Tag: <span>energy saving</span>

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Reducing energy costs in the office is something that may seem challenging, but if done as a team, can actually be a lot of fun. The trick to it is to make sure that there are incentives for energy saved and that there is a way that the energy saved can also be accurately calculated. This type of initiative is something that you can implement among departments and entire office buildings.

There are several ways in which you can save money in big ways as an office. Yes, it does require some change, but ultimately everyone will be happier for it. One of the biggest ways in which you can reduce energy costs in the office is to upgrade your office equipment. This might seem like a very costly thing to do at first, but you should be aware that it will pay itself back many times over during the course of the years to come. Old office equipment is responsible for a lot of environmental destruction and harm. Think of photocopiers that cannot print paper on both sides, or old computers that use a lot of electricity when they are switched on. The minute that you get rid of those types of equipment, you will already have a much more eco-friendly office.

Some other ways in which to reduce energy

• Lights. The neon lights do not have to be on all the time, especially if the office is lit with a lot of natural light. You could have some sort of an incentive completion that whichever department functions without their lights on for the longest time gets some type of reward. You should also make sure that you do not leave the lights on at night when everyone is gone, since this uses up so much precious energy unnecessarily.
• Motion detection. Install motion detection lights in the office that only remain on as long as there is motion in the vicinity. This way, you will also be able to save a lot of energy.
• If you have an office urn, make sure that it is proportionate to the number of people in the office and that you only boil it when absolutely necessary. Boiling kettles and urns takes up a lot more electricity than people realise.
• Spread the awareness. The one thing that you can always do in the office to reduce energy is to raise awareness. Leave signs telling people not to leave the taps running, to turn off the light, to not misuse the heating and you should get somewhere in terms of saving electricity.

If, however, you are ready to make a full upgrade, you might want to consider getting some LED lights to replace the normal ones, as they burn for longer and do not need that much electricity in order to work.

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Source by Kenneth Nel

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Home renewable energy is a rapidly growing interest for many home owners. When it comes to household bills and expenses, nothing ever seems to get any cheaper. The cost of natural fuel sources is increasing at an alarming rate and, not surprisingly, our gas and fuel bills at home are also on a sharp increase.

These reasons largely contribute to a rapidly growing interest in people looking for alternative and cost effective ways of how to save on home energy. There are a number of very simple and relatively straightforward ways to do this that a large proportion of home owners generally overlook.

Here are just 3 of the most frequently asked questions when looking for alternate ways on saving on home energy:

1) Why Should I Consider Home Renewable Energy?

This question is one which you should come to terms with before any other. First and foremost, ultimately you want to save money on your electric bill. For reasons outlined above, this is the primary goal for your reasons for saving home energy. The other benefit is that you will be doing your little bit for the environment. By burning less energy at home, you are helping to reduce the amount of harmful toxins and emissions that conventional energy producing methods generate.

2) What’s The Easiest Way For Me To Save On Home Energy?

There are many small and simple steps you can follow to help save home energy that many people overlook. These are things such as turning lights off when not needed, switching to low energy lights, keeping doors closed (particularly in colder months), not leaving electrical items on standby, buying energy efficient electrical items and turning your thermostat down a degree or two. However the biggest impact you can have is to generate your own free electricity by building your own solar panels or wind turbine.

3) How Much Will Home Renewable Energy Initially Cost Me?

Most of the tips above cost nothing to implement. All you need is a small degree of discipline. You’re the one who’s paying for your heating and gas bills so why waste it by leaving doors and windows open when it’s cold outside – but you would be surprised how many people actually do!! They are simple steps which cost you nothing.

However, to make a real impact, a small but very prudent investment may be needed. The best home renewable energy products on the market today by far are solar panels and wind turbines.

These forms of home renewable energy are being recognized more and more with home owners across the world as a viable, cost effective means of saving home energy. It is quite possible to build your own solar panels to generate home electricity for under $200 and these will provide a long term, free, sustainable and clean energy supply for your home for years to come.

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Source by James K Stewart

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Conserving energy will help the environment, and it’ll also help your wallet. Gas and electricity prices are rising, and having a more energy-efficient home can help you reduce monthly costs significantly. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions regarding going green and energy conservation:

Question: I want to go green, but I don’t know how to make my home more energy-efficient. There are so many options. How do I choose which are the best to invest in?

Answer: Conducting a home energy audit is the best way to figure out how to improve the energy efficiency of your home. You can have an home energy audit conducted by a professional auditor. Professional auditors use specialized equipment like infrared cameras and blower doors, and can thoroughly investigate your home for inefficiencies. However, you can also conduct your own home audit. Going room to room, note any points where air could be entering or leaving the house. Places to check include windows and window frames and door jams.

