This sounds like the rants of a panel manufacturer but I’m not. Anyone interested in making a panel should go for it, it is awesome to see them work after you have put one together, but trying to power your house with homemade panels I think is a mistake. You would be far better off searching for panels on sale, a lot of times lower wattage panels are cleared out cheap.
Tips on Lowering Your Utility Bills
Last modified on 2010-05-03 05:16:14 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Even if you are earning more than enough, you must still find ways to save because you never know what will happen in the coming days. With the global recession that is being felt these days, you must make sure that you have more than enough that can help you get by even if you eventually lose your source of income. This may not be happening, but there is nothing wrong with always being prepared.
There are many ways that you can do to continuously add even small amount to your savings. The idea here is to keep this practice because this will be beneficial in the long run. One aspect that you may want to focus on is on various ways to lower utility bills. To help you with this goal, here are some advices that you may want to consider doing.
1. Make sure that you unplug all appliances that are not in use, especially if you will be going away for some time. This way, you will not only save some bucks on electricity, you will also be able to ensure safety at your home. There are certain things and gadgets that we simply leave with their cord plugged, like the television, computers and electric fans. There are some people who have the habit of leaving these appliances on a standby mode. If you will make it a habit to turn off such appliances and your other gadgets when you are not using them, you may also eventually get the hang of unplugging such devices when not in use.
2. Repair all parts of your house that can contribute to the rise of your electric bills. If you are using an air conditioner in a room, make sure that the windows and door are tightly shut when the air con is in use. If there are any obvious gaps, you must do something to repair such. The room will get easily cold if there are no gaps and drafts to such areas, but if you will leave these at their poor condition, you may have to increase the air con’s temperature to get the room colder. This will add up on your expenses as well.
3. You must check your air filters each month and change them. If these become blocked by any dirt, it will result to the rise of your electric bill. And besides, if the air filters are already full of dust, dirt or even pet hair, the quality of air that will be coming in at your home will be poor. There are other ways that you can cut on your electric bills that you are not aware of. You can ask a representative from your power company to give you a visit. They can render free energy audit services on how you can cut down on your energy bill. Do not hesitate to ask for such service because you are a consumer and this is part of your right. You just have to ask and request politely and schedule a date where the representative will be able to visit your home.
Ruth Lanham is an author, t-shirt designer and entrepreneur. Ruth is the owner of the very popular t-shirt and gift websites Tshirts-Tshirts and T-shirt-junction. For more information visit her at one of her websites:
http://www.t-shirts-junction.com
Author: Ruth Lanham
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty tariff
Simple But Powerful Ways to Lower Your Lighting Bills
Last modified on 2010-05-08 18:55:47 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Everybody knows that lighting consumes electricity. Based on statistics, lighting is responsible for about 12% of the energy used in a typical American home. That’s a huge chunk of your bills! Is there any way you can reduce your lighting bills?
Make no mistake about this, you cannot completely eliminate this need for lighting in the home at night, after all, what is life without light? You need to brighten up your nights with lights, perhaps to move around the house, doing your chores, guard against intruders, and enjoy some reading and so on. But let’s try our best to reduce that energy use.
Nearly every home can benefit from improved lighting efficiency. No matter what the type of lighting in your home, there are opportunities to lower your monthly energy costs by reducing your electricity use. You can also improve the quality of light at the same time.
On the average, every home has nine lights left on for more than three hours every day. Any light bulb burning more than two hours per day on average is a good candidate to be replaced with a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL).
Below are some simple techniques to lower lighting costs and improve lighting quality. Most of them can be done with little or no skill and with low cost:
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents
Compact Fluorescent Lamps, or CFLs, use one-third to one-quarter the energy of incandescent bulbs, and last up to ten times longer. They screw into standard light bulb sockets, and are available in many sizes and shapes to fit almost any fixture. They are more expensive to buy than incandescent bulbs, but save several times their purchase cost because of reduced electric use and longer life (less frequent replacement).
The packaging for a CFL usually indicates the equivalent wattage of the incandescent bulb it replaces. For example, a 20-watt CFL gives off about the same amount of light as a 75-watt incandescent bulb. Note that CFLs take up to a minute to reach full brightness.
Look for ENERGY STAR qualified models, which carry the ENERGY STAR logo on the product or the box. These models are among the most energy-efficient units sold.
For the purpose of calculating savings from a compact fluorescent bulb, here are some facts:
If you replace one 75-watt incandescent bulb (that costs 75¢ and is on for four hours per day) with a 20-watt compact fluorescent lamp (that costs $5 and is also on for four hours per day), you’ll save about $3 by the end of the first year, and more than $50 over the expected seven-year life of the CFL. Well, it depends on your electricity tariffs, but you get the idea?
In addition to this, by replacing the incandescent lights with fluorescent bulbs, you will also save on your cooling bills. This is because incandescent lights give off a tremendous amount of heat that can warm up the interior of your house.
Install energy-saving controls on exterior lights
Outdoor lighting should be off when it’s not needed. You can switch them off manually or automatically. Here are some ways you can do it automatically :
- Install photocell switches. These can automate lights by shutting them off when the sun comes up. Be careful though to locate them away from street lighting, automobile headlights from the street and lighting from your own home. Also protect them from dusts and weather so as not to give false activations.
- Install timers to automatically turn off outdoor lights in the evening, such as patio lights that are no longer needed when you go indoors. You may have to adjust these as the season changes to longer or shorter daylight hours.
