We often think that modern societies were the first to use solar energy. Not true! Early cave dwellers preferred caves that had openings facing southeasterly that allowed the morning sun to warm them up without overheating in the warm months.  Native Americans in the Southwest oriented their pueblo dwellings.  So the low winter sun would keep the buildings by direct solar radiation, cliffs and overhangs blocked the sun during the summer months, helping to keep the dwellings cooler when the sun was high in the sky.

The ancient Greeks, with a climate that was sunny almost year-round, built their houses to take advantage of the sun’s rays during the moderately cool winters and to avoid the sun’s heat during the summer.  Modern excavations of many classic Greek cities show that individual homes were oriented towards the South and entire cities were planned to allow equal access to the winter sun.  It is interesting to note that by 500 B.C., when the Greeks had almost completely deforested their whole country and needed to find a reliable alternative fuel source, they chose solar energy. (more…)

Today I read the last page of the book Peak Oil Survival: Preparation for Life After Gridcrash, another Amazon purchase. Since I planned to post here every week, it’s a great I have something to write about.

The book’s title indicates that it’s about preparing for living after the electrical grid crashes. It’s not a manual on off-grid living, it doesn’t describe how to supply your own water and electricity and how to heat your home for permanent off-the-grid conditions. Instead, it helps one to deal with a grid crash in a normal, or low-energy building. It won’t tell you how to make your house autonomous, but how to deal when the energy you normally use becomes unavailable. (more…)

If you need a gas fuel for your home appliances (like gas stove or absorption refrigerator) or home heating but are far away from gas distribution network, you should consider using one of popular liquid gases — propane or LPG. The latter — Liquefied Petroleum Gas — is a mixture of both propane and buthane. (more…)