If you have crawl spaces or an attic where insulation is visible, take a look at it and see if it’s still in good shape. Take note of how old your appliances are, also. Once you’ve recorded all of the problem areas you can find, head to your power company’s website, or a state or federal website on energy conservation. These sites usually have checklists that let you know which energy hogs to prioritize.

Question: I want to save money and help conserve energy, but I don’t want to be uncomfortably hot or cold in my own house. Is there a way to save money without giving up on creature comforts?

Answer: Definitely. Because of the current focus on energy conservation, more and more appliances and climate control options are being engineered to be more energy-efficient. While upgrading to new appliances or systems can be costly in the short-term, these new, sophisticated energy-efficient options will save you money in the long run.

This is particularly true of climate control options. Heating and cooling are amongst the biggest culprits when it comes to using too much energy, and we are often using one or the other all year-long. Upgrading to modern energy-efficient air control systems can really make a difference if you’re trying to save money.

The best thing about these upgrades is that they are likely to keep you just as comfortable as your current climate control option. Energy-efficient air control systems save energy in creative ways, like including programmable thermostats that warm your home shortly before you’re due to return from work, or automatically turn off around the time you leave for work. Options like this have no impact whatsoever on how comfortable you are in your home; they’re saving you money when you’re not there. Another way in which these new systems save energy is by incorporating more efficient motors. This doesn’t affect your experience at all.

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Source by Robin Khan

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Picture a beautiful ranch with horses and cattle. In the center of the picture stands a house that is totally self sufficient from the standpoint of electrical power. There are three fundamental methods for achieving this outcome. Two are mechanical. Wind and water turbines convert the movement of air (from the wind) or water (from a stream, for example) in to electricity. The solar panel, on the other hand, captures the energy from sunlight and converts it directly into direct current. While each has its virtues, only solar power generates electricity silently without involving moving parts. Thus, your solar panel system is not subject to the wear and tear of a system which generates electricity through the movement of a turbine.

One important energy conservation tip is use of homemade solar panels to generate a clean, renewable, ecologically-friendly alternative energy source power household appliances. If you are interested in reducing dependence on fossil fuels while reducing your electricity costs this article can get you started on the path to a “greener” home.

Why solar panels? With the ever-present threat of Global Warming looming over our heads, clean and renewable energy is an appealing alternative to electricity generated from fossil fuels. Solar energy can reduce the monthly cost of electricity. It is a technology amenable to DIY projects.

Solar panels harness the power of sunlight to generate electricity through the use of photovoltaic (PV) cells. If money is no object, a contractor can be hired to obtain and install a solar system for you. For those of us in the “other” category, there are other less expensive options. These include purchasing solar panel kits, refurbishing used solar panels, and the ultimate DIY of making panels from component parts. Solar panels can create a more self-sufficient household, which meets all or a large portion of household electrical energy needs. The ideal scenario would have the electricity generated exceed the household needs permitting electricity to be sold back to the Grid.

Although the there are other component required for more complex systems, the basic elements of a homemade solar panel system include:

-Solar panel(s)

-Charge controller

-Battery

-Inverter

Solar panel – The fundamental and essential component of a solar energy system is the solar panel or panels, consisting of a series of PV cells, which are combined to generate an electrical current usable in real time. In the solar panel, PV cells are linked together to generate an electrical current which is the sum of the currents produced by each cell. The serious DIY can obtain PV cells, attach them to a plywood board, wire them together, and cover them with glass for protection. Buying a kit can provide the “less handy” of us with an option which is still less than hiring a contractor but much less cumbersome since the part all contained in the kit.

Charge controller or regulator – This unit controls the charging of the battery so as to prevent overcharging. It also tracks the battery discharge status during the evening. By doing this, the charge regulator maximizes the life of each battery, thereby maximizing the efficiency of your solar energy system.

Battery – The electricity not immediately used is stored by a battery or series of batteries. Deep-cycle or marine batteries are preferable to automobile batteries because they are capable of storing all or virtually all of the electricity generated by the solar panels, thus minimizing waste. Such batteries are capable of storing considerably more energy than the standard automobile battery. Can auto batteries be use? Of course, but remember, you will need more of them to do the same job.

Inverter – Virtually all of our electrical appliances utilize AC or Alternating Current, whereas the electricity generated and stored in our solar powered system is DC or Direct Current. Therefore, the Inverter is the key to converting DC current into AC, creating electricity to power everything from your lights to the refrigerator. This is the key to the conversion of energy from the sun into a form that can be used to power your household appliances.

