Magnetic Refrigerators
Magnetic Refrigerators
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Electric have teamed up to create a revolutionary new type of refrigerator that uses magnets to create cold, also known as the magnetocaloric effect (lowering or raising the temperature of the material by changing the magnetic field).
Ultra-Efficient Heat Pumps
Ultra-Efficient Heat Pumps
The Building Technologies Office is ushering in the next generation of heat pump systems, which warm and cool your home by moving heat from one space to another. A fuel-fired, multi-function residential heat pump that can reduce primary energy consumption by 30 percent.
Clothes Dryers
Clothes Dryers
The same concept behind heat pump technologies that keep your home comfortable can also be used for another important application: drying your clothes. Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Electric are developing a new type of clothes dryer that uses a heat pump cycle to generate hot air needed for drying.
Smarter, More Connected Homes
Smarter, More Connected Homes
We live in an increasingly connected world -- the same is true for our homes. New electronic devices and appliances can now be linked to the Internet to provide real-time data that makes it easier to understand and lower energy use.
Next-Gen Insulation
Next-Gen Insulation
Insulation is one of the most important ways to reduce your home heating and cooling costs. The Industrial Science & Technology Network is developing new foam insulation made with environmentally friendly and advanced composite materials that ensure heat doesn’t escape from the attic, walls and other areas of the home during cold winter months.
Advanced Window Controls
Advanced Window Controls
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Pella Windows are working on new highly insulated windows that use sensors and microprocessors to automatically adjust shading based on the amount of available sunlight and the time of day to ensure proper lighting and comfort, saving consumers energy and money.
Reflective Roofing Materials
Reflective Roofing Materials
Cool roofs coated with materials containing specialized pigments reflect sunlight and absorb less heat than standard roofs. Expect these types of roof systems to get even “cooler” due to new fluorescent pigments developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and PPG Industries that can reflect nearly four times the amount of sunlight of standard pigments.

Energy-Saving Solutions

From heating and cooling to electronics and appliances, it takes a lot of energy to power our daily lives. Our homes use 37 percent more energy today than they did in 1980. But without energy efficiency -- through technology innovation and federal energy conservation standards -- this number would be a lot higher. In fact, even though our total energy use has grown, our energy use per household is down about 10 percent, despite that our homes are larger and contain more devices.

Easy Cleaning Methods

Send germs and dust packing with tips suggested by cleaning services Minneapolis.
You like a spotless house-but you do not want to spend the majority of your time and effort actually cleaning. Nicely, fret forget about. We talked to seven specialists who gave us a few of their best solutions to make chores less difficult, more effective and far less time-consuming, so that you can possess a tidy, sparkling home in no right time flat. Mom would approve even.
In The Kitchen
Circle THE RIGHT PATH Around: Always start on the proper side of one's stove, move clockwise round the room then. The stove is the dirtiest section of the kitchen typically, so closing with it maintains you from spreading dust and grease. (First, soak drip knobs and pans in warm soapy water. By enough time you've worked the right path around, they'll be better to clean.)
Sanitize the Sink: It's hard to trust, but your dirty drain has more germs than your toilet chair. Use a product called an EPA-authorized disinfectant, or create your personal. To disinfect, clear your sink with drinking water and soap first, after that spray a mist of vinegar accompanied by a mist of hydrogen peroxide, and allow air-dry. (Don't blend the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide together-spray one following the some other.) If your sink will be stainless steel, ensure it is sparkle afterward by placing several drops of mineral oil on a soft buffing and cloth. This prevents drinking water buildup, which deters mold and maintains the sink looking clear longer.
Carry out Dishwasher Duty:: Once weekly, shake baking soda on a damp sponge and clean round the machine's edges to eliminate stuck-on meals or stains. To completely clean the within, run a clear cycle with Dishwasher Miracle, a product made to kill germs like E.coli. "During cold and flu time of year, add a quarter-mug of bleach to the standard dish period to kill germs," says Laura Dellutri. The laundry will be secure and sanitized following the rinse cycle is completed.
Love Your own Oven: Keep carefully the heart of your kitchen area clean by lining underneath with a non-stick ovenliner. It could be wiped with a papers towel, devote the dishwasher, and reused again and again.
Disinfect the Disposal: To eliminate odors, drop inside a cut-right up lemon, some salt and some ice. The lemon deodorizes, and the ice and salt clear away residue.
Crumple Paper Towels…Forever: Make use of microfiber cloths instead. When wet, they sanitize and clear floors, counters, tile and glass, and eliminate the dependence on other cleaning items. They're reusable (machine-clean, hang to dried out) and cost about $5 for a two-pack.
Clean as You Set off: Linda Cobb suggests filling your sink along with hot soapy drinking water as you start supper. "Place used meals and pans in the packed sink so they will be soaking when you eat," she states. Also, clean up any spills immediately-don't give sauces, spices or oils an opportunity to sit around.
Zap the Sponge: Everybody knows that sponges could be a breeding floor for bacteria. Disinfect yours every full night by squeezing it away and microwaving it on high for a minute. If it is shredded and smelly, replace it.
Bathroom Boosters
Make Doorways Shine: Rubbing a new teaspoon of lemon essential oil on glass bath doors twice per month causes drinking water to bead up and roll off. Or, attempt Rain-X Original Glass Therapy, a car-care product designed to maintain rainwater off your windshield. Utilize it a year twice.
Get yourself a Cleaner Liner: Fungus attacking your bath curtain liner? Toss it in the clean with several towels, which can only help scrub it clear, after that hang it right back up to dry.
Tame the bathroom .: Fall a teaspoon of Tang Consume Blend in the bowl. The citric acid acts just like a scrubber…and it's non-toxic, in case a sip is taken by your dog. Let it sit down for some minutes, swish and flush then. And when you cringe at the thought of obtaining splashed by toilet drinking water (ugh!), Donna Smallin suggests pressing the bathroom . brush in and from the trap before starting. This lowers the drinking water level, enabling you to swish away safely.
Corral Strays: Preserve drains free from hair and clogs with a product such as Drano or Liquid-Plumr to ensure potential clogs have died, then pour boiling drinking water down drains once weekly to keep problem-free. Eliminate those irritating stray hairs on to the floor by sweeping them upward with a damp wad of wc paper every morning.
Use Bedtime as Clear Time: As the kids are cleaning up during the night, wipe straight down the tub, mirrors and toilet, and toss away clutter. When they're completed, quickly clean down the sink and ground. Bathroom done.
Sweeping Solutions
Cleaning should be done top to bottom always. That real way, any crumbs or dirt that drop to the floor as long as you're working get found last. And contrary to popular belief, there's a right solution to sweep.