Reteish’s green tips for a safer tomorrow
March 9th, 2010 | 
Author: Bollywood actor Reteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez join ndtv’s green initiative, the Greenathon.
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Energy – How to Become Self Sufficient
In the times of the recession everyone is trying to find ways of saving money and tightening their belts. Energy costs make up a large proportion of household expenditure, so it makes sense to target this section when trying to cut back.
Self sufficiency has long been seen as a dull lifestyle for people with lot of time on their hands. This is not true anymore. Everyone is trying to get in on the act and become self sufficient in certain areas of their lives. From growing a few vegetables to building a wind farm in their back garden, it really is catching on. After all, when you think about it, it does make sense.
So, to energy. How do we save on it?
Building a wind farm in your back garden is one option, but maybe not a feasible one for the majority of people. The best place to start is too check out what you are being charged for your electricity, can you get a better deal?
Once you have checked this out, do some research in to small wind turbines for your home. Just one may be able to power all of your lights, and think how much that could save you… In my own experience, the wind turbines that are available today on the affordable domestic market do not really offer a solution to powering everything in your home. They are merely an aid or a contribution to the power your home uses. There are certain types available that on an average will produce enough energy to perhaps power six 11watt low energy light bulbs in your home, which can be seen as a bit of the way to having a self sufficient home. Most competent DIY people should be able to install a basic turbine themselves following the instructions in the kit. However, when you start to think about connecting up to the grid and selling excess electricity back to them you need to employ a qualified electrician to make the connections. It can be done though, and as I have seen on many occasions, quite successfully.
There are plenty of other options as well to help your home become self sufficient, including solar panels for your hot water, plus ground and air source heat pumps for your central heating system. Again, you need to seriously weigh up the gains against the cost of buying and installing these systems to find out if they really are feasible for your home. Be aware of who you employ to install these items as well, as they can be complex pieces of kit which requires somebody with a good knowledge of them. I have witnessed first hand the problems faced by a customer who has employed a non-specialist company to install a heat pump on their home, and the costs escalated dramatically. There’s no reason for this to happen though, as long as you do the research first.
Hopefully the tips above will get you started on improving the energy costs of running your home, however, for more Energy Saving Tips visit http://www.selfsufficiencytips.com where you will find tips, help, and advice on this and generally becoming self sufficient.
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The Wind Turbine For Home Use, Does it Really Make Any Sense?
Wind turbines are an excellent choice for alternative energy. Many people picture the giant commercial units you see but home units can be made much smaller and can be made a part of any attractive landscape theme. If you plan to do a alternative power unit it is imperative that you consider the issues with each choice and plan for the amount of energy you will need.
A simple home energy audit will identify how much energy you use, how much energy you waste and ways to reduce the wasted energy so that you can size your alternative energy system to meet your true energy needs.
Once you have completed the energy audit and instituted the energy saving areas it identifies, you can begin looking at what type of system you wish to build or buy. Lets start with what you wish to accomplish. If 100% energy production is your goal then you will need to determine how to accomplish that. You would need to have electric heat and appliances so that you can produce the electric power. In addition you will need solar assisted hot water with an electric back up for low sun periods. If this is the goal then you will want to look at solar exposure, sun times, wind conditions and total generated requirements.
Start by going on line and getting a sun exposure calculation for your area. This is simple just type in sun exposure map and locate your area. Then do the same for wind conditions. These two items will allow you to see how much sun generated power you will be able to produce and then how much wind power you have to turn the wind turbine. You will want to plan to build or buy the number of solar panels that you have space for on your home or in an area of the yard that does not detract from your home.
The wind turbine can then be sized for the remaining power needs. The nice part about the wind turbine is that it will work whenever the wind is sufficient which can be day or night and could be for long periods of time in windy months. If you size the generator for max energy production based on turbine space and wind, you can produce a considerable amount of excess alternative energy. The benefits are that this excess can be sold back to the utility. Under Federal Law you are allowed to do so. Look on internet under Federal Energy Laws for further information. The utility will install a two way meter. In times where your turbine produces excess it spins the meter backwards and sells the power back. This gives you energy credits to use in off wind periods, low sun periods, and reduces your energy bill continuously.
By having a wind turbine-solar combination you can produce enough energy to be at zero utility bills. It is how I do mine and it is great. You can find the energy audit system I used as well as how to build a wind turbine and solar panels at http://WWW.energy-freeenergy-energytips.com. Enjoy free energy starting today!
A former Utility manager that knows what to do to eliminate those increasing and costly power bills.
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Tips For Saving on AC Costs Hot Climates
When you live in an area where the climate is hot and the air conditioner needs to be run all year long, your cooling bills can put a huge dent in your wallet. In order to save money on your electric bill, you might be tempted to just turn of the AC and suffer, but that isn’t necessary. Here are some helpful tips that will increase the energy efficiency of your cooling system and help save money on your electric bills when the weather is warm.
- Choose the right sized air conditioning unit for your home or room. Air conditioners that are too powerful or not powerful enough for your space will waste electricity and cause your costs to rise.
- Replace older air conditioning units. Newer models have been made to increase energy efficiency so the extra money spent on a new system will save you money in the long-term.
- Change or clean your air conditioner filters monthly, and have the system serviced regularly. This will keep your air conditioner operating at its peak and will reduce your operating costs.
- Set your thermostat to a slightly higher, but still comfortable, temperature when you are not home. This will keep your system from working too hard when the home is unoccupied, but comfortable enough to return home to.
- Use ceiling and floor fans to help distribute the cool air throughout the rooms in your home. Moving air will feel cooler and will allow you to stay cool and comfortable without overusing the air conditioner.
- Keep curtains or shades closed on any window with sun shining through. The sunlight will heat the room and cause your air conditioning to work harder to keep your home cool.
- Try to keep your air conditioner set at 78 degrees or higher. Lowering the temperature increases your costs up to four percent per degree.
- Be sure that your home is properly insulated. This will help to prevent the loss of cool air through the walls, ceiling and attic of your home.
- Check windows and doors to be sure they are properly closed. Make sure all storm windows are closed to increase the protection against air leaks.
- Change your light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs. Not only are these more energy efficient, but also they produce less heat in a room than a standard light bulb.
- Cook in your microwave or on the grill as much as possible when the weather is its warmest. This will prevent the heat from the stove or oven from working against the cooling effects of your air conditioner. Use exhaust fans when using larger cooking appliances to help pull the hot air from the kitchen.
When living in a hot climate, air conditioning is a necessity and can even be a literal lifesaver. Though running the AC can get expensive, by following these tips, you can reduce your cooling costs significantly and still be comfortable, even when temperatures soar.
Joe Cline writes articles for Austin REALTOR. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate and Lakeway Realtor can be found on the net.
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How I Lower My Electric Bill Every Month in 5 Ways
I lower my electric bill each month through the efforts of my entire family. Electricity is being used by everyone in the house and that means everyone should pitch in to help save energy.
Money is tight for almost all families now. Every cent that you save will help your family in almost every way. Instead of seeing your money fly away into your electric bills, you could save up for family emergencies or fun vacations. That?s why it is imperative that I lower my electric bill.
Talk your family into these energy saving tips:
1. Unplugging appliances or electronics that are not being used. A lot of appliances are plugged in while they are not being used and this wastes a lot of energy. Even though they are not being used, they are still consuming energy, especially if they have a stand-by light.
Even your kids can help out. Tell your kids to unplug their computers or laptops when they’re not using them. It will just take them a few seconds of their time. Chargers are also a menace to your electric bill and you should never leave them unplugged.
2. When doing chores, use appliances to their best of capabilities. It means that whenever you are doing the dishes, you should load the dishwasher to full. Two small loads being washed separately is more expensive than doing one small load. This is true also for your clothes dryer. You should just wait for a full load because in the end, it is cheaper.
To save more money, you could just air-dry some of your clothes. This is an efficient way to make use of nature?s powerful forces.
3. Make sure you do regular maintenance check-ups for all your appliances. An appliance which performs well is also very energy efficient. You can enhance air conditioning units by regularly cleaning their air filters. This will make the unit work less, thus saving more money. The air coming from the air conditioning unit will also be cooler so you don?t have turn it full blast
Refrigerator coils have to be checked. You should replace it about every six months to keep it efficient. Because if you use an old coil, the refrigerator will have to work harder to keep your food cool. Tell everyone to keep the opening of the refrigerator door to a minimum.
