Proceedings of the International Seminar organized by the Commission of the European Communities, held in Brussels, 21-25 October 1979

Provides consumers with home energy and money savings tips such as insulation, weatherization, heating, cooling, water heating, energy efficient windows, landscaping, lighting, and energy efficient appliances.

Making your home more energy efficient will help you to reduce high energy bills, improve comfort and help to protect the environment. Saving energy at home is easy. This book contains time-tested tips and energy-saving choices for reducing your home energy consumption: The book covers the following areas: * Cutting Heating and Cooling Costs * Energy Efficient Use of Appliances. * Saving Energy in the Kitchen * Energy Efficient Home Lighting * Energy Efficient Water Use Here's just a small sample of the tips included: Turn the thermostat to its lowest setting if you won't be at home for a few days. You can turn off the heating system completely if there's no danger of pipes freezing while you're away. Walk around the house with a candle on a cold windy day to see where cold may be entering around doors and windows. Save on heating costs and stay comfortable in cold weather by dressing to retain body heat. Layer your clothing: wear lightweight basic garments, such as a shirt or blouse or short-sleeved sweater, covered by heavier garments, such as a Saving Energy sweater vest, and topped with a warm jacket or sweater jacket. If you become too warm you can adjust your own body thermostat by taking off a layer. To speed the installation of weatherstripping, try stapling instead of nailing it. Keeping your home well caulked is one of the best ways to save energy. When you caulk, make sure joints are thoroughly dry-you can dry deep crevices with a cloth stretched over the blade of a putty knife, or with a blast of hot air from a hair dryer. When caulking several joints, start with the smallest joint and recut the tube's nozzle as necessary for successively larger joints. A room will stay warmer in cold weather if curtains fit tightly against the window's frame so that warm room air doesn't move across the cold. window surface. A fixed valance at the top and sides of the curtains will help, and so will weighting or fastening the curtains at the bottom. Installing a window greenhouse in one or more of your house's south-facing windows is an unusual (and effective) way to gain extra heat for your home in winter, to reduce the loss of heat to the outdoors in the evening, and, of course, to provide an encouraging environment for plants.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide to certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market, he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions, where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively, where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete, practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions—suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers, and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise. As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but if we follow the plan he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach.

A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years. —Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. In this monumental history, Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. Smil describes humanity's energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and his own research over that time.

The updated 5th edition of Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings identifies the most energy-efficient home appliances by brand name and model number. Reader-friendly and packed with illustrations, this handbook helps any homeowner save energy and money. Chapters include: -- energy use and the environment -- insulating and sealing air leaks -- new window options -- space heating -- cooling and air conditioning -- water heating -- refrigeration -- lighting...and much more This book is as compact and efficient as its subject matter. Its 274 pages are crammed with money-saving information. A directory of manufacturers helps the reader access purchase information on recommended appliances.