Energy saving in the home
After receiving a fairly shocking electricity and gas bill, I have all of a sudden become interested in energy saving; it’s funny how often the most efficient way of making a man listen is through his wallet.
The main thing to remember about energy saving is that it isn’t actually difficult; the challenge comes in identifying how you can best achieve savings and then working out how to implement them. Pretty much all the advice you’ll ever receive when it comes to energy saving is common sense but that said there are some things that you simply wouldn’t usually think of unless they’re suggested.
In the report entitled ‘The Ampere Strikes Back’ released recently by the Energy Saving Trust, it was suggested that by the year 2020 a massive 45% of all household electricty will be used by home entertainment and computer technology. This means that 14 plug sockets per household in the UK will taken up by unnecessary gadgets alone. Looking around my lounge now almost everything is on standby mode as most appliances don’t have an off button. Even in standby mode most appliances do still use a large amount of power some freeview boxes for example use just as much energy in standby mode as when they’re fully powered up and forgetting to turn them off at the plug is an understandable oversight.
The Energy Saving Trust’s website www.energysavingtrust.org.uk offers help and advice on how to reduce your carbon footprint and as a result your energy bills. The site is split into different categories coving all the basic stuff you should know about climate change and how to prevent it, such as:Explaining what climate change is and how man is negatively contributing to it, and also what’s being done to reverse the trend.
‘ Your impact on climate change – This section explains what climate change is, the part humanity is playing and what’s currently being done to help reverse the trend.
‘ What can I do today – Covers the basics of what you can do right now in order to reduce the amount of energy you use. You are invited to answer a short questionnaire which will establish the most effective ways for your household to save money.
‘ Energy Saving Products – You’ll find details here on buying an appliance which will minimise your energy use here. From checking out the energy rating of your washing machine to choosing a new lightbulb,This section will help you identify what modifications you could make to your house, the potential savings and will give details of any grants you may be eligible for. The way that your home has been constructed makes a huge difference to its energy efficiency and with a few minor modifications you can heat your house for less energy, costing you less and saving the planet in the process.
‘ Home Improvements – This section will help you identify what modifications you could make to your house, the potential savings and will give details of any grants you may be eligible for. The way that your home has been constructed makes a huge difference to its energy efficiency and with a few minor modifications you can heat your house for less energy, costing you less and saving the planet in the process.
‘ Generate your own energy – This section discusses possibilities such as solar panelling, heat pumps and small wind turbines which could all help you make big savings on your energy bills. This is the most interesting area for me as for a while I’ve been looking in to the possibility of making our house self sufficient when it comes to our electricity.
Personally I’ve always been a big advocate of recycling and now after these recent bills I’ve been thinking I should be doing more when it comes to conserving power . Even if you’re not interested in the environmental impact, I would still recommend visiting the website to see if you can save yourself some money.
Vehicules ecologiques, green vehicles: news TechVehi Juillet 2010
Green transportation news www.technologicvehicles.com
Christmas is Energy Saving Time
The snow is starting to build up outside and that`s a good sign that Christmas is coming .The Christmas season in Canada and the U.S.A. is an energy wasting time of the year. December 25th is a GREAT DAY but the time is now to start trying to save a little energy and money at the same time easing the burden on the environment and our wallets.I`ve compiled a few energy saving tips here and hopefully i have one or two that you have never thought of implementing.
Tip #1- Turn off Christmas lights – All the lights that adorn our houses and the trees in and out of our house use immense amounts of energy to sustain the “pretty effect”. Try shutting off your lights an hour or two earlier each night and heaven for bid don`t leave them on all night.If even a fraction of people do this it could save tons of emissions being spewed into our atmosphere.Don`t light up the whole street.
Tip #2- Use Fewer Strings of Lights – As mentioned in tip #1 Christmas lighting uses massive amounts of energy ,try using a couple less strings of lights on your tree this year ,just ad more tinsel to your tree and it will reflect more light therefor reducing your need for more lights.
