Ed Begley Jr. onsite
Credit: DCL
Living with Ed follows Ed Begley, Jr., and his wife, Rachelle, as they green their home, family, and celebrity friends. But if you've ever wondered what kind of advice they'd give the rest of us, then the Ask Ed forum is your chance to find out. Readers submit questions and comments about the show, green living, etc., and Ed chimes in with his green answers; here, we've rounded up some highlights of the past week.
Q. Is there a performance difference for solar panels installed on a light/white roof verses a dark roof?
A. You want to reduce heat in and around the panels. Work with your roofer and your solar contractor on the material, color and distance from roof-to-panel to optimize low temperature and air cooling. Cooler panels = higher performance.
Ed
Q. I've been bagging my fluid output in recycled plastic bags for several months ever since I learned what toxins could be found in it. Any tips on methods for disposal? I've considered a series of distillations, or simply consuming it myself to avoid contaminating more freshwater by drinking.
A. The Envirolet by Sancor is the composting system I recommend. You can find it at www.envirolet.com.
Ed
Q. I applaud your efforts and I don't hold you accountable for the basis of the idea that CF bulbs last longer, but for me, they really don't. The experiment I am running is this: I have a vanity light above my dual sinks (8 bulbs), and since replacing the incandescents in 2007, half of them have failed already. (By the way, two of those incandescents lasted for 15 years.)
My husband did take the trouble of separating the exhaust fan from the lights into two switches. The exhaust fan is pretty powerful, so moisture may not be the culprit. Your thoughts?
A. Check the unit. Also check the wiring to the unit and to the circuit box - could be bad wiring, ungrounded wiring or a bad breaker. Also, avoid cheap bargain brand CFLs.
I have some Panasonic bulbs from the late 1980s that still work!
Ed
