Energy Savings

Ways to Save Fuel in Your Daily Commute

February 8, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

You can do your part to protect the environment by examining your commuting practices. When each person makes a few changes, the end result is a massive cumulative effect. Your actions matter. Here are a few tips for saving fuel in your daily commute.

Start a Carpool

Starting a carpool is one of the easiest ways to reduce the number of cars on the road. When you explore this idea, you’ll find that others will find it appealing as well. Start with the coworkers who live near you. If that doesn’t work, look for carpool ads in grocery stores and coffee shops. Online forums might also be an option.

Take the Bus or Train to Work

Taking public transportation isn’t for everyone and doesn’t exist in all locations. However, if it is an option for you, you might check it out. Letting someone else drive while you nap or listen to music can be an enjoyable way to commute to work and back.

Unload Your Car

If you have no choice but to drive your own car, make sure that you lighten your load as much as possible. Some people dump heavy tools and equipment into their trunks only to forget about them. Unload anything that you don’t need and you’ll see better gas mileage.

Invest in a Car With High Gas Mileage

When it’s time to get a new car, consider a car with better gas mileage. With the unpredictable gas prices and the general uncertainty about the future of fuel availability in some regions, you’ll want to prepare in advance. Buying a hybrid vehicle and researching your options for fuel efficient vehicles will save you fuel and money.

Try Telecommuting

The best way to save fuel in your daily commute, of course, is to reduce your commute. If you can arrange to work from home a couple of days per week, you will greatly reduce your fuel usage. Ask your boss if the possibility exists. The worse he will do is say no.

Filed Under: Energy Savings Tagged With: Carpool, Fuel efficiency

It’s Electric!

January 25, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

It almost sounds like an Electric utopia, but it’s true. Riverside Property Management is making leaps in progress when it comes to getting the city to go greener with the inception of EV parking outlets throughout the downtown and neighboring areas. For those unfamiliar with the term, EV stands for “Electric Vehicle.” Parking could resemble charging your cell phone at charging stations! It sounds weird, but at the same time cool. Cars that need to be charged while parking while you shop–that’s an interesting idea.

Essentially, the management company is working with car manufacturers on a city-wide scale to fund it. Think of how much infrastructure it would take to make this happen. Cities would look a lot different without all of those gas stations. It would sure be convenient to charge a car while you’re busy doing other things rather than going out of the way to get gas. It would be even easier than visiting an ATM machine.

The best part about all of that is Riverside isn’t the only corporation working on the endeavor. Government agencies all over the country are investigating that possibility. Moreover, with everyone on board, parking meters might die out to make room for debit/credit card kiosks that will serve not only as ‘fueling’ stations, but reserved parking platforms to ensure that electric vehicles get an optimal charge. Smart, isn’t it? However, there are, of course, negatives to consider with this new way of life.

One foreseeable problem is when there are a lot of cars needing a quick recharge and not enough spaces. Think of current parking problems to really understand the possible negative effect of the EV outlet concept. This might not be the case however; perhaps it would work out to not only include the downtown parking meters but all parking areas, including reserved lots for businesses.

It’s an interesting possibility.

Filed Under: Energy Savings

Green Living With Renewable Energy Consumption

January 20, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

One cannot remain immune to the harmful effects of global warming. Regularly we hear propaganda about increasing carbon footprint and its harmful effects on our lives and on the Earth. Energy consumption is one such area which needs a revolution of some kind. Places located at the remotest corner of the world also depend upon electricity.

Green living enthusiasts have for some year tried to change this dependency and motivate people to covert their homes into consuming renewable energy like sunlight and wind power. People who are aware choose to convert their residential and commercial property into renewable energy systems. Using their laptops and with a bit of online research and minimal cash in the beginning, everyone can channelize the power of renewable energy.

In the last decade, there has been a visible increase at the rate in which people are taken to installing solar energy panels on roofs and some people have gone ahead by planting windmills in their backyard. Most of the state governments today offer subsidies and concessions to homeowners for setting up renewable source of energy production in their home. You can contact your local government office and research about the whole concept. Know about the financial incentives made available by the federal government for using renewable energy.

Renewable energy is unlimited and the electricity produced from it can power your whole home. Renewable energy is green energy because it does not pollute the environment and neither does it spread harmful chemicals around. With DIY manuals, one can install the renewable energy systems on their own or they can hire professionals to do the job.

