Queen of Green - Home Page

We all know we need to go green. Why? Because we should be virtuous? Virtue is nice. But how about thinking of it in practical terms. How about some real practicality:

“My thing with the green
situation is: Even if you don’t
believe in global warming,
don’t you want to screw the oil
company or the gas company
or utility company?”
-- Jay Leno

Personally, I don’t care about screwing the utility company, but I sure would like to give them less money! How about that for motivation?

The thing with green energy is that it is all rather new. What is the difference between solar thermal and photo voltaic? What is photo voltaic? Can you take some of the power off a solar water heater to run the pool nanny? Why not use PV to run a water heater? (*answers at the bottom of the page)

If you don’t know the answers to these questions off the top of your head, not to worry, hardly anyone else does either. I mean let’s get real here, how would you know this stuff? It’s not like they covered it in auto shop class in high school.

Have no fear – the Queen is here to remove the mystery and add the clarity. Many moons ago, the Queen was a flight instructor. She’d patiently guide students through the rigors of learning to fly. Most were overwhelmed, some were scared, all were willing learners. She noticed that some students would sneak away from their own instructors to ask her questions. It was obvious they felt a little dumb about what they were asking and were embarrassed to go to their own instructor. No one likes to be made fun of. If you need to know something and you don’t know it off hand, what do you want? Straightforward information, with no condescension.

Which is what we’re offering.

Please read on. When cruising around this website, you’ll find

- What is the biggest no brainer of them all?
- Why do they make such a big deal about compact fluorescent bulbs?
- What is PV?
- What is solar thermal (solar hot water heater)?
- I have vampires!?!? Yes, you do.
- A solar PV system for $400? PV systems can run thousands and thousands of dollars, but not this one!
- Which kills more birds, wind turbines or house cats?
- Attic insulation? Who cares about that? You will!
- I have “wind?” Maybe…
- Secret stuff about Mold.
- The skinny on tankless water heaters.
- How does electricity work? Funny you should ask.
- What do Icelander’s know that we don’t?
- If I put some solar system on my house, does it help or hurt when it is time to sell?
- Heat my house with cherry pits? Maybe.
- Is khaki appropriate for evening wear? Maybe not. Is Green really the news red white and blue? We think so.
- And finally, what happens when you mix too much beer, jello, bad singing and a disco ball?

* Solar thermal is making water hot using the rays of the sun. The system doesn’t make any electricity. Photo voltaic (PV) is PFM as far as we can tell (not really – but it is totally cool) and involves sunlight being converted directly into electricity. PV installations are those pretty blue or gray panels you see sometimes up on the roof. Nope, you can’t take power off the solar water heater to run the pool nanny because the solar water heater does not make any electricity – which is what the pool nanny needs. You’d never use a PV system to heat water because making heat with electricity is very wasteful and of course you value every bit of electricity coming off those panels – they are your own generating plant!