Solar And Wind 4 Me

With the cost of home heating fuel increasing rapidly, many homeowners have chosen to purchase small stove to heat small areas and decrease the demand on their heater. A pellet stove is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly stoves for this purpose. They are self-refueling and come in a variety of sizes and attractive finishes.

Don’t be quick to compare a pellet stove to a fireplace or free-standing wood burning stove. Pellet stoves are sophisticated self-fueling appliances that use fuel made from scrap wood. Most models are completely self-regulating and require very little maintenance on the part of the owner.

How Pellets Stoves Work

Pellet stoves are not simply stoves that are retrofitted to burn pellets. They are designed from the ground up to make the most of their fuel. On the outside, they usually resemble traditional stoves. Manufacturers offer many different styles so that homeowners can choose one to fit their décor. On the inside, there is a firebox, a hopper, a pilot light, and a fan system.

Most models are completely electric and can be plugged into an outlet. Some even use auxiliary solar panels. The electricity is used to run the control panel, ventilation system, and pilot light. Self-igniting stoves allow the user to start the fire via the control panel and switch the pilot light on and off in order to regulate temperature. The fans circulate air around the fuel in order to ensure even burning.

These stoves are designed to make the most out of wood pellet fuel. The pellets are actually compressed sawdust and other organic waste collected from manufacturers of wood products. Its reclaimed, renewable fuel is one of the reasons the pellet stove is praised as an environmentally conscience way to heat one’s home.

Wood pellets are not used strictly because they find a use for what would otherwise be waste. They are also incredibly efficiently burning. In the proper stove, they can be up to 98% efficient. This means that almost all of the material is turned into heat energy for the home. This also means that the stoves do not require chimneys, but rather employ small exhaust systems. A quality stove has a ventilation system that encourages clean and even burning. Fuel distribution systems also help by releasing the right amount of fuel from the hopper, so that pellets are not wasted and the level of heat is maintained.

Since most stoves have thermostats and automated hoppers, they are less work than their wood-burning cousins. In fact, most owners can use a pellet stