August 20 is "Earth Overshoot Day," the estimated date when "the people on Earth have used up the planet's annual supply of renewable natural resources and reached its carbon-absorbing capacity," says Jon Hoekstra, chief scientist for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). After Aug. 20, we human beings are using up more than is sustainable by the planet, Hoekstra writes at livescience.com.
After spending some time overseas in the Middle East and seeing some of the true costs of a "global economy" completely dependent on fossil fuels, I've taken a few steps over the past couple of years on a personal level to 1) reduce my reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal and oil & 2) reduce my utility costs.
It's always been important, particularly for writers such as myself, to keep monthly bills as low as possible. With the cost of groceries and everything else always going up, the need to reduce bills has only grown with time.
That said, I highly recommend these kinds of solar projects not only for folks concerned with the environment, artists, designers and do-it-yourself engineers, but for everyone with a toolbox.
Economically, it's always a good direction to try to live below your means. This Ben Franklin-style-idea applies whether your income is low or high: It's the principle: A "penny saved is a penny earned." More importantly, many folks are striving to be better stewards not only of personal resources, but also of the Earth's resources for future generations.
Of course, I still live in town and am very much a part of current technology (being online, etc.) My place is connected to the electrical grid which primarily uses coal like any other home. I don't think most people are willing to (or want to) live too far out in the woods. So, from a practical standpoint, I'm curious about ways that people can take steps to reduce our footprint without a huge inconvenience or change of lifestyle while also living modern lives in a town/city.
About two years ago, my electrical hot water heater went "kaput." A new one would cost about $200+, along with the associated monthly electrical bill from constantly heating water 24/7. I wasn't too keen on the idea of continuing along the path of heating water 24/7 when I only use hot water infrequently. I began to wonder if I would be able to live without replacing my standard electrical hot water heater and how much that would reduce my monthly electrical bill.
After watching YouTube videos (just type in "solar hot water heater wooden box" in YouTube search to find a plethora of information) and a few trial and errors with other ideas, I figured an easy, safe, effective way of heating water using only sunlight was to build this heater out of a re-purposed wooden box that was once a theater prop.
As a theater prop, the box was already painted black. All I had to do was line the box with insulation (using extra pieces from when I was adding insulation under my home). I used a couple of the padded shiny reflectors (found second-hand at the flea market) you usually place in your car windows during summer to line the inside. What was once a window pane (given to me by a friend cleaning out his garage) completes the top.
The box is positioned in part of the yard where light is most of the day. Sunlight pours in, then the reflector splatters the UV rays onto a black aluminum kitchen pot (with lid) that is centered on two red bricks. The bricks absorb heat, which keeps the pot warm even after the sun goes down in the evening. (This solar water heater also can double as a clothes dryer and also to heat up light foods such as beans.)
I installed a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer by drilling a small hole on the bottom of the box for the outside temperature probe. The thermometer keeps me apprised of the solar heater's effectiveness.
On sunny days, when the temperature outside is around 80-90, the temperature inside regularly gets up to 125-140 degrees. A recent reading (see pic below) was 86 F outside and 125 F inside, a 45% increase in temperature. In the summer, I have to wear oven mitts to handle the metal pot because it's so hot to the touch. On cloudy or cool days in spring, summer and fall, the temperature difference isn't as profound, but it is usually enough to warm up the water plenty. This will be the first winter I've tried the heater with the full insulation it currently has.
Because I'm not heating water constantly, my electric bill usually hovers around $15 (it's nearly always under $20). Before the bill was in the $40-60 range. I am also very happy to reduce my personal reliance at home on coal, although I still feel I'm using far too much fossil fuels in general. While I believe it is important for all of us to do what we can, I also feel that the issue of energy is too large for any individual and is a matter at the societal level that any legitimate government will step in to solve. I believe there is likely far more energy in the universe than in any barrel of oil and that new technologies and innovations have the potential to take the world off fossil fuel for good. Much like how the internal combustion engine replaced the horse and buggy, a new innovation (hopefully sooner rather than later) will replace the internal combustion engine. The full and proper focus, funding, investment and development, of both energy corporations and governments, should be in this direction of rolling back the "Earth Overshoot" date, until there is no overuse at all.
Here are some recent pics of the solar hot water heater. These were taken last week. Enjoy & share!
Be sure to leave some comments about your own solar and environmental projects. I'd love to hear about what you've built or are working on!
