Posts by: orrin

Energy tip #12: ease up on the acceleration, leadfoot

Looking to save on gas money? You can save up to 37% simply by adjusting your style of your driving. If you have a tendency to accelerate quickly and brake aggressively, smoothing out the ride will give your tank some extra legs. Not to mention make your neighborhood a little safer. You'd be amazed how much your of your car's… read more →

Energy tip #11: fixing a hole where the draft gets in

Saturday Night Live's Jack Handy once offered the following Deep Thought: "Blow ye winds like the trumpet blows...but without that noise." In the home, there are plenty of silent winds that blow. Unfortunately, they are the type that inflate your energy bill by sneaking in through small gaps between window and door seals. As we head into the colder seasons,… read more →

Katrina’s New Urbanism

In the immediate aftermath of Katrina, we as a nation watched as one of our nation's beloved cultural capitals suffered immensely. As a former resident of the area, I was left with a sense of loss and simmering anger. The situation called for compassion, a quick response, and heroism. What transpired could be best described as apathetic, shockingly slow, and… read more →

Energy tip #9: get your ducts in a row

Duct tape. Everyone's favorite utilitarian product has been used for many, many things: hanging posters on walls, taping packages, wrapping up a wiffleball to get extra distance on your home-run swing. It's one of the most useful products on the market, except when it serves it's namesake purpose of wrapping the ducts in your home to prevent leakage.* Air ducts… read more →

Energy tip #8: slow and low, that is the shower flow

If you like singing in the shower but are concerned about conserving water, you're faced with a interesting challenge: you can either find a shorter song to sing or put up $10 for a low-flow shower head and continue pleasing the neighbors with quite possibly the best versions of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" they've ever heard. The nice thing about some… read more →

Energy tip #7: get the junk out of your trunk

Fore! Heads-up for incoming savings! If you've been carrying around a set of golf clubs in your car, or, maybe slightly less likely, have managed to strap them to your roof rack, you may be losing out on some precious green fee money. Worse yet, you may be missing out on funds to buy your buddies a round of coffee… read more →

Energy tip #6: tame your fridge

The scene: 'Twas a typical night in the Johnson house. The 1.8 cars resting in the driveway and 2.2 children scarfing down chicken soup and fresh greens at the dinner table. But, just when dinner was coming to a close and with sleep time beckoning, Lynda perpetrated the pecuniary mistake of putting warm soup directly in the fridge. $.03 --… read more →

Energy tip #5: use the right motor oil

Feed your engine the right fluids and you will improve performance. That's why a healthy portion of us opt to fill up with a cup of leaded coffee in the morning. If you want to give your car a boost and are in the mood to save money, checking to make sure you're using the right motor oil could help… read more →

Energy tip #4: get yourself a clothesline

Mark Twain obviously lived in a different era. Summer in San Francisco has been hot -- so hot that I've thought about switching to iced coffee in an attempt to beat the heat. So given the current weather, I think it's an appropriate time to put forth possibly the least sexy tip in the bunch: Air dry your clothes. But,… read more →
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