Energy Saving Tips - Articles

#energy Efficiency

Sat, 15 Apr 2017 08:03:14 +0000

Buildings have long lifespans, longer than those of:
. . . . . . Power plants,
. . . . . . Cars, and
. . . . . . Appliances.

The consequences of inefficient buildings can last generations,
. . . so we have some important choices to make today,
. . . about how we build and maintain them.

A bold, long-term commitment to well-built, nearly-zero-energy buildings,
. . . which create almost as much energy as they consume,
. . . will generate 3 benefits:
. . . . . . Economic,
. . . . . . Health, and
. . . . . . Environmental, for years to come.

4-15-2017 Source: #Energy efficiency

India Led's Will Save $ 6 Billion Per...

Sun, 10 Jan 2016 18:42:43 +0000

Every Dollar saved thru efficiency,
. . . will save about 3-4 Dollars in generation.

India distributed 45.9 million LED bulbs so far,
. . . with a goal of 710 million by 2018.
Buying in such large quantities,
. . . also saves money.

LED bulbs in February 2014, cost Rs 310,
. . . in June 2015, cost Rs 73,
. . . a reduction of 76%.

1-10-2016 Source: India LED's will save $ 6 billion per annum

Energy Vampires

Wed, 18 Feb 2015 20:21:13 +0000

Did you know that the average household has,
. . . 25 electronic devices plugged in at any given time?
Many consumer electronic devices,
. . . are still using energy, even when switched off.

I challenge you to take a quick tour of your home,
. . . to take an inventory of devices currently connected to an outlet.

02-18-2015 Source: Energy Vampires

Solar Power + Chip Packets = Clean Water

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 17:04:46 +0000

780 million people still don’t have access to safe and clean water for:
. . . . . . Drinking,
. . . . . . Cooking, or
. . . . . . Washing.
1.5 million people, mostly children, die every year,
. . . from consuming untreated or contaminated water.

But, $67 in materials and can decontaminate,
. . . 40 litres, in 4 hours.
As the water purification system is modular,
. . . additional units can be added as required.

09-30-2014 Source: Solar Power + Chip Packets = Clean Water

Electricity Efficiency

Sun, 03 Nov 2013 15:20:05 +0000

Residential Lighting is 10% of the average electrical expense, according to DOE.
You will spend about:
. . . $90 total cost for an LED bulb and electricity over it's life time, VS
. . . $900 total cost for 40 incandescent bulbs and their electricity.
Since 2008, LED costs have fallen 85%, and we’ve gone from about
. . . 400,000 LED lights installed in the US, to approximately
. . . 20 million today!

New appliances and electronics are much more energy efficient.
. . . If you’ve got a really old ______, it may save you money to finally upgrade.
. . . This goes for TVs, refrigerators, computers, and much more.
. . . This requires doing a bit of math to see,
. . . if the new product or products is/are worth the investment.

One upgrade you probably haven’t yet done and
. . . which is likely to save you a lot of money is,
. . . getting a learning thermostat.
. . . These new thermostats are an excellent way,
. . . to save a lot of electricity and money without doing anything.

The most effective way to lower your electric bill,
. . . is very likely by going solar.
Sure, you have to pay for those solar panels,
. . . but they are cheaper (in the long run) than electricity.
The average household that goes solar,
. . . is likely to save 10's of thousands of dollars.
. . . over the course of their solar panel system’s lifetime.

2013-11-03 Source: How To Lower the Electric Bill Infograph

Laundry: Save Water, Time And Energy

Sun, 25 Aug 2013 22:20:42 +0000

Laundry Pod a portable, human-powered machine that saves:
. . . energy,
. . . water and
. . . money.
The device uses a hand crank instead of electricity,
. . . requiring only a few minutes of work to wash a load of laundry

Source: Laundry Pod

Save Energy, Save Money

Tue, 09 Jul 2013 20:59:12 +0000

Energy vampires, are appliances that even when turned off,
. . . utilize a small amount of electricity, called phantom loads.
According to this YouTube video posted by GOOD, Americans waste approximately
. . . one month's electricity bill each year on vampire energy.

Some estimates suggest that Americans have anywhere between
. . . 20–40 vampire devices throughout their homes.

Source: Energy-Saver Vampire Power

Doe: Solution Center

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:45:12 +0000

Dramatically reduce annual energy use and peak energy loads
. . . in existing and new homes
while also improving overall building
. . . quality,
. . . comfort,
. . . safety, and
. . . durability.