After spending some time overseas in the Middle East and seeing some of the true costs of a "global economy" completely dependent on fossil fuels, I've taken a few steps over the past couple of years on a personal level to 1) reduce my reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal and oil & 2) reduce my utility costs.
It's always been important, particularly for writers such as myself, to keep monthly bills as low as possible. With the cost of groceries and everything else always going up, the need to reduce bills has only grown with time.
That said, I highly recommend these kinds of solar projects not only for folks concerned with the environment, artists, designers and do-it-yourself engineers, but for everyone with a toolbox.
Economically, it's always a good direction to try to live below your means. This Ben Franklin-style-idea applies whether your income is low or high: It's the principle: A "penny saved is a penny earned." More importantly, many folks are striving to be better stewards not only of personal resources, but also of the Earth's resources for future generations.
Of course, I still live in town and am very much a part of current technology (being online, etc.) My place is connected to the electrical grid which primarily uses coal like any other home. I don't think most people are willing to (or want to) live too far out in the woods. So, from a practical standpoint, I'm curious about ways that people can take steps to reduce our footprint without a huge inconvenience or change of lifestyle while also living modern lives in a town/city.
About two years ago, my electrical hot water heater went "kaput." A new one would cost about $200+, along with the associated monthly electrical bill from constantly heating water 24/7. I wasn't too keen on the idea of continuing along the path of heating water 24/7 when I only use hot water infrequently. I began to wonder if I would be able to live without replacing my standard electrical hot water heater and how much that would reduce my monthly electrical bill.
After watching YouTube videos (just type in "solar hot water heater wooden box" in YouTube search to find a plethora of information) and a few trial and errors with other ideas, I figured an easy, safe, effective way of heating water using only sunlight was to build this heater out of a re-purposed wooden box that was once a theater prop.
As a theater prop, the box was already painted black. All I had to do was line the box with insulation (using extra pieces from when I was adding insulation under my home). I used a couple of the padded shiny reflectors (found second-hand at the flea market) you usually place in your car windows during summer to line the inside. What was once a window pane (given to me by a friend cleaning out his garage) completes the top.
The box is positioned in part of the yard where light is most of the day. Sunlight pours in, then the reflector splatters the UV rays onto a black aluminum kitchen pot (with lid) that is centered on two red bricks. The bricks absorb heat, which keeps the pot warm even after the sun goes down in the evening. (This solar water heater also can double as a clothes dryer and also to heat up light foods such as beans.)
I installed a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer by drilling a small hole on the bottom of the box for the outside temperature probe. The thermometer keeps me apprised of the solar heater's effectiveness.
On sunny days, when the temperature outside is around 80-90, the temperature inside regularly gets up to 125-140 degrees. A recent reading (see pic below) was 86 F outside and 125 F inside, a 45% increase in temperature. In the summer, I have to wear oven mitts to handle the metal pot because it's so hot to the touch. On cloudy or cool days in spring, summer and fall, the temperature difference isn't as profound, but it is usually enough to warm up the water plenty. This will be the first winter I've tried the heater with the full insulation it currently has.
Because I'm not heating water constantly, my electric bill usually hovers around $15 (it's nearly always under $20). Before the bill was in the $40-60 range. I am also very happy to reduce my personal reliance at home on coal, although I still feel I'm using far too much fossil fuels in general. While I believe it is important for all of us to do what we can, I also feel that the issue of energy is too large for any individual and is a matter at the societal level that any legitimate government will step in to solve. I believe there is likely far more energy in the universe than in any barrel of oil and that new technologies and innovations have the potential to take the world off fossil fuel for good. Much like how the internal combustion engine replaced the horse and buggy, a new innovation (hopefully sooner rather than later) will replace the internal combustion engine. The full and proper focus, funding, investment and development, of both energy corporations and governments, should be in this direction of rolling back the "Earth Overshoot" date, until there is no overuse at all.
Here are some recent pics of the solar hot water heater. These were taken last week. Enjoy & share!
Be sure to leave some comments about your own solar and environmental projects. I'd love to hear about what you've built or are working on!
 Black wooden box was once a theater prop purchased for $5 at a second-hand sale. Window pane was given to me by someone clearing out their garage. |  Thermometer tells inside & outside temperature, making it easy to compare. |
 Black metal pot rests on two bricks which absorb heat during day & radiate heat after sun goes down to keep water warm into the evening. |  Built with mixture of recycled-re-purposed materials. |
