Neil Norton lives in rural England and has been reducing his electricity bills significantly as the result of building his own solar panels.
Gráficos Para Mini Sitios - Plantillas Para VÃdeo. Aumenta Tu Conversión En Un 200% Y Manda A Volar A La Competencia!
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Paying bills is a task that nobody likes and that unopened envelope can invoke feelings of dread if you are already struggling financially. Electricity prices never seem to stop rising all of the time. But there are many things that you can start to do differently to minimize your electricity bill.
Before you dismiss the suggestion of converting your home to run on solar power due to the extremely high costs, you should be aware that you can build your own solar panels very cheaply. What would set you back maybe $ 30,000 can be built using materials from your local hardware store for less than $ 200 a solar panel.
In order to reduce your electricity bill you have to get into the habit of only using the electricity that you actually need. That means turning off the lights and TV when you leave the room. If you live with other people or have a family you would need to discuss your plans with them and encourage them to participate. Seemingly little things such as turning out the bedroom light whilst going to the bathroom will make small savings that will add up by the time your next bill arrives.
Household appliances such as TVs have a standby feature where they appear to be switched off but are still actually using electricity as they lay dormant waiting for you to press a button on the remote control. So remember to turn these appliances off instead of leaving them in standby mode. Do you really need to use 100W light bulbs in every single room, would a 60W bulb suffice? Those incandescent bulbs are not as efficient as compact fluorescent bulbs. So why not switch your light bulbs to this more efficient variety.
It is important to be aware that it is not only the number of electrical appliances you use which determines how much power you consume. It is actually how often you use your appliances. Some people use their washing machine every single day when they don’t need to. If you have to use your washing machine every other other because you haven’t got many pairs of socks, buy some new socks! Try delaying your next washing day until you have enough dirty clothes for a full machine load.
When you consider the fact that building your own solar power system can drastically cut the cost of your electricity by as much as 80%, and for very little cost then it may well be a good option. It is very easy to make your own and all of the materials are locally and cheaply available. There is no need to be an expert in DIY. By helping yourself to the infinite source of solar power you will make huge cuts to your electricity bills and you will be making a valuable contribution to the environment and to future generations.
To read more on how to reduce energy consumption in your home and how to make homemade solar panels please visit www.greencheapenergy.com
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The power bill… ugh. Every month or two you are greeted with this nasty little bugger. If you are like me and your enormous power bills have you overwhelmed, there are some steps you can take that are very effective and quite simple and can reduce or eliminate your monthly costs.
This article will give you some simple things that are easy to do, and they’ll reduce your power bill right away.
Limited use: Begin with the room you’re in right now. If you headed to the dining room to eat with your family or went to the phone in another room, would you just leave this room without thinking about the electrical appliances there? If so, stop and look around you. Turn off every appliance, even if you’re coming back in a few minutes. Yes, just that small step will help. Every water drop contributes to the ocean.
Another thing to pay attention to is what constitutes an electronic appliance. Would you turn off the fan and the TV, but leave the light on? You need light, of course, but not when you leave the room. Taking care of little things like this really makes a difference on your power bill. If you have a forced air HVAC system and a basement you can turn off the air conditioning and turn on the furnace fan (usually a setting on the digital thermostat or a button in the furnace itself). This can cycle the cooler basement air to the upper levels of the house. You can also seal off the cold air returns on the upper levels of the house to force the unit to pull primarily from the cooler basement air and distribute it throughout the house.
Smart investments: Replace any incandescent bulbs with CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. These bulbs are a perfect investment to save power.
Buy a Power Save unit. This gadget monitors your power supply as it comes into your house, and uses only the minimum required.
Home appliance usage: It’s common to complain about sky-high electricity bills due to the amount of electrical appliances we have. But your electricity bill isn’t proportional to how many appliances you have, just how you use them. Let’s look at how to avoid typical power-wasters.
Adjust your fridge to be slightly less cool and if you have a deep freezer consider buying less frozen food in bulk and using the fridge freezer only (save about $30/month). Only use your washing machine if you have a full load to wash, and use a clothes line rather than a dryer. Turn you computer monitor off at night. Unplug appliances when not in use as all electrical devices still draw power, even when not in use. Unplug toasters, toaster ovens, rice makers, blenders,un-used tvs, etc. Use the plastic barriers that are taped over windows that are not often used. I did this last winter for the first time and I am still amazed at the amount of air that was coming through the patio doors and a couple of windows. Check the weather stripping around exterior doors. If they leak spend a few dollars and replace them. Here is another one that shocked me. Some windows were very drafty due to dried caulking. So spend a couple of dollars and re-caulk around exterior window frames and inside in the cracks between the window trim and frame. Check all receptacle outlets on exterior walls (and interior walls on older homes as you would be amazed at where a serious draft can be hiding) for drafts with a lighter. There are inexpensive foam insulation kits that can be purchased at any hardware store just for this use. If you have a fireplace make certain that it is closed tight and check for drafts. If it is still sucking heat out of you house then stuff insulation up inside, but make certain to remove it before lighting a fire! Open curtains in the winder to let in the sun’s heat and close them in the summer. Yes, you need to keep doing these strategies to save power, for you and the whole world. If you have an attic it is likely a cooker in the summer. If you have fans, vents, windows, etc. that lets the heat escape you can improve the air flow by opening the attic hatch or ladder and your door to your basement if you have one. Since hot air rises the hot air exiting the attic vents will draw the cooler air up into the house by giving the attic a supply of air to allow movement. Remember, cutting down your electricity bill saves power, and therefore helps the people of the world have power for the future.
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I believe that every one of us is finding ways to cut the electricity bill and other household expenses wherever possible during this uncertainty economic climate. We either want to eliminate or delay unnecessary expenses like expensive vacation trip, dinning at luxury restaurant and so on and so forth. However, the electricity bill left to be the one of the most challenging bills to be reduced especially for those who have a lot of power sucking appliances at home. Accordingly to U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average family consumes around 10,656 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year or USD 900 or more if based on 8.5 cents per kwh. There are many ways you can cut down your electricity bills significantly. You can always start with easy ways to enjoy immediate power bills saving whilst working out the long term solution to change your home energy source to renewable green energy source without compromising your standard of living.
Let’s look at how you could cut your power bill significantly
1) Change to efficient Compact Florescent (CFLs) bulbs from incandescent light bulbs
CFLs last from 8-10 times longer, utilize about 75% less energy, and generate 90% less heat at the same time as delivering more light per Watt. For instance, one 20 Watt CFL (replaces a 75 Watt incandescent bulb) will save you $66 dollars over the life of the bulb (based on $.12 KWH). If you replace one 100 Watt incandescent bulb with a 25 Watt CFL, it will save you $74 dollars over the life of the bulb.
Recent statistics reveal that we spend about one-quarter of our electricity budget on lighting, or more than $37 billion annually. Although traditional incandescent light bulbs are less expensive to purchase, they are much more expensive to operate. So you should start to change them now!
2) Always keep your appliances clean, in order and at optimum operating condition.
You should carry out regular cleaning or maintenance so that your appliances are in good shape and thereby operating efficiently and also consuming lesser energy.
3) Set Air-conditioner at optimum temperature
Setting your thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit is the optimum setting for your air conditioner during warmer seasons. It would increase your cooling cost by 12% to 47% if the thermostat is set at 72 degrees Fahrenheit. You shouldn’t set temperature really low at the beginning as it will not help your home cool faster but to consume more energy. If you forget to adjust it subsequently, the air conditioner will be running far less efficiently than you think. Besides, you should consider substituting fans for air conditioners on milder days as it can save 60% or more in cooling costs.
4) You should call qualified service technician to you home for an annual check up.
This will not only help you to reduce the operating costs of the appliance by around 20%, but also extend the life span of the appliance.
5) Don’t over-stuff your refrigerator with bottles and other plastic containers.
The condenser will be overloading as lack of free air circulation. As a result, it will consume more energy.
6) Turn Off un-used electric appliances & computer and lights
7) Shop around for energy-efficient appliances
Convert renewable energy source
You should consider this option as your long term solution if you are really committed to reduce your power bill. You could either ask the professional install for you if you can afford it, if not you can also consider to DIY. There are a lot of user friendly DIY kits out there with detailed step by step instruction to guide you how to set up your own solar or wind power generation system.
Click here to find out what are those
Renewable Energy DIY Kit that could help you to build your own green power system.
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Electricity – it’s a necessity. But are we taking it for granted? We waste so much electricity without even knowing, which in turn wastes hard-earned cash. So what can you do to change your electricity-wasting ways and save cash, fast?
Well first you need to think about something called ‘Vampire Power’. This is power that is used to keep your electrical appliances on ‘standby’. Appliances on stand-by add over $100 to your electricity bill and produce around 85kgs of CO2 per year. So as you can see, this Vampire power just sucks the money right out of your wallet.
There are two categories of appliances that use Vampire power around your house:
The first is devices with a standby function.
Whenever you can use a remote turn something on – it’s using standby power. This function can use up to 40% of an electrical device’s total power consumption – and just think – how long do you keep your TV/DVD player/Playstation/Wii/Stereo on standby for every day?
The second is transformers.
These appliances transform electricity from AC to DC. The problem when it comes to energy consumption is that most of them are pretty cheaply made and continue to use electricity - even when the appliance they’re providing power for is turned off.
For example – if a cell phone is completely charged, the transformer/charger is still using electricity. If it’s warm when the device is off, it’s using vampire power.
Turn off appliances at the wall switch
When purchasing a new electrical appliance, look for the energy star label to gauge its energy consumption rate.
Keep your dryer clean – it increases the efficiency of the machine which means it uses less power to do a better job. And it decreases the fire risk as well!
Do loads of washing in the dryer consecutively so you can make us of the heat that is already built up.
Use an extractor fan to keep your kitchen cool. It’ll keep your house cooler, and the savings in the cost of cooling your house will by far outweigh the cost running the fan.
Close doors to rooms that you are not using when heating or cooling your house.
Turn off your computer – this appliance is a real power-waster, so turn it off when you’re not using it.
Use power-saver bulbs such as compact fluorescent bulbs. These use 75% less energy than standard light bulbs.
Every now and then – vacuum or dust the metal compressor coils on the back of your fridge. Like your dryer – it will increase the efficiency of the appliance and it will therefore run using less power.
Use gas heaters instead of electric heaters – these heaters use significantly less power.
So here are a few tips to keep your power bill down:
These are just some of the ways in which you can save yourself from stress when the power bill arrives, not to mention a significant amount of payday cash. And what’s even better, is you’ll also be doing your bit for the environment by reducing your annual carbon emissions.
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Do you find yourself dreading your electricity bill each month when it arrives? Do you express surprise at the amount you see when you open the envelope? Do you have to sit down and figure out how that number was computed, because for you it’s just too much?
People have a tendency to underestimate the amount of electricity they use especially when there are so many ways it is wasted. In fact, appliances still use up electricity even when switched off! Whatever name it’s called—idle current, phantom load—it’s still consumed energy you have to pay for, yet don’t use.
It’s time to put a stop to wasted electricity with the use of smart power strips. A smart power strip is a very helpful device that cuts off the flow of electricity to appliances when they’re plugged in yet turned off. Smart power strips look like your typical multi-socket power extension and they work the same way to a point; however, a smart power strip recognizes when you’ve turned off your appliances. At that point, the smart power strip completely turns off your devices—it’s as if you unplugged them from the wall. Your gadgets and appliances will not eat up idle current.
Smart power strips are able to recognize when your appliances are switched off because they are programmed to remember the usual flow of electricity running through your devices when switched on. Thus, when you switch off your devices, the amount of current changes and this change is the trigger that sets the smart power strip into action.
Of course, why is there a need for smart power strips if you can just unplug your appliances? Although the best way to stop idle current is to unplug all your devices when not in use, it’s not practical to do so every single time. What if the plug for your TV goes all the way to the back and you have to move the whole thing to the side just to be able to reach it? What if you were really sleepy and forgot to unplug your DVD player? Those scenarios are just two examples in which you end up paying for wasted electricity when you shouldn’t have to. Why take the chance? It’s better to use a smart power strip so that you don’t have any worries after you turn the switch off your say your computer. Aside from nipping idle current in the bud, smart power strips also prevent power surges that regular power extensions can’t do. It’s a benefit that will help your appliances have a longer life because of the added protection.
A smart power strip is an affordable tool to add to your how-to-save-more-money arsenal. Different kinds of models exist with varying numbers of sockets. Whatever your requirements are, there’s a model that suits your exact needs.
Buy Smart Power Strips to save on electricity at Conservation Mart. A Smart Power Strip stop wastage of power when appliances are not in use by monitoring your power usage.
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Here’s a stab at some helpful hints to save electricity in your home in furtherance of the “green revolution”. Every one has heard and many people are using the compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). Although expensive, initially, to purchase these light bulbs fit in a standard lamp socket in the place of the old incandescent style bulb. They burn cooler giving off little or no heat, have a pleasant bright white light and last an estimated 10 times longer than the average light bulb. This long life goes a long way toward offsetting the initial cost but where the real savings comes is from the low electricity usage. Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy (electricity) than incandescent light bulbs and they provide a quick return on investment. Although may I also remind you of your Dad who went through the house screaming “who left all these lights on?” He was right. We are an amazing people who go through life turning on lights, during broad daylight, when entering a a room and going through the house turning them all off when we get ready to go to bed at night. My family and I lived in Los Angeles in the 1980’s in a nice little house up in the Hollywood Hills whose main attraction was a breathtaking view of the entire L.A. basin spread out before you. We made a game for the children out of watching to see when the first light would come on at night but in reality the lights were always already on all day and truth be known the view was never dark, millions of lights burning all night long in homes and buildings with no one there. Is your home or office that way still today?
You can consider the old tricks. Set back thermostats to control your HVAC systems while you are away and during peak usage times have been around for over 20 years and are now standard equipment on newer homes and are an easy 15 minute fix for your older home at a minimum investment for as little as $20. This can be made up in the first week of proper use. You can invest in “energy star” rated appliances that are certified to save electricity over older models and in some instances can repay the initial costs of replacing some energy hog appliances.
There are some newer tricks that you may not have considered. Have you checked your hot water heater? As I discussed in the last blog you can live with a lower temperature setting on your water heater which should never exceed 120 degrees F any way. The Manufactured home builders long ago built in lighted switches that allow you to completely turn the hot water tank off. These lighted switches fit in a standard outlet box, usually in a hallway or bathroom but instead or being a 15 or 20 amp switch they are 60 amps or greater to control the high voltage on the heater. You can accomplish the same thing by simply tripping your circuit breaker and turn the device off at times when you will be away or it’s less likely that you will need hot water. Most Hot water heaters are terribly inefficient and many people are replacing them with the new tankless varieties that provide instant hot water and when not in use are not using any only small amounts of energy. I live alone and have found that simply keeping my hot water heater turned off saves at least 15% on my monthly electricity bill. Additionally as I mentioned in the previous blog on water conservation if you wash your clothes in cold water that eliminates the need for the hot water tank to be working overtime. Additionally look at the settings on your dish washer. Are you stepping up the water temp by using a Pot scrubber cycle? Are you allowing the dishwasher to dry the dishes by using the drying cycle? Have you ever heard of a dish rack and a hand towel??? Do you have children? how are they earning their allowance?Many people rarely look at their dishwasher settings and are uselessly wasting electricity on those 2 settings alone.
Many electric utilities offer a rebate on your power bill of you will allow them to install a radio frequency device inline with your meter that lets them shed your 220 power off during peak times of demand. This demand times are usually early mornings and late afternoons when people are getting ready for work or getting home from the office and starting dinner and during peak heating and cooling demand times. Can’t live without the HVAC, clothes dryer, hot water heater at those times? I lived in Lakeland Florida or 8 years and had the system in place in my home an never once knew it was working. They also offer rebate plans for new high efficiency appliances and fixtures. Call your utilities today and ask what they can do for you.
I am sure that I have missed many more easy ways to save energy but here is the one that you will disbelieve when I tell you yet it will allow you to save the most electricity in the easiest manner. UNPLUG THINGS. Did you know that if you have an “instant on” TV, VCR, DVD player or stereo system that they are using 70% of the electricity while turned off that they use when running or turned on? If your device has a red power light that shows that it is turned off then its using power and not just to keep the light on. These devices keep the main power supply on so that it does not have to “warm up” to provide the necessary power to operate the device. Unplug it or plug it into a plug strip with a single “on/off” switch that allows you to turn on everything at once. Make sure the strip you use is only using power to light the light. Yes you may have to wait 20 seconds for the TV to come on but think of how much energy its wasting sitting there waiting for you to come home just so you can save that 20 sec wait. The same thing applies to a toaster, toaster ovens, microwave ovens, and literally every appliance that you have plugged in. They are all using electricity even when not turned on. The only small appliance plugged in all the time in my kitchen is the microwave oven which is built in and I’m thinking about having it wired to a switch or a plug outlet so I can turn the darn thing off. I don’t need the clock on it, there are 3 others in the kitchen already that have to be reset every time there’s a power failure and that’s the only thing it does for me when its not heating food.
In summation we can all save electricity just by being a little smarter or “frugal”, which doesn’t mean cheap. Think of your dad once in a while and call him if you’re still lucky enough have him and tell him he was right and maybe an “I love you” would go a long way too. I write this while sitting by the phone waiting for the call from my children and no the recharger for the cell phone is not plugged in because it uses power all the time too and that goes for the computer CPU and the recharger for the laptop and……get the message?
Im a retired disabled accountant with vast knowledge in the DIY area having built several houses and worked on my own projects for 30+ years. I spend most of my days reading and responding to over 30 forums and discussion groups.
I currently author and manage a blog site for a friend’s builder supply business. I include personally written articles on the subject of home and home repair along with featured specials on products offered by the company
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Learning how to make a small solar panel system can be very helpful in reducing your electricity bill. It will also come in handy for different outdoor activities such as camping or if you like to take regular nature trips away to remote areas. Even if you are not too much into outdoor activities, you will still find it to be useful in offsetting your electricity bill by powering up one to several household appliances.
Before you set out to make a small solar panel system, you will first have to acquire one of the many do-it-yourself renewable energy guides that are being sold online. These guides are reasonably priced and will instruct you in a step-by-step format on how you can build your own portable solar generator. Most renewable energy guides are often quite easy to follow that even a complete novice will have no trouble at all building their own solar panel system.
To make a small solar panel system there are several components that will be required, which a good do-it-yourself renewable energy guide should be able to instruct you about in full. Some of these components are solar cells, electricity inverter, electrical charge controller and a decent size battery — preferably an auto-battery to store the electricity generated. There are a few more components which will be needed, some of which you are likely to already have around your home.
The complete cost to make a small solar panel system is fairly cheap; particularly the fact that you may be able to find some of the required parts around your home. The other components can be purchased at electrical and hardware stores. Buying all the components should cost you less than $100-200, which is a bargain, when taking into consideration that commercial portable solar panel systems are being sold for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
When you make a small solar panel system, it wonât be adequate to power your entire home since it is in fact a portable system. But it will contribute significantly in reducing your electricity bill, as you can use it to power your RV or several different electrical devices in your house such as your TV and your desktop computer. Its compactness will also make it easy to travel with when going camping or to other outdoor destinations.
