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	<title>Oikos Blog</title>
	<link>http://blog.oikos.com</link>
	<description>Focused on Energy Efficient Building and Environmentally Sound Construction</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 20:08:29 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Air-to-water heat pump might be fixed</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The air-to-water heat pump saga has played out over six years. It has involved two major equipment replacements, a dozen service calls along with many hours of hassle and uncertainty. The entire story appears in a previous post. That story ends last December with a heating system that was utterly unreliable. I started collecting bids [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/05/air-to-water-heat-pump-might-be-fixed/</link>
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		<title>Air-to-water heat pump failure</title>
		<description><![CDATA[My family built a new home in 2004, and given my long professional background in energy efficiency, it was only natural to include as many energy features as we could afford. I&#8217;ve always recognized that home efficiency starts with a tight, well-insulated building envelope. We selected a general contractor that impressed me with his knowledge [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/05/air-to-water-heat-pump-failure/</link>
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		<title>Energy conservation first then solar: the sequence for success</title>
		<description><![CDATA[If you want to save energy and save money, it's best to make careful choices about the sequence of your projects. First exhaust all cost-effective opportunities to conserve energy. That means insulation and efficiency. Next move to renewable systems such as solar water heaters and photovoltaic systems. Because the PV system is generally the most expensive, it often makes sense to build an energy efficient home that is PV-ready. That allows you to postpone a large investment until financial circumstances are more favorable and still have a smooth PV installation. ]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/05/energy-conservation-first-then-solar-the-sequence-for-success/</link>
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		<title>$20 a Gallon</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I just finished reading $20 a Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better by Christopher Steiner. It discusses the changes that will occur in the economy and society as energy (not just petroleum) gets more expensive. The end of SUVs, Mcmansions and air travel seems [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/04/20-a-gallon/</link>
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		<title>Time to support Energy Performance Score</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Every car has one. Every appliance has one. Why don&#8217;t houses have one? I&#8217;m talking about an energy rating. For decades, the biggest energy consuming products have been required to meet energy standards and to display some form of energy use in plain sight. Consumers need the skinny to make informed choices. Ignorance is the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/03/time-to-support-energy-performance-score/</link>
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		<title>Ductless heat pumps perform well in cold weather</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Considering that heat pumps started out as air-conditioners, it&#8217;s no surprise that they have a sketchy reputation in colder climates. That reputation is changing now that “inverter driven” technology is appearing in the North American market. An inverter drive system – common in Asia and Europe – is essentially a variable speed compressor powered by [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/02/ductless-heat-pumps-perform-well-in-cold-weather/</link>
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		<title>Building hypocrisy in the Malibu hills</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Less is more for green building. It must be defined only in terms of using less energy, less water, less material and causing less harm to the ecological processes that support life. I&#8217;m appalled that yet another mega-rich celebrity is using “green” to wash away the grime of over consumption. David Evans, also called The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/02/building-hypocrasy-in-the-malibu-hills/</link>
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		<title>Can passive solar and hydronic radiant heat live together?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;ve now lived with our radiant floor heat for most of six heating seasons, so I think it&#8217;s time to draw some conclusions. The house was built in 2004. Insulation is better than average. The air leakage is impressively low at 1.8 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals. It&#8217;s also a true passive solar [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/02/can-passive-solar-and-hydronic-radiant-heat-live-together/</link>
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		<title>Energy Performance Score: The time has come.</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Energy Performance Score is a metric based on consumption is simple and direct. It gives builders, real estate brokers, lenders a clear way to communicate the actual energy consumption of homes. It gives homeowners an idea of where they stand and motivates them to improve. It allows society to set measurable goals for performance. It drives the housing market to build better houses.]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/01/energy-performance-score-the-time-has-come/</link>
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		<title>Lessons Learned from a Green Building Project</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last month, we rounded out the fifth year living in our green home. It seems like a good time to look back at how it all worked out. I plan to write blogs on several topics, including actual energy performance vs expected performance, the value of simplicity, financial analysis, and the life span of air [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.oikos.com/2010/01/lessons-learned-from-the-green-building-project/</link>
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