Solar power saves Taos group

This weekend’s natural gas shortage may have impeded gas service in Taos, but Greater World Earthship Community residents had nothing to worry about.

Resident Ariel Bui said she and neighbors opened up the community — which uses solar energy for heat, so it’s not dependent on gas — for people whose gas service shut off as Taos temperatures dropped to 30 below zero.

“I was here, and being very concerned for people who might potentially die from below-freezing temperatures,” she said. “ … I know that if for some reason all of the electric companies in the whole world decided to cut me off, I would be OK.”

The Greater World Earthship Community is a group living in “Earthships,” or structures made of natural and recycled materials. The structures rely on solar heating, cooling and electricity and use harvested water and contained sewage systems.
Bui said the temperature in the structure she stayed in was about 60 to 75 degrees.

“(I was) walking around with no socks and a light pair of pajamas, instead of walking around in a ski suit,” she said.
Bui said community residents opened empty rental houses to provide emergency shelter for families whose houses did not have natural gas. She said the Red Cross had the earthship community on call, but that there were too many people that needed shelter, so emergency officals made other arrangements. She said about 145 families in Taos use natural gas.

Bruce Milne, UNM Sustainability Studies program director, said students can practice energy-saving techniques in their homes to reduce natural gas use and prevent future shortages. He said programmable thermostats that lower the temperature in the house at certain times is one such option.

“You want to keep your indoor temperature as close to the outdoor temperature as possible because that means you use less energy,” he said.

Using a fireplace is not energy efficient, Milne said, because many fireplaces lose the heat produced by the fire, as well as heat from the furnace, through the chimney.

Also, the energy used in taking wood from surrounding forests and transporting it back to Albuquerque is inefficient.
Milne said it’s best to set thermostats at the lowest, most comfortable temperature.

“If you are able to tolerate a colder temperature in your house, such as 65, or 63 in the nighttime … set your thermostat at 63,” he said.