Take it one further and reduce the number of strings outside too.
Tip #3 – Use L.E.D. Lights – Use the new energy efficient LED strings of Christmas lights in all Christmas season lighting projects you do. Flashing lights will cut power consumption as well so hook them up to a flasher or buy flashing lights and in the long run you will be the winner .
Tip #4 – Use a Power Bar – Using a power bar will keep you from loosing any power from leakage and spikes in your power delivery network.Turn on/off whenever you wish to light up/turn off your trees lights.
Tip #5 – Use a Timer – Using a timer for outdoor lighting will keep you from forgetting to shut off your outdoor lights when you get distracted from doing so.
Tip #6 – Use a Few Candles – Using candles at around the Christmas season will save you on your regular lighting costs and energy needs. Don`t forget to use a plate under your candles and make sure it`s big enough so if or when a candle is knocked over all the hot wax that spills out and the wick are caught in your plate and be sure not to use candles anywhere near flammable materials such as curtains and furniture or even carpet.Candles will even heat your room a touch making it more comfortable to be in. Environmentally friendly candles are also available .
CAUTION – “Never Leave Candles Unattended and Put Them Out When Leaving a Room”. DO NOT USE CANDLES ON YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE,EVER.
Tip #7 – Hire a Kid with a Strong Back – Instead of using your snow blower this holiday season ,when it snows look around for a kid or someone in your neighborhood with a strong back who can shovel your snow instead. The economy is still not yet recovered and there must be somebody you know who needs the money.If you`re planning on cooking dinner that night already maybe offer a cooked dinner for a job well done.
Tip #8 – Do Your Shopping On the Internet – Save yourself the runaround looking for the perfect gift ,find it online . All the big retailers have places online to do this.A good way to save energy is to create your own using solar panels. Buy a guide and make it a Christmas holiday project.The one i recommend is number one on the internet and the best i`ve seen so far.Earth4Energy solar will show you how to build your panels and install them with a handy DIY guide with videos for enhanced instructional guidance. Read my review -> Earth4Energy Reviews .
Maybe look into buying a dinner out for everyone you know,
have a party and car pool to bring everyone there and back,or, try giving gift cards to everyone for a nice dinner out. You can usually find a nice place with gift cards still available for Christmas gift giving.
Tip #9 – Buy All Your Presents in One Place – If you are still determined to buy hard goods for your presents pick only one shopping mall to save on your gas or maybe you can walk if your shopping center is within walking distance,bring a cart or wagon with you .Think about it.
Tip #10 – Use Your Microwave oven – When you`re cooking that big Christmas dinner don`t forget to use your microwave oven for thing like vegetables and gravies and sauces or even cooking your potatoes before you mash em . A microwave oven saves 80-90 % of the energy that a conventional stove and oven use.Conventional stoves and ovens loose a lot of heat just trying to keep a constant temperature, heat loss is inevitable.
Tip #11 – Be a Grinch – If you really want to save energy this year be a Grinch and don`t give gifts , just be sure to tell everyone you`re not buying reciprocating gifts for anyone and you could literally save a great amount of energy,time,gas,money and frustration.
#12 – Right now that`s all i got so i`m leaving #12 to you ,
If you have any more tips for saving energy this Christmas season or maybe you just want to leave a comment please do so,your comments are welcome.Please no spam.
P.S. – Remember that when everybody works together saving energy, the world as a whole benefits from fewer pollutants which leads to cleaner air and water and fewer dangerous chemicals to harm our health.Breathing would become easier and everyone would live longer and cancer rates would be put on the decline.So i urge everybody to do their part and save on your energy consumption at Christmas time each year or else the problem will just grow.
Mark Demers – Electric-Reviews.org
Battery venture to power green cars
The Shanghai Advanced Traction Battery Systems Co, which is 51 percent owned by SAIC, will focus on developing, manufacturing and selling complete vehicle traction battery systems for use in hybrid cars, electric vehicles, heavy duty trucks and bus applications in China.
