Norms Green Energy

Posts Tagged ‘Energy Costs’

All it would take is about $10-20 a month for 10 years 50% of energy could be produced from clean sources like wind and solar. But human behavior can be persuaded through rules. One of our government’s innovations is compliance standards. Check it out.

http://www.compliance.gov/

You need to lok deeper at the numbers.

Besides – you are talking about a 10-20% increase in energy costs. This translates into a similar increase in costs for businesses. Thses costs will have to be passed on to the consumer – which means 1970’s style ’stagflation.’

Another issue is that althenative energy has a perfect 100% track record of failure in terms of producing energy at a cost the consumer can afford. How much money are you willing to bet on the assumption that history will not repeat itself?

Technorati Tags: 10 Years, Assumption, Bet, Compliance Standards, Electricity Bill, Energy Costs, Extra, Failure, green energy, How Much Money, Human Behavior, Increase Energy, Innovations, Lok, Stagflation

As we look to make better use of our energy usage in the home, whether is is because of rising energy costs, the threat of government regulated rationing of energy usage or because our environmental conscious is prodding us to do something to help the environmental crisis we find ourselves in, solar power for home owners has become a serious contender to meet our alternative energy needs.

On the Internet these days you can find a number of good diy solar power for home owners guides. These guides contain easy to follow instructions (both written and on video) that show you how to build your own solar power system at home and how you can get the benefits of “going solar”.

The benefits of diy solar energy include:

• Its free, apart from the initial purchase of materials (around $200), solar power is free energy and panels require very little if any maintenance (aside from a good clean from time to time)
• Its renewable, whilst the sun shines brightly above us we are not going to run out any time soon.
• Its clean, solar energy is a very clean power source, with no emissions or pollutants given off in its production.
• Its easy, to make your own solar power system at home, using materials gathered from your local hardware store.
• Its fun, assembling your own solar solar power for home owners kit is a fun and educational project you can get the whole family in on.
• Freedom, no longer will you have to watch your energy consumption, leave the lights on! it doesn’t matter as solar energy is clean, renewable and  free.

Investing in a solar power for home owners guide is the perfect way to get expert instruction in a simple to follow format to have your homemade solar power project up and running in  not time. The guides retail for around the $40 mark and represent excellent value for money when you take into account the massive saving you will make be including solar energy in your homes power usage.

Be one of the first to cash in and jump on this ever increasingly popular trend of solar power for home owners and do your bit for the environment as well as save some cash. Click the following link to find out more about Solar Power For Home Owners

Like most things released in this format there are some products to avoid, [Click Here] for a review on the best DIY solar power for home owners guides available on the web

Jon Elsdon
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/solar-power-for-home-owners-741107.html

Technorati Tags: alternative energy, Conscious, Contender, Educational Project, Emissions, Energy Consumption, Energy Costs, Energy Usage, Expert Instruction, Free Energy, Freedom, Hardware Store, Initial Purchase, Investing, Pollutants, Power Source, Rising Energy, Solar Energy, Solar Power System, Using Materials

With today’s political environment focusing on keeping everything as green as possible, the use of photoluminescent materials in sustainable building design is an idea whose time has come. The employment of photoluminescent exits signs and other self-luminous emergency egress indicators is an easy choice given all the advantages they afford. Let’s take a brief look at some of the reasons why using these types of emergency exit signs is a terrific idea.

First of all, photoluminescent materials are about as environmentally friendly as you can get. These exit signs use no electricity, consume no batteries, and are virtually maintenance-free. There is no more hard wiring, having to search out electrical problems, or the constant purchase and disposal of batteries. You simply mount these exit signs to the wall and forget about them. They collect and store the ambient light that is available when the building is in use, and make that energy available when there is an emergency need. If the need arises, these  photoluminescent exits signs can store enough of this energy to stay illuminated for up to three days. They are visible to a distance of around 100 feet in dark or smoky conditions, serving as a beacon during a blackout or fire.

