Jul 30 2010

Strategies To Make Buildings Energy Efficient

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.


Jul 24 2010

Bargain Offers On Solar Power For Homes

It is one of the most alarming issues for many Americans today to find a way to keep all the current bills which are piling up on their office tables. This is due to the very full usage of electrical current in the land. United States of America is believed to be a country with a very advanced utilization of electrical current and the land s consumption per month is believed to be higher than even many regions in the world.

The well-nigh fresh answer for this is the practice of solar power. For the last decade, energy consumption has increased than ever before. Many families have found out that the investing for such system to supply electrical current for their home gadgets would not be in vain with the outputs they get. The amount you save is supposed to be very much higher than the initial investment so your return of investment is believed very broad.

There are many systems available with the advancement of the technology to implement solar power for homes in a smaller scale. Firstly the solar irradiance from the sun will regular to the earth. These rays will then be taken hold of by the solar panel. Afterwards it will be converted to an electric power. Point controller unit will Thus hold the static Charge of the current and edit it to an measure of desired. From there you can make get electricity through a battery system for DC current to run or get a Normal current inventor.

Advantages of a solar power system would be that it does not influence on the environment and it will have the minimal or even 0% harm on the environment and could be mentioned as the most environmental friendly way of producing electrical current.

If you are using solar power to generate electrinity, no other fuel will be needed. Solar power for homes will be readily available and believed to be the most low-budget form of energy where you can turn in to other forms.

There aren t any sorts of a harmful toxic gasses produce by such system. consequently, global warming is not a problem. Mintainance is quite similar to maintaining electric wirng systems. Thence no extra cost is anticipated from such solar power for homes system. Act soon and go for a solar power for homes. You will surely like the consequences.