The HTRC

The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Adding a Solar Array: It’s More Science than Plug-and-Play

This week we have a great guest post from Christine Maddox. Currently she is pursuing a Master’s degree from the University of Texas as well as blogging for www.4nannies.com. She primarily loves to write about anything related to parenting, kids, nanny care, but also has an interest in solar power. While we have covered many topics revolving around alternative […]

Filed Under: Alternative Energy Tagged With: Guest Article's, Solar Power August 19, 2013 By SLS

ACECET’s Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting

Ah what a great day for a ribbon cutting ceremony at Calhoun Community College. Today they officially opened the doors for the new Alabama Center for Excellence in Clean Energy Technology (ACECET). The 11,000 square-foot ACECET building was originally constructed in the 1960’s & was extensively remodeled and earned LEED Platinum status. It is now […]

Filed Under: Training, Education, & Confrence Tagged With: HVAC, Solar Power September 19, 2012 By SLS

10 Point Quick Start Guide to Solar

For many people thinking about solar, it can be pretty easy to get confused or overloaded with all the information out there. With that in mind, we created a simple 10 point quick start guide that covers many of the basics & things most often left unsaid. The type and size of a system depends […]

Filed Under: Alternative Energy Tagged With: Solar Power January 10, 2012 By SLS

Going Off-Grid in the 21st Century – Options for Power Generation

Just as quick recap, in the last few posts we started off by specifying the “what we want to do”, followed up by the three most common stumbling blocks people run into & worked on getting a realistic initial sizing requirement for our electrical needs. Unlike the last two articles, that have seemingly been more […]

Filed Under: Alternative Energy, Off-Grid Living Tagged With: Solar Power, Wind Power September 8, 2011 By SLS

Going Off-Grid in the 21st Century, Initial Calculations for Sizing

When we first started this series of going off-grid, we started off with Craig Leisher & his family deciding to do exactly that. While him and his wife Susannah decided to pare down there power requirements to just include enough for 2 laptops, a cell phone, and the satellite internet system – we decided to […]

Filed Under: Alternative Energy, Off-Grid Living Tagged With: Renewable Energy, Solar Power, Wind Power September 1, 2011 By SLS

Going Off-Grid in the 21st Century – 3 Main Stumbling Block’s

If you mention to anyone that you are planning or going off the grid, the first thing (and sometimes only thing) that comes to most peoples mind is ditching the power company. Some individuals I have talked with in the past get a funny little gleam in their eyes & talk about “sticking it to […]

Filed Under: Alternative Energy, Off-Grid Living Tagged With: Solar Power, Wind Power August 25, 2011 By SLS

Solar – are we putting the cart before the horse?

Ahhh Solar Power – who can resist the lure of free energy for the taking which happens to also be the golden child of the Clean Tech industry, the government, and numerous other groups? I have been meaning to do an article about this issue for a while, especially after attending the Pickens Plan presentation […]

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency, Going Green? Tagged With: Guest Article's, Solar Power November 17, 2010 By SLS

Featured Posts

February – Winter Maintenance Checklist

Ahhh February, we are now in the second full month of winter and many people in the northern states and elsewhere are starting to feel run down from a lack ...

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Getting ready for Spring: Your deck & grill

Hopefully, this last snow storm was it for spring (really?) meaning most of us can start getting ready to grill and get back to enjoying the great outdoors. Needless to ...

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Taxes, Record Keeping, & Clearing the Clutter

Taxes, Record Keeping, & Clearing the Clutter

Oh no, it’s April 16th and taxes were due… are due on the 18th? In reality, my taxes were actually filed back in February, but if this were any other ...

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FAQ: Should I close my crawl space vents during winter?

FAQ: Should I close my crawl space vents during winter?

In short the answer is generally yes, they should be closed up during the winter months. If you follow our Monthly Maintenance Schedule, we recommend the month of October as ...

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FAQ: Do I need to change my HVAC filter monthly?

FAQ: Do I need to change my HVAC filter monthly?

If you follow our Monthly Maintenance Program, the first item we have listed is "Change out your HVAC filter." This has brought up a few questions, namely: Do I need ...

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FAQ: Exterior HVAC units - Should I cover my unit, or... fall & wintertime questions

When it comes to the exterior HVAC unit most people wonder about hiding them and reducing the amount of noise. We delved into that topic in our Spring & Summer ...

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FAQ: Ceiling fan direction - summer & winter

One of the biggest questions out there is which direction should my fan be running and how can I tell. You look at the switch and realize it isn't any ...

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