DIY Home Efficiency / Improve the efficiency of your home

Solar Energy – The Solution to Reduce Your Electricity Bills

29-Sep-12

by Smithsonian Institution

Article by Offthegrid

Solar Energy The Solution to Reduce Your Electricity Bills – Home – Home Accessories

Search by Author, Title or Content

Article ContentAuthor NameArticle Title

Home
Submit Articles
Author Guidelines
Publisher Guidelines
Content Feeds
RSS Feeds
FAQ
Contact Us

The sun is entering a period of increased activity and massive solar eruptions are beginning to wreak havoc on modern technology. As we all know that energy is limited, and in the future time it will not be easy to live if we did not find alternative sources of energy.

Solar energy is the best way to save the planet and preserve our energy. This is energy from the sun and has good results in the use of energy and conservation. The solar power is becoming more and more popular these days. It is also a need of current time to use for solar products for energy conservation. That’s why people are now building solar homes to live more effectively.

Benefits of Solar Energy

It has lots of benefits. Let us take a closer look on them.

Since this form of energy does not necessarily mean the use of fuel, it doesn’t create any problem that will require recovery, transportation and storage of dangerous radioactive waste.

Solar energy is renewable, because it is inexhaustible, and therefore very environmentally friendly option compared to other energy sources, which are derived from fossil fuels.

Solar energy is good to minimize energy costs and environmental benefits. Clean energy is the need for the moment, if we have to save our planet; we should to reduce the use of negative objects that harm the environment.

Solar power technology provides a clean alternative source of energy for households and could also be used to meet our electricity needs. This type of power can be used or may be stored in the battery. It is helpful to reduce global warming effect. So if you want to save the planet use maximum energy of the sun to fulfill your electricity needs.

Replace electric heaters with solar water heaters. Replacing electric heaters in your home with solar electric heater can help you save on your electric bill by a substantial amount of money and make your home greener.

How to Produce Solar Energy?

After knowing the advantages of solar energy you have a question in your mind that how to produce solar energy? Solar panels are used to produce solar energy when you need it. The electricity excess energy flows through the indicator when combined to installed solar power. Electricity from solar panels is able to meet 80% of their energy consumption at home. The capacity created by these groups depends on the amount of time exposed to the sun. If your area is blessed by the sun throughout the year, then consider your electric power needs are solved. Solar energy is an excellent source of self-renewable and high-energy, which never ends.

About the Author

Off The Grid News like to track innovations in solar technology, and keep our readers up to date on the latest off the grid creations and progress with turning solar into the mainstream alternative to the grid. For more information visit at: http://www.offthegridnews.com

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines

whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Offthegrid

Article Directory
About
FAQ
Contact Us
Advanced Search
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines

whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

To read the timeline and learn more about this, please go to: extreme-ed.com “SCAMMED” SCRIPT: I’m Joe Coors. I approve this message. Congressman Ed Perlmutter sure knows how to work the system. Perlmutter went to Washington and Mrs. Perlmutter became a lobbyist for Solyndra, the solar energy company that lost half a billion taxpayer dollars. Record show government bureaucrats knew it was a risky deal. But Lobbyist Perlmutter pushed hard anyway and got paid 0000. Congressman Perlmutter voted for the bill. Lobbyist Perlmutter got paid. And taxpayers got scammed.
Video Rating: 0 / 5

Effective Home Energy Saving Tips

28-Sep-12

Article by Gardner

Effective Home Energy Saving Tips – Business – Service Reviews

Search by Author, Title or Content

Article ContentAuthor NameArticle Title

Home
Submit Articles
Author Guidelines
Publisher Guidelines
Content Feeds
RSS Feeds
FAQ
Contact Us

San Diego, nicknamed America’s Finest City, is a large city in southern California with a population of 1,301,617 and 3,095,313 in the greater metropolitan area according to 2010 population estimates. Given that the city is in southern California, it follows that it has mild to hot climate, notwithstanding the fact that there is a breeze from the Pacific Ocean. You will need to install an air conditioning or AC system or a HVAC San Diego (heater, ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system in your house. Cooling and heating systems consume as much as 60% of the energy used in a home. This leads to high energy bills and it adds to your carbon footprint. You should seek home energy saving solutions to increase the value of your home and to attract state and federal grants.

