{Going GREEN with Attic Fan}

In an ongoing effort to lower the cost of energy, my dear husband Pieter did decide to install an attic fan after having worked in the HOT area under the roof. He had to climb up there for finding the wires to connect the newly installed ceiling fans in the living room and kitchen, as seen in {Our Energy Star ceiling fans from Wayfair + Superior Customer Service}. It was on May 15, that I took the first photo from the installation of this attic fan with thermostat (Home Depot). On May 17 Pieter completed it. We both are anxious to find out what the difference in energy consumption will be for next month's billing. Around 11:30 AM in the morning the thermostat starts the attic fan and we have since noticed that the air-conditioning has not been running much. Both of us wonder why a builder would not install such an attic fan right away... Maybe now, when energy prices become an issue, people will be more conscious about GOING GREEN. Let's hope so, because all together we can make a huge difference and it affects ones pocket in a positive way. The investment costs are not high at all; only the labor is rather intensive and working in the heat is not pleasant; even if a big fan is being used up there. All together we ought to lower our Carbon Footprint!

Here you see the cellulose on the attic, which is already a help in insulating the house. Pieter put in this beam newly, so he can walk over it, without having to 'toe' his way through the cellulose, in search for the nearest beam to step on. Our entire roof construction is made out of red cedar and is done in a very solid way; following Pieter's advice after he'd made the drawings for our home himself. The attic fan is being installed in front of those vents that are above the bedroom/garage side of the house.

My dear handy man and 'worker bee' in action. It cost him lots of t-shirt changes, because it was a brutal hot job up there. I am proud of him for being able to perform like this after his quadruple bypass surgery on September 3, 2010. When he saw his cardiologist a week prior to this job, he was told by him that Pieter was his best patient! Sure, he follows up with discipline and we both go to the Fitness Center to build up strength and it pays off. Never easy but that's life. It's not a pick nick to be on earth... But the satisfaction one has from things done with your bare hands is tremendous! It's all worth it.

Remember; he has to stand on those support beams as there is no solid flooring! Not easy to manage and he did hurt his knee while doing that for days on end. Hope it will only be a strained muscle...

Imagine if this would be glass wool, how it would itch...

So much for the invention of cordless drills to work wherever you want to!

Two days later by 8:00 PM I made this photo of the Attic Fan with thermostat being up and running!

A brand new outlet being installed with switch for new light. There was NONE; another neglect by the builder! Several times the people from the air-conditioning had to work on the attic and they too need light.

Light installed now on both ends of the attic. This is above our kitchen area. The silver colored ducts you see here are from the air-conditioning.

Next day, on May 18, the fan began running automatically and has done so every day. Good feeling for having it all installed before the heat starts really hitting us. Now it is already 90s in F or 30s in C and soon that will be 100s or 40s!

Are you ready for the heat too?

Energy wise that is...

Related link:

{Saving Energy and Our Attic} | post by me about energy saving

{Our Energy Star ceiling fans from Wayfair + Superior Customer Service} | post where Pieter had to find the wiring on the attic...

{Birds in our Garden and Update}

After a real busy day I have only a short post today. Wanted to show you two of my favorite birds that we have in our wood-garden. The Blue Bird and Cardinal. They look so exotic for us; coming from the Old World... Oh, and don't forget to visit Johanna from Silber-Rosen for her fabulous international giveaway. To the right on my blog at the top you can enter right away or by using this hyperlink. June 20 the winner will be selected!

Another fabulous giveaway from Rebecca at A Gathering Place till June 25th. Her button sits at the very top of my blog to the right; or use this hyperlink also.

The day before yesterday,  after I'd finished my post about: {YES; I was at an Yves Saint Laurent Prêt-À-Porter Show in Jakarta}, Indonesia I did figure out that I do have one more accessory from YSL. A beautiful wool scarf with fringed edging. You can see the two photos of it on my blog. Use the above hyperlink to get there. Sorry for being forgetful... but it is worthwhile seeing and I didn't want to withhold those photos.