If a solar panel system is designed with the intent of generating enough electricity to “sell back” to the Grid, then the components will include the AC Breaker Panel, and a Kilowatt-per-Hour Indicator. The KW per Hour indicator, for example, is necessary to track how much current is provided to and from the grid to determine the charge or credit that appears on your monthly electric bill.

As you consider what path you will take on your energy conservation quest, don’t forget some of the least expensive and most cost-effective options such as Energy-Saver fluorescent light bulbs.

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Source by Dan Kudo

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The skyrocketing price of fuels is posing a threat to the entire economy as well as the average consumer. In such situations, the use of Biomass energy can be a possible solution. Biomass is a biological or a natural material that can be used to produce energy. The sources of Biomass comprise a wide variety of materials such as dead trees, unused crops, forest and mill residues, animal wastes, aquatic plants and municipal and agricultural wastes.

When these materials are burned as fuel to produce energy, we get biomass energy. Other biomass materials such as ethanol, which is produced from corn and other leftover crops and biodiesel, which is produced from vegetable oils and animal fats can be used to create biomass energy that can even power transportation vehicles.

Today, biomass fuels are readily available. But biomass energy only accounts for about three per cent of energy used yearly in the United States. The main reason is the production cost of various bio energy fuels. The production cost does not match the production price of fossil fuels such as coal. This means the commercial production of Biomass is quite far-fetched at present. Hence there is an urgent need to cut down the production cost to make bio energy affordable. There should be an economic analysis of the commercialization of Biomass and concentration should be more on a wider commercial market. This will help to lower the production cost of biomass. According to Haq Z. in his book “Biomass for Electricity Generation” (2004) “By 2020, the United States is estimated to have a maximum of 7.1 quadrillion Btu of biomass available at prices of $5 per million Btu or lower.”

The society needs to be more open to the use of biomass as an energy resource. The trash that goes into our landfills can be readily used to produce Biomass. There will be no dependency on fossil fuels. This, in turn, will help the world economy as well as the environment.

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Source by Pauline Go

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If you haven’t given the subject of lighting much thought recently that’s probably because, in common with most folk, the phasing out of conventional incandescent light bulbs has not been exactly uppermost in your mind. Which is not really all that surprising; being able to switch the lights on at will hardly seems like a big deal. We do it all the time and as priorities go the whole business of lighting is comfortably off the radar.

Yet the demise of the incandescent light bulb continues quietly yet relentlessly and in less than a couple of years now the only products stocked on shelves will be low energy light bulbs, of which there are two types: CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes).

Currently the majority of low energy light bulbs available are CFLs which are some 4 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs (i.e. they only waste about 25% of their energy as heat, compared to 90%). However, CFLs are widely disliked by consumers, manufacturers and environmentalists. They have very poor aesthetic qualities (not really want you want for lighting), they’re awkward to dispose of safely thanks to their mercury content; and they’re complicated and expensive to manufacture.

LEDs on the other hand score well on all these points and quite a few more besides, the most obvious of which is that LEDs are not only 10 times more efficient than incandescents at present, but they double in performance every 18 months or so. The implications of this (known as Haitz’s Law) are astounding; in 3 years we should expect to see LED light bulbs that are 40 times more efficient. It’s no wonder that the lighting industry has en-masse elected to abandon CFL development and focus on LEDs.

So should you be purchasing LED light bulbs right now? That very much depends on whether you baulk at the prices quoted (compared to both incandescent and CFL light bulbs, LEDs still cost several times more to buy) or whether you can do math and realise that the savings in electricity consumption will more than payback the investment within the first year or two. And since modern LEDs last over 50,000 hours (compared to 2,000 for regular light bulbs) the return on investment just keeps rolling in.

Now some folk will argue that it makes sense to wait until LEDs are both cheaper and even more efficient, but again if you run the math you will discover that in fact it’s better to replace perfectly functional light bulbs with LEDs now and then plan to replace them in a few years, even though they will still have years of life left. How so? Because the cost of electric lighting pretty much equates to the cost of electricity – it’s all in operating costs not the hardware cost.

So, if you are thinking of switching to LED lighting then here a few pointers to what to look for. First, understand that cheap, low power LEDs are not really capable of replacing most existing lighting – in this field low cost is a false economy. However, the more expensive brand name products certainly are well up to the job, look fantastic and can deliver quite remarkable cost savings.

Second, we have all grown used to rating light levels according to wattage i.e. 100w very bright, 40-60w comfortable, below 25w getting somewhat dim. This scale doesn’t apply to LEDs. At the moment a fair estimate is that an LED will produce as much light as a conventional bulb rated at 10 times its power, so a 5w LED should be easily sufficient to replace a typical 50w halogen spot lamp for example.

A more direct means of assessing brightness is luminosity, measured in lumens (a standard 40w bulbs outputs some 360 lumens). However, luminosity by itself is not enough to determine how bright a light source actually appears. Beam angle and light “color” are also crucial.

This brings us to a third set of aspects to consider. LEDs are by nature highly directional with a very narrow beam, and they have also until recently tended to be on the cool side of things, producing a bluish light. This gives a rather harsh effect with small areas of very bright light but lots of dark spots. Modern high quality LED spotlights have much wider beam angles (120 degrees fro example) which produce a uniform light pool and their light color is much warmer. For reference, light color is measured using the Kelvin temperature scale where 2000k is referred to as “warm white” and values above 4000k are defined as “cool white”.

To recap then, find out whether any given LED light bulbs will be suitable for the application you have in mind by checking the packaging (or if buying from a catalogue or online, the product description) for the following items:

• Price and guarantee (with LEDs you really do get what you pay for)
• Brand name
• Luminosity (or estimated brightness i.e. “equivalent to 50w”)
• Light colour temperature (stated as “cool” or “warm” or given in Kelvins – see above)
• Beam angle
• Estimated longevity (LEDs should last for 50,000 hours or more)

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Source by Megan S Jones

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Are you interested in wind energy as an alternative energy source for your home? Many people all over the world are discovering that DIY wind energy is a very doable and worthwhile project that may not be as difficult as some would think.

First let’s get a basic overview of a home wind generator and exactly what you will need to begin. We’ll examine the parts and materials needed to get a basic understanding of generating electricity from the wind.

1. A DC (direct current) motor

2. Sheet metal to build the tail and body sections

3. PVC or ABS pipe to build the turbine blades (fiberglass or wood can also be used)

4. A hub to attach the blades to

5. Deep cycle battery to store excess power

6. AC inverter to convert the power produce from DC to AC current for household use

7. Charge controller-this works like a voltage regulator on an automobile to control the amount of current

8. Dump load-this is an appliance in your home such as a water heater to dump excess current produced.

9. Tower-this can be one of any number of things such as a pole, or a piece of pipe

All of the materials needed can be purchased either online or at a hardware store. The blades will have to be cut

and will need to be balanced to eliminate excessive vibration. Three blades will produce a more constant power production

than a two blade design. A three blade design also will encounter less turbulence and stress during high winds.

DIY wind energy from a home turbine doesn’t have to cost a small fortune to implement, and building an efficient and working wind generator isn’t as complicated as some may think. Resourceful homeowners have discovered that with a little knowledge and the right resources, harnessing the free energy from the wind is well within reach.

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Source by Guy Williams

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The economic downturn over the past year or so has ensured that lots of people are seriously looking for ways and means on how to save money on their electric and energy bills. Some are struggling so badly and a percentage are in ‘fuel poverty’ that they are having to take drastic changes in their lifestyles. Most are trying to restrict their usage of water heaters, kettles, ovens, TV’s, the list goes on. They are trying everything they can to save money on electric bills and rally no-one can blame them. There is the very real danger of losing your job (I have just been made redundant again), in tandem with ever-increasing bills and stealth taxes. Many people have now come to realise that in order to get through this financial downturn, they may need to cut back on their entire lifestyle, including their domestic energy usage.

Below are just some ways you can save money on your electric bill:-

* Replace all of your normal light bulbs with energy-saving type. The price of these items has reduced and are not so prohibitive.

* If you are going out for a while, e.g. to work or a day out shopping, turn off ALL electric items – except for security lighting or alarms. This action definitely reduces the amount of electricity you will use, especially if you are out at work most of the day. A considerable saving can be made by this action alone

* Ensure your home has adequate insulation, including seals around windows and doors.

* If you shower more regularly than normal, install restricted flow shower heads – these reduce the amount of water flow but mimic the effect of a regular shower head with increased localised water pressure.

There are thousands of tips on how you can reduce your electricity usage and the above tips may can be help and if you practice them all for a whole month a good saving can be made.

* But what if you could reduce your electricity bills by at least 50%?

* Is there anything currently available that would achieve this saving month in, month out?

* What if you could fully power your home for FREE?

* What if you could get your own back on the energy companies and install something they know about but won’t tell you about?