4. Leaks and drips should be fixed. These drips do not just waste your water but your electricity as well because the water pump has to work extra to keep pumping water into your house. This wastes more energy if the water dripping is hot water; this means that your water heater is hard at work too.
5. The last tip will be more of a fun project for your family. Set aside a weekend to set up some homemade energy sources. There are some you can purchase online. You could do what my family did and put up solar panels to help run the water heaters. And windmills are also good sources of free energy. It was a surefire way to lower my electric bill.
Looking for a way to save on electricity? Lower electricity bill by using a home solar energy system.
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Electric Bill Saving Tips
1. Invest in a space heater to heat up a room instead of using your furnace to heat your entire house can yield a savings of over $1200 each year. Space heaters have become very safe and effective thanks to integrated safety measures like automatic shut off and anti tipping mechanisms. Other alternatives to whole house heating are radiant heating panels such as the ones sold by eheat.com
2. Likewise using ceiling fans instead of central air conditioning can save $600 a year. Air conditioning is the single biggest use of electricity in most American homes. There are several strategies that you can use to compensate for cooling your home that don’t involve the expensive consumption of electricity to heat your own home. While ceiling fans are obvious, there are other lesser known alternatives like a bed fan (yes a fan that cools just your bed under the blankets or sheets for sleeping).
3. It seems obvious, but yes turning off lights does conserve energy (and money). It ALWAYS uses less energy and money to turn a light off for any length of time than to leave a light on for longer than it’s needed. Turning lights on and off doesn’t use any extra energy; only having them on.
4. Washing clothes in cold water can save as much as $150 a year. If you go without using your clothes dryer and instead hang clothes to dry, you’ll save an additional $150 a year.
5. Hot water heating is about 1/3 of your energy bill in winter months. Use the lowest tolerable setting on your hot water heater. Not only is this a safety feature for homes with children (to avoid accidental scalding with water that is too hot), but it is also an energy savings. A water heater can be left at a setting of 120 degrees F. Also use an insulation blanket around your hot water heater and the pipes leading from the water heater. Remember the hot water heater runs continuously to provide hot water the instant it is needed. When you think about it, it seems like kind of a waste.
One of the easiest things to do to reduce this expenditure, is to put your hot water heater on a timer. Make sure to purchase a timer with multiple on/off settings. You may want to turn the heater on say at 5:00 a.m. for 6:00 a.m. showers, then off at 7:00 a.m. while everyone is gone during the day. Back on at say 4:00 p.m. for arrival home at 5:00 p.m. and then off again at 11:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. (Obviously these times need to be adjusted for your particular schedule). The more continuous time you have the hot water heater turned off, the greater your savings will be. There will always be warm water left in the tank even after the hot water heater has been off for some time. If you will gone from your home for any length of time (more than a couple of days), turn your hot water heater off or to the lowest possible setting to avoid constantly heating hot water for no purpose. If you know you won’t be needing it, then this can be a substantial savings to turn the water heater off or down.
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Tips For Going Green in 2009
So you’re interested in going green in 2009? Well you have come to the right place. Going green is one of those things that can seem difficult and inconvenient, but it is actually very simple and easy. The thing to keep in mind is less is more. In other words, extravagance is unnecessary when converting to an eco-friendly lifestyle because the goal is to minimize the energy output, and maximize the monetary savings.
For example, by doing something simple such as switching from standard light bulbs to energy-saving CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs), you can expect to use up to 75% less energy on lighting. Aside from the huge savings on the monthly bills, this option saves you a lot of hassle because CFLs last almost 10 times longer than standard bulbs. This means no more constant trips to the store to replace old bulbs. Just by making one adjustment, you have just saved gas money, utility money, and a pain in the neck.
Another thing I’ve noticed about the “go green movement” is that people can feel overwhelmed at the amount of changes they should be making in order to be more energy efficient. The actor Ed Begley has a TV show in which he shows how he has transformed his entire lifestyle so he can be more eco-friendly. There is a tendency to feel helpless when you hear about a celebrity who has installed solar panels throughout his home, drives an electric car or rides his bike everywhere, etc. Those of you who live in places like Green Bay, Wisconsin don’t have the luxury of biking through 6 feet of snow or driving a Prius in the same conditions. Therefore, there is some hesitation when it comes to jumping onto the “go green” bandwagon.
It is easy to understand why some feel like they can’t do enough to make a difference either because they don’t have the time, money, or energy to make an eco-friendly lifestyle turnaround. The thing that people tend to forget is that every little bit helps. Instead of installing solar panels on your house, you can simply use Energy Star products throughout your home in order to save energy. Instead of buying an electric car or biking everywhere, you can simply switch to a hybrid vehicle since these days they make hybrid SUVs, trucks, and everything in between. If you can’t afford a new car, opting for public transportation can do the trick. Going green should not have to be a strain on you, your budget, or your time. There are plenty of simple changes that can be made which are eco-friendly and cost-cutting.
My website http://www.go-green-live-long.com is a guide for some easy ways to go green, and save green.
Gladys Brown is the founder of http://www.go-green-live-long.com which is a website that specializes in the importance of living an eco-friendly lifestyle. The site also provides a wide range of tips and ideas that are intended to smooth the process of going green, as well as inform the reader of the importance of making such changes in order to save the environment, and save money.
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7 Money Saving Tips for Folks Who Heat With Oil
The price that Wall Street futures investors pay for a barrel of crude oil has shot up to near $90. That means you can expect to pay even more for your next purchase of Heating Oil.
The items listed below are in priority order for action to reduce the amount of oil you use.
1. Stop drafts – at windows, doors and the fireplace.
2. Insulate the attic – Make sure you have enough insulation to give you at least R-49 protection for your money.
3. Have your furnace cleaned and tuned up by a professional. Oil furnaces are very rugged and will burn oil and put out heat even when they are running at poor efficiency. A dirty, out of tune oil furnace can operate with a combustion efficiency as low as 60%. Just by cleaning and tuning the combustion efficiency can be brought up to 75% or more. That is a 25 cents on the dollar improvement in oil use. The furnace pro will also be doing a safety check to insure that a faulty furnace will not cause fire or carbon monoxide poisoning
4. Back down your thermostat at every opportunity. Especially at night and when no one is home.
5. Make sure your house walls are well insulated including basement walls.
6. Change or wash your furnace filter every month during the heating season. A blocked air filter drastically reduces airflow and increases the amount of time your furnace has to run to keep the house warm. This is a do it yourself job. Have the furnace pro show you how when he visits.
7. Be ready to switch to electric heat. As the price of oil goes up, at some point it will be less expensive to heat with electric power using space heaters. I suggest you buy a few electric space heaters when you can find them at bargain prices so you will be ready. As example, Oil at $3.09 a gallon is equal to electric power at 8 cents a kilowatt-hour for heating use. If you live where the price electricity is moderate, you may want to use space heaters to supplement your oil heat. Using an electric space heater to keep your bedroom warm and let the rest of the house go cold overnight will save on your total heating bill. My wife uses an electric space heater in the bathroom during her morning shower and that is good because it puts heat just where it is needed, for a short time.
Plan ahead for next year; fill your oil tank during the summer while prices are usually at their lowest. Some folks decorate their yard with an extra tank, just to save this way.
Click here for more details on ways to save your home heating money
I am a, Baby Boom Vintage, Energy Conservation Engineer. My mission is to help folks save money on their energy bills. The more than 127 FREE articles that I have written teach folks how to save money on their utility bills.
Click here for an index of ways you can save money by saving energy
For more information on saving your energy money, visit the Energy Boomer blog at http://energyboomer.com
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How to Make Your AC Operate Efficiently
The AC is among the most abused appliances at home especially during the summer. This also means that the utility bill goes up. You do not usually have a choice but to close the window and turn the AC on. If choose not to, you will most likely have a very uncomfortable day. So how do you make sure that you use the AC efficiently?
