Sussel News
Växjö, Sweden: A Model of Sustainability
Blog Category:
Energy Solutions
Op-Ed
Växjö, Sweden embraced the U.N's Agenda 21 and is now a model of sustainability
Växjö Energi AB's wood-chip-fired CHP plant. My host is standing in front of a large steam turbine. Click to enlarge.Photo Credit: Alex Wilson
My blog last week about Kansas and efforts to outlaw any mention or promotion of sustainability was so depressing (to write as well read) that I needed to find a more uplifting sequel. I needed to remind myself—and readers—that even if some politicians in Kansas don’t want to make the world a better place for their children and grandchildren, that’s not a universal attitude.
There are lots of towns, cities, and countries around the world where planning for the future is a priority and whose sustainability stories are truly inspirational.
I’ll report here on one of those places: Växjö, Sweden (the approximate pronunciation is “VECK’ shuh”), which is often called Europe’s greenest city. Five years ago I had the good fortune to spend a few days in this municipality of 85,000, with an urban core of 60,000.
7 Tips to Get More from Mini-Split Heat Pumps in Colder Climates
Blog Category:
BuildingGreen's Top Stories
Air-to-air heat pumps are getting more popular as a primary heat source in colder climates. Here’s how to get the most from your system.
[Editor's Note: This guest post comes to us courtesy of Peter Talmage, P.E., an energy and design consultant and an instructor in the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency program at Greenfield Community College.]
I have heated my various homes with wood since 1975. It was always a love/hate relationship. The wood fuel was “free” off my land, but burning it was a very dirty business in many ways.
This Fujitsu 3/4-ton model 9RLS is in its third season as the primary heater for our 1,500 ft2 home in Northfield, Massachusetts. The interior unit is 18" off the floor, and certain creatures like that very much.Photo Credit: Peter Talmage
Mini-splits in cold climates? Yes we can!
Three years ago, I installed a ¾-ton Fujitsu model air-source mini-split heat pump to heat my historic 1790 cape home here in Northfield, Massachusetts. It has been a great success.
During the winter of 2010–2011, the heater for my 1,500 ft2 home consumed 1,757 kWh from October 2010 to June 2011. For the warmer winter of 2011–2012, the usage was only 1,247 kWh from September 2011 to April 2012.
So far this winter, from October 2012, to March 23, 2013, the usage has been 1,501 kWh. I have a 5.4 kW PV array that supplies about 200% of my electrical consumption, including that of the heat pump, so the heating system is very “green.” I have since installed mini-splits in two other houses.
Below are my suggestions for successful house-heating with a mini-split—even in a cold, Northern New England climate like mine.
No April Fool’s Joke: Kansas Threatens to Outlaw Sustainability
Blog Category:
Op-Ed
Energy Solutions
Fear of Agenda 21 fuels a bill to ban sustainability planning in the state of Kansas
The Konza Prairie in northeastern Kansas.Photo Credit: Bill Johnson
I love many things about Kansas—from the tall-grass prairies in the Flint Hills where I’ve hiked through rolling hills overlooking grazing bison to the dramatic waterfowl migrations in the Cheyenne Bottoms region in the western part of the state. But a bill currently in committee in the Kansas Legislature makes me wonder whether these natural treasures will be around for future generations to enjoy. Reading about this legislation simply left my jaw agape. At issue is whether the Kansas legislature should outlaw anything that even remotely encourages sustainability planning.
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