There's no reason that we can't make our electric companies act as storage for the consumers.
True, but there is a reason why we can't make them do it for free, which is what the complaint is about.
They said that it lowers the risk, not that it eliminates it. This is why they do studies instead of asking Slashdotters for anecdotes.
The last quarter or so of the patterns deal with interior space, but i think you might find it problematic to just apply them in isolation.
The patterns are meant to be applied in order, from largest effect with least detail, to smallest effect and highest detail.
So, for instance, if you take room that doesn't have "light on two sides"
http://www.patternlanguage.com...
there may not be much you can do, interior design wise, to save the room, without first trying some of the suggestions he has for how to deal with the lack of windows...
One way to make your old car run better is to look up the price of a new model.