Global warming means droughts, and Americans have experienced plenty of those recently. Here is what you can do to prepare for a long hot summer:

Rain water harvesting is simply diverting the flow from downspouts to a barrel. Devices are available to divert water back to downspouts when the barrel is full.  You can collect 0.62 gallons (not 6 gallons as stated earlier - thanks Don for pointing it out)  of rainwater from one inch of rain on one sq ft of surface area. For example, Central Ohio averages 37 inches of rain yearly.  On 1,000 square feet of roof  that’s 22,200 gallons of water per year.

>>Keep reading “How to harvest rainwater”

Hidden costs of the Grid US utility companies are trying to cut the large amount of power wasted as it goes down the line to customers. They say they are acting because of looming limits on greenhouse-gas emissions in the US.

The greedy and slothful  companies are in fact motivated by billions of economic stimulus dollars being handed out. The stimulus money could be used more effectively installing renewable power and microgrids in local communities.

Harvesting extra efficiency from the national grid could postpone the next power plant, but so could introducing widespread household-level renewables.  Installing micro-grids everywhere  would cut down on the losses made in transmission.

“It  could be a bigger …
>>Keep reading “Smart Grid ploy to grab stimulus funds”

…on a mission from God The best movie car chase for my money is not Bullitt, not Vanishing Point, not even The French Connection.  For a virtuoso display of evasive driving,  there is no equal to the fabulous Blues Brothers classic mall chase - and it has the best music as well.  The Brothers’ ex-cop car with “cop shocks and cop springs” was made for the job.

There’s a serious point to this - living off-grid, never rely on the cops to bail you out if there’s trouble - whether from local rednecks who just don’t like you all the way up to marauding gangs.  In the event of a major social collapse, they will come flooding out of the cities looking for your food and water, so better get ready with this eight point plan:
>>Keep reading “How to evade pursuit vehicles”

Box full of hot air Demand for microgeneration equipment is set to soar in response to massive increases in domestic energy bills, says a new report.  But there is a danger that consumers will be tricked into buying the wrong gear by internet scammers such as Earth4Energy.

UK household energy spending could rise four-fold to nearly £5,000 a year within a decade, making all forms of alternative energy generation far more attractive says the  study
>>Keep reading “Microgen boom forecast”