There are several home energy saving tips that you should consider. Ensure that your systems are operating efficiently. One way of doing this is calling in an advisor from an air conditioning San Diego company to make this determination. A manual J Load calculation will be done to ensure that you are using properly sized equipment. You should replace older and obsolete models with high efficiency units since today’s technology ensures there is efficiency. Ensure that the ductwork is properly designed. Ductwork deteriorates with time and gaping holes and cracks means conditioned air may be diverted to the attic and not your home.

Consider using adequate levels of insulation. Adding sufficient amounts of insulation, especially in the attic, is important because it reduces the amount of cold and heat entering your home, which in turn reduces your AC system’s load. Consider sealing your home, especially your attic. A blower door test should be conducted to determine whether the room has leaks that are allowing dirty and hot air into the house. Replace insulations regularly since old insulation usually gets crevices and cracks. You should also seal the doors and cover your windows with plastic sealants for air that has been conditioned to stay in.

Use the thermostat control wisely. As an example, do not turn the thermostat to the lowest setting if you want to cool a room since this would lead to greater energy consumption. Make thermostat control gradual. Do not leave refrigerator doors open, shut down AC San Diego systems and other fittings when you are not using them, consider using solar energy to heat your water, use showers in the place of baths, use ceiling fans during winter months, wash full loads when washing dishes and clothes and do regular air conditioning and heater repair San Diego. Hire a pro to examine your home’s energy efficiency and for tips on how you can reduce your energy consumption. Hiring a pro is also advantageous in that you get professionalism and you get unparalleled convenience.

About the Author

Use energy saving solutions to save on energy costs and to bring down your carbon footprint, especially when using Air Conditioning San Diego. You could get such solutions at THA Heating &Air Inc.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines

whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Gardner

Article Directory
About
FAQ
Contact Us
Advanced Search
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer

Use energy saving solutions to save on energy costs and to bring down your carbon footprint, especially when using Air Conditioning San Diego. You could get such solutions at THA Heating &Air Inc.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines

whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

5 Important Considerations About Home Solar Energy

27-Sep-12

by The U.S. National Archives

The following five factors are important considerations if you’re evaluating whether solar energy would be right for your home. Home solar energy can provide some significant advantages, but many people don’t even discuss them. It’s a controversial topic, and in some ways it’s understandable why the government would not want you to strongly consider using a renewable energy source like home solar power.

1. Solar Energy is Impossible to Regulate

Solar energy has its pros and cons, but this factor might be the single most important consideration to think about when it comes to your future. Energy costs are about to rise dramatically with the new energy tax, and they will continue to do so over the next 40 years.

The government’s inability to regulate solar power is one of this energy form’s largest advantages, because it means solar energy can never be taxed. The government is unable to measure exactly how much home solar energy you use, because it’s obtained directly from the sun instead of a traditional power plant. However, if you’re waiting for solar energy farms to start being built, this energy will probably be taxed the same way as energy that is derived from coal or oil.

2. The Price is Right (Free)

You also need to remember that home solar energy itself is free. Although you’ll need to buy and install a solar power system before you can start collecting the energy, this is a one-time cost. The price of the energy itself couldn’t be lower, because it’s absolutely free. And, although the price of energy derived from traditional sources will continue to soar, the cost of solar energy will never go up. As prices for energy from traditional sources become more expensive, you’ll save even more money by using home solar power.

3. An Unlimited Energy Source

By now, we all realize that if we continue to use fossil fuels at our current pace, today’s energy crisis will soon seem minor, because our supplies of fossil fuels will eventually run out. And even before things become that desperate, we’ll reach the point where we consume more oil than we produce. It won’t happen immediately, but the price of energy will rise as our energy consumption increases and our supplies of fossil fuels begin to become depleted.

4. Low Maintenance Requirements

Most of us don’t think much about our access to power, because we’re so used to obtaining it directly from the utility company. We would all probably love to keep our home energy systems working in a similar way – something that doesn’t require much effort or thought. This means the last thing you want to do is install a home energy system with high maintenance requirements. Solar panels need very little maintenance because they don’t use any moving parts. The fact that solar panels only need to be rinsed once or twice a year in order to remove any accumulated dust or debris is one of the big pros of solar power. A failure to perform this minor maintenance can, however, reduce a solar panel’s efficiency over the course of time.

5. Solar Energy is Non-Polluting

A fifth important advantage is that it is renewable and non-polluting. Most people are more concerned about the financial savings that can be achieved, but solar energy’s status as an environmentally friendly source is highly significant. In fact, using home solar power is one of the few things you can do that lets you save money while helping to preserve the planet.

William Craft is a green energy enthusiast and is very interested in energy efficiency and energy saving. He has a website dedicated to renewable energy’s and that has all the information you need about your home solar energy. There you can find solution for the most pressing questions about solar energy and wind energy for your home. You can find pictures, step-by-step diagrams and schematics that will show you how everything is done. There is even a Video Library where you can navigate on.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_P_Craft

Video Rating: 0 / 5

Find More Solar Energy Articles

Filed in Solar Energy | Tagged About, Considerations, Energy, Home, Important, Solar | Comments Off

9 Energy Saving Ways to Reduce Your Electrical Bills

25-Sep-12

Simple energy saving methods can save you thousands of Rands a year. Let’s face it – electricity costs in South Africa are increasing at an alarming rate. If Eskom is accurate in its assessments, by 2012 electrical tariffs will have increased by as much as 300%! For most of us, energy saving is not a priority until we start feeling the pinch on our pockets. So, if you’ve watched with silent alarm at steadily increasing electrical bills from month to month, then it is definitely time to start think of ways to reduce your electrical usage. And there are a number of key methods that mostly require you to apply a little effort, invest a small amount and most importantly transform bad energy wasting habits into energy saving, energy efficient behaviour.

Here are some immediate energy saving tips you can put into practice right now:

Turn off and turn down your Geyser

This is the most important tip of the lot as geysers utilise as much as 45% of most home owner’s electrical bills! As the most wasteful appliance ever to be created, geysers, like incandescent light bulb, generate a whole load of heat and chew up a lot more electricity mostly for nothing. Turn your geyser off for most of the day and only turn it on again an hour or so before you need to use it – which is often only twice a day. What’s more, you don’t need to warm up the water until it’s a piping, 3rd degree burning hot! Turn down the thermostat on your geyser to 50 degrees – that’s still hot enough and simply requires a little less cold water thrown into the mix. Simply change how you use your geyser and enjoy the easiest and most impactful energy saving results!

Stop using that drier and start using the sun

Driers are the second big energy chewing device in most households next to the geyser. Besides ruining your clothes over time and making others hand-me-downs because they won’t fit anymore – driers are simply one of the lazy, modern appliances that we use far too often. In summer time, the energy saving think to do is to put in a little effort and hang your clothes up outside to dry or a few hours out in the fresh air and sunlight.

Turf energy inefficient appliances

Those nice old electric heaters work like a bomb, but can use over 2000W! Check all your appliances to see what kind of electrical output they require and turf those that chew your electrical bills up. When buying new appliances, ensure you buy ones that have been specifically designed to operate in an energy saving way.

Use Gas for Cooking

Besides being the best to cook with, gas is an energy saving & energy efficient means of heating food. Gas is still VERY cheap and can save you a stack on your monthly electrically bills. Electric kettles, toasters and other electrical appliances utilise a huge amount of electricity because they need to generate a lot of heat very quickly – so use your gas stove to do the trick for you. It may take a little longer, but it is a smart energy saving alternative.

Turn off your lights!

Very typical and very wasteful behaviour that most of us are guilty of! If you’re not in a room, it generally doesn’t need to be lit up. Remember that lighting makes up as much as 25% of most house hold electrical bills, so a great energy saving habit is to turn lights off when you don’t need them on.

Replace your Incandescent Lights with ultra efficient LED Lights

Incandescent (and Halogen to a somewhat lesser extent) is an ultra wasteful, truly energy inefficient means of lighting. Over 90% of the electricity required to run an incandescent bulb is used to simply heat the tungsten metal filament to a temperature hot enough to produce light. With most households burning 60-100W incandescent bulbs, a great energy saving investment can be made and implemented by buying quality LED Lights – whether they be downlights, tubes, strip lights or bulbs. LED Lights utilise a fraction of the electricity required, produce virtually no heat, contain no hazardous materials and have an operational lifespan of +50,000 of continuous use. They can and will save you as much as 90% off your lighting bills!

