the solar update

though i don't have time for a detailed blog post today, i think it's important for me to get this info out. i got my new pv system (solar panels) installed yesterday and the online monitoring is up and running today. i have some video of the installation that i hope to have imported this evening and i'll post some thoughts on the entire process.

for now, here is the link to the web monitor.

you'll also notice that this monitor is now embedded at the bottom of the blog as well.

adding some blue to my green side

the next step in my environmental effort solves several problems with one product.

problem #1 is heating. during the cold michigan winters, we spend a lot more time in our basement family room. trouble is, our bedroom is right above that part of the basement. so, even though we have a zoned heating and cooling system, when we heat up the family room we are also heating up our bedroom.

problem #2 is air quality. i knew that i needed to insulate between the two rooms. i also knew that regular fiberglass insulation can contain formaldehyde that can off-gas into the air we breathe, not to mention that it's very itchy to install.

problem #3 is sound. sometimes the volume level on movie night can get a little out of hand. that sound transfers through the entire house.

the solution: Ultra Touch cotton insulation by Bonded Logic. yup, cotton. according to their web site, they use more than 85% post industrial denim and cotton fiber. the way i understand it, it's all the scrap denim left over from the manufacture of jeans.

now, to be fair, the Ultra Touch does have a few drawbacks. first, it's dusty. hence, the glasses and respirator you see above. so plan a little extra time for a thorough cleaning after installation. (for this type of dust, i think that a simple paper dust mask would do the job just as well as the respirator, but that's what i had. and, trust me, you want the glasses. i tried it without them and spent the next day pulling bits of cotton out of the corner of my eyes! not at all painful, just annoying.) The only other issue i have with the Ultra Touch is that it smells kinda funny. almost industrial. i'm sure that once i get the finished ceiling up the smell will die off because I can't smell it in the bedroom at all. but, for now, it just smells a little weird in the family room.

if your interested in cotton insulation, i got mine in grand rapids from a company called L&D Adhesives. they were the closest source that i could find. hopefully someone will start carrying it a little closer to home because it doesn't seen very eco conscious to haul it back from gr!