Saturday, October 9, 2010

Cool Cities at Lombard seminar on environmental issues


Cool Cities participates in a Panel for the Planet seminar in Lombard. This was part of the 350.org events happening all over the world, especially on 10-10-10. This panel inlcuded a keynote speech by environmentalist and professor Fred Van Dyke of Wheaton College.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

ISEA Solar Tour October 2, 2010


There are two important take-home messages from today's Illinois Solar Tour. First, in our survey of several homes in Glen Ellyn, Lisle and Naperville, we learned that photovoltaic solar energy works just as well in Northern Illinois as it does in Florida. We also saw effective thermal solar used to make both hot water and to supplement space heating. Second, in all three communities, homeowners found that the municipal permitting process can go quite smoothly when the right information is submitted and the systems properly designed and installed. Most of the homes were not built to conserve energy, so it usually makes sense to take steps to conserve energy as much as possible before sizing a solar energy installation.