Keep Doors and Windows Closed or dress warmly in winter

There’s no point keeping the heating on full blast if you enjoy fresh air when it’s cold outside. Indoor heating is often the precipitator of the common cold so a great energy saving method to reducing your heating bills while keeping your nose clean is simply to dress a little more warmly than usual while inside your home or business.

Take care of your Refrigerator

Clean under your refrigerator and ensure that the coils at the back are clean as an accumulation of dust and other materials can make your compressor work overtime. Ensure also that you defrost the fridge from time to time as an ice build up (especially in your freezer) can create air leaks again causing the compressor to work overtime to try and keep the temperature inside your fridge cool. Remember the harder your compressor works, the more heat it generates and the more electricity it uses to cool its contents.

Unplug / Turn off Appliances you are not using

Turn appliances and electronics that you are not using off to start with but know that even though the TV, computer or stereo system is not “on”, electrical charge is still passing through them and can waste a lot of electricity over time – kind of like the dripping tap.

There are many other energy saving methods and means that can save you heaps on your electrical bills, but the list above is a simple and quick way to instantly reducing your electricity costs by mostly changing the way you think about energy while becoming more conscientious about energy saving behaviours that become habits in time for you, your family and your business.

LED Lights are the the future of lighting and with rising energy costs they are the smart forward thinking investment. For more information about how LED Lights can save you time, money and energy while ensuring a clean and green lighting environment, visit http://www.lightsavers.co.za

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Byron_Levey

Renewable Energy: Solar Energy

24-Sep-12

by The U.S. National Archives

What is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is a way to convert light energy into electricity by using a device or medium that harnesses solar power. There are 2 ways we can convert solar energy into electricity, we can either convert it passively or harvesting solar power without the use of any mechanical device or actively by using a mechanical device.

There are 3 types of energy that the we can get from the sun:

Solar Light Energy. Photovoltaics is a way to convert solar energy into electricity by gathering photons or the small packets of energy inside the sun’s rays. We can use this kind of energy to gather the light of the sun and use it to power the appliances inside our homes.

Solar panels convert light energy to electricity by means of interconnected photovoltaic silicon(solar cells) arranged in a module or through an array.

For a solar panel to work, it is installed to where the sun has most adequate light in your area. A solar panel only generates 12 volt of DC, therefore, an inverter is needed to convert DC to AC. AC is an electric current equal to 110/100/220 volt (depends on country) and this kind of voltage is required to power up any appliances inside the home.

Advantage

- Less maintenance because it gathers electricity passively.
- Free source of fuel for energy gathering.
- Endless supply of fuel.
- Long operational life as it does not have any mechanical device that may wear and tear due to repeated operations.
- Saves electricity bill.

Disadvantage

- High initial cost. ROI will be achieved in about 1 to 5 years.
- Must be installed on places where 100% of the sun’s light is achieved. A cloudy location means a decrease in power output.
- Power can only gained during the day but we can install batteries so that we can still use solar energy even when the sun is not up.

Solar Thermal Energy. Harnessing solar energy but it is converted to heat energy. Examples of which is using the sun to warm a home’s indoor environment, heat water or a swimming pool.

A solar thermal system is a like a solar panel but it’s goal is to gather the sun’s heat. Instead of mirrors and silicon solar panels, it uses a black colored panels with a heat collector and instead of generating electricity, it is converted heat energy.

Advantage

- Unlike solar panels, it does not require adequate solar light to gather solar energy.
- It is used passively meaning less maintenance compared to mechanical type of solar power systems.
- Endless supply of energy because the sun does not decrease nor deplete it’s energy rate.
- Saves fuel and/or electricity required to heat a water or keep your indoor environment warm.

Disadvantage

- Will only function during the day when the sun is rising.
- Not recommended on shady or cloudy locations.
- The initial cost is high but there are other options like recycling that can decrease the total initial cost.