Now back to the birds. These are photos from a PPS, I once received and I did make a Screenshot of the two I loved most. Impossible to provide you with a photo from our garden. Birds don't sit still. Blossoms already 'dance' in the wind and it's tricky enough to catch them, let alone a very shy Blue Bird learn more about them here at the North American Blue Bird Society by clicking on hyperlink.

Blue Birds are insect eaters and we do have them every year in our nesting boxes. But it is nearly impossible to see them; they're so tricky and adept at hiding their nests... Only if we sit in the gazebo for lunch or tea, we can see them forage on the lawn and fly to their nest. But knowing that they do co-exist on our property is good enough!

{Our Energy Star ceiling fans from Wayfair + Superior Customer Service}

The past weeks husband Pieter has worked very hard. As Rebecca from A Gathering of Thoughts would call her husband being a 'worker bee', mine for sure is one too! 

We'd ordered three white ceiling fans from Wayfair a zillion things home, I've done some Giveaways from them previously. I'd ordered from them before but this time they did excel in everything. First off, our Minka Aire Supra 44" Energy Star ceiling fan in white, with a blade pitch of 14° came with FREE shipping and at a great price. We decided to replace the Minka Aire Chantal Fortepierre 52" in medium maple with a blade pitch of 14° that was in our bedroom, with this white one. It was not available last year (from another company). So we were thrilled to find it here. I went ahead and ordered another smaller one for the kitchen in a 32" white and also for the office; all FREE shipping!

Pieter first moved the medium maple to our living room. There was no wiring yet but by getting up on the attic he did divert a wire from the lamp in the living room and got it hung. He also moved the lamp closer to the fireplace, as we can safely move our furniture closer, since we no longer use wooden logs but artificial gas logs.

Our Energy Star Minka Aire 52" Chantal Fortepierre medium maple in the living room now.

This one has a 14 degree blade pitch

That was the first ceiling fan project completed! I was mighty proud of Pieter, as this is the first time since his open heart surgery on September 3 of 2010, that he's done such kind of jobs. It was hot on the attic too and there is no floor. He had to balance on the red cedar beams and feeling his way underneath the fluffy white cellulose insulation. But it worked out well and one by one they got hung. By the way, Pieter's education in Horticultural Engineering included designing buildings. He's managed to do all the ducting; wiring; plumbing; masonry and carpentering for our Rose Suite, where he could put to use all he'd ever learned. For the Dutch Government he'd designed the first practical training college for mushroom growing and later he designed for Campbell's Soup the two state of the art Dutch technology mushroom plants in Dudley, Georgia and Hillsboro, Texas. Numerous other projects he got involved in as international consultant. BUT, since he's retired he's ALL MINE... And I do treasure this guy! They don't come around any better...

This is the Master bedroom with the new Energy Star Minka Aire 44" Supra from Wayfair. Both of us are very energy conscious, for keeping our planet Green we are Going Green.

We did have a problem with the glass and made a photo of the damaged part. Through Wayfair's customer service that got resolved in such a way that in a couple of days an entire new fan arrived! 

Unbelievable courtesy at this time and age...!

Our Rose Suite downstairs now has one too!

All three of those Supra 44" come with a 14 degree blade pitch

With the fans came natural wooden knobs for the pull chains... Clever idea from Pieter to spray paint them white while sticking them onto plastic forks!

This 32" Minka Aire ceiling fan hangs in the office, right above me... There was a lamp, like in the Rose Suite so the wiring was all there.

And finally the one in our kitchen. There was no wiring, but my handyman got it done by dividing an existing wire and creating one for this 32" Minka Aire Supra ceiling fan.

These smaller 32" Minka Aire Supra fans have a 22 degree blade pitch.

It feels great when cooking with this fan running; quite a joy. It served me well a while ago when preparing our supper!

In our bathroom, laundry room and in the gazebo we got this Westinghouse Wengue 30 inch and it has a steep 18° blade pitch.

How many degree is the blade pitch on your ceiling fan(s)?

P.J.C. Vedder's 1987 Design for NEW COMPOSTING SYSTEM (Phase I)  | post explaining Pieter's education