Hi All
After a month-long absence I'm happy to write from my refurbished (rented) new apartment here in Israel. The landowner was happy to give the money if we did the work :-)
My roommate and I made an effort to make it as green as possible. This was a very different task compared to the typical US homes.... as most Israelis live in reinforced concrete homes, and this one is no exception.
In this Diary I outline a bit of what we did, and welcome tips on how to do better.
Have a nice week!
Eyal
Our apartment isn't new. It sits in a multistory apartment block, with apartments above and below.
Water Heating
The building has joint solar/electric water heating for all the apartments. Rooftop solar heating panels work during the day, and should all the hot water be used up - the electric heater kicks in. Here is a picture of how it looks like. In Hebrew it is called a Dud Shemesh and is very common here in Israel.
Saving electricity
Insulationwise the walls were a given, so we concentrated on the windows. We made sure the aluminum frames had hole-free tracks, and put a double silicon seal between them and the wall.
A/C in Israel (with it 50C/125F summers) is critical, but a large A/C would gobble electricity, so we opted for three smaller ones. Thus we can cool either part of the apartment or its entirety. The large size of the building also mitigates temperature differences.
I am a big fan of low life cycle cost appliances, and this was the leading theme. Lighting is provided exclusively by Osram Compact Fluorescent Lamps of either 13W (Bedrooms) or 25W (Living room, kitchen, etc.).Expensive, but cheap in the long term.
The oven is small, we don't cook much anyways. The Microwave has low power output - I think it's better put the food in for an extra 20 seconds in the event you really need it than constantly overcook and burn electricity.
Vanishing resources
The apartment uses as little wood as possible - only the internal doors, the tables and the cabinets are made of it.
We installed water saving faucets, that put out less water.
We have a fridge with a water filter built in, so we make the purchases of bottled water superfluous.
On a side note, I drive a Suzuki Baleno that gives out a most excellent 14.5km/L or 34MPG. I highly recommend it, as long as you don't get run over by a SUV or other armored military vehicles.
That's it, mostly.
Would appreciate any more Green Ideas
Have a nice week!