your client will be thinking about these things further out, since every amount and type of material used in the home can positively or negatively impact its LEED® for Homes (or competitive equivalent) rating. Planning for everything from lighting to appliance to equipment ahead of time can shorten wire runs, material usage, and time on a job.
2. Materials: Wire for present day code and wiring needs, but run conduit for future proofing especially in homes or projects that are getting spray foam insulation.  Plan your wire runs so you aren’t left with extra wire that will be wasted in a back room, just to be tossed becaase wire is one of the least most recylable materials on a job.
3. Lighting specs: get up to date on today’s lighting – from dimmable LEDs to new ballasted CFLs, there are lighting products that can save your customers energy and money, and may even increase you profit line on materials.
4. Lighting Control: Be at the forefront of a hot industry. Lighting control systems require an electrician for installation and wiring, get certified, companies like Lutron and Control4 have certification programs that can bring lighting control into your business – again an opportunity for profit for you and energy savings for your customers.

Last tips, be clean. Electricians are notoriusly messy on jobs and leave behind the plethora of carboard, wire cuts, shredded peels and anchor nails wherever they may fall. Getting these scraps into the proper recycling containers means your contributing to the waste management program on the project.

The way I see it, this isn’t just about electricians opening their eyes to whole new practices but evolving, as the rest of have, into an era of responsibility and competition.

Time to step up.

posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter : newscaster

With more than a third of the major wind-energy projects in Massachusetts stalled by lawsuits or permit appeals, the Patrick administration has proposed a landmark bill that would streamline the state’s appeals process and make it possible to win approval of such projects much more quickly. Massachusetts now generates less than 1 percent of the nation’s wind energy, about 9 megawatts, enough to power only about 2,700 homes.

Without a change in the permitting process, administration officials say, the state will not meet Governor Deval Patrick’s goal of producing 2,000 megawatts of wind power, enough for 800,000 homes, by 2020. “For us to see progress, there needs to be a lot more certainty in the permitting process,’’ said Ian Bowles, secretary of the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “That’s what we’ve heard clearly from the wind industry in order for them to do other significant wind projects in the state.’’

Continue reading the article by David Abel  at The Boston Globe

KDL | follow me on Twitter : newscaster

I have never been a ‘shoe fashionista’. My shoe selection is simple. No matter the season, I can always rely on my TOMS. I discovered TOMS through my brother who had gone on a surf trip to California two years ago and brought me back a pair of these shoes. The premise behind the company is simple: you buy, they give. TOMS shoes were founded in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie who was traveling through Argentina and saw how many children did not have access to shoes. Mycoskie decided that he would start a shoe company that would give a pair of shoes to a child without shoes for every pair purchased.  Later that same year, Mycoskie returned to Argentina with a group of family and friends to donate over 10,000 pairs of shoes.

In developing countries, individuals can walk miles for food, water or medical services. Without shoes, individuals are prone to cuts and sores on their feet that become infected by parasites that live in the soil. Shoes are also a requirement for school uniforms. If a child has no shoes, they have no education and therefore they will never reach their full potential.  TOMS also donates shoes in Ethiopia, a country where podoconiosis, a preventable foot disease, is rampant. Podoconiosis is a debilitating disease that causes ulcers and swelling in the feet and legs. The disease is caused by walking on silica-rich soil, ancient volcanic material that enters through cuts and sores in the lower extremities. Currently, TOMS is working on a new shoe design for people in the area to further protect their feet. Aside from Argentina and Haiti, Mycoskie and company have donated shoes to people in New Orleans, Kentucky, Haiti and South Africa.

TOMS shoes are based on the Argentinean shoe design called Alpargata or Espadrilles. There are shoe styles for men, women, children and babies. The shoes come in a variety of materials such as canvas, burlap, hemp, suede and denim. For women there are canvas warp boots and glitter shoes. The insole of the shoe is made of soft leather, offering arch and heel support. The sole of the shoe is made of rubber or rope. TOMS also offers ‘vegan-friendly’ shoes. The upper material of the shoe is 35% hemp and 65% post-consumer plastic bottles and the sole is recycled rubber and there is a faux-suede insole.  The designs of the shoes range from plain, one colored shoes to wild, bright designs. I personally have four pairs: black, red, navy blue with the Gandhi quote “be the change you wish to see in the world” and a cream and moss green flower pattern. These shoes are perfect for everything occasion!

