Monday, October 17, 2005

trackback []

Attic Fans: Save Some Energy The house I grew up in in Connecticut had central air conditioning, but it also had an attic fan. When conditions were right--which was more often than not, with Connecticut's slightly humid but relatively mild summers--it provided a far cheaper nighttime alternative to A/C. An attic fan is a great big fan mounted in, well, the attic. It is as powerful as--I'm guessing wildly here--50 table fans, or a half-dozen ceiling fans. What it does is suck all that cool night air in from the cool night, into the house, to replace the stale, humid, warm air that remains in the house even after the outdoor temp has cooled. They work best in areas where the summer evenings are reasonably cool (60s), like Connecticut, or even better, Minnosota, where I now live. I imagine an attic fan, installed in a 2500 square foot house as part of the build, wouldn't cost more than $600. Unfortunatley, they seem to be completely out of style, which is a shame, because they are such a cheap, energy-efficient, eco-friendly option. 9:53:18 PM    comment []

trackback []

I heard a financial advisor on the radio offer an interesting take on Roth IRAs versus 401k. If you assume marginal tax rates remain constant over time, the math behind pre-tax vs. post-tax benefit works out exactly the same. Most advisors I have heard, however, think that current marginal tax rates are only likely to go up. Therefore, by going the Roth option, you are locking in today's low tax rates. However, this advisor took a much more cynical perspective. She did not trust the long-term promise that Roth withdrawls would be tax-free. So she advocated taking the tax-break in the hand, rather than trusting government not to repudiate the promise of untaxed withdrawls. I see her point. 7:52:51 PM    comment []

trackback []

GM and Ford's woes are much in the news. The focus is on high union wages and healthcare expenses, which are of course a big factor. I do wish the coverage would also spend more time on the inefficiencies created by union work rules, because that is also a major factor. 9:17:15 AM    comment []