A new high efficiency hot water heating system was installed at our home recently to replace an old rusting gas-guzzling bucket of a heating system. The 'boiler' of the new system hangs on the basement wall and a small pipe sticks through to the outside for the exhaust and also for air intake. We went from one to three temperature-controlled heating zones, each with its own circulator displayed on a mounting board next to the boiler. The setup looks awesome.
The quoted cost for the different high efficiency systems were all about the same -- expensive. Hopefully ours will pay for itself through reduced use of fuel and low maintenance. We chose Viessmann after getting estimates. Interestingly enough, we were steered away from Viessmann in a couple of cases. Our best guess is that they were afraid of installing the high-end tech.
Among the features in the new system are a 'modulated' boiler temperature that adjusts to outside temperature. The furnace room controller for the unit seems complicated but still can be fiddled with to adjust the system according to time of day and other conditions. We are finding that the three zones is a wonderful improvement in terms of both living comfort and keeping down the use of heat. We are looking forward to find out where we end up on fuel costs this winter -- hopefully a lot less.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Corn: Too Much of a Good Thing?
I can think of a few times in my life when I have had a sudden and permanent attitude-altering experience. In this case, the source of the alteration was very simple, I watched the documentary film King Corn, a story about the role of corn in the U.S. One image in the film especially caught my eye. It was the corn fed cattle. I am talking about the bulked up, hefty, cattle that go into hamburgers. As I listened to the film, my mind wandered fleetingly to see all the bulked up people in the U.S. -- you can see them everywhere. I would not embarass them or me by telling them so directly, but some of these people look bulked up just like the cows. As pointed out in the film, all of us depend heavily on corn for calories, both directly eating corn products and also eating corn-fed livestock and their products. Getting too bulked up has become an obesity problem accounting for an epidemic of deteriorating health for those of all ages. I realized that I too could be bulking up, because of my own intake of corn -- especially when I looked in the mirror, and no, I am not anorexic.
The reliance on corn in U.S. diets was a brilliant initiative that began in the 1970s with Earl Butz, the Secretary of Agriculture under President Nixon. The emphasis on corn was in many respects a very good thing, because it led to an abundance of calories at low cost. The problem today is that corn has become a ubiquitous part of the food chain for the food on our tables, and is not infrequently present in quantities that reduce the nutritional quality of our diet.
Take a look at how many grocery store items contain high fructose corn syrup. When I go to the grocery store these days, I try to find products without high fructose corn syrup. There are not many on the shelves without these sweeteners. For good measure, I cast aside also the products that contain sugar, or cane syrup or other processed sugars. I also exclude milk products which may come from corn-fed animals. I have worked hard to find a nutritional, enjoyable and satisfying combination of foods without the corn and other sweeteners. Leaving aside the sweeteners was difficult for a person that grew up enjoying sweets with gusto. But artificial sweeteners have become my friends, and keep me happy. My dietary approach is probably more drastic than necessary, but on reflection I am especially happy with the nutritional content that has resulted. And now after a couple of months, in my mind's eye at least, I look a little less like those corn-fed cattle.
For futher information about the film:
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Supercilious
He first chomped down on his cigar and then opening his mouth sneered "You aren't smart enough to know what you are talking about."
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