The fact is renewable source of energy is here to stay – with our natural earth resources depleting at a steady rate, converting to renewable energy remains one of the safest and cost effective option. This way homeowners can reduce their electricity consumption and save lots of hard earned money.

Filed Under: Energy Savings Tagged With: Energy Consumption

Living with Fluorescent Light Bulbs

December 24, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

The human brain adjusts to fit its environment, a principle that works for new eyeglasses and transitioning from incandescent light bulbs to the more energy efficient fluorescent bulbs.

First Impressions

When first moving from incandescent bulbs to fluorescent, people generally notice a shift in the light color. The brightness may seem the same, but the color may also appear harsher. This difference, which is actually there, seems to go away with time until the harsher light is no longer noticed. The same effect happens with the tube-style fluorescent bulbs in the kitchen and bathroom. What the brain does is shift its perception in order that the environment seems normal and comfortable.

Smoothing Line Power

The power coming into a house has spikes and valleys in voltage, but usually not enough to be noticed. This power, referred to as dirty line power in large computer datacenters, is smoothed out in them through Uninterruptable Power Supplies, or UPS’s. Relatively inexpensive desktop computer UPS’s can be purchased and used for smoothing out house power to extend the life of fluorescent light bulbs. This is because the fluorescent bulbs also have sensitive electronics in their bases.

Luck of the Draw

Some fluorescent light bulbs last longer than others. The rated lifetime is actually a MeanTime Between Failure (MTBF) number. This means that half the bulbs last longer than MTBF, and half do not. The chances of purchasing a longer lasting bulb is about 50-50, although a higher MTBF for any particular make of bulb is better than a lower number. In any case, a bulb that does not meet its MTBF is not a reason to stop using fluorescent bulbs altogether. They will still, on average, save money on the electric bill.

When the curly fluorescent light bulb first came out, it was derided for being so different. Today they are better accepted, and their lifetimes can be extended with UPS’s.

Filed Under: Energy Savings Tagged With: Compact fluorescent lamp, Electrical, Fluorescence, Fluorescent lamp, Incandescent light bulb, Light

Localized Energy Solutions

December 23, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image by eastpole via Flickr

People have been conditioned to expect their electricity to be delivered over a massive and complex energy grid. An assumption is made that electricity only comes from big power plants out there somewhere. This conditioning is starting to break down as people realize that electricity can be generated locally.

How Local Is Local?

Local can mean right near the consumer of electricity or within a few mile radius. Solar and wind farms would not be considered local in most situations because they feed energy into the grid. However, a solar panel array for powering an office building directly is a localized energy solution. Several wind generators doing a similar thing are also localized energy solutions.

An option for a private residence is electricity generated by solar roof shingles. Some solar shingle designs blend in with traditional asphalt shingles to give the roof a consistent look. Combined with a solar panel array perhaps mounted alongside the house and an unobtrusive, quiet wind turbine, the localized energy solution becomes more productive.

Off-Grid and Local

Ideally, local energy solutions would also mean zero dependence on the massive and complex grid. No natural gas hookups or propane deliveries would be needed. This could be accomplished by using solar, wind and geothermal energy sources that power appliances, lights and heat pumps. This is the ideal, and as with so many ideals, compromises need to be made. One way to compromise is to install a fuel-driven generator that has the capability of kicking in when the other local energy sources fall short of meeting the demand. If this generator uses bio-fuels, then the green nature of the localized energy solution is maintained while still providing all the electricity needed.

Localizing energy sources is one method of moving away from fossil fuels and toward clean alternative energy. This can be done individually or within a community. For example, an entire housing subdivision could pool resources together to harvest all local sources of energy.

Filed Under: Energy Savings Tagged With: Electricity, Energy, Energy development, Off-the-grid, Solar panel, Solar Shingle, Wind turbine

Solar and Wind Relationship

December 21, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

People tend to differentiate between solar and wind energy sources. They are actually from the same source but manifest as different entities from the common point of view.

Solar Directly from the Sun

Sunshine is solar energy, obviously. This is obvious because since we were small children, we knew that the sun is warm. Our sensation of warmth while the sun’s rays drenched us was clear and uncomplicated. What we did not know was that the warmth came from light rays within the red spectrum, the infrared light. We also did not know that ultraviolet rays were bad for us, causing sunburns and later skin cancers.

