Posts Tagged ‘energy’

The old technologies use fossil fuels to generate energy. As the same technology was in use for several years, the fossil fuels have depleted. Coal formation requires several thousands of years and it can’t be manufactured artificially. Using non-renewable sources for energy production must be minimized and everyone should look for alternative energy sources.

The refrigerators, air conditioning systems and other electrical appliances that we normally use contribute to global warming. When the temperature of the Earth keeps on increasing at a rapid rate, it will result in disastrous climate changes and many of the islands will be drowned. By using intelligent energy saving techniques, you can not only save energy but also reduce global warming if not stop it completely. Using alterative energy saving methods, energy efficiency can be improved. This will result in direct savings in money, as less energy will be consumed.

Everyone on the planet must take the responsibility to use wind power energy, solar energy and bio energy. The sources of these types of energy are renewable and always available. As energy efficiency concerns many organizations and governments, several experts have come up with different solutions to combat energy saving issues. While there is no single solution that can help save energy, a combination of solutions must be deployed to improve energy efficiency.

It is prime time for everyone to gather together to fight for energy reduction. There have been cases where efficient energy saving mechanism has been deployed to save energy and use alternative energy to obtain clean energy. Without the need to reinvent the wheel, enterprises and individuals looking for energy saving solutions can get access to the technology to improve energy efficiency.

Using wind power energy and solar energy is encouraged in households to save on electricity bills. If more and more people show their willingness in deploying their own wind power stations at home, they can get electricity for free as wind is a renewable resource. Moreover, solar powered stoves and chargers are now widely used to conserve energy.

When everyone tries to save energy and improve energy efficiency, the need to use depleting resources will be greatly reduced. Moreover, clean energy will emit fewer toxic gases slowing down global warming and thus the future generation can live comfortably in the livable planet.

Introduction: Energy Savings Tracking Methods
After installing energy conservation measures (ECMs), Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) often determine the energy savings resulting from the project and present the savings results to their customers.  A common way to calculate energy savings is to measure the flows of energy associated with the ECM, and then to apply spreadsheet calculations to determine savings.  For example, a chiller retrofit would might require measurements of chilled water supply and return temperatures and kW.  The benefit of this approach is that the ECM is isolated, and that only energy flows associated with the ECM itself are considered.  

This method is described as Option A or Option B in the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).  Table 1 presents the different options.  Option A requires some measurement and allows for estimations of some parameters.  Option B requires measurement of all parameters.  In both options, calculations are done (typically in spreadsheets) to determine what energy savings.  Option C uses utility bills to determine energy savings.  

Some ESCOs Have Limited Options
There are many situations where Option A or Option B (Metering and Calculating) is the best approach to measuring energy savings, however, some ESCOs insist upon only using Option A or Option B, when clearly Option C would be most appropriate.  If the ESCO was a lighting contractor, then Option A should work in all cases.  Spot measurements of fixtures before and after, agreed upon hours of operation, and simple calculations can be inserted into a spreadsheet that can calculate savings.  The same spreadsheet can be used over and over.  However, for ESCOs that offer a variety of different retrofits, it is necessary to be able to employ all options so that the best option can be selected for each individual job.  Controls Retrofits, or retrofits to HVAC systems are typically excellent candidates for Option C.

However there are drawbacks with metering and calculating savings and these can include:  
-    Greater expense
-    Difficulties convincing the customer of the appropriateness and veracity of the method and savings numbers
-    Inability to handle interactive or many difficult ECMs.

ESCOs that do not have the capacity to employ all options are at a disadvantage over those ESCOs that can employ them all.  Specifically, we want to address those ESCOs that only employ Option A and Option B.  These ESCOs may encounter the following problems due to their limited offerings:
-    Measurement and Verification costs can be greater, which lead to higher project costs, which can limit the energy projects that the ESCO can sell.  The lack of Measurement and Verification options overall can make the ESCO less competitive, and hurt the financial performance of the ESCO.
-    Using Options A or B sometimes require the customer to understand and approve of complex energy calculations.  These options are often difficult to explain to customers who insist upon seeing savings in their utility bills.  Customer satisfaction can suffer if Option C is not made available to customers who want to see savings on their bills.
-    Options A and B cannot handle difficult ECMs.  The methods used to determine savings are inaccurate, and make large assumptions that cannot be borne out if a third party consultant is hired to oversee the savings determination process.

These issues are discussed in more detail below.

Cost of Utility Bill Analysis vs. Metering and Calculating
Measurement and Verification should cost between 1% and 15% of the project cost.  Metering and calculating savings often has costs associated with labor and equipment.  As many project configurations are different, projects typically require unique configurations of sensors, placements of sensors and savings calculations.  On more complicated ECMs, only highly skilled energy professionals can determine which measurement devices should be applied, and to what components.  Manipulating data, and finally creating spreadsheets with engineering calculations also requires skilled personnel who command high wages.  Metering equipment also has a cost, and for many projects, metering equipment, or control points, have to be purchased, and remain on the job for years.  

Of course, there are cases where metering and calculating is the least expensive and the most desirable method.  If an ESCO only provides a lighting retrofit, then measuring a selection of lighting fixtures before and after the retrofit, and producing a spreadsheet that determines savings is the best option.  

On the other hand, utility bill analysis is inexpensive.  With specialized utility bill analysis software, clerical workers can create the Measurement and Verification analysis.  Bills are entered, weather imported, a linear regression performed, and reports made.  Capital need not be sunk into metering equipment or control points or into long hours of analysis and data manipulation.  Typically for utility bill analysis, measurement and verification costs are a fraction of what costs for retrofit isolation savings are – ranging between 1 and 5% of project costs.

Explaining Savings Numbers to Customers
Customers understand utility bills.  The reason they entered into an energy savings contract is often triggered by the desire to lower their energy bills.  Retrofit Isolation methods do not address the customer’s utility bill.  A project may be saving energy, but the utility bill may actually be increasing.  Retrofit Isolation does not address this at all.  ESCOs need to be responsive to customer’s needs, and this is done through communicating in a manner that the customer’s understand.  They want to see the savings on their utility bills – this is a method they would trust.  

In addition, customers are sometimes mistrustful of energy service companies that provide savings numbers that the customer cannot understand.  Although the calculations in the spreadsheet may appear perfectly reasonable to the energy analyst, to a customer who is not well-versed in math, the calculations may remain incomprehensible, and the customer is thereby required to trust the energy service company, sometimes leading to mistrust.  Energy savings calculations should remain as simple as possible and explained in a manner that the customer can understand.  This makes the customer’s job easier, and reassures the customer that the energy service company is acting in a truthful manner.

For these reason, more and more customers ask for Measurement and Verification using utility bills.  

Difficult and Interactive Energy Conservation Measures
For many energy conservation measures, Retrofit Isolation is the best option.  This would include lighting savings, savings from energy efficient motors, and from other non-weather dependent energy users.  

However it is very difficult or impossible to measure savings for some energy conservation measures.  Still, some ESCOs insist on using Retrofit Isolation for these difficult measures.  For example, engineering calculations can be made estimating the savings to be had by shutting down air handlers at night.  But, assuming that the air handlers receive chilled water from a chilled water loop shared with other air handlers, how is one to measure energy savings?  Fan savings are easy (assuming the unit is constant volume), but in order to calculate savings, several estimations need to be made, which result in an estimate of energy savings, just as accurate before the retrofit took place as after it took place.  Suppose the unit is a VAV system, at what percentage would the fan have been running?  Suppose the cooling coil and/or heating coil modulated to meet a changing supply air set point – how are the fan CFM, cooling and heating loads to be calculated if the unit is not running and measurements can not be made?

Controls retrofits are difficult to measure and quantify directly.  Usually, however, when a controls or commissioning measure is enacted, more than one item is adjusted, which further complicates an already difficult task.  Suppose a partially working economizer was fixed, in addition to putting the fan on a variable speed drive, in addition to shutting off the air handler during unoccupied hours, and finally upgrading the chiller plant.  Each of these measures would interfere with the savings calculations of the other.  How can one calculate chiller savings, when the loads have changed so dramatically via the economizer, reduced hours and reduced air flow?  This is a very difficult task, that most likely cannot be done with an acceptable degree of certainty.  

