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	<title>Comments on: The Dirty Side of Natural Gas and What You Can Do</title>
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	<link>http://greenupgrader.com/12556/the-dirty-side-of-natural-gas-and-what-you-can-do/</link>
	<description>You don\&#039;t have to give up living well to be \&#34;Green\&#34;</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:02:03 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>By: Evolution Of The Solar Panel [Infographic] &#124; Crisp Green</title>
		<link>http://greenupgrader.com/12556/the-dirty-side-of-natural-gas-and-what-you-can-do/comment-page-1/#comment-133132</link>
		<dc:creator>Evolution Of The Solar Panel [Infographic] &#124; Crisp Green</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:34:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://greenupgrader.com/?p=12556#comment-133132</guid>
		<description>[...] is quickly becoming cost competitive with conventional energy. Leaving the coal, nuclear, and natural gas industries (not to mention the government) without an excuse to stand [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] is quickly becoming cost competitive with conventional energy. Leaving the coal, nuclear, and natural gas industries (not to mention the government) without an excuse to stand [...]</p>
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		<title>By: Fracking: The Music Video : Green Living Tips &#124; Living Green and Save The Planet &#124;</title>
		<link>http://greenupgrader.com/12556/the-dirty-side-of-natural-gas-and-what-you-can-do/comment-page-1/#comment-124072</link>
		<dc:creator>Fracking: The Music Video : Green Living Tips &#124; Living Green and Save The Planet &#124;</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 14:58:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://greenupgrader.com/?p=12556#comment-124072</guid>
		<description>[...] Are you opposed to fracking? Sign the Food &amp; Water Watch petition asking Congress to ban fracking. You can also take steps to reduce your natural gas consumption. [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] Are you opposed to fracking? Sign the Food &amp; Water Watch petition asking Congress to ban fracking. You can also take steps to reduce your natural gas consumption. [...]</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: GreenSelector.com &#187; Toyota Opens First U.S. Pipeline-Fed Hydrogen Refueling Station</title>
		<link>http://greenupgrader.com/12556/the-dirty-side-of-natural-gas-and-what-you-can-do/comment-page-1/#comment-123728</link>
		<dc:creator>GreenSelector.com &#187; Toyota Opens First U.S. Pipeline-Fed Hydrogen Refueling Station</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 May 2011 13:12:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://greenupgrader.com/?p=12556#comment-123728</guid>
		<description>[...] it has been touted as the ideal clean fuel, and contains three times the energy of natural gas, it&#8217;s important to remember that hydrogen alone can&#8217;t power anything&#8211;it&#8217;s [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] it has been touted as the ideal clean fuel, and contains three times the energy of natural gas, it&#8217;s important to remember that hydrogen alone can&#8217;t power anything&#8211;it&#8217;s [...]</p>
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	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Toyota Opens First U.S. Pipeline-Fed Hydrogen Refueling Station &#124; Crisp Green</title>
		<link>http://greenupgrader.com/12556/the-dirty-side-of-natural-gas-and-what-you-can-do/comment-page-1/#comment-123628</link>
		<dc:creator>Toyota Opens First U.S. Pipeline-Fed Hydrogen Refueling Station &#124; Crisp Green</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 May 2011 15:17:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://greenupgrader.com/?p=12556#comment-123628</guid>
		<description>[...] it has been touted as the ideal clean fuel, and contains three times the energy of natural gas, it&#039;s important to remember that hydrogen alone can&#039;t power anything--it&#039;s simply a means for [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] it has been touted as the ideal clean fuel, and contains three times the energy of natural gas, it&#039;s important to remember that hydrogen alone can&#039;t power anything&#8211;it&#039;s simply a means for [...]</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: GreenSelector.com &#187; Solar-Powered Washing Machine Puts Smart Grid To The Test</title>
		<link>http://greenupgrader.com/12556/the-dirty-side-of-natural-gas-and-what-you-can-do/comment-page-1/#comment-122526</link>
		<dc:creator>GreenSelector.com &#187; Solar-Powered Washing Machine Puts Smart Grid To The Test</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:46:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://greenupgrader.com/?p=12556#comment-122526</guid>
		<description>[...] project involves 246 apartments with wood stoves and solar panels and 57 houses with sheat pumps and solar panels, to be completed in 2012. In each home, smart devices like a smart [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] project involves 246 apartments with wood stoves and solar panels and 57 houses with sheat pumps and solar panels, to be completed in 2012. In each home, smart devices like a smart [...]</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Obama State of the Union Address 2011 [w/ VIDEO] &#124; Ace Campaign</title>
		<link>http://greenupgrader.com/12556/the-dirty-side-of-natural-gas-and-what-you-can-do/comment-page-1/#comment-121145</link>
		<dc:creator>Obama State of the Union Address 2011 [w/ VIDEO] &#124; Ace Campaign</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:08:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://greenupgrader.com/?p=12556#comment-121145</guid>
		<description>[...] that the U.S. can produce all new electricity without any new nuclear or coal power plants.&#8221;Natural gas is also running into all sorts of environmental problems and may be much less climate-friendly than [...]</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[...] that the U.S. can produce all new electricity without any new nuclear or coal power plants.&#8221;Natural gas is also running into all sorts of environmental problems and may be much less climate-friendly than [...]</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>By: Jake</title>
		<link>http://greenupgrader.com/12556/the-dirty-side-of-natural-gas-and-what-you-can-do/comment-page-1/#comment-120479</link>
		<dc:creator>Jake</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:05:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://greenupgrader.com/?p=12556#comment-120479</guid>
		<description>I liked the handmade options because they can reduce consumption while improving quality of life.  Many of the big options require a trade-off of consumption with something else, such as comfort or convenience. 

...I personally dropped my yearly usage from 900 to 750 by adding attic insulation and installing a new high-efficiency furnace.  {still more than I&#039;d like though}

Other passive options:
Insulate &amp; seal leaks in ductwork that goes through garages / attics.
Let the sun in during the day.  Close your window treatments at night.
Plant shrubs in the yard in the right spots to serve as wind-breaks.
Turn down your hot water setting in the summer.  I dropped summer gas usage by about 25% by setting this down, and we didn&#039;t miss the hotter water at all in the summer.

Bigger options:
Solar hot water heater to supplement traditional means.  

Geothermal heating with a heat pump.  {This is the biggest way to drop natural gas usage since you&#039;ll be getting all your heat from electricity.  but who wants to take on $30,000 in loans to build it?  if you do - its has a fairly good return on investment.  plus interest rates are rock-bottom right now}

Here are some other options I&#039;ve used that weren&#039;t mentioned in your post: 

What help me find out what worked was taking a frequent measurement of gas usage.  {daily in winter, weekly or monthly in summer}

Its too easy to be out-of-sight out-of-mind when the only time you get feedback is when your bill arrives.  Daily readings by hand probably isn&#039;t for most people, but if you spend a few minutes each week to take a reading, you&#039;ll know what&#039;s working and what isn&#039;t.  Daily readings really showed me last year that the thermostat is the most important place to control your usage.

Some thermostat suggestions:
1) Play around with your overnight temperature until you find the lowest temperature that suits everyone in the household.  Don&#039;t be afraid to go too far for one night.  You can always adjust mid-night, or the next day.  Every degree is about a 3% savings.  If you find out you can be happy in 5 degrees cooler than you thought you could - you&#039;ll lower use by 15% without a big inconvenience to yourself.  That translates to big savings over the season to find the good setting.  We kept ours at 60 degrees, with a 65 warm-up for when we had to get ready for work.  60 was plenty last year... but with a new kid this year, we&#039;ll be going with a higher setting.

2) Hold your thermostat at a low setting if you&#039;re going away for the weekend.   This is especially effective if you travel a lot and live alone.   Most furnaces can make a house comfortable within a half hour or hour.  Its a big waste to keep the house warm when you&#039;re not there.  (Last year, I found that keeping the house at 60 one weekend while I was away used about 1/2 as much as when I run my normal program during similar weather).</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I liked the handmade options because they can reduce consumption while improving quality of life.  Many of the big options require a trade-off of consumption with something else, such as comfort or convenience. </p>
<p>&#8230;I personally dropped my yearly usage from 900 to 750 by adding attic insulation and installing a new high-efficiency furnace.  {still more than I&#8217;d like though}</p>
<p>Other passive options:<br />
Insulate &amp; seal leaks in ductwork that goes through garages / attics.<br />
Let the sun in during the day.  Close your window treatments at night.<br />
Plant shrubs in the yard in the right spots to serve as wind-breaks.<br />
Turn down your hot water setting in the summer.  I dropped summer gas usage by about 25% by setting this down, and we didn&#8217;t miss the hotter water at all in the summer.</p>
<p>Bigger options:<br />
Solar hot water heater to supplement traditional means.  </p>
<p>Geothermal heating with a heat pump.  {This is the biggest way to drop natural gas usage since you&#8217;ll be getting all your heat from electricity.  but who wants to take on $30,000 in loans to build it?  if you do &#8211; its has a fairly good return on investment.  plus interest rates are rock-bottom right now}</p>
<p>Here are some other options I&#8217;ve used that weren&#8217;t mentioned in your post: </p>
<p>What help me find out what worked was taking a frequent measurement of gas usage.  {daily in winter, weekly or monthly in summer}</p>
<p>Its too easy to be out-of-sight out-of-mind when the only time you get feedback is when your bill arrives.  Daily readings by hand probably isn&#8217;t for most people, but if you spend a few minutes each week to take a reading, you&#8217;ll know what&#8217;s working and what isn&#8217;t.  Daily readings really showed me last year that the thermostat is the most important place to control your usage.</p>
<p>Some thermostat suggestions:<br />
1) Play around with your overnight temperature until you find the lowest temperature that suits everyone in the household.  Don&#8217;t be afraid to go too far for one night.  You can always adjust mid-night, or the next day.  Every degree is about a 3% savings.  If you find out you can be happy in 5 degrees cooler than you thought you could &#8211; you&#8217;ll lower use by 15% without a big inconvenience to yourself.  That translates to big savings over the season to find the good setting.  We kept ours at 60 degrees, with a 65 warm-up for when we had to get ready for work.  60 was plenty last year&#8230; but with a new kid this year, we&#8217;ll be going with a higher setting.</p>
<p>2) Hold your thermostat at a low setting if you&#8217;re going away for the weekend.   This is especially effective if you travel a lot and live alone.   Most furnaces can make a house comfortable within a half hour or hour.  Its a big waste to keep the house warm when you&#8217;re not there.  (Last year, I found that keeping the house at 60 one weekend while I was away used about 1/2 as much as when I run my normal program during similar weather).</p>
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