Make Magazine

You know how we love our DIY folks here at AltE! Soon we’ll be reaching a whole new audience because you’ll be seeing us in the May issues of Make Magazine! In fact, AltE will be featured on the back cover of their DIY Renewable Energy issue!!

We are very excited to start our relationship with Make Magazine because we know they are as passionate about innovation and discovery as we are. We’re also considering attending the Make Magazine Maker Faire so we can show off some of the cool stuff we’ve been doing in the AltE Labs!

Either way, you’ll be seeing more of us here in the blog, via video tips and in places like Make Magazine - grab it on newstands or subscribe today!

Our own Amy Beaudet, one of our resident experts on all things solar thermal, was recently covered in a blog post on Boston Green Scene. Katina Fontes, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage who is EcoBroker Certified, wrote a great article all about our Solar Heating class here at AltE in Hudson, MA.

Winter Procurement Notes from the AltE Store

During the cold and snow season for many of us, our thoughts and projects turn to indoors and warmer past-times. Outdoor work is simply not practical or possible. But for those who wish to plan ahead, this time of year is a great opportunity to plan and purchase products for the alternative energy projects you may be considering for 2009.

Right now is our slow season which enables us to offer something that is in shorter supply as folk’s ramp up projects in the warmer months. That ’something’ happens to be time. Time in the supply chain is at a premium in the spring and summer as customers, suppliers, manufacturers, and even truck and freight companies are inundated with orders from all points on the compass.

This week I have noticed that our distribution warehouses are shipping orders with items not from our own stock the same day we place the order with them. And these are not  the so-called ‘rush’ or urgent orders which can often carry a cost-premium during the busier times of the year.

Purchasing goods at this time of year allows our customers and us breathe a bit easier with standard (and lower cost) shipping on most orders. Inventory levels at AltE are strong for many of our items and our supplier network is also showing robust fill rates on most orders.

One other advantage of purchasing your alternative energy products right now are the deals being offered throughout the supply chain. Certain commodities are being featured for sales and package deals as winter inventories are strong in some product categories. For instance, a wind turbine can fetch you a free inverter.

The alternative power sector tends to be seasonal and cyclical like many industries. If a 2009 alternative energy project is part of your New Year resolution, now may be the smart time to begin procuring your materials.

I’ll be honest, I’m cheap. I’m also a Yankee, so I guess it comes pretty naturally. Cheapness is not even really a trait that has been forced upon me – I love bargains, I love things that pay for themselves – I love Return on Investment (ROI). What’s nice is that being conscious about energy usage and being an alternative energy enthusiast actually works beautifully with being cheap.

I love our planet – I went to a small liberal arts school so I was well exposed to environmentalists and their movement long ago. I recycled, I didn’t use aerosol, but I’ll admit I never really associated myself with the movement. And then I saw “An Inconvenient Truth” and I looked down at my small daughter. I knew I really wanted to make some changes just to do the right thing. And hey – by doing the right thing, I support my cheapness. Sweet!

Some things were already done – mostly out of frugality – but I felt good that we were already on our way. My husband and I are a one car family, and our one car is a Toyota that gets fabulous gas mileage. I work primarily out of my home – so I’ve reduced my car emissions significantly. We keep our heat low, we buy local produce and we have a part in an organic farm share. We have replaced old incandescent bulbs with CFL as they go out, we carry the reusable grocery bags and we recycle. But the bills were still rising with the cost of oil and electricity so we knew we needed to and wanted to do more.

Sadly, we have old and inefficient home heating and water heating. When our oil costs crested at $500 for a tank, I started to get really worried. I knew that we didn’t have the income to cover a winter of $500 tanks of oil – and also, I just didn’t want to pay that much on principle.

I was pumping so much money into oil that I couldn’t even save up for a more efficient boiler or an alternate heating system. I live in the boonies, so natural gas wasn’t an option (and really, I’d just be trading one fossil fuel for another) and our fireplace is tiny and inefficient. My feeling was and is that the cost of oil isn’t going to go down in the future – sure it will ebb and flow but I felt like it was really time to start long term planning and implementation now.

We live in a small, split level house that was built in 1964. In 1966, the square footage of the house was roughly doubled with the addition of a “sun room.” Roughly 600 square feet, this room is really where we “live” and it is comprised of three walls of five foot high jalousie windows. This made the room three seasons ready – with a chilly fourth tacked on for those of us who were really determined.

Every winter we put the storm windows up – and last year we even duct taped the seams. We hung curtains made from fleece, kept the heat down to 62 degrees and wore a lot of cozy clothing and layers. The rest of the house is quite snug but since the sunroom is critical to our sanity, I knew I couldn’t spend another winter watching the curtains move with the cold air seeping through.

I determined that I would change my situation. I’ll admit it, part of me wanted to jump in the deep end; solar electricity, grants, wind turbines! But I learned that the first step had to be in upgrading the efficiency of my home. The truth is that even if you get grants and help and tax write-offs, you still need cash flow. And how can you design a renewable energy power system without really knowing your optimal (most efficient) power needs? I needed to slow down and get informed.

Becoming an Energy Ace isn’t as fun or cool as buying and installing some cool and massive renewable energy system – mostly I knew it was just changing some habits. Turning off lights, using power strips to get rid of ghost loads, faster showers…you know the drill. We did that stuff

As I became more informed, I realized we needed to invest in some larger changes and that ultimately I could incorporate alternative energy technology in my home – technology that wouldn’t break the bank - and so began my adventure in renewable energy.

Our own, Amy Beaudet, sales representative and solar thermal expert will be giving a solar demonstration for the Green Marlborough community group at the annual Heritage Festival in Marlborough on Main Street Sunday Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Amy plans to show a solar powered oven as well as several other solar heating options and plans to help people to understand the benefits and efficiency of solar power.

Also, keep an eye out in the AltE Gallery - Amy has also been adding multiple renewable energy technologies to her home and plans to show them off soon!