One way to efficiently reduce your electricity usage is to install a magnetic power generator in your home which is basically a FREE energy generator. To be non-technical, it simply uses magnets and magnetic force to induce perpetual motion, running by itself indefinitely without stopping. This creates FREE electrical energy, which can fully power your home for FREE and it doesn’t need further energy to power it.

The main benefits are that you can generate completely FREE ELECTRICAL ENERGY – it works in every home, requires a small amount of space and you can reduce your electricity bill by half or even totally. There again, is there a heavy investment for something like this? It takes LESS than $100 to implement.

This is FACT, and many people are implementing a system like this NOW to say NO to yet another extortionate raise in electricity prices before another ‘freezing’ winter.

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Source by Steve C Williams

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It has been noticed and observed with great care and attention that the power saving concept is becoming common day by day. This issue has always been taken into account that the concept of power saving is vital and important because the entire world has been getting a crisis in this aspect. It is the need of the hour that we should start giving some serious attention in this area to overcome this mess and nuisance as soon as possible. Due to advanced type of research and advancement in this sector, many efficient and effective schemes have been proposed by the experts and technicians to get the task done in the best possible way. To save the power is a kind of challenging task of each and every individual. Read on further and you will be able to get to know about the importance of power saving in a detailed way. In this way, all of your queries and questions will be solved right away.

It has always been the question that why power saving is important! To come up with a reliable answer and also with some facts, it has been viewed that to reduce the amount of electricity bills, power saving is important. As we know that the costs of gas, electricity, food and fuel have been increasing day by day. They are rather on seventh cloud. Various and maximum number of tips have been introduced up till now that suggest and recommend the ways to save the power in a best possible way.

This is only a tip of the ice berg! We really need to save the power. Because this is the only way face this particular crisis efficiently and effectively. Advanced types of products have been setting up in the markets that do consume less amount of power. You can easily and conveniently invest these particular electric saver products right away. Get up and go and make the best choice for you. This piece of writing will surely let you know about the significance of power saving in the best way and manner.

It has also been viewed that majority number of countries are facing critical type of situation. To make their economy strong, to cut down their costs in each and every sector, there exist a serious need for them to know the importance and significance of power saving in a detailed and précised way. Try to go for those reliable products that consume less amount of energy and also help and guide the individuals to come up with lesser amount of electricity bills.

Hence, from the above mentioned discussion it is quite and rather evident that the importance of power saving is of immense importance! Efforts and attempts are being done to bring out the best part from the reliable schemes been introduced up till now. Hopefully, in the future time period, we will be able to overcome this hurdle as soon as possible. That day is not so far when we will be saving the power in a best possible way.

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Source by Aaliya Twain

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The world has gone green and everyone is trying to chip in with a method to save the planet and so more than anything else, green technologies are mushrooming all over the globe. This is definitely catching on with the energy industries and one of the popular products currently is the LED high bay lights. The difficult economic times also motivates the need for frugal living and this makes saving on any expenses – especially monthly energy bills – a necessity. With LED high bay lighting, you are able to enjoy both options of saving the planet and saving your money. There are several benefits that you stand to gain with this kind of lighting.

Firstly, the LED high bay lights have a longer lifespan than the normal incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. Actually, they have the longest lifespan of all lighting bulbs; outlasting the normal bulbs by ten times more. This gives you the chance to save on regular bulb replacements every now and then. Their lifespan is further boosted by the fact that these bulbs do not use filaments for lighting but rather use diodes. This prevents the burning out phenomenon usually experienced in the normal bulbs. The bulbs also have a high resistance and can withstand accidental drops or falls which would otherwise break other bulbs.

With the LED high bay lighting, one is able to contribute to the efforts of conserving the planet. This is because the bulbs have low carbon emissions and are also energy saving. Their energy saving nature allows you to save on your monthly electric bill as the bulbs only use two to ten watts. This translates to about 66% of the normal amounts used in any household. The bulbs also emit low heat and thus this prevents the need for having your air conditioner switched on to cool your room.

The other advantage of the LED high bay lights is that despite its low energy consumption, the level of lighting has not been compromised in any ways and it brings about a bright high quality light. You are therefore not losing anything in terms of quality by adapting to this kind of lighting in your house.

The LED high bay lighting is increasingly becoming popular with people opting to take advantage of its benefits. Here’s the fourth reason why you should embrace these bulbs – they are available in various sizes and shapes. In addition, they are not only erosion proof but can also work in any weather conditions. This makes them pretty versatile and they certainly deserve to be considered as one of the best lighting options around now!

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Source by Carol K L Oon