As of 2009, over 150,000 pairs of shoes have been given away to children who need shoes; however, Mycoskie has only just begun. Mycoskie’s goal for his company is to give away 300,000 pairs of shoes by the end of this year and 1 million shoes by 2012. Mycoskie continues to promote his business at college lectures and at political conferences such as the Clinton Global Initiative.

Posted by: Lauren DiStefano (intern)

The purchase of my new home has made me very aware to the financial burden of everything from a large appliance to buying unnecessary decorations for my house.  I have made it a point to go green on almost every purchase I have made, from my fridge to my swirly energy efficient light bulbs.  Going from a 700 square foot apartment to a 2,000 square foot house has almost doubled my use of oil to heat my home.  The early cold chill that has interrupted Rhode Islanders cozy fall, has made most of us breakdown and turn on the heat.  I myself swore I would not do it till the first of November if even necessary.  I like so many broke down and was amazed at the amount of oil used to heat my new home.

It was upsetting and silly for me to be heating my entire house when I was just utilizing one room at a time.  This is when the thought of a space heater came into play.  After much research on energy efficient space heaters and the right size for my particular room I found what I think is the right fit for me.  It is very important to do this seemingly tedious research on the right space heater for your home.   http://buyenergyefficient.org/ is a helpful website and they have done a lot of  the research for you, it even allows you to purchase the proper space heater for your particular needs on their website.

Many people worry about the safety of a space heater but today’s models of space heaters are designed to turn off if they fall or begin to overheat.  Many like mine also come with a timer which allows me to have it shut off an hour after I go to bed when I am using it in my bedroom just to get the chill out.  Using one requires responsibility to shut it off before you leave the room for a long period of time or have an animal or small child that may bump into it.  If used correctly they can be a great way to lower heating costs.  Your electricity bill will be higher but nothing like the expense it takes to use oil.  Natural gas is on average usually cheaper than electricity, so depending on the size of your room or amount of rooms needed to heat, space heaters may not be the best financially savvy way for people with natural gas to heat their home.

Some other ideas to cut costs in your home would be to unplug all unused appliances such as your toaster, coffeepot, cell phone chargers ect.  Also lowering your thermostat by even 1-5 degree  can lower your heating bill significantly.  In our present economy some of us need to take every possible move to lower bills and this may be a great way to start.

Posted by: Kate

Even in today’s unstable housing market, demand is growing for green and eco-conscious homes. More than 97,000 homes nationwide have been built and certified by voluntary green building programs since the mid-1990s, according to the National Association of Home Builders, representing a 50 percent increase from NAHB’s 2004 survey. Further, more than half of NAHB’s 235,000 members (representing about 80 percent of homebuilders) reported that they expect to employ at least some green building practices by the end of the year. There are more than 2,000 LEED Certified Projects and 4,000 NAHB Certified projects. With new technologies like energy monitoring and management systems emerging, as well as a growing number of ENERGY STAR and eco-conscious tech solutions available, more installers are going to be faced with installing such systems in green homes. With the February 2009 passing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, homeowners are receiving more tax incentives and rebates on both state and federal levels for installing energy saving or green systems in their homes. As these systems become more affordable and homeowners receive more financial incentives to install them, general contractors will look for sub-contractors who possess experience with green homes. Installing a green tech system can garner valuable LEED points for the homeowner. Of specific interest to custom integrators is that, trough the Innovation and Design (ID) category, energy monitoring and management systems can add LEED points to a home’s application.

Many of customers are thinking about the environment and their impact on it.

Today’s technology products can enhance a customer’s lifestyle; decreasing energy and water usage and increasing environmental sustainability. When integrated to function as part of a home control system operating throughout your home’s living and working spaces, product performance, as well as comfort and convenience, can be enhanced; greater gains in savings can be realized.

Home control systems can help reduce impact on our environment by providing you with local and remote access and control, as well as monitoring of major energy systems in your home, such as heating and cooling, lighting, hot water, your water use and even an entire home’s energy consumption.

Benefits include monitoring your home systems while at work or on travel; returning to a house that’s comfortably cool or warm; turning-off lights in empty rooms; and increasing hot water in anticipation of demand, while decreasing it off peak. Monitoring water use might even reveal problems; protecting a customer against a damaging water leak.

posted by KDL | follow me on Twitter : newscaster