Source: energy.gov

Save $9,934 Per Year (Average American)

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 01:03:47 +0000

American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) October Transit Savings Report,  . . . individuals who ride public transportation instead of driving can save, on average,
. . . $828 this month, and $9,934 annually.
These savings are based on the cost of commuting by public transportation
. . . compared to the cost of owning and driving a vehicle
. . . which includes the October 24, 2012 average national gas price
. . . ($3.63 per gallon- reported by AAA) and
. . . the national unreserved monthly parking rate.
APTA notes a simple way to avoid the rising parking rates
. . . is to swap your daily car trip for travel on your local bus or train.

SOURCE: apta  Infographic

Step-By-Step, Do-It-Yourself Instructions

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 22:12:35 +0000

A typical American family spends nearly $2,000 per year on their home energy bills.
. . . Much of that money, however, is wasted on air leaks and drafts.

Source: save-money-saving-energy how-seal-air-leaks-caulk weatherstrip-windows

local tax credits, rebates and energy efficiency financing

Save Water With The Waterpebble

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 03:35:02 +0000

Paul Priestman designs a product to save water

Doller A Gallon Gas, For Life

Mon, 28 May 2012 00:11:57 +0000

The blue, red, and green lines in this chart display the Energy Information Agency (“EIA”) forecasts for the price of gasoline in constant dollars under EIA’s “Reference,” “Low,” and “High” oil price scenarios. The purple, light blue, and orange lines display the EIA forecasts for the price of electricity under the same oil price scenarios, converted into “Dollar per Gallon Equivalent” prices (what the price of gasoline would have to be for the fuel cost of driving a 30 mile-per-gallon gasoline car to be equivalent to the fuel cost of driving an electric car with the efficiency of a Nissan Leaf).

Source: buck-a-gallon_gas_for_life

Desk "slide Lamp," Saves Energy

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:15:25 +0000

Lined with a series of LEDs that light up in sequence,
. . . as the user moves the slider control upwards or downwards.
This allows the user to customize the intensity of the illumination,
. . . according to their needs and save energy as well.

Source: designbuzz

Incandescent Light Bulbs, "real Cost"

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:00:25 +0000

This table compares the 10-year cost of owning and using a 75w incandescent,
. . . to the cost of owning 3 alternatives:
. . . . . . 53w high-efficiency (halogen-filled) incandescent lamp,
. . . . . . 13w CFL, and
. . . . . . 17w LED lamp.
The 10-year cost is more than 5 times the cost of owning a CFL,
. . . that produces about the same amount and quality of light.

Source: cleantechnica

World’S Largest Population Deprived Of Refriger...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:57:34 +0000

ChotuKool's $69, portable, top-opening unit, has only 20 parts, weighs only 17lb.,
. . . uses high-end insulation to stay cool for hours without power and
. . . consumes 1/2 the energy used by regular refrigerators.

1,000+ Mpg Cars Built By Teens.

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 11:59:38 +0000

Wow!
If they can do it, why can't these ideas be incorporated into regular cars?
Story via Grist.
http://grist.org/lis...les-per-gallon/

Doe Building America Program

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:21:49 +0000

The National Retrofit Measures Database offers the following benefits:

Provides information in a standardized format
Improves the technical consistency and accuracy of the results of software programs
Enables experts and stakeholders to view the retrofit information and provide comments to improve data quality
Supports building science R&D
Enhances transparency.

Measure and Cost Data

Data includes performance parameters for retrofit measure categories and a range of estimate costs that one might expect to find for the different measures. Measure categories include:

Appliances
Domestic hot water
Building enclosures (e.g, walls, windows, roofs)
HVAC
Lighting.

Full cost estimates are available for many different retrofit measures and they represent the total cost to implement the measure. For each measure, the database provides a range of costs, as the cost data for a measure can vary widely across regions, houses, and contractors. Climate, construction, home features, local economy, and geographic location all affect the actual cost to perform any of these measures.

Source: DOE-Energy-Cost

Led Lights

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:41:32 +0000

Albeo Technologies is the first company,
. . . to bring the advantages of energy efficient LED.
. . . Albeo’s High Bay LED Lights provide up to 95% energy savings
. . . compared to fluorescent or metal halide (HID).

Source: albeotech caterpillar