Concentrated Solar Power. Concentrated Solar Power uses lenses or reflective mirrors to focus light energy into a small area to generate a very high temperature that powers boils the water and powers the steam turbine thereby generating electricity.

Concentrated solar power systems are not similar to solar panels although it appears as if though it is using a solar panel but it is not a solar panel but a reflective panel all aimed at a tower thereby generating heat high enough to make steam turbines work.

Solar cooking is an example of concentrated solar power. It uses a reflective cooker that gathers the sun’s light and then aims it at a specific location to concentrate light therefore generate heat.

Concentrated Solar Power is also used to generate electricity. A dish or a parabolic trough may be used on homes but they all require a larger space and because concentrated solar power uses steam and a generator, but the downside is it might be too loud for neighbors.

Advantage

- Limitless fuel source.
- Saves on electricity bill.

Disadvantage

- Too loud and not neighbor-friendly
- Too bulky if used at home, requires larger space.
- Must be on constant sunlight to acquire 100% power.
- Has a mechanical device and uses water to generate electricity therefore requires more maintenance.
- The sun is not available at night.

Conclusion

Solar energy is free and renewable however its primary cost is high. But if you think carefully, the one time cost of solar panels for example is sufficient enough to save you at least 40% of your electricity consumption per month that will go on for years and years.

LEED, an internationally recognized green building system rates a building or a house that meets its standards for being environment friendly and conserves energy. With your green aims, plus using all the means necessary to save on electricity bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, it’s a waste if you do not get your home or building be LEED certified. Who knows you might get a LEED Platinum rating for your efforts.

Arnel Colar is a freelance writer that writes anything that can provide knowledge to the readers around the world. He writes articles ranging from environment preservation, social education, finance and loans, money, and anything that he can think of. His with articles is that articles are an art. With good research, convincing details, and creative insights added with passion, articles can become a masterpiece.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arnel_Y_Colar

Filed in Solar Energy | Tagged Energy, Renewable, Solar | Comments Off

Conserve Energy With Energy Saving Exteriors

23-Sep-12

There are a lot of ways that will help you achieve your goal of saving energy to the maximum when it comes to saving home energy. Energy consumptions are the main concern of these energy saving tips. One technique that is taught is switching incandescent bulbs to CFL bulbs. Another one is by changing some old appliances to new appliances that are energy efficient. People today keep on looking for ways on how they can save energy consumption because of the fact that the world is having a problem with energy shortage. Experts made some inventions regarding materials that saves energy such as energy saving exteriors.

It is obvious as self explanatory when they talk about energy saving exteriors; it is located outside the house. One example of these is reflective roofing materials. The benefits of having this kind of roofing materials, it helps reduce the sunlight from penetrating inside the house that’s why it can help reduce the energy consumption. Another one is the insulating paint which works, like its name, as insulators which keeps the coolness or the warmness inside the house longer. Insulating paint can also serve as sealant from the leaks or gaps that can be found in your walls or windows which seal the heat and cold air and prevent it from escaping. Guaranteed, that you will save up to 50% in your energy consumption.

Aside from those energy saving exteriors mentioned above, there are still a lot other materials available in the market that can help you save energy. Some of these are energy saving window, window shades, doors, and skylights that you can choose from. Energy saving window shade works similar to reflective roofing which blocks the sunlight to penetrate inside the house. Another advantage is during the winter season, which it serves as an insulator because they prevent the cold air outside to penetrate inside the house. If you want to know more about these materials don’t hesitate to visit the energy star website since it’s a government agency that helps people who are having difficulty managing their energy consumption. They also provide some products which you can use to save up energy.

Saving energy is not only achieved with using materials that saves energy, it also includes plants and designs. Plants and trees are great tools when it comes to shading. Surrounding your house with plants and trees can minimize the heat and promote coolness during summer. Aside from saving energy, you are also helping our planet survive as well.

Jason N. Bowden is a person who has a lot of knowledge and experiences when it comes to saving home energy. He shares his knowledge to other people through specific ideas about efficient home energy saving.