A123 Systems is a manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries which it will supply to SAIC and other Chinese car makers for use in new energy vehicles.
“The electrification of the global automobile industry is irreversible,” said Chen Hong, president of SAIC. “We should grab the opportunity and made sufficient preparation for fundamental changes.”
SAIC, the Chinese partner of General Motors Corp and Volkswagen AG, earlier announced it would source hybrid technologies from Delphi Corp and has also reportedly agreed to buy lithium-ion batteries from BYD Automobile Co, a Chinese battery and electric car maker backed by US billionaire Warren Buffett.
Electric cars are becoming a trend globally because of rising awareness of energy efficiency and environmental protection, according to analysts.
SAIC plans to begin marketing a series of new energy vehicles next year, including the Roewe 750 mild hybrid, the Roewe 550 plug-in strong hybrid as well as its self-developed electric car.
Early this year, SAIC invested 2 billion yuan (3 million) in a new energy company to develop power and control systems to be used in green vehicles.
On Needsee, there are both company website and business community, and you can get the latest news. What’s more, you can makes friends withpeople from all over the world. The common B2B E-Commerce Platform only has a company website without business comunity. But Needsee is totally different.
Living Green – Nature Conservancy
David Lewis of “A Natural State of Living Green” interviews Mike Slay of the Nature Conservancy in Northwest Arkansas about the unique Karst system in the Ozarks. Featured on Jones Television cox cable ch. 22
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Discover Your Own Energy Saving Super Powers!
Timely, humorous home energy home energy efficiency public service announcement
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Live Well – Live Green!
There have been so many advances in green energy technology, it is now easier than ever to start changing your home to run on clean, alternative power.
There are many ways to implement your plan to convert your home from being totally fossil fuel dependent to making use of renewable energy sources.
Solar Energy – You can have installed solar hot water panels to heat your water. And you can install solar panels which use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. These systems can be expensive if purchasing them and having them installed professionally, but there are many good resources available so you can make your own solar panels and solar hot water system, which will reduce the expense by many thousands of dollars.
Passive Solar Design – If you are building a new home, a really good way to make it energy efficient and so cut your power bills, is to implement passive solar design principles during your house’s construction. This means having large areas of windows on the south side (in the northern hemisphere – the north side in the southern hemisphere) of your home. You should also have heat-retaining brick, stone, or concrete in your south-facing rooms to store the heat during the day; as the outside temperature drops at evening, the heat from the thermal mass will warm the air in the room, thereby reducing your heating requirements.
Windmills – Another way to take advantage of renewable energy sources is by harnessing the wind to produce pollution-free electricity. Windmills can be installed on rooftops or in yards, or if you live out of town, in the fields. Windmills are available commercially but there is also quite a wide variety of reasonably priced kits available for anyone who is keen to do their own and so lower the costs significantly.
Water Power – If you have a property with a stream on it, you can further add to the efficiency of your alternative energy home with hydro-electric power. This is another great, pollution-free power source which is easy to look after and works as long as there is water available.
The ultimate green energy home would combine all of these resources. You are not only looking at huge savings, and even possible profits, from your electricity usage by utilizing solar, wind, and water to create your home’s power, but you would also be contributing to a cleaner, greener, Earth, as these simple, natural, renewable options don’t produce the greenhouse gas emissions which are causing global warming.
By adding passive solar design and a solar hot water system to the mix, you would further reduce your energy needs, exponentially, and would be truly living well – living green.
A renewable energy home doesn’t require more maintenance than traditional homes. Solar technologies require little to no maintenance, while just a regular oiling will keep wind and water turbines at peak performance. There is no better time to create your green energy home.
Do yourself and the world a favour – it will be something you can be proud of.
GREEN VEHICLES
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