The way that solar panels convert the energy in sunlight to electricity involves how certain crystals have this almost magical capability. It isn’t magic, however. This is pure physics. The crystals simply have this capability due to their atomic structures.

Wind Indirectly from the Sun

Wind power is less difficult to understand. The wind blows and pushes on stuff. If the wind blows very hard, as in a tornado or hurricane, stuff is pushed a lot and dangerously so. This pushing is intuitive and the basis for ancient sailing ships.

What is not so intuitive is that the wind would not exist without energy from sunlight. If the sun were to blink out tomorrow, the wind would stop as the atmosphere cooled down. Wind only exists because of air mass temperature differences. These temperature differences only exist because the sun warms up the atmosphere. The air masses travel and swirl, causing the earth to look like a big blue marble from space. The traveling and swirling are what we call the wind.

When we talk about solar and wind energy, we are really talking about only solar energy. The same can be said about biomass energy, since no plants would grow without the sun’s quite positive influence on our planet.

Filed Under: Energy Savings Tagged With: Energy, Solar energy, Solar power, Wind, Wind power

Electronic Green

December 11, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Many people face the issue of what to do with old computers and electronics. The picture is the same with a lot of individuals, open the closet and there are at least three old desktop computers piled up waiting for a final resting place. What do you do with these items? Now there are places where you can recycle your old electronics. First check out the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htm which lists a variety of sources and companies that recycle old electronics. This site has abundant resources for local programs, manufacturer and retail programs, and government-supported donation and recycling programs.

If you are wanting to find out more information regarding legislation and requirements regarding electronic recycling, NCER (National Center for Electronic Recycling) at http://www.electronicsrecycling.org can keep you up to date on laws, conferences, news and publications. According to the site, there are 24 states that have enacted e-waste laws. Make sure you do a little research to determine if your state has specific laws regarding the recycling or disposal of electronics.

Prior to recycling programs old electronics used to end up primarily in landfills. Landfills are simply dumping grounds where trash is deposited and buried. The EPA estimates that 55% of our trash is buried in landfills. According to an article by Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. at www.discovery.howstuffworks.com, “The purpose of a landfill is to bury the trash in such a way that it will be isolated from groundwater, will be kept dry and will not be in contact with air. Under these conditions, trash will not decompose much. A landfill is not like a compost pile, where the purpose is to bury trash in such a way that it will decompose quickly.” Therefore, by throwing our electronic and household products in the trash to be brought to a landfill is not helping our environment. Check out the EPA’s site and find out where your community recycles.

Filed Under: Energy Savings Tagged With: Environment, Recycling, Waste

Plants That Naturally Clean Your Indoor Air

November 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

Many people who are living a green lifestyle are constantly looking for green, healthy methods of keeping their indoor air smelling fresh and free of toxins. Indoor air quality is often worse than outdoor because pollutants become trapped in a small space and can leave the air quality low. One of the simplest ways to improve indoor air quality is to green up your home with houseplants. All houseplants will help provide you with plenty of fresh oxygen and add beauty to your home. Some, however, are also great at cleaning the air.

Peace Lily

Peace lilies are great for indoor air quality helping to rid the air of toxins including formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. They are helpful in ridding indoor air of many common VOCs. They also have the benefit of requiring very little light which makes them a good choice for many people in the winter when sunlight may be harder to come by. Many people also use peace lilies in their offices to help clean the air while requiring very little care to thrive.

Gerbera Daisy

Gerbera daisies are beautiful additions the home and are available in many vibrant colors to brighten up any room. Gerbera daisies also are good for cleaning the air and removing benzene from indoor air. Flowering plants are often best at removing benzene. Some studies have also shown that Gerbera daisies can help to remove TCE from indoor air.

Bamboo

Many types of bamboo can be grown indoors in small pots. Bamboo provides more oxygen than just about any other plant, making it great for the home. Lucky bamboo plants are also great gifts and have fun meanings such as good health or luck based on the number of stalks in a pot. Bamboo plants can be a great gift for someone who doesn’t want to devote a lot of time to a plant, but wants a small and attractive container that can clean the air.

Filed Under: Energy Savings Tagged With: Air Quality Index, Gerbera, Health, Houseplant, Indoor air quality, Plant, Spathiphyllum, Volatile organic compound

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