Complicated cases like this require utility bill analysis to measure and quantify savings.  The procedure is very simple, inexpensive, and easy to explain relative to many Retrofit Isolation methods.

Benefits of Utility Bill Analysis
The benefits of utility bill analysis to calculate energy project savings are as follows:

-    Utility Bill Analysis, by its nature, is relatively simple, and does not require complicated engineering analysis.  
-    Utility Bill Analysis is relatively inexpensive, as it requires less skilled workers, less time and no dedicated equipment.
-    Utility Bill Analysis provides savings numbers in a format and method that makes sense to the customer.  
-    Utility Bill Analysis is the best method to handle complicated energy conservation projects, or projects which interact with each other, making assessment of individual measures impossible.
-    ESCOs can use the fact that energy savings is determined using the customers’ utility bills as a selling point.

Utility Bill Analysis and Changes in Weather
Unfortunately, a simple comparison of pre-retrofit and post-retrofit utility bills is usually not an effective method to determine energy savings from ECMs.  Weather varies from year to year, and affects the amount of heating or cooling energy usage, which can interfere with actual utility savings numbers.  For a fair analysis, utility bills should be “corrected” for weather data, which results in a reasonable savings determination.  Linear regression is applied to utility usage versus degree days to determine pre-retrofit utility usage patterns, which are then compared to post-retrofit utility usage to determine savings.  Unfortunately, the scope of this paper is limited, and cannot present the method in detail.  Weather-correcting for weather is easy, however, as specialized software, used by ESCOs around the world, simplifies the weather correction process and presents savings reports.

Drawbacks of Utility Bill Analysis
Facilities may change their energy usage patterns, by installing more equipment, building additions, occupancy changes, etc.  This upsets the existing utility bill comparison of pre-retrofit to post-retrofit usage.  These changes need to be monitored and accounted for with Baseline Modifications.  

There is a certain amount of randomness in utility bill comparison.  So many factors influence the amount of energy usage in any given month, and they cannot all be accounted for.  As a result, if you are trying to show savings that is less than 10% of the total electricity load, then the randomness in the bills may seriously interfere with the accuracy of your savings calculations.

If you track savings by comparing utility bills, you will only be able to track total savings for a given meter, but you will not be able to separate out the savings for different Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs).  For example, if you installed a lighting retrofit, an energy efficient chiller and a control system in a hospital, you will not be able to tell how much energy is being saved by the control system.  Energy analysts try to do break out the savings for each ECM occasionally, but they are only making educated guesses.  

Conclusion
When an ESCO approaches a performance contract, there are several measurement and verification options available.  Those ESCOs that only have at their disposal a limited set of options are often spending too much money on measurement and verification, and therefore are held back from selling larger projects, and limit their own success.

Customer satisfaction may suffer when ESCOs only offer Retrofit Isolation approaches to Measurement and Verification, as customers may want to see savings in their utility bills.  ESCOs who refuse to speak in the same language or terms as the customer may suffer decreased customer satisfaction.

The KVar PFC is a patented device that can help save 10-35% on electricity bills by “cleaning up” the electricity coming into your home or business. When motors in your home start, they ask the utilities transformer for power (voltage and amperage) to run. This demand for power runs through the house wiring, thru the panel box, thru the meter and up the lines to the transformer. This demand for power heats up and strains the motors and wiring in the home, this heat (I2R losses) is watts. The KVAR PFC Unit once installed, stores and releases to the homes motors what they need to function properly, thus reducing heat on the wires and the motors. Lowering this heat will reduce your electric bill, reduce your carbon footprint, protect your appliances from spikes and surges and increase the life of the motors. Kvar devices cost between $579 and $2300 and come with a twelve-year warranty. For more info, visit: www.ENERGYWISEco.com.

Are you throwing money away on wasted energy every year? Our latest uPVC casement windows are ‘A’ rated under the Windows Energy Rating scheme. That means they reduce annual net energy loss to ZERO, making them the most eco-friendly around.

