Wind Energy Voice

What do you expect from your home? When you look at it, since time immemorial the home has been a secure place where one is protected from the elements and predators, a place where one could relax with ones own after an arduous day of work. Shelter from elements would have been a comfortable environ as well with a warm fire burning in the living area providing light, heat and a means for cooking. The picture is not much different even today except we need more energy and are more purpose specific in its usage.

Fuel available a plenty?

In those times the Homo sapiens would have found the available basic bio mass fuel was quite adequate for their community. The population and their needs were less though. The needs have changed today.

The mostly widely used fossil fuel production level is at an all time high globally. But the newly emerged buyers are waiting on the fringe competing neck to neck with the traditional buyer countries for what is siphoned up. The vast existing oil fields are past their peak production and fast drying up. True new fields too are being discovered regularly .But the fact remains today we need more energy at inflated cost mainly due to increased demand and shortages.

Energy- at what cost?

Just an year ago in 2008 the crude oil price hovered near $200 per barrel mark. The world is still reeling from the economic mess up that was created. Even today business conglomerates are shutting down making thousands lose their lively hood. Now that the crude price has come down to a rational level it is only a question of time when the next price hike will be. As this seems to boil down to a question of supply and demand with the rapid industrialization of the world’s most populace region the Asian Continent and the global political instability there is no likely hood of prices remaining low for good. It has become therefore imperative to look for alternative solutions that are environmentally friendly too.

Alternative Solutions

The alternative solutions apparent are;

Conservation and optimized usage of energy, and Replacing conventional power generation with that using Renewable Energy

This brings us to the question of an energy efficient home. An Energy-Efficient-Homes”>energy efficient home therefore has to incorporate both the above aspects.

Conservation and Optimized energy usage

Energy can be conserved in a house with;

Highly effective thermal insulation . An effective insulation installation will have; Correct insulation materia l Correct R and U factors for the insulation Correct insulation thickness Correct density of insulation material Incorporation of a means for vapor sealing Incorporation of a reflective film

The applied insulation may be in cavity walls, wall cladding, under floor and basement, attic or ceiling or the roof itself.

Air tight insulated Windows with double or triple glazing. Low emissivity type offers best energy savings. Properly designed ventilation without depending on uncontrolled infiltration. An efficient heating (or air conditioning) system which may incorporate high efficiency condensing boilers, gasification boilers or biomass type boilers. The distribution and control of thermal energy for space heating and hot water incorporating proper insulation for air ducts (if any) and plumbing. Use of electrical energy efficiently for lighting (for e.g. with CFL s) Using efficient pumps and fans with optimized performance by system design,

In addition use of energy rated appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators etc. with (for example A++ ) will save quite an amount of home energy irrespective of the high investment.

Alternative Energy as a buffer

Alternative energy sources are renewable and sustainable. Presently the following are widely implemented systems. In micro generation for home usage the following are widely considered.

Wind Turbines PV solar panels Micro Hydro power generation .Micro CHPs using Biomass, Natural gas, Propane or petroleum derived fuels.(Except for Biomass all the other fuels do not fall under renewable fuel category but exhibit other environmental friendly properties through CHPs high fuel efficiency demanding special consideration)

While the free energy from renewable fuels may not be consistent throughout the year, in a grid tied system one could complement the other where both parties would be benefitted.

A wide range of concessions is offered by SEI for retrofitting existing homes for energy efficiency. Micro generation also provides an additional avenue to cut down your energy bills and also recover your investment in an energy efficient home sooner by way of exporting the surplus to the utility grid. Further the BER rating too will be enhanced making your property value rise higher.

Technorati Tags: efficient, energy, Home, Important

The federal tax credits offered to homeowners who undertake energy-efficiency upgrades for their homes by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are making many homeowners think again about remodeling.  So how do you choose among the many things you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home the top five to ten things you should consider doing? How do you decide which upgrades are most cost-effective?  There are probably several ways to answer the question, “What are the five most important energy-efficient upgrades for my home?” 

The five most important energy-efficient home upgrades to make, either because they determine how effective other upgrades can be or because they will earn the biggest rebates, tax credits, or other incentives, are:

