I currently have a traditional water heater. I have heard the pros and cons about a tankless water heater from the gas company and wasn't sure if it was the right move for me, so I decided to interview my neighbor Chris Boudreaux to find out more about his experience.
For me, it boils down to money and timing. When our water heater broke a few years ago, it flooded the garage and was replaced for under $1000. Chris's switch to tankless water heater cost his family around $2500 and included a federal incentive and rebate from the gas company. The life expectancy of a traditional water heater is 8-10 years and ours lasted 12 years. Should the situation occur again, I will definitely consider a tankless water heater. The tankless water heater saves gas, last longer and for us, would waste less water while waiting for the water to heat up. Currently we wait over a minute for our shower to get hot as it must travel from the tank in our garage to upstairs to our bathroom.
This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the 27th Annual NC Auto Expo at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. I went with the intention of checking out the latest and the greatest in alternate transportation...
********** Bring on the Hybrids
I was impressed by the following hybrids at the show...looks, miles per gallon/charge/range
Chevy Volt (My Best in Show)
Chevy Volt
View from Driver's Seat
Volt Plug In
According to the Volt brochure, current Volt owners average 900 miles between fill-ups. Wow! It estimates daily charging costs to be $1.60. With a full charge and a full tank, the Volt has a range of up to 380 miles. Running on gas alone, the vehicle gets 35 miles per gallon (MPG) city and 40 MPG highway.
Toyota Prius (Toyota Best Car Company in Show, Most Hybrids)
View from Driver's Seat
Look around, Toyota Prius can be seen everywhere. And why not? They get 51 MPG City / 48 MPG Highway and start at $24,200 and there four versions to choose from.
Toyota Avalon Hybrid
Toyota Avalon Hybrid
Toyota Avalon View from Drivers Seat
Toyota Avalon Hybrid
Style and great gas mileage. Avalon Hybrid gets 40 MPG City / 39 MPG Highway.
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Toyota Camry Hybrid Driver's View
Toyota Camry Hybrid
Camry Hybrid gets 43 MPG City / 39 MPG Highway.
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Rear View
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is very cool looking. It's pricing starts at the same as it's gas powered equivalent. The Lincoln MKZ gets 45 MPG City and 45 MPG Highway.
Ford C-MAX
Ford C-MAX
C-MAX gets 45 MPG City and 40 MPG Highway with a starting price of $25,170.
Suburu XV Crosstrek Hybrid
Suburu XV Crosstrek Hybrid Driver's View
Suburu XV Crosstrek Hybrid
According to Suburu's brochure, the Crosstrek Hybrid is built in a zero-landfill plant where 100 percent of the waste is recycled or turned into electricity. It gets 31 miles per gallon.
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Wishing You Were Here
Missing from the Auto Expo were the Electric Cars and Alternate Fuel Vehicles.
No Nissan Leaf, Prius Plug-In, Ford Focus Electric or C-Max Energi, Cadallac ELR, Rav4 Electric, Tesla, Fiat 500E, Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell or Scion EV-iQ. Additionally, Honda did not participate in the expo and all the concept cars where absent due to severe winter weather prior to the event. Several of the car companies there mentioned they had something in the works (Volvo in the next 12 months) or only available in California (Fiat 500e and Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell) or you needed to be a special organization to be able to purchase them (Scion EV-iQ).
Rather than be disappointed, I took the opportunity to test drive the Fiat 500L Turbo. Wow, what a fun ride with lots of room (I'm 6'2" and need the space). The car handled nicely and the Fiat 500L is rated 25 MPG City / 33 MPG Highway. Many thanks to Fernando my guide and official photographer.
Test Driving the Fiat 500L
I hope to do a more thorough report on Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt in future blogs. Is there another alternate vehicle I should check out? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
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Green Living is the Life For Me!
Rick Gardner
apexgardner@gmail.com
@apexgardner (Twitter)
Not sure how we got talking about parking decks, but my neighbor mentioned how this parking structure in downtown Raleigh is very sustainable...So I had to check it out.
Here are some photos from my journey
Street View of Parking Deck
LED Lighting throughout structure
More LED Lighting
Over 20 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Close up view of charging station
Lots of Bike Racks
Recycling on each parking level and each exit
Solar Panel Canopy across 2/3 of the roof
Storm Water Collection and Storage
Map of the Area
Courtyard Rain Garden next door to parking deck
Courtyard Rain Garden
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More information on the Green Square can be found at
Here's a cool video I found featuring the Green Square Parking Deck that I thought you might enjoy.
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Overall, I was very impressed by the Green Square Parking Deck. It really is an example for other parking decks being planned and many of the features could be added to existing parking deck to make them more sustainable.
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