As a result of this energy conservation, these photoluminescent exits signs can save your company thousands of dollars yearly in energy costs, as well as dramatically improve the carbon footprint left by your building. Use of photoluminescent materials in your sustainable building design can reduce air pollution by nearly a half a million pounds of CO2 when compared with incandescent signs over the life of the product. They are also 100% recyclable, and when or if you ever have need to dispose of them, they can simply go into the nearest metal recycling container. They are easy to install and a snap to move if needed; simply move the mounting to the new desired location.

Compare this to the hands-on time and energy required by incandescent signs and the other choice, tritium signs. Incandescent exit signs pose problems such as replacement, electrical issues, and more. Tritium exit signs are a wholly different matter, and have a large number of undesirable issues. They are made of a radioactive substance that is tracked and regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and require special handling by a certified hazardous materials expert to dispose of properly. Moreover, they are no longer manufactured in the US because of environmental concerns and must now be imported from abroad. There are other issues to consider, but I think toxic waste is just about enough for anyone! 

The best solution in luminescent signs available today is a company called Jessop Manufacturing, who have been in business since 1956.  They offer a wide range of eco-friendly exits signs and egress indicators, available at a very reasonable cost and in several colors and configurations. They have become the unquestioned leader in this market, and you can find their products online at GloBriteSystem.com.

Alan King
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-security-articles/the-use-of-photoluminescent-materials-in-sustainable-building-design-721581.html

Technorati Tags: Air Pollution, Ambient Light, Blackout, Co2, Company Thousands, Disposal Of Batteries, Easy Choice, Electrical Problems, Emergency Egress, Emergency Exit Signs, Emergency Need, energy conservation, Energy Costs, Half A Million, Metal Recycling, Political Environment, Recycling Container, Sustainable Building Design, Terrific Idea, Thousands Of Dollars

Are you tired of the every rising cost of energy and never having enough cash to keep up with the rises? You could seriously cut the cost of your home energy starting today.

I am an electrician and it amazes me when I visit customer’s homes just how much energy they are wasting and they are often unaware of how they can reduce their energy costs.

Now, I am no saint myself but I am becoming more aware of energy consumption and the cost of energy for my own home. I am starting to feel like my elders of days gone by when they would keep saying “Turn out that light, switch off that radio” etc. does that sound familiar? I find myself doing the same thing with my 12yr old son.

You can do something about YOUR energy bill if you follow the steps I want to show you.

We all pay for energy one way or another at home and at work, unless we have an alternative. All electrical appliances we use are rated by watts. This is a unit of power consumed generally expressed as kilowatt power used per hour.

Now you might not be aware, that basically, if it is plugged in it could be costing you money every single minute of the day when you are not using it. What do I mean by this?

Have you noticed that some of your home appliances have a little red light to tell you it is on standby? What it does not tell you is it is consuming energy even though you believe it is switched off. Some examples of this might be a modern electric kettle, a dishwasher when it has finished its cycle, a computer and monitor – not forgetting your printer, the TV, set top box, DVD or Video player, Radio/alarm clock in the spare room, that old fridge you keep drinks cool in for the summer and it is almost empty the rest of the year.

One way you can slash your energy prices at a stroke today, is to start getting into the habit of turning off all those appliances you are not using. Yes I know, the plug might not be easy to get to, especially if it is hidden behind that TV stand, and looking like a bird’s nest of wires where it is hard to find which lead fits what plug.

There are all sorts of sites which offer guidance on power consumption but that is not the purpose of this article. What if you discovered how easy it is to cut your fuel bills with a minimum of effort and without it costing you a penny.

I guess one of the biggest culprits is the TV corner of most living rooms, but do not forget the kids room or anywhere else where you have a TV consuming energy. You might have a TV, DVD, Video, and Set Top Box, Play-station or other appliances plugged in. My room is no different to anyone elses last thing at night. When I turn off the TV and the room lights I see a soothing aray of coloured stanby lights smileing at me!

Now it is those tiny little lights that should be ringing alarm bells in our heads and screaming at us “I am costing you money every second of every minute and every hour of the day……..” you get the meaning?

