DIY Solar Energy Reviewed

We are all progressively feeling the need to assist the environment in the face of global heating.  Most people would like to “go green”, but feel that it would be more expensive to mend their ways than just to carry on as they have always done.

Well, the great news is that you can save money while going green.  You can adopt all types of environmentally friendly habits that will keep a large portion of your hard earned finances firmly in your wallet.

Isn’t that the best of both worlds?  You get to do your bit for the benefit of your fellow citizens, spending less in the act!

Strategy Number 1:

Want to save the environment from one ton of carbon every year?  begin today by only filling the kettle with the exact amount of liquid you really need every time.  Most people fill their kettles to the brim.  They waste electricity – and their money – in the process.

Strategy Number 2:

If you use commercial cleaning products in your kitchen, don’t!  They are not cheap to buy and expensive to make.  You can mix up your own cleaner from a mixture of vinegar, salt, and baking soda.  It will clean excellently. and it will contain no toxic chemicals, thereby helping the environment.  It will cost a lot less too.

Strategy Number 3:

Eat in more often.  Americans eat out around five times a week!  Meals that are prepared commercially are expensive and may contain chemicals and ingredients that are less than really good for you.  Go for the healthier option and save your money.  The environment will benefit from a little less commercial cooker activity too.

Strategy Number 4:

Turn down the temperature.  You can save a lot of money by simply turn down the heat in your home by a couple of degrees. If you want to, you can find one of the many free crochet afghan patterns available and make a crochet afghan.  Crochet afghans are warm and cozy and you can save money by lowering the heat a couple of degrees.

Strategy Number 5:

Use your dishwasher!  This is one appliance that actually uses less energy than the manual alternative.  Dishwashers are very efficient devices.  They use less water than someone standing over a sink usually does, and they generally clean dishes better too.  Just make sure that you do the dishwasher with a full load.

One of the easiest ways to add to your business’ bottom line is to improve building efficiency.  As energy costs continue to rise, improving efficiency can result in significant savings, even though the initial investment may seem like a lot. A restaurant supplies a great example.  Because most energy is used in the kitchen, owners forget that significant savings can be realized in the rest of the building as well.  

Some tips to help you manage those costs:

Use fans instead of the central unit. For every degree you adjust your thermostat, you can save 4% – 5% on heating or cooling bills.  Energy Star rated ceiling fans are a great way to circulate air and allow you to turn your thermostat up or down depending on the time of year.  Use fans to bring in cooler outside air when you need to cool things down, or use them to circulate hot air from the kitchen when you need to heat things up.

Conduct regular maintenance on central air units. Clean the heat transfer coils on air conditioning every month.  Clean or replace air filters regularly.  A dirty air filter not only makes the unit work harder, but it can affect the air quality in your building as well.

Repair and seal ducting. Leaky ducts means the air you spent all that money heating or cooling is escaping before it gets to your customer.  Regularly check ducts for leaks and seal them as needed.  Set up a service contract with a local company to check and service ducts and the central air unit if you don’t have the time or energy for do-it-yourself.

Install an Energy Star thermostat. Programmable thermostats automatically reduce heating or cooling for non-business hours, saving you money and time over a manual thermostat.

Use windows to your advantage. Ideally, you should use Energy Star rated windows with the proper solar energy heat gain coefficient (SHGC).  Low SHGC windows are used in places with long, hot summers to minimize solar heat and reduce cooling costs.  High SHGC windows are used where there is a long, cold winter to maximize solar heat and reduce heating costs.  If you are remodeling or starting a new business, use Energy Star to help you select energy efficient windows.

Since budgets and buildings usually aren’t in sync, use the following tips to help you make do with what you have:

Use a UV-resistant window film, blinds, and curtains to insulate and reduce heat gain.  These techniques vary in cost and effectiveness, with the best solution probably being a combination according to your specific needs.  No matter what, use something that allows you to block sunlight when it’s hot and add an extra layer or insulation when it’s cold.

Have new windows professionally installed. Framing and insulating new windows can make a huge difference in heating or cooling loss.  Also caulk and seal existing windows annually to maintain an airtight barrier between your customers and outside weather.

Buy Energy Star skylights and doors. Just like with your windows, regularly check and seal doors and skylights to minimize air leaks and reduce your heating and cooling costs.

Taking a little time to improve your building’s energy efficiency can definitely pay off in the long run.  Don’t forget to check for tax rebates and other incentives from state and local governments when you investigate ways to make your business building more energy efficient.

PelHeat work on quite a few factors of wood pellet production and burning. As you can see from the video above, we have experience incineration a wide rage of fuel pellets plus how pellet boiler designs perform during incineration. We therefore developed this guide to educate people when purchasing a pellet boiler which features are desirable along with which to avoid. As your alternative of pellet boiler will affect you pellet fuel options and therefore fuel prices. Therefore the biomass pellet boiler guide can save you hundreds if not thousands in energy costs. A pellet furnace is an ideal choice to an oil or gas system. Fuel pellets are an environmentally friendly option to fossil fuels. Many different biomass resources can be used to produce pellets. Fossil fuels such as oil as well as gas are primarily responsible for an increase in carbon emissions, responsible for global warming.

Learn more about Pellet Stoves Pros and Cons

Energy pellets are a form of carbon neutral fuel, as they are made from unrefined resources already part of the current carbon cycle. To lessen the fee of installing a pellet furnace, tax credit incentives are obtainable. As you will surely have noticed, the charge of oil and gas have risen rapidly over the last few years. Experts expect these price rises to continue into the future due to high demand, reduced supply along with increase taxes on carbon emissions. We are at this time dependant on a source of oil in addition to gas from Russia as well as the Middle East for our fuel supplies. This dependence is partly the reason for increasing prices, as there are really no other sufficient supplies. During this economic recession plus recovery, keeping living costs to a minimum is crucial for economic recovery. Moving away from high priced foreign oil as well as gas would make it much easier to saving on living costs, and also lower carbon emissions.

Read more about Pellets Stoves

Not only wood, but also straws plus grasses such as Switchgrass, Reed Canary Grass, Miscanthus along with Hemp can be processed into fuel pellets. Growing the crops locally plus upgrading into fuel pellets can provide substantial permanent jobs. Selling the pellets locally is also cheaper for the consumer, as raw material plus fuel transportation is reduced, and reduced carbon emissions. Local pellet production can therefore help local economic recovery in addition to cheap fuel. Other biomass energy pellets, for example Switchgrass and Miscanthus pellets produce more ash than wood pellets plus particularly premium wood pellets. Though Switchgrass plus Miscanthus pellets will be much cheaper, almost half the price of premium pellet fuel. However a pellet furnace may not be able to burn these other energy pellets successfully. Part design within the pellet furnace effects if the furnace can deal with the increased ash content successfully. This guide will aid in choosing a suitable biomass pellet furnace.

More information on Quadrafire Pellet Stoves

Reduce Your Energy Costs With Roof Insulation

Choosing the right type of roof insulation can really help to reduce your energy costs. Not only is it in your benefit, it is also in the benefit of the environment to do so. For one thing, your energy costs will be reduced not only in homes that are in cold climates.

In fact, regardless of how warm or how cold, how dry or how tropical climate is, good insulation is a priority. In the warm summer months, it will keep your entire home cooler and more comfortable. Having said that, you won’t have to crank up the air conditioner, and therefore reducing your energy consumption. And that also means that you will be lessening the burden on the environment by reducing your greenhouse gas emissions.

For the colder climates, it will avoid your heat from escaping. So that means that you’re saving money, you’re saving energy, and your home is still comfortable. It’s a win-win situation.

But, choosing the right product to insulate your home is the key to maximizing your savings. There are so many available to consumers. So, prior to doing anything else, conduct your own research. Online resources can really help to open up your eyes and see the many available, their benefits and their downfalls.

Stores that sell products such as these and basically home improvement centers can really help you out. They often hire professionals that no quite a bit about the subject, and their advice will be very insightful.

You should also know that some types will require professional installation, while others can be a do-it-yourself project. Of course, if you are at all handy, installing it yourself will reduce your costs. Obviously, a professional installation will increase the price by quite a bit.

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solar power kits

The new Carroll ISD middle school will be one of the greenest schools in the state when it opens in fall 2011.

The district received a $2 million State Energy Conservation Office grant through the state comptroller’s office. There was $32 million in SECO grants available and Carroll received the maximum amount allowed. The district must pay $1 million in matching funds.

Superintendent David Faltys said the money will be used to install a 40,000-50,000 square foot solar array on the building. Faltys said the panels should pay for themselves in 6-8 years.

“With this grant it will put our district at the forefront of utilizing green energy strategies,” said Faltys. “We will make the building as energy efficient as possible. We believe this will be the largest solar array on any school in the state and possibly the largest east of the Grand Canyon.”

In addition to the solar panels, the school also has other design elements to help cut down on energy costs. Faltys said most of the large windows face north and the south-facing windows feature awnings. Also, many of the inside areas of the school – such as the library — are lit with natural light when possible. Faltys said artificial lights could be on sensors and would come on when needed, but if it was sunny outside, the skylights would let in all of the light that is needed.

The district will also heat and cool water with an innovative process.

“The biggest thing is that we are going to use geothermal energy for heating and cooling of water,” said Faltys. “There will be between 1,200-1,400 wells, each 250-300 feet deep, drilled on the property. Water will be constantly pumped up and down to keep it around 68 degrees which makes heating and cooling easier. Some estimates say we could save 30 percent on the energy cost per year.”

The new campus, located on Kirkwood Boulevard, is under construction and should be completed in June 2011 before opening in August.