He also compiled all his experiences and knowledge in his book “Home Energy Savings Secrets REVEALED: Tips And Methods To Save Energy and Money” so that other people may also benefit from his home energy saving secrets. You can also visit his website http://www.ultimatehomeenergysavings.com and learn more about how you can effectively save home energy and money at the same time.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_N._Bowden

Solar Energy – Photovoltaic System

21-Sep-12

by NASA on The Commons

Article by Zibbi Snarski

Solar Energy – Photovoltaic System – Home – DIY

Search by Author, Title or Content

Article ContentAuthor NameArticle Title

Home
Submit Articles
Author Guidelines
Publisher Guidelines
Content Feeds
RSS Feeds
FAQ
Contact Us

Solar Energy – Photovoltaic System
Firstly, photo means light and voltaic means electricity. Photovoltaic is one of the methods of generating solar energy. In this method, the sun light is converted into renewable energy using semiconductors that follow the photovoltaic effect. The solar panels used in this method consist of photovoltaic cells aligned to absorb the suns rays into a thin beam, which is further connected to a DC wiring. This method then uses an inverter to convert DC into AC for the usage of electrical appliances. The photovoltaic cells are made up of various materials namely, mono and polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, copper indium sulfide and cadmium telluride.
Photovoltaic system is basically the generation of electricity on a photovoltaic material due to the exposure of sun?s rays. Many people mistake the photovoltaic effect to be the photoelectric method. As a matter of fact though it sounds familiar, both the methods are quite different and need to be addressed. In the photoelectric method, electrons are ejected to the surface of the solar cell material when exposed to enough sunlight. Whereas the photovoltaic effect is, when the electrons generated at the exposure of sunlight is exchanged within bands inside the photovoltaic cells.
To be more elaborate, the photovoltaic effect is when the photons of sunlight pushes the electrons generated inside the solar cells into an advanced state of energy to create electric current. Basically, all photovoltaic cells are a form of photodiode, which uses light energy to generate current.
The very first application of the DC generated from the photovoltaic effect was used to power the satellites orbiting and their spacecrafts. However, today solar energy is used much more commercially for basic purposes like powering home appliances, etc.
The photovoltaic cells require high level of protection from climatic changes and other environmental hazards. Therefore, they are packed in a tight toughed glass sheet. When more electricity is required from a single photovoltaic cell, more cells are attached to it to form a module that is capable of producing the required amount of electric current.
It is still pretty expensive to setup a ready-made solar module. Many people prefer homemade solar panels simple because they are easy to install using the diy solar panel guide and it is very economical too. Few countries such as Japan and Germany provide many incentives to people to encourage the use of solar energy.
In the last decade, solar energy has been steadily increasing at the rate of 20% year after year, making it definitely the fastest growing form of energy generation. Today the capacity of a solar power plant is from 10-60 MW, but expected to grow up to 150MW. There are three countries that lead in the solar energy generations. They are Germany, Japan and USA. They amount to 90% of the total world?s solar energy production
Earlier in the 70?s when solar energy was jus developing, it was very pricey and very few people owned solar plants. Now due to the popularity, many people have started making homemade solar panels using the diy solar panel guide.
Somewhere close to a 100 countries are involved in the production of solar photovoltaic. It is definitely one of the scurrying growing renewable energy methods in the world. Due to such advancement in technology and the widespread knowledge of photovoltaic method, the cost of setting up a solar panel has drastically reduced over the years.
Photovoltaic form of solar energy is very famous in rural regions of developing countries where certain villages are few kilometers away from the power-grid. These villages are powered through LED lamps using the PV form of solar energy.

About the Author

“Energy is the ability to work
Power is energy at work”

Hello, My name is Z.Snarski(Solar Energy Planer),Me and Mr.Smeed (Solar Energy Engineer) working hard to help business and privet party to Convert to Green Energy.
If you series about Convert Yours Home or Business to Green Power.
Place visit Ours site
http://www.solarpanelstech.org or
http://www.solarpanelstech.org/blog
We research Top Diy Solar Power sites. Check out.
You will find complete blueprints, step-by-step guide,video and much more…
Sincerely
Z.Snarski & Research Team

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines

whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Zibbi Snarski

Article Directory
About
FAQ
Contact Us
Advanced Search
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer

“Energy is the ability to work
Power is energy at work”

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines

whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Energy Saving Tips For The Fall From Raking Leaves To Thermostats

20-Sep-12

The best thing about energy saving tips is not only are they green, but they also leave additional green in your wallet. Since we’ve set our clocks back and are gearing up for winter, now is actually a perfect time to review energy saving suggestions for fall.

