Going Green and Saving the environment

[funkypc]

Ever wonder why CFL bulbs just don't have a nice light like incandescents, and why they give you a headache (or at least me!)

Here is the light spectrum of an incandescent.

And here is the light spectrum of a CFL

I think I can see where my pulsating headache is coming from! Sorry but there is no way I will put bulbs like that in my house. If you want a nice, pure, full spectrum of light, you will be creating heat. That's all there is to it!

(images taken from How do LED lightbulbs compare to CFL and incandescent? | JasonMorrison.net)

LEDs are apparently a little better for spectrum, but I have yet to see an LED bulb that illuminates a room. LEDs cant cast light in multiple directions, so I don't see them replacing incandescents in my house any time soon.

 

[vfrjim]

In the past year and a half, I have reduced my electrical usage dramatically. I started using a kill-a-watt meter and it did basic measurements that showed what devices are using for electricity. But after about 7 months I wanted to take a much bigger step in my reduction and then purchased a TED 1001 T.E.D. : Electricity Monitor, Energy Monitor, Power Monitor and have brought my bills down 75% by just having the knowledge that the TED gives me. In fact, in October of 2009, I was able to reduce my electricity usage to 125 kwh's! (that is less then 4.25 kw a day!) In my part of the country, the bill was $22.07. My TED meter reads 0.050 kw in standby mode, that is all the power my house needs to idle at during the day when all major drain items are waiting to turn on. All I can say is that if you do not need to have something ready to go on all the time is to either unplug it, put it on a timer, or get a device like "bye bye standby", it works fantastic and allows you to reduce usages dramatically. Next year I am planning on installing a small PV array to offset my bill down to as close to ZERO that I can do

 

[guapoharry]

....Next year I am planning on installing a small PV array to offset my bill down to as close to ZERO that I can do

People including me would like to hear how this can be done...

Where can one buy the necessary equipment?

 

[Sadoun]

TED 1001 T.E.D. : Electricity Monitor, Energy Monitor, Power Monitor and have brought my bills down 75% by just having the knowledge that the TED gives me.

I am very impressed by your results and experience with this device. I haven't heard about it before and it makes so much sense to get it. Knowledge is power.

Thank you for sharing. I am on their website right now.

 

[Sadoun]

I also like their recommendations on conservation:

Other ways to conserve
There are many ways to conserve electricity, but here is a list of cool, hot tips that are simple and effective.

* Turn the lights off whenever you leave a room. Yes, even the fluorescent ones.
* Put in compact fluorescent bulbs. They have improved tremendously in recent years!
* Rather than leaving the outside lights on at night, replace them with a motion-sensing light.
* Let your dishes air-dry. Don't run your dishwasher drying cycle.
* Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed.
* Plug the components of your entertainment center into a power strip; turn the power strip off when you are not using your home electronics.
* Turn off your computer at night...do not put it in the 'sleep mode'...turn it OFF.
* Put in a programmable thermostat and set your temperature for a comfortable setting.
* Keep windows and doors closed, and only open them when you have to.
* Take a brief shower instead of a soaking bath.
* During the summer months, close your blinds and/or curtains during the day and open them at night. In the winter, do the opposite.
* Only wash full loads of laundry - and dirty dishes! Half-loads cost just as much as a full-load.
* Turn the air conditioner up several degrees at night...better still, turn it off.
* Set the thermostat to the maximum comfortable temperature during the day.
* Instead of turning on your air conditioner, use a fan.
* Lower the temperature of your hot water heater to 120°F -125°F.
* If you are shopping for new appliances, be sure to check out Energy Star products - they have been designed to meet EPA efficiency guidelines.

T.E.D. : Energy Facts

 

[rv1pop]

People including me would like to hear how this can be done...

Where can one buy the necessary equipment?

I buy ALMOST all my off-grid equipment from Backwoodssolar near Sandpoint Idaho. They will not GIVE you a catalog if you can be on grid, but you can go to their dot com site and browse the catalog and information for free. Everyone that works there is (or was) off-grid so a zero dependance on public AC is very possible. I will admit it is somewhat restrictive way of living, but I can think of nicer ways to spend the $18,000 it would cost me to run a power line!
POP

 

[Mr Tony]

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed.

novel concept

 

[guapoharry]

OK, then. What about solar power equipment tied to the grid?

It seems as though most people won't eliminate their traditional power company service with alternative energy...

 

[Sadoun]

OK, then. What about solar power equipment tied to the grid?

It seems as though most people won't eliminate their traditional power company service with alternative energy...

You can have ON-Grid or OFF-Grid.

On-Grid:
You will continue to use public utilities power if needed. If you have extra power produced by your Solar/Wind system, you can sell that to the grid. It is called Net Metering. With this system you don't need a battery bank to store your energy from the solar panels. It gets used immediately or sold back to the utility company. Batteries are optional.

OFF-Grid:
You will be completely disconnected from the public utilities.
You will need (deep cycle) batteries to store extra energy produced by your Solar/Wind system. The DC energy stored in batteries is inverted to 110AC to provide power for your entire house full time. Batteries are not optional in this system.

If you live in the city, you can go with an ON-Grid system.

However, I would always suggest you have your system OFF-Grid ready by adding batteries storage. In case there is a blackout in your area, you will always have power backup.

 

[vfrjim]

People including me would like to hear how this can be done...

Where can one buy the necessary equipment?

To continue what I began writing:

You really need to reduce your consumption of electricity before you purchase a Photo-voltaic array or it will cost you a fortune to purchase it to cover the amount that you use. Reduction is not that difficult, all those little things you plug in consume little amounts of electricity. All I can say is this one thing, nickels add up to dimes, dimes add up to quarters, quarters make dollars, etc..... EVERY little bit helps. and the following devices all give you the information that you need to find out where you are wasting your MONEY. All these device have a payback period, all of which have already paid for themselves in the past 7 months.


BYE BYE STANDBYE : Amazon.com: Bye Bye Standby BBSBUSA Energy Saving Kit: Home Improvement@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/312007I8TnL.@@AMEPARAM@@312007I8TnL

The Energy detective TED 1001: T.E.D. : Electricity Monitor, Energy Monitor, Power Monitor

Kill-A-Watt meter: Amazon.com: P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor: Home Improvement@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/11SD37G6Y8L.@@AMEPARAM@@11SD37G6Y8L


Some websites that I came across that helped me out in my search to save electricity and other energy that I think may be of interest to others:

Saving electricity

Saving Electricity: How to Save Electricity

This is a water extractor that I purchased to reduce drying times for laundry (when I use a dryer) but usually I hang clothes on a clothesline, yes, even in the winter (in my basement) ClothesDryGreen Product Information

hope this helps others, if anyone needs any more info, just ask

 

[Sadoun]

You really need to reduce your consumption of electricity before you purchase a Photo-voltaic array or it will cost you a fortune to purchase it to cover the amount that you use.

Absolutely true. It is much cheaper to reduce the consumption by auditing your house current consumption and implementing energy savings ideas such as the above. Solar panels will be cheaper when you use less energy overall.

 

[rv1pop]

Go ahead and check out the website Backwoods Solar Electric Systems You will find MOST answers. I know quite well how SOME of the other websites confuse me.... They do have on grid solutions also and usually at one of the best prices. Customer service is important and Backwoodssolar has given me the BEST of all I have tried...

 

[kirara386]

You can have ON-Grid or OFF-Grid.

On-Grid:
You will continue to use public utilities power if needed. If you have extra power produced by your Solar/Wind system, you can sell that to the grid. It is called Net Metering. With this system you don't need a battery bank to store your energy from the solar panels. It gets used immediately or sold back to the utility company. Batteries are optional.

Not all power companies will buy back your power. For instance, my local coop will not.

 

[Sadoun]

Not all power companies will buy back your power. For instance, my local coop will not.

I know, and that is unfortunate. In Germany for example, 20% of electricity is generated by Alternative energy and specially Solar Electric. They pay you more than what it cost you to buy it back. So, there is an incentive for people to install solar electric.

 

[Cham]

There's an incentive for net metering! If the power company pays you more than you pay them for the electricity. Bet PV and wind turbine sales would skyrocket. This would be a great place for government to set up a program of some kind; especially where the electricity is generated by coal or petroleum.

I'm waiting for LED lighting to become more functional and affordable. I picked up two utility lights for my boat last spring and they work great, likely as bright as a 55 watt halogen and both together take maybe 3 amps. They were $75 each though at a local truck repair shop. If they last 20 years I am sure they will pay back in fuel saved (and maybe an alternator or two)!
-C.

 

[Dee_Ann]

I don't like the CFL lights because they burn out frequently. The usually only last a few months at best. I go through far more of them than I do the old bulbs and the CFL's are much more expensive!

My dad says they burn out fast because they have cheaply made Chinese capacitors in them. Um, whatever dad. I'll take your word for it.

I opened one up once to see what was in it and it had a little circuit board in it with a bunch of little parts. They all looked scorched and crispy brown.

I don't mind the light from them at all though. I usually just have a single 10w CFL on in the room with my computer. I like the low light as I can see exceptionally well in low light/night. But when I need to do something like cleaning or whatever, I flip on a few bright lights so I can see better.

I would like very much to go to LED lights but the cost is just too high still.

My other problem is my room mate. She smokes those horrid stink sticks (yuck) and she stands with the door open to smoke "outside" (by her thinking but it just blows back in the house!). When I gripe at her about having the door wide open with the heat or AC running she gets mad at me and tells me not to be so b**chy about it.

If she had to pay the electric bill she might change her habits. That really annoys me to death. I hate wasting electric all the while getting a heavy dose of second hand smoke in the process.

But on the other hand, I waste a lot by taking long showers. I'll run 40 gallons of hot water out, fast. The poor little heater can't heat up the incoming ice cold water fast enough so it goes cold pretty fast. I want one of those instant hot water heaters that make hot water only when and as you need it. But to do that I would have to get gas connected to the house. And I just had the water heater replaced 2 years ago so it's pretty much brand new.

I do however turn the heater down at night to like 60f and sleep with 4 blankets.
Most of the time here in Texas you don't really even need the heater during the so called "winter". Maybe a few times over the entire season.

I try to make up for the waste by scrimping in other areas.

 

[digiblur]

If you are burning out CFL's that quickly then you might have an electrical issue in the house. What kind are you buying? I have some CFL's still running today that I bought back in 2001 or so. It's rare that I change bulbs around here. It seems most of the CFL's around my house seem to last at least 3-4 years.

One thing you might also look at is installing an electric timer on your water heater if you typically take showers around the same time. I recently installed a Noritz tankless and love it. When the kiddos and relatives are here, they can take back to back showers and run 2 showers at the same time with no issue. It's a bit of cost up front but well worth it.

I would definitely tell the roommate..."In or out...pick one."

 

[Dee_Ann]

If you are burning out CFL's that quickly then you might have an electrical issue in the house. What kind are you buying? I have some CFL's still running today that I bought back in 2001 or so. It's rare that I change bulbs around here. It seems most of the CFL's around my house seem to last at least 3-4 years.

One thing you might also look at is installing an electric timer on your water heater if you typically take showers around the same time. I recently installed a Noritz tankless and love it. When the kiddos and relatives are here, they can take back to back showers and run 2 showers at the same time with no issue. It's a bit of cost up front but well worth it.

I would definitely tell the roommate..."In or out...pick one."

Um, what kind? I dunno. The curly fries looking kind.
I talked to dad earlier about it and he said they are probably burning out fast because all the ones I have are upside down so the heat rises into the base with the electrical parts in it, overheats them and they die an early death.

He said they are supposed to be pointed up, as in the bulb part up and the base of it down. Well, that's fine and dandy but none of the sockets I use them in are like that. And I can't change them either. I'm stuck with the bulbs being upside down, period.

As for a timer on the water heater, that's a great idea I guess but because I have a room mate and we both have erratic and totally unpredictable hours and schedules, it just isn't really an option.

I guess when this new water heater gives out I'll see about replacing it with one of those instant kinds. If I'm still here. Which I hope I won't be.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Here's an interesting article about solar power getting cheaper!
I really would love to have a totally solar & wind powered house with no public utilities!


Solar Power Is Now an Option for Even the Most Cash-Strapped Suburbanites

 

[Larobpra]

I talked to dad earlier about it and he said they are probably burning out fast because all the ones I have are upside down so the heat rises into the base with the electrical parts in it, overheats them and they die an early death.

He said they are supposed to be pointed up, as in the bulb part up and the base of it down. Well, that's fine and dandy but none of the sockets I use them in are like that. And I can't change them either. I'm stuck with the bulbs being upside down, period.

I have one hanging upside down in my living that's been in place 5+ years that gets a lot of use and hasn't burned out yet.

Seems I recall you talking about electrical issues with your house a while back.