Oktay Ortakcioglu/istockphoto
DCL
Attics of our nation, for the most part, are spooky, filled with junk or inhabited by a sad person: Emily Dickinson for example. There must be something better we can do with our attics than house depressive poets and store Christmas decorations. But what? Who'd want to hang out in an attic? Attics are musty, stifling and hot.
The heat is the key. Attics are in a prime place for collecting heat. They sit at the top of the house where all the warm air from the main floor rises to. In addition, the sun is always beating down on the roof, heating the attic quite nicely.
The attic warmth can be utilized to heat water. Running pipes from your hot-water heater to a thermal battery kept in your attic can cook your water for free. A thermal battery is a nest of pipes that look like a jungle gym. All the water in your home flows through this web-like mass of pipes, collecting free heat before it flows into a shower, sink or swimming pool.
If you are looking for a better use for your attic, look no further. Your attic can be used as a power cell for your hot-water heater.
Hankering for a home makeover? Manifest your green American Dream with tips from Planet Green TV's Greenovate.
