Here is a short update about our system here in North Dakota, We have added two 190 watt Evergreen solar panels this summer, changed out 8 new marine trolling batteries 125AH from walmart $80 “ten total”. cleaned up some wiring in conduit and customizes some meter boxes along with some changes on our sub panel wiring. Currently in the winter we run 80% of the lights and that’s all we dropped 2 bedrooms and the living room since we have reduced power input. Other than that we have been going really outstandingly good in the summer and so so in the winter here just holding our own. Summer of 09 as soon as we get income tax back we are going to buy 2 210watt evergreen panels and have been looking into a really cool 12 – 28vdc grid tie inverter we want to buy one and play with that also. www.buyerisland.net
Monthly Archives: April 2010
Finding Ways To Make You Home More Energy Efficient
So you want to go green part one / part two.
From energy efficient light bulbs to heaters almost anything you have in your house can be made to save more electricity. Depending on your personal budget and goals there are various options that might work for your going green needs.
Your kitchen is the largest energy resource of your house. If your goal is to remodel than one of the best tips to offer is when shopping for new kitchen appliances make sure you pick energy star rated appliances. This will really help cut down that big black hole of wasted energy you call your kitchen.
Other products you might look at would be solar tubs to bring in the natural light for outside. The newer solar tubs can replace conventional light fixtures and still have a light bulb inside for night hours. This can be a do-it-yourself project that can be done over the weekend if you have a few similar tools. If your budget is smaller and little changes are what you’re looking for then consider changing out you light bulbs to florescent. They might be a bit more money at first but they will last longer as well as save money. Add in light dimmers and it will save you even more, plus give your home a warmer feel. I personally installed a few light dimmers in my house a few months ago and I love how it gives everything a soft feel. I can’t imagine living without them.
Heating a cooling of your home can be the largest monthly expense you have. If you have the money in your budget you might consider changing to an energy star rated heating and cooling system, but this can get costly depending on your needs. Geothermal systems can run over 30,000 dollars and are better for new construction not remolding. Inexpensive fixes could be installing on demand water heaters so you don’t keep your water heater running all day. Electronic programmable thermostats are another cheap way to save money and can be installed by you with a bit of knowledge. If you’re remolding take a look at installing radiant heating for the floor as well as insulations that is environmentally friendly.
I hope the simple tips will help you in your goal to go green. Please feel free to add any tips and advice you have below.
By Neal Drake at Let’s go green
By Neal Drake at http://www.going-green-made-easy.blogspot.com/
Eye To Eye: Wind Power
”Only On The Web”: T. Boone Picken talks to Katie Couric about his proposal to lower US reliance on foreign oil, wwind powerdes investment in wind power and the increased use of natural gas.
Monitor Films: Energy Efficiency in Hungary: Block House Renovations
This Monitor Film is based on an external evaluation of IFC’s Commercializing Energy Efficiency Program in Hungary, focusing particularly on block house renovation efforts.
Homemade DIY Wind generator 100 watts
www.gotwind.org My DIY Wind generator 100 watts was made for £50 ($100). see my website for free plans and downloads
Wind Power Seals (Turbine, Hydraulic Cylinder) – Trelleborg Sealing Solutions
Pitch cylinder, Main Brake and Accuwind poweraling Systems for Wind Power are featured in this video. Trelleborg Sealing Solutions: www.tss.trelleborg.com Online Product Brochures www.tss.trelleborg.com email: Windpower.Seals@trelleborg.com Local contacts and phone numbers: www.tss.trelleborg.com Todays wind turbines are high-technology precision machines, digital and computerized to maximize the wattage from every gust of wind. An average size, two-megawatt-wind turbine can generate enough electricity to supply about 1000 households. An operational expectancy of 98 percent over a working life of 20 years, 24/7, makes for an extremely dynamic environment where reliability is paramount. Adapting established solutions means Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has provided parts for wind turbines since the technology began. The company is now the leading seal supplier to the market, and the majority of leading players are its customers. Seals for wind turbines need to provide low friction, long life, zero leakage and easy installation, with maximized meantime between maintenance being a key requirement. Trelleborg Sealing Solutions contributes to effective operation of hydraulics, our products withstand rigors on land and offshore installations. Seals are designed and tested to withstand continuous short strokes at pressures of 250 bar/3625 psi and temperatures as low as -40°C/-40°F.
Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency in 10 Easy Steps
Using less energy is the easiest and quickest way of reducing global warming in the future.
We have put together some simple tips to show how you can cut the amount of energy you use without it costing you a penny, as well as some, low cost actions you can take which will pay for themselves in little or no time.
For instance, did you know that the quickest and most cost effective way of improving your energy efficiency is by installing insulation? Insulation made with recycled glass (glasswool) is particularly environmentally friendly – and insulation requires no maintenance and will provide energy savings year after year, performing as good as the day it was installed. That’s why so much of this site is dedicated to different ways to improve your home’s insulation.
Tips to improve energy efficiency.
1. Turn down your central heating by 1°C It could cut your heating bills by up to 10%. If you feel it’s too cold, just pop on an extra layer of clothing like a T shirt under a shirt or a jumper or cardigan.
2. Don’t leave appliances on standby. How often do you leave the TV on standby when you go to bed? That TV, DVD player, HiFi, video recorder are all munching electricity – so turn them off.
3. Unplug mobile phone chargers. It’s handy to leave your mobile phone charger plugged into the wall, but if its switched on even without the phone attached it will be using electricity.
4. Set your hot water to 60°C. For most people, setting the cylinder thermostat at 60°C/°F is fine for bathing and washing.
5. Don’t overfill your kettle. It’s easy to over fill a kettle, but try and only boil the amount of water you need (Always remember to ensure you boil the minimum amount for the safe use of the kettle – see your kettle’s user guide if in doubt).
6. Turn off lights when you leave the room. Always turn lights off when you leave a room and adjust your curtains or blinds to let in as much light as possible during the day.
7. Use economy mode on the dishwasher and 30°C to wash your clothes. Try and use low temperature programmes, and ensure you wash full loads.
8. Draw the curtains. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows – even in rooms you’re not using.
9. Take a shower not a bath.
Water requires a lot of energy to heat it up, and a typical shower uses just 20% of the hot water a bath uses.
10. Put a plug in it!. Always put the plug in your basin or sink. Leaving hot water taps running with it removed is akin to washing money down the plughole.
Find more useful Energy Saving tips and resources at Think Insulation www.thinkinsulation.co.uk
Homemade Wind Generator New Blades
Balanced and weighed each blade to half a gram then balanced the hub and blades together. Spins true and fast. Still waiting for new stator.
Wind power turbine homemade made in Quebec, Canada
&#wind powera simple homemade wind power turbine. We are using a car alternator to generate DC current.
Energy Efficiency At Its Best
With today’s exponentially growing talk about the environmental damages people are putting on this world, more and more people are turning to being energy efficient. Not only does being energy efficient help us to save money by using less electricity and power, it also helps out the environment by using less supplies and makes the world a greener and safer place for us to live in. There are a lot of products out there that claim to help you save time and money while helping out the environment, but I have found one that surpasses them all. This product is called Earth 4 Energy.
The genius behind this is Michael Harvey. He has created this e-book of 73 pages that lists in detail simple and affordable ways for the average person to create and supply their own energy. He explains in a simple, but very effective way how to construct windmills, solar panels, and some other energy producing items. To make things easy for those visual learners out there, he has tons of visual aids to supplement the steps to make renewable energy a reality for everyone.
Mr. Michael Harvey is extremely passionate and sincere about what he is doing, and understands what he is talking about. You can see that his book is a complete guide to all of those do-it-yourselfers out there and is not just trying to make a quick buck off people. He really cares about what he does. You will save tons of money by becoming energy efficient and be able to do things yourself with ease.
Feel free to go to http://www.ilovemoneymorethanyou.com/blog/earth-4-energy-review to find out more information on how to become energy efficient and help save the environment.