- Install motion sensors to turn on lights when they detect movement. These are excellent when people are moving around a lot. However, they have a drawback – they will switch off when a person remains motionless like when they are sitting down reading a book. These sensors are also prone to accidental operation by the movement of rodents and other nocturnal animals.
These devices are available at hardware stores and home improvement centers for as little as $15. Most of them come with installation instructions. Hard-wired fixtures may require an electrician.
Clean fixtures
Dust settling on lamps reduces the light intensity. Keep lamps, lampshades and light bulbs clean to maximize their light output. You may even find that once a fixture is clean, it gives off the same amount of light as a higher-wattage bulb.
Use low-wattage light bulbs
In some fixtures, it’s possible to use lower-wattage light bulbs and still get the amount of light you need. Sometimes locating a light source nearer to the needed area is all that is necessary.
Turn lights off
This is the best tip of all. The lamp that is switched off uses no energy. Turn off the lights when you don’t need them. This takes some discipline to make it work. Once the action has become a habit it becomes easier. If you need to, just put a sticker or sign to remind you to switch off when you are not using the room. Get your family to cooperate.
Finally, you might even consider a drastic change in your lifestyle – go to sleep earlier! It might even improve your health and lower your doctor’s bills!
Thomas Yoon specializes in cartoon illustrations at that will make an impact on people’s opinions. More information on Marine and M & E engineering.
Author: Thomas Yoon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Cellphone news
Solar
Wind Last modified on 2010-04-26 17:27:07 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
There is so much talk about saving the planet and going green, many people would probably like to help but are so overwhelmed by it all they don’t know where to start. The good news is that if you want to do your part to help the environment you have choices, you can go as big, or as small as you want. Whether you choose to recycle, drive less and maintain your car better to save on fuel consumption, winterize your home so you don’t use as much electricity heating and cooling it, or install a home wind turbine, these are all things that are considered green and will help the environment. With winter fast approaching now is a great time to concentrate a little on your home. Take some time to properly winterize your home and you will have less of the air you’ve paid to heat escaping to the outside. 1. Have your furnace inspected by a qualified professional. 2. Add a programmable thermostat so you can lower the temperature automatically when no one is home or overnight. 3. Add insulation to your attic to keep your warm air where it belongs: inside your house. 4. Install energy efficient windows and doors. 5. Build your own wind turbine. You can build it for around $200 but it can save you up to 80% on your electric bills. The last two on the list might even make you eligible for a tax credit from the government for up to $1500. Many of the items on this list aren’t really what you’d called revolutionary; they are simple to make changes that can help you in your goal of going green as well as save you some money. Start small and work your way up. The important thing is that you take the time to make some changes today. To learn more about Free Alternative Energy, just Click Here. Author: Erick Juanich
Going Green – It’s Easier Than You May Think With Home Wind Power
Here are a few things you can do to winterize your home and save some money this winter:
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Excise Tax
Carbon Footprint: Last modified on 2010-04-20 03:53:31 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Your home’s carbon footprint is as unique as you are. You can begin lessening your home’s carbon footprint by carrying out an energy audit. Through this, you will be able to examine other important factors such as the age of your home and its construction. You can check on the infrastructure such as plumbing, wiring, heating and a complete appraisal of the appliances you are using and how you use them. Once you have done this appraisal, you should be able to distinguish areas to reduce your carbon footprint. Following are several tips to minimize the carbon footprint of your home. 1. Buy local and organic food. When the food is grown locally, there is a bigger chance that it is grown in a green way. Try eating at restaurants that serve locally made foods. 2. Be vigilant on the packaging. Try to find a store or shop that keeps packaging at a minimum. Buy loos tomatoes instead of those wrapped in plastic. Use a reusable bag when grocery shopping. A reusable tote bag is better than using plastics. 3. Refrain from using bottled waters. These have a great carbon footprint since it is bottled in a certain place and shipped all over. You can opt to purchase a reusable water bottle or canteen. Many restaurants are now using in-house filtration instead of bottled waters. 4. Make your home energy-efficient. It is not necessary to do major upgrades. You can do simple things such as closing your windows properly and ensure that the attic is well-insulated. This can save you dollars on energy bill. Keep your cooling and heating units well maintained and if possible, use reusable filters instead. Switch incandescent light bulbs to compact ones. 5. In landscaping, use native species of plants around your home. Use organic soil when planting. Organic soil is made with more eco-friendly methods and uses fewer resources. Plant something; it can contribute to nature preservation. 6. If you have to shop, try window-shopping first. This will allow you to note on items you really need and refrain from buying on impulse and ending up purchasing things that you do not necessarily need. 7. Turn your water heater into vacation mode when you are not around for several days. This will keep the water warm, but will not be able to use so much energy in keeping a tank full of hot water. This does not only reduce carbon footprint but also save you several hundred dollars. 8. Unplug all unused appliances. Many electronics have standby modes that tap energy even when unused. TVs, stereos, laptops and cell phone chargers are just some of the many things that should be unplugged. Try Reducing, Reusing and Recycling. These can contribute a lot in reducing the carbon footprint in your home. You can reduce on buying items, reuse and fix things instead of buying and recycle as much as possible. Your own little ways can make a big difference. Green home options in Eco-Friendly Club West Homes and more green homes in East Valley Green Homes Author: Sonia C Llesol
Eight Ways to Minimize Your Home’s Carbon Footprint
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger
