Will the U.S. get active about the passive?

Will more Americans show interest in greentech that is already being used in other countries? Today one MSM publicaton takes a look at the exotic technology of heat exchangers. Already used in many homes in Germany and other parts of Europe. Also more energy efficient windows, first devleoped at MIT but now available in Europe but NOT in the U.S. where we've made a habit of energy waste. Single pane windows with aluminum frames. Huge water heaters that store dozens of gallons of hot water at all times instead of the more efficient on-demand heaters. Office buildings that leave lights and personal computers running all night and all weekend. The list of our collective wastefulness is too disheartening to continue.

I've blogged about the plans within the Obama pre-administration to funnel some economic recovery money into energy efficiency. It's a move supported by the Nobel Prize winner nominated to head Obama's Energy Department. So maybe heat exchangers will become more readily available to American business and home owners.

They aren't all that new. Here in my little town the city's energy conservation folks took the public around to see a local house using a heat exchanger. That was in 2004. The idea of passive solar homes is also not new. Here's a video on one that I've been inside myself. For you engineering whizzes, here's your quix question on how to calculate the efficiency of a heat exchanger. I will not provide the answer.