Content related to Home Repairs, Projects, and Crafts
Although I don’t buy a lot of stuff, I do accumulate it over time. Wanting to make the “right” decision when getting rid of it means a lot of analysis paralysis around my options. One option I thought made obvious sense with clothing donations was sending unwearable items to developing countries. In reality, that choice carries some economic drawbacks for the people I’m trying to help.
My mom’s clothes had been sitting in bags in my house for over a year, waiting for me to summon the motivation to sort through them… and do research on how to dispose of them responsibly. Clothes are such an integral part of our lives (and economies) that decisions about what to do with them once you have them are not so simple.
Like many people, I don’t always take proper care of myself, despite knowing better, and despite encouraging others to do so. In our increasingly tech-centric world, we are developing terrible habits, particularly when it comes to posture, which can lead to short-term discomfort and long-term health conditions that are more serious. Thankfully, those issues can often be addressed (even reversed) with consistent self-care.
After deciding to replace our gas-powered tank water heater with an electric tankless model, it took us about six months to actually make it happen. The process was reasonably easy and cheaper than it would have been otherwise, thanks to my husband’s DIY skill set. Now I’m thrilled that our hot water is coming to us thanks to renewable energy, not fossil fuels.
Limiting or shifting our electricity use benefits our wallets, but it can also help support a more reliable electrical grid and limit the amount of fossil fuels we use to power our homes, which in turn limits climate change. If you don’t know where to start, you’re not alone: some utility companies offer programs to help you save money as you adjust your use.
I certainly didn’t notice any news about the global transformer shortage until there was a possibility we would need a new one on the pole outside our house and wouldn’t be able to get it. Demand is exploding for this critical piece of basic technology, but supply will be a limiting factor in how quickly we can bring new renewable energy projects online worldwide.
It’s been a while since electronics lab in college, but upgrading our electric service served as a good refresher course for me. Unfortunately, many people who want to move away from fossil fuel use in their homes often don’t know where to start or even what to ask a potential contractor. I’m hoping that detailing our journey – starting with our electricity upgrade – will help.
I was skeptical of the term “beneficial electrification” when I first heard it, mostly because I knew that more than half of our electricity in Pennsylvania was generated using fossil fuels. But when electric appliances are used in concert with energy efficiency measures, cleaner energy sources, and smart grid technology, beneficial electrification represents a meaningful step in addressing the climate crisis.
We will soon have to replace our hot water heater, and I want to invest in something that will save energy and reduce our demand for fossil fuels, while also recognizing an inevitable shift toward home electrification. Initial and ongoing costs were a consideration in the debate between gas and electric models, meaning that this decision called for a comparative analysis. Spreadsheets were used.
Once I got around to demolishing the dilapidated fence around our back porch, I knew I had to get rid of it in a responsible way. Landfilling is about as antithetical to “responsible disposal” as I can imagine, but because of the chemicals in pressure treated wood, there aren’t many better alternatives. The real key is making informed choices about whatever replaces it.