Learning how to make a small solar panel system by following one of the many do-it-yourself renewable energy guide, will not only help you to cut the cost of your electricity bill, but will also be convenient to travel with and provide you with free electricity whenever you need it.
Read more about do it yourself renewable energy solutions at www.DIY-Energy.org.
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The small solar-power generator for homes is waiting to be built as of today, 2008. Parts and components for a solar power generator have been invented, developed, and are in operation for many years, but the full electrical equipment that powers up a home, has not been integrated and is not ready for the market place.
The home power generator (HPG) based on sun heat requires a small solar dish to collect the heat, a small Stirling engine capable of moving a 3 KWh electrical generator, the power generator and a battery system to store one or two days generated electricity. The battery bank would then supply 24/7 electricity to any outlet upon demand. An additional gas heater installation can be included to backup the lack of sun light, making the system a reliable alternative. Components for this home power generator have yet to be integrated into an appliance homeowners can buy at Sears, Home Depot or other stores, and have it installed. Larger Power Generators using Stirling Engine are a reality and have been developed by Infinia Corporation for the California Solar Plant.
CENTRALIZED POWER GENERATION
Large power generation and distribution companies, are staying away from the home markets. There are 44 companies in the United States that generate and distribute electricity, with 403 billion in revenues, making profits of 36 billion p/year, who wish to continue charging each consumer forever. Developing technology for homes can hurt their central power generation business. Although their plans may include the diversification of their power source, such as: nuclear, hydro, solar, thermal power, as well as, continuing the use of coal, natural gas, oil, it does not include the home power generation market.
Sunlight is the only energy available to all homes, free of charge, provided by God and nature. If sunlight was harness by each consumer to power up their home, central power generators and distributors may not be needed. Other power generating technologies coming from thermal power, hydro or nuclear power, are innocuous to these utility companies, because home owners will never use these energy sources to generate their own power. Thus we can expect that current power utility companies will continue to use these traditional sources of energy extensively, and will defer and try to derail home solar technology as much as they can, as long as they can.
When no other alternative existed for obtaining electricity as we have had in the past, electricity supplied from these large plants was welcomed. But today, with so many more technologies available, large power generation plants and centralized business model is highly inefficient because: 1. consumers pay more and forever, to these virtual monopolies; 2. homes need to be within the reach of the electrical grids, remote country homes not tied to the grid need to find other ways to power up their home; 3. flying electrical cables through the streets provide for visual contamination and make streets and neighborhoods look bad; 4. the land used for laying down the high tension cables is about 3%; 99% of the power generated comes from contaminating fuels, either fossil fuels or radioactive materials; and lastly the expensive investment plant model inhibits poor countries from obtaining electricity. In essence the centralized power plants have American paying electricity forever, and are the direct cause for poverty and starvation in the world. Please read on Poverty generation: http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/poverty-and-the-new-world-order-809385.html
We need to understand that insisting in generating electricity via very large plants, without the development of the Home Power Generator, creates world poverty, inhibits poor countries from obtaining electricity, inhibits people in those countries to produce food and make products to generate an income which can sustain themselves, and comes back to the USA in terms of the help we need to provide but always as charity.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Since FPL, Duque Energy, Constellation Energy and the other 39 companies are incapable of developing the HPG, other investors are need to develop this light weight Solar power generation industry. , similar to the Air conditioning manufacturing plants. Development and fabrication of the HPG would be the integration of the 4 components, which can be produced or outsourced by the investor, making the investment accessible to smaller investors. The HPG appliance will be maintenance free, operating cost free, can be sold all over the world, to power up homes and eliminating the electricity cost of those using it.
Consultant seeking to promote sustainability in organic and energy systems/models. Mission: Assists clients design/implement, ecological friendly systems, models, or components; Liaison for strategic affiliations for products that benefit mankind.
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I’m trying to install a 2-3000W inverter on my semi truck to run a couple compact appliances. What is the best alternative low budget to set up a AC voltage in the Semi truck ?
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