Blog's by "Planet Development" as an author

  Just what is this substance that our society depends on so completely? Images: 

This week I'll take a detour from practical energy-conserving solutions to take a look at oil (petroleum) — the fluid that has powered our automobile-based society. Be prepared for some new terminology and a little bit of chemistry!

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/understanding-petroleum

  Twice renovated, the house is still trying to heat the neighborhood Images: 

Rich Cowan lives in an 1,800-square foot bungalow in northern Massachusetts that has been renovated twice in the last decade but still has some problems: no insulation in the basement, and a furnace and air handler in the vented attic.

"The heat produced by our gas furnace is quickly moving through the ceilings to a vented attic, and then is lost forever," Cowan writes in a Q&A post. Money to correct the problems is not unlimited, but Cowan has a plan.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-blog/how-stay-cozy-1930s-bungalow

  Our use of petroleum through history may surprise some readers Images: 

While most of us think of the petroleum age starting in the late 1850s, when North America's first oil well began gushing oil, human use of petroleum actually goes back much further.

Asphalt, a heavy constituent of petroleum (see last week's blog), was used four thousand years ago in constructing the walls of Babylon. During the Roman era, oil was collected and used in the province of Dacia (now Romania), where it was referred to as "picula."

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/our-history-petroleum-use

  Choose heating and energy systems with care and build a tight house Images:  UPDATED: 1/3/11 with expert opinions from Mark Sevier and Peter Yost

Chris Koehn will be building a 1,600-sq.-ft. home in British Columbia for owners who want to heat primarily with wood. They envision a wood-burning cookstove and a fireplace, and they'd also like to incorporate some solar capability.

Because of its island location, the house will be off the electricity grid.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-blog/how-live-comfortably-grid

  What ever happened to "peak oil"? Images: 

It's fitting that this first blog of 2011 takes a look into the crystal ball — at the energy source that pretty-much defines our culture.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/thoughts-future-petroleum