Switch your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs.

Given that we’ve got fewer hours of daylight, it is only natural we are going to use the lighting in our homes much more. CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs) can reduce your electricity lighting usage by 75%! However, there is mercury in these bulbs, and they can not be thrown out with your normal trash. (Instead, recycle them by way of your local municipal hazardous waste collection program or at a participating Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Ikea, and Lowe’s stores. The EPA provides recycling locations on its internet site).

Find an environmentally friendly way to dispose of your leaves.

Here in the Midwest, raking leaves is what we do in the fall. I personally do not have any trees with leaves in my yard, yet even I spend my weekends raking! Nonetheless, depending on where you reside determines what you can and can not do with your leaves.

The most beneficial choice would be to leave a coat of leaves on your lawn and chop them with your lawn mower to build a layer of mulch. This layer will eventually break down and provide nutrients for your lawn. Try doing this when the leaves are dry and crunchy rather than when they are thick and soggy. Place any remaining chopped leaves around outdoor plants as ground cover and in your compost heap.

Burning leaves is an option for some. Keep in mind though that doing so can build undesirable emissions. For that reason, several cities have made it illegal to burn leaves. Leaf-blowing creates carbon emissions and noise pollution. It also uses a great deal of energy, and in the event you have allergies, it can stir up allergens for you.

In some areas you might be able to leave your leaves by the curb and the street leaf sweeper picks them up. In Chicago, they have the blue bin program where residents can place bagged leaves next to their blue bins through November for pickup. Where I live, I am able to place bagged leaves in with our yard waste or use biodegradable paper bags.

Don’t use your fireplace!

Did you know that fireplaces are one of the most inefficient heat sources available? You only get a 10% – 20% warmth return from wood logs. You also greatly diminish your indoor air quality with unhealthy gases and particulate matter.

Should you choose to build a fire in your home anyways, make sure that your fireplace is in excellent shape and equipped with heat retaining features. You should also use fake logs. You’ll be able to find “green” logs (they use vegetable paraffin in place of petroleum based binders) that release 75% less carbon monoxide and 80% less particulate matter than real wood. They also burn hotter.

You can also find logs made from recycled material. There are “java” logs which are produced from used coffee grounds or you are able to even make your own logs using old newspapers, a broom handle, and some water.

Programmable thermostats are your friend!

There is a line of thinking out there that leaving your house a constant temperature is cheaper than letting your home cool once you are out and warming it up when you come home. Think again. According to the US Department of Energy, for every degree that you turn down your thermostat for an eight hour period in the winter, it is possible to expect a correlating percentage of energy savings! That undoubtedly makes me want to pull out my bamboo sleepwear and add on a couple of additional bamboo blankets in place of adjusting the temperature!

We have a good deal of assumptions that can be made about what the most earth friendly methods to do our fall cleaning tasks are. Nonetheless, occasionally we aren’t performing it the best way feasible, and I’m hoping that I shed some light on your autumn eco questions.

Douglas Michaels Jr. writes educational articles for Green Earth News, the authority on everything Bamboo. For more information on Green Maintenance. Check out Green Earth Bamboo for bamboo sheets, bath towels, duvet covers, clothing and baby products, all made from the world’s most sustainable and renewable resource on the planet.

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Michaels_Jr.

Filed in Energy Savings | Tagged Energy, Fall, from, Leaves, Raking, Saving, Thermostats, Tips | Comments Off

DIY Home Efficiency

Solar Energy – The Solution to Reduce Your Electricity Bills

Effective Home Energy Saving Tips

5 Important Considerations About Home Solar Energy

9 Energy Saving Ways to Reduce Your Electrical Bills

Renewable Energy: Solar Energy

Conserve Energy With Energy Saving Exteriors

Solar Energy – Photovoltaic System

Energy Saving Tips For The Fall From Raking Leaves To Thermostats

Pages

Energy Saver Blog

Meta

RSS Links

Contractor