I saw a programme recently where someone demonstrated that his TV alone used a third of the power it used normally, just by being left on standby. That is quite alarming. Can you see how easy it is the start slashing your energy consumption in a single flick?

Get into the habit of switching off all your gadgets, those extra lights in the room and unplug those you are not sure about just in case. It is good practice to unplug appliances from the socket just in case there is a wiring fault. A neighbour’s son bought a new computer and left it switched on all the time. It caught fire and they had to call the fire brigade. The appliance was obviously faulty and fortunately he was at home to prevent it being worse that it would have been had he gone out!!

Ian Middleton
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/wake-up-smell-the-coffee-energy-companies-are-robbing-us-blind-slash-your-energy-costs-today-743480.html

Technorati Tags: Electric Kettle, Electrical Appliances, Electrician, Energy Bill, Energy Companies, Energy Consumption, Energy Costs, Energy Prices, Getting Into The Habit, Home Appliances, home energy, Kilowatt, Light Switch, Little Red Light, Player Radio, Radio Alarm Clock, Smell The Coffee, Spare Room, Video Player, Year One

“Solar living“, “green” houses, “smart” appliances, “going green” – these aren’t just “the day’s” catchwords; these are all phrases used to describe a way of life.  In the past decade or so however, they’ve also come to describe a way of working.

If you’re new in the field and looking for a career, or if you have a career but you’d like to increase your knowledge and skills base, you’re in luck.  Your position doesn’t have to be high technology, like a PV Project Engineer.  Thanks to the new federal incentives for solar energy, more than 440,000 jobs for installation and manufacturing will be opening up within the solar industry. 

Even without the federal incentives, the need for people with solar training grows each year.  Environmental groups argue against carbon pollution; homeowners looking for lower energy costs pay roofers with solar training to replace their old asphalt tiles with solar panels and PV arrays; companies and individuals who use solar energy receive tax credits.  As the demand for products from the solar industry rise, so does the need for those who can develop, manufacture and install those products.

This remains true even through the current economic crisis; having a green job ensures job security in a shaky economic climate.  Billions of dollars are being spent on solar photovoltaic cell manufacturing, installation and maintenance, green building and any number of energy efficient and sustainable energy methods.  According to Greenpeace and the Worldwatch Institute, green jobs may be one of the keys to economic stabilization.

People in the construction industry, such as general contractors, are some of those that could take advantage of solar courses and certification.  Most solar training for general contractors isn’t so much learning about new things, as learning a new way to do old things.  For instance, a trained general contractor will ensure that new buildings meet the high performance standards necessary to receive Green certification. 

In addition, retrofitting old buildings to become energy efficient adds jobs for solar trained workers, engineers, electricians and others.  Retrofitting may actually turn into a more lucrative position than building, as there are more non-compliant buildings than there are Green certified buildings.

The lack of workers with solar training isn’t confined to one area:

• Connecticut just created a $9 million fund for investments in starting companies focused on clean technology jobs.
• Hawaii plans to stop using fossil fuels within the next ten years, moving to renewable, sustainable energy.  An agreement to allow customers with solar panels to sell power back to the Hawaiian Electric Company was signed in November of this year, though not brought into law.
• In Oregon, over 1,700 solar jobs are either available or opening since Gov. Ted Kulongoski began luring renewable energy jobs to the state.

Everywhere across America and the globe, solar jobs are opening up and people with solar education are needed.  If you don’t have a field yet, or would like to expand your field, look into solar training.  The opportunities are endless!

Unitek Collge
http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/paint-your-career-with-a-green-job-692096.html

Technorati Tags: Carbon Pollution, Catchwords, Economic Climate, Economic Crisis, Economic Stabilization, Energy Costs, Energy Methods, Federal Incentives, General Contractors, Green Houses, Job Security, New Buildings, Performance Standards, Photovoltaic Cell, Project Engineer, Roofers, Smart Appliances, Solar Industry, Solar Panels, Worldwatch Institute