Over recent years our society is becoming increasingly aware of environmental issues, such as global warming, and the responsibilities we have to help save our planet.

By choosing the right PVC windows for your home you can significantly reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself money on energy bills.

Choose the most energy efficient double glazed windows available on the market!

The government has introduced the Window Energy Ratings scheme. By using the same ratings system that items such as fridges and washing machines have been using for years, it is now possible to rate a window from any given installer.

The finished window combination is independently tested, and awarded a rating from A to G. Those achieving a C-rating or above are allowed to display the Energy Saving Recommended blue label, demonstrating they have been designed, manufactured and tested to provide a good level of overall thermal efficiency.

So, if C-rated is energy efficient, how much better does an A-rated window perform?

Well, its simple really. An A-rated uPVC window will not lose any heat whatsoever from your home. None. Zero. It’s a little more complex than that, but the principle really is true.

By installing Conservatory Outlet’s latest energy saving A-Rated windows you will be helping improve the overall performance of your home which will not only reduce your heating bills and CO2 emissions but it could improve the value of your property and speed up any future sale.

Just how much difference can the sealed unit make?
Energy ratings don’t just now apply to fridges, boilers and windows – they apply to your entire home. When you come to sell your house, you will need a Homebuyers Information Pack, or HIP for short. As well as your heating type and things such as loft insulation, the windows in your home contribute hugely to the overall rating. Fit A-rated windows and you’re well on your way to an A-rated home.

Because the glass area is much bigger than the frame area, thermal improvements in the glass unit itself go a very long way to help make windows efficient. So much so, the choice of sealed units is by far the biggest factor in how much energy is lost, or saved, through your windows. In fact, by fitting the most efficient sealed units, you can reduce your carbon footprint by as much as 2 Tonnes of CO2 every year.

Our new window is designed with this in mind. Manufactured from a combination of the very latest materials and glass types, ThermaglassMAX constantly works to retain heat within your home.

Nothing new there you might think. But did you realize that through a combination of glass types and the heating effect of the sun, ThermaglassMAX south facing windows are so efficient they can even contribute to heating your home.

Windows that heat your house? Now there’s a novel idea.

A short piece showing what we’ve got, what we’re destroying and a way to change course. This film owes a debt/pays homage to the incredible film Koyaanasquatsi by Steve Reich and scored by Philip Glass.

It costs you more money and uses more energy to heat and cool your home than any other system in your home. Typically, 44% to 50% of your utility bills pays for heating and cooling your home. Regardless of the type of home comfort systems you have in your house, you can save money and increase comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment.

Keep in mind that an energy efficient air conditioner alone will not have as great an impact on your energy bills as using an approach that involves the entire house. If you combine proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, weatherisation and thermostat settings, you can reduce your energy bills by up to 50%.

General Cooling Tips:

Use house fans. House fans help cool your home by circulating cool air throughout the house. They are most effective when the outside air temperature is cooler than the inside and when operated at night. An attic fan can blow away hot air that accumulates in the attic. This can go a long way to help the efficiency of your air conditioning system. Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible. By maintaining a minimum difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, you’ll lower your overall cooling bill. Don’t reduce your thermostat setting to a colder temperature than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. This will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and unnecessary expense. Set the fan speed on high, except in humid weather. When it’s humid, set the fan speed on low. Consider ceiling fans to help spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use. Keep lamps and TV sets away from your air conditioning thermostat. Shade air-conditioning units by planting trees or shrubs, but make sure you do not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses up to 10% less electricity than one operating in the sun. Close shades or curtains on east, south, and west-facing windows during the hours when the sun’s intensity is at its peak. Open curtains and windows during early morning and overnight hours when the air outside the home is cooler. Turn off the air conditioner if the house (or air-conditioned rooms) will be unoccupied for an extended period. Use a programmable thermostat (link to product page) to turn Air off and on automatically when you know the house will be unoccupied.

Here are a few more steps you can take to substantially improve your home’s energy efficiency.

Take a Holistic Approach to Total Home Energy Conservation
To achieve the maximum in total home comfort and energy savings, we recommend that you step back and look at the big picture of energy consumption in your villa. The fact is, your total home comfort and efficiency is the product of many systems: heating, cooling, lighting & electrical, plumbing and possibly others working together. It is the interplay between these systems, combined with the size, age, physical features and location of your home, and even your lifestyle, that combine to produce the total energy efficiency of your home. Changing or upgrading one system, without considering the other factors will usually result in some improvement, but may not deliver the maximum possible benefit.

If you’re building a new villa, or considering a major remodel or system upgrade, consider an Integrated Systems approach. It may cost a little more now, but will undoubtedly save you a bundle over time. Skilled engineers and technicians will look at the big picture when designing a solution for your home.

Conduct a Home Energy Audit
The place to begin when evaluating your home’s overall energy efficiency and deciding how to reduce consumption and costs is with a Home Energy Audit. This takes into consideration much more than just your heating and cooling systems, and will give you a benchmark from which to make decisions and measure your energy saving progress.

Here are some of the heating & cooling factors your audit should take into consideration:

Insulation in walls, floors, and attic. Vapor Barriers in walls Quality of Windows — Single or double pane Heat loss around doors and windows Quality of insulation in doors Integrity of ductwork “— Any leaks Cleanliness of ductwork Use of “passive” solar energy Use of curtains and other window coverings to prevent heat loss Efficiency of heating and cooling systems — Condition of filters, etc.

Consider Purchasing an Annual Maintenance Agreement
You’ve heard the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” Well that doesn’t apply to your air conditioner any more than it does to your automobile. However, when your system is operating properly, it is easy to forget. Regular maintenance will save you the time money and headaches of premature system failures and major repairs. It will ensure that your system is always working at peak efficiency and help you avoid excessive energy costs.

Make sure your Air Conditioner is properly sized
Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better – A bigger room air-conditioning unit won’t necessarily make you feel more comfortable during the hot summer months and will most likely perform less efficiently and less effectively than a smaller, properly sized unit. Room units work better if they run for relatively long periods of time as opposed to being constantly switched on and off. The longer running time an air conditioner is allowed to maintain, the easier it is for the unit to hold a more constant room temperature. Running longer also allows air conditioning units to remove more moisture from the air, which reduces humidity and increases the comfort level in the room. Check specifications carefully when choosing the right air conditioner for your space. Central air-conditioning systems also require proper sizing. Professionals, however, should perform the sizing of your central air system. Also, do not use the system’s central fan to provide circulation. Instead, use circulating fans in individual rooms. Make sure you set the fan of your central air system to shut off at the same time of your cooling unit (compressor).

Use an Air Conditioner with a high Efficiency Rating
Select a room air conditioner that has an A rating or 10 or higher.

Rising production costs and fierce competition is resulting in manufacturing companies looking at all aspects of savings, especially energy savings.

Spray nozzles of the right specification can lead to significant savings in both energy and raw materials.

One of the overlooked areas is the use of the correct spray nozzle. Whilst frequently ignored in the manufacturing process, it is often this item of equipment that is the most important. Header tanks, pumps sophisticated controls, pipe work are all immaterial if the spray nozzle “at the sharp end” is not delivering the right amount of fluid (flow rate) at the correct spray angle and with the right spray pattern. This can lead to excessive wear on the pumps and ancillary equipment resulting in higher energy consumption and related costs.

The phrase it sprays, is often used, but how effectively is often not considered.

In addition to these more obvious savings there are a many “hidden” savings to be made.

Expensive down time and failed equipment could be contributed to poor nozzle performance.

Production lines designed to operate continuously are expensive items if shut down owing to badly performing spray nozzles and this failure could affect the total production plant with the resulting unsuccessful distribution to customers, which in turn may affect their production.

All this from the wrong or poor performing spray nozzle!!

The correct spray configuration is essential to maximise the spraying operation and continuous spray nozzle development will lead to greater beneficial savings.

In addition, the wrong or worn out spray nozzle will eventually lead to poor finished products and possible rejection of expensive products. This could result in extra production to make good these shortfalls, with the resulting increase in energy costs. All this will reduce profit margins.

Initial investment will be required to introduce the correct nozzle, but payback can probably be counted in months and in some case weeks.

As an ongoing maintenance program, substantial savings will be made by regular inspection and maintenance of the spray operation and possible replacement when nozzles become worn, through blockages, corrosion, wear and accidental damage

Regular maintenance of the spray nozzles must be undertaken to ensure the nozzles have optimum spray performance.

All nozzle configurations should be analysed on a regular basis to ensure that the spray pattern, flow and operating pressure cannot be improved upon, possibly with new nozzle technology, or the fact that the application process has not changed. The latter being the case then a new specification should be sought.

As well as energy savings, raw material savings must also be taken into consideration and it is feasible to experience water reduction of up to 40% in certain industries and spray nozzle applications.

Also to be taken into consideration must be the application where the spray fluid is not water, but more expensive chemicals or fluids. With correct nozzle design even greater savings may be achieved.

Energy savings can be made in pump operation and it some case it is possible to reduce the number of pressure pumps, thereby saving considerable operating costs and associated maintenance cost.

To summarise, energy savings, raw material savings and a reduction in the wear and tear of other equipment can all be experienced if the correct spray nozzle is specified.

The specification must include nozzle material, spray angle, spray pattern, flow and pressure. With all these set correctly a regular maintenance programme should be undertaken. With the correct specification and maintenance schedule then energy and raw material savings can be expected.

Major appliances account for approximately 40% of our household monthly utility bills. Appliances that are older than 10 years may account for an even larger percentage than that. Energy Star appliances are the most energy efficient appliances available on the market today and can help to bring those monthly costs down substantially. But what if new appliances are not in your budget?

Today’s economy does not lend itself well to major new purchases. Most household finances are already stretched to their limit. Even if you can’t afford a new appliance right now, you can use these energy saving tips to save money on each appliance in your home. This should help keep a few dollars in your pocket and ease up on your strained cash flow.

Refrigerator:

· Leave at least one inch between the wall and the back of the refrigerator. This will help air to circulate, control the temperature and avoid over-heating.

· Radiators, heat ducts, vents, stoves, and even sunlight can cause your refrigerator to use more power than necessary so try not to place your refrigerator adjacent to any of these heat sources.

· Check the temperature of your fridge and freezer regularly. The temperature of the fridge should be between 35 and 38 degrees and your freezer at 0 degrees for optimal performance.

Dishwasher:

· Wash full loads of dishes.

· Do not use the pre-rinse, heat-dry or rinse-hold features, they use extra energy.

Clothes Washer:

· Wash full loads

· Only do warm or hot water washes when necessary.

Dehumidifier:

· Close all windows and doors when your dehumidifier is on.

· Change your filters regularly. A build up of dirt causes the unit to use more energy.

· Keep your dehumidifier away from walls, furniture or dusty areas.

Household Air Conditioner:

· Close all windows and doors when your air conditioner is on.

· Set the timer for temperature control.

· Pick the right unit for the size of your room.

Investing in Energy Star appliances is a great long-term solution to lower your utility bills but if you can’t afford to buy new appliances right now, you can still do your best to reduce your current expenses.

For any homeowner saving energy makes perfect sense. As well as saving the environment it also saves any homeowner a lot of money. By reducing the amount of energy consumption required for everyday living we can help reduce the amount of energy resources used up and cut back the costs of energy such as electricity and gas.

There are a number of steps that any homeowner can take to save energy, many are relatively simple, take little time and effort but can result in large savings. As well as large savings, reducing energy consumption can also give a massive sense of satisfaction as the homeowner is safe in the knowledge they are doing their bit for the environment. As mentioned the steps to take for reducing energy consumption are relatively simple with the simplest being steps such as turning off electrical appliances at the mains when not in use, using heating and cooking devices at the lowest heat and for the least time possible, installing energy saving light bulbs and only using lights in rooms that you are in. More drastic measures that can be taken to reduce energy consumption include insulating cavity walls and roofs to ensure as little heat as possible is lost from the home, ensuring all windows throughout the home are double glazed to ensure heat is not lost through drafts and replacing an old boiler to ensure the boiler being used is as energy efficient as possible. Another more basic step for a homeowner looking to reduce energy costs is to compare gas and electricity providers and make sure energy is being bought from the cheapest supplier.

Homeowners who compare electricity and gas providers can reduce their energy costs considerably.

We all know that our planets resources are running out at an ever increasing rate, but did you know that there are some small, simple energy saving tips that you can follow that can save you a lot of money over a year, as well as help save the environment. If you follow all, or even some, of the tips below, you can actually see a real difference to your utility bills.

In a typical modern house, electrical appliances and electronics, such as TV’s and computers, make up about 20% of total energy use.

The first tip is to look for Energy Star labels when you are buying new appliances. Energy Star labels are strict guidelines created by your local governing body which rate the appliance for energy efficiency. You can be assured that appliances which carry this label are as energy efficient as you can get.

Turn Off all Appliances Not in Use: The simplest, and most obvious piece of advice I can give you, but often the most overlooked. Turn off all lights, computers, and electronics when they are not in use. Never use standby mode overnight as it still uses up to 25% of the energy that the appliance consumes when its switched on. Standby mode can also create a fire hazard!

Light bulbs: Use energy saving bulbs instead of the conventional light bulbs. Although energy saving bulbs cost 3-5 times as much as the standard light bulb, they only use one-quarter of the electricity and lasts many times longer. Remember though, that each energy saving bulb contains 5mg of mercury so you will have an extra item to sort in the recycling bin.

Dishes: Always run your dishwasher on a full load – anything less is simply wasting water and energy as it takes the same amount to wash a single plate as it does a full load. Air-dry your dishes instead of using a dryer.

Laundry: Set your wash program to use 40 degree was or less if you can. Instead of using a dryer, air-dry or hang your clothes on a clothes line. As with dishwashers, don’t use the dryer unless you can fill it up.

Refrigerators: Think of what you want to take out before you open the refrigerator. Leaving the door open will waste extra energy.

Take more Showers and fewer Baths: Taking showers instead of baths will reduce water usage and also lower your heating bill. Of course, it’s always great fun to share a bath if you have a willing partner.
Insulate your windows And Doors: Check windows and doors for air leaks. Air leaks can be sealed by caulking or weather-stripping. By securing the leaks in your home, hot and cool air will be kept in your home longer. Less heating and cooling will help you save on energy costs.

Lag your loft and insulate your walls. If your home will allow it you should immediately lag your loft with good quality fibreglass insulation. Almost 80% of the heat lost from a house is lost by convection through the roof space. Loft insulation is the single most effective way to reduce your heating costs – a significant part of your overall energy bill. If you have cavity walls, you should also seek to insulate them using a specialist service. Again, like loft insulation, although this can be a bit expensive, the long term savings will more than pay for the cost of the work.

Fox 10 Local Phoenix News, does a report on our Energy Saving Device, you be the judge.

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Thanks to the recent meltdown of the financial sector both in the UK and worldwide, 2009 is not shaping up well to be a good year for many. So why not kick sand in the face of the purveyors of doom and gloom and do something in your life that will make you feel good about yourself and has the added benefit of saving you money and reducing carbon emissions?

We can all save energy in our homes with very little expense or effort. There are the no-brainers, such as turning off lights when you leave a room and turning the thermostat down a couple of notches and putting on a jumper. But what we’re looking at here is energy saving products. There are an ever increasing number of innovative new products out there that are designed to make energy saving easy. So when you’ve done insulating the loft and renewing the boiler, why not take a look at some of these little beauties.

Electricity monitors.

There are basically two types of electricity monitors available: wireless and “plug-in” models. The idea of both is simply to allow you to make you more aware of you energy use so that you can alter your energy consuming behaviour accordingly. I would suggest these are a great place to start on your energy saving adventure as they can help you measure the effect of new energy saving products as you introduce them.

Standby Savers

Standby on TV, audio and PC systems can consume an awful lot of electricity even when the equipment is out of use. Thankfully there are a whole host of standby saving products out there to help. Most are simple “plug and play” type affairs that are controlled by automatically sensing when a machine is shutting down/starting up. TV and audio offerings usually pick up the signal from your existing remote control. Either way, when you power down in the normal way, these eco gadgets will do the rest for you ensuring that the kit is switched off at the socket when not in use and automatically powered up when it is. 

Put the kettle on

All too often when making a cuppa we boil far more water than is required – this is a waste of energy. Eco kettles make it easy to boil just the right amount of water for the number of cups that you require. This can reduce your cuppa making energy consumption by a third and reduces time wasted waiting for the kettle to boil as well. 

Reduce Hot Water Use

It takes energy to heat water up – so it makes sense not to waste it! Consider using eco-balls in the washing machine instead of detergent. They’re kinder to the environment and allow you to wash at a lower temperature. Also, if you have a shower hog in your household I would recommend the acquisition of  a shower timer. For very little cost you can have a frog, duck or water drop shaped timer on the shower wall that will beep at when your preset time is up!

Energy Saving Bulbs

Energy saving light bulbs use about 80% less energy than conventional bulbs. They are a little more expensive, but reassure yourself that due to their vastly extended life time and cheaper running costs they are worth the investment.

So there we have a quick run down of just a small selection of vast array of energy saving products available. Make 2009 a year to remember for the right reasons, and feel good about saving energy and money.

Because of advantages of energy-saving, environmental protection, LED has become a major trend in the light industry. As the technologies and product attributes used in LED are very different from the traditional lamps, so the current safety standards and norms in general lighting is obviously not applicable for LED lights. To assist the industry to address this problem, this issue will explain the LED lighting technology and the scope of possible applications.

The LED lighting refers to lighting products using LED (Light-emitting Diode) technology as the main light source. LED is a solid-state semiconductor components, its use the forward current circulate to PN junction of the semiconductor, and then the isolated negatively charged electrons combine with the positively charged holes, the photon emission when two kinds of electric carrier combined with each other. Different types of LED can emit the different wavelengths of light from the infrared to the blue, and the purple to the ultraviolet. In recent years, a new development is to paint fluorescent powder on the blue LED, finally achieve the white light LED. The operation usually requires LED driver or power supply, the main function of drive or power supply is to converted the AC to DC, and at the same time to achieve the voltage and current consistent with LED to drive the matching components.

LED lamps with small bulb size, light weight, and packed by epoxy resin, can affordable high intensity mechanical shock and vibration, not easy to break, and with long brightness decay cycle, its lifespan up to 50,000-100,000 hours, far exceeding the traditional incandescent light (1,000 hours) and fluorescent tubes (10,000 hours). Since lifespan up to 5 to 10 years, so LED lamps not only can reduce the cost of replacement lamps significantly, but also because of the feature that can be driven by extremely small currents, when in the same illumination effects, the power consumption is only half of the fluorescent light.

But because a part of the LED technologies are still inadequate, there are shortcomings when  used LED lights initially, including poor light quality (color performance, consistency, color temperature), problem of heat dissipation, and the high price, among which the heat dissipation problem will accelerate brightness decay and reduce the lifetime of circuit components. As the manufacturing technologies were developed sharply in the past decade, the above-mentioned shortcomings were also improved. Besides the light efficiency of cold wihite LED has reached 100 Lm / W in 2008, the light efficiency of warm white LED is expected to increase from 70 Lm / W to 100 Lm / W in 2010. Compared to current general light source: incandescent light bulbs about 15 Lm / W, fluorescent lamp about 45 ~ 60 Lm / W, HID light about 120 ~ 150 Lm / W, LED luminous efficiency have significant advantage; following is a comparison for LED lamps and other common lights:

white LED: Less heat, wide operating environment, small size, Anti-vibration,  focus beam.

fluorescent lamp: Energy-saving, but fragile and contain pollution waste such as mercury issues.

Incandescent bulb: Low efficiency, high consumption, short lifespan, fragile

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