 Seal the Building Envelope:  Identify and seal all openings of any size that allow air to move from inside the house to the outside or from the outside to the inside.  This includes any cracks in the siding or masonry, seams around doors and windows, any spaces or openings where pipes, vents or power lines enter the house, hatches or stairways into the attic, roof soffits, crawl spaces, and outdoor faucets.  Then seal all duct work and major ducts opening into the living area of the home for heat, ventilation, etc. Finally upgrade all insulation to current standards.  This is the most important first step in making your home more energy efficient. Until you stop air leaks, you will not be able to achieve the energy efficiencies promised by other improvements. If you want to do this yourself, you will probably want to review the DIY Guide to Sealing and Insulating with ENERGY STAR. Upgrade your windows and doors.  Old and inefficient windows can account for as much as 30% of the total heat loss and up to 75% of the heat gain in your home.  Whether you add storm windows over your existing windows or you choose to invest in highly efficient windows and doors, 30% of your cost to bring your windows and doors up to current specifications of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) can be claimed in a federal tax credit, up to an annual maximum of $1,500. Virtually all window manufacturers have qualifying windows available at this time.  You new windows will need to meet a U factor of ?0.30 and SHGC of ? 0.30.  Exterior doors must also meet IECC specifications. Well insulated windows and doors, and windows with UV reflective coatings will significantly reduce the demand on your heating and cooling system.   The best roof you can afford.  A surprising amount of heat exchange occurs through the roof of your home. Some roofing materials absorb more of the sun’s heat than others.  Installing a new energy-efficient roof will qualify for a tax credit of 30% of the cost of the roof, up to a total maximum of $1,500 per year.  Regardless of the roofing material you choose, keep in mind that light colors reflect more sun than dark colors. They also tend to last longer.  Qualifying roofing materials include some tile, spray-on thermal reflective membrane (for flat roofs), some insulating asphalt roofing shingles, and many metal roofing materials, some of which contain foam insulation.  Ask your roofing contractor about materials that qualify for the tax credit, or review the product list at www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=products_for_partners.showroof.  Upgrade your water heating system.  Keep in mind that water heating accounts for 16% to 28% of your total heating and cooling bill.  Installing an efficient water heater or localized instant water heaters, will save money and make your home more energy efficient.   Upgrade your heating and cooling system.  Whether you act immediately to take advantage of the tax credits or you decide to wait until you actually need to replace your system, energy efficiency and renewable energy systems are a good investment in the future.  When shopping, ask about the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating of each system. And when choosing the best system for your location, keep in mind that there is no cap in the amount of the tax credit you can claim for systems that use renewable energy (wind, solar, geo-thermal).  All of these renewable energy systems will cost between $25,000 and $45,000. But be sure to calculate all of the rebates, tax credits and other incentives available from the Federal government, state and local government, and your utility company.  Special low-interest loans are also available to finance the purchase and installation of these systems.

 These five energy-efficient upgrades for your home will move you well along the path to an energy efficient home.  You will be able to enjoy the benefits of energy efficiency in level of comfort, reduced energy costs each month, and the knowledge that you are reducing the size of your carbon footprint.

Technorati Tags: EnergyEfficient, Five, Home, Important, Most, Upgrades

These are the three important things to know for everyone who is thinking of installing a wind energy system. There are two basic ways to do it – buy it or make your own and here are the pros and cons for each method:

Tip No1: When to build your own wind turbine?

Building your own wind turbine is a great and cost-efficient method to harness the power of the wind. However, you should be aware of when to opt for this option and when to simply buy your wind power system. So when is it a good idea to build your own wind power system?

Generally, a home-made wind turbine would be good enough if you are looking to supplement to your conventional electricity source. If you are not looking to go completely independent and are simply wanting to have an alternative source of electricity, then you should definitely look into making your own wind turbine. You will definitely be able to do that pretty cheap and will have a wind power system, which will satisfy your needs.

Tip No2: When to buy a new wind turbine?

There are times when a home-made wind turbine, no matter how well it is made is simply not up to par to the prefabricated ones. And that time is when you need to not only supplement to your conventional power source, but when you want to go completely off-grid.

The major difference between a prefabricated wind turbine and a Do It Yourself one is in the aerodynamics qualities of the turbine. If you are looking to supply for all your electricity needs with this wind turbine you would need one as aerodynamic as possible and for that purpose you would need to opt for a prefabricated one.

Tip No3: Should you seek expert guidance?

Regardless of whether you are going to buy or build your wind turbine, there will be many things you are not so sure about with your wind power installation. There will be many questions, which a proper step-by-step guide has the answers to. Such a guide could reduce the time it takes you to set up your system and make the whole process rather enjoyable.

The truth is that there are many ins and outs of setting up a wind power installations. Deciding whether to buy or to build your wind turbine is just the start of the process. You would also need to look into the natural conditions in your area, how to connect your wind power system to your electrical system, and several other things. To get the proper guidance for these issues you had best get a step-by-step guide.

These were the three important things to know when deciding whether to build or buy your wind turbine. Now that you have the knowledge of what the important factors to consider are you can make the decision much easier. But what about the guidance you would need for carrying out your project smoothly, where can you get that? You can check out a selection of the available guides at the links listed below. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: build, Important, Know, system, Things, turbine, wind