Knowing how to use the AC unit efficiently is very important. This is because it allows you to save energy and cooling expenses. There are a few tricks to do this. Applying these simple tips will surely help lower your monthly bills as well as help contribute in saving the environment.
The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you install the AC in the shadiest portion of your house. This is to minimize the energy utilized by the device itself. If you want to ensure that your AC is properly installed, check the installation guide provided in its manual. You will also learn about specific energy saving tips from there.
It is important to keep your AC cool. This is why you need to install it in the shadiest area of the property. If you cannot find one, you can at least create one. Build a structure that will shade the AC. You can also plant trees around the area to minimize the efforts exerted by the AC to cool its coils.
Check the gaps or cracks that may be present in between the air conditioning and the wall. If there are any gaps, seal it to prevent the cool air from escaping the room. You can use insulation tapes to do this. Likewise, you have to make sure that the doors and windows are closed. During the day, pull the blinds or the curtains down. This will prevent the strong rays of the sun from coming in. You should also choose the materials of your window to limit the amount of heat coming in.
You have to monitor your AC as well. Make sure that its coils are clean. See to it that both the interior and exterior coils are checked. The accumulated dirt can cause the device to perform poorly. In addition, monitor the refrigerant regularly. See to it that it is properly charged. Turn the AC down when no one is in the room as well. You can do the same if you are asleep. Do not forget to set your thermostat at least 780F.
It is also very important that you check your AC regularly. The cost of replacing a damaged AC is around $2400 to $4000 if you want to avoid this expense, see to it that you monitor your AC even if you do not suspect anything wrong. Proper maintenance is essential to help your AC last longer.
Knowing how to use your AC more efficiently is important because it will help you save on utility charges. It will also help you take care of your AC better. Moreover, you can also help save the environment. Using the AC efficiently means that you are reducing the use of energy, a primary source of pollution in the environment.
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Solar Power For Home – Smart Home Owners Are Saving a Fortune
The emphasis on solar power for home use could not have come at a better time. The main source of energy for majority of US homes is natural gas, fuel oil and electricity. In the US, each home requires an average of 1860 kWhs per year. Much of these are unsustainable and non-renewable sources of energy.
The competition for use of these energy sources between the home users and commercial users has put undue pressure on them. This is the driving factor behind rising world’s fuel oil and gas prices. Besides the rising costs of buying the energy from the fossil fuel sources, the danger of producing much more carbon related byproducts when burning the fossil fuel is threatening environmental conservation.
This is the subject of great debate and confrontation among the world’s large economies. It’s almost degenerating into a cold war as countries link the demand for reduction in carbon dioxide release to stagnation the economic and political power. One way of reducing this conflict is by investing in solar power at home.
Residential solar power has been proven to be quite beneficial by not only meeting the needs of a large neighborhood, but also generating income for the households. Where pro solar power for home policies has been advanced and community projects initiated, they have met their needs to a point of having not only a zero bill but also selling to the national grid.
You cannot imagine how much carbon dioxide will be saved from release into the atmosphere. Imagine that for once the 107 million households in the US generate the 1.1 billion kWhs from sun’s energy for their refrigeration needs! This would dramatically change its relationship with Iraqi and Afghanistan or even Venezuela. Indeed promoting solar power for home would lead to improved world peace and better living conditions.
With the growing concern over the climatic changes associated with global warming, you surely must play a role in conserving the humanity by investing in solar power for home. Each kWhs that you get from burning petroleum or coal gas leads to release of large quantities of the carbon dioxide. Accumulated carbon dioxide beyond nature’s ability to recycle it is leading to punching of ozone layer and global warming. Use of solar power for home will significantly reduce carbon dioxide release.
Therefore, use of solar power for home has a myriad of benefits. It is clean energy, cheaper in the long run and sustainable. Contrary to popular belief, it’s quite easy to install your own solar panels and produce your own electricity. There are some great easy to follow online guides that take you step by step through the process and can have you up and running in an afternoon.
If you are like me and find it a lot easier to follow easy video instructions then head over to diy-electricity.net today. They’ve made a set of simple easy to follow videos and guides that can show even the most basic DIY enthusiast how to get up and running. Click Here To Take a Look.
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