Green Options

Winter is officially here in New England. There is snow on the ground, temperatures are chilly, and I have to start my car five minutes before I actually have to go somewhere. It gets the engine heated up, and I won’t be freezing on my way to my destination. Alas, I know its no good for the environment, letting my engine spew out emissions like that. But it is worse for your car to just jump in and drive off at a time when the oil is thick and hasn’t had a chance to lube the engine properly.

Or at least that is what I thought. But according to Ford, pre-warming your car can reduce emissions by heating the catalyst under light engine loads in the driveway rather than on the road.

Image Credit: Dawn Solar

Solar hot water systems should be in use everywhere in the country. They are not terribly expensive to install, and the payback period on them is much shorter than it is for solar photovoltaic. Even in cold climates, it is possible to have a system with a heat exchanger and an antifreeze filled loop, so that the system can be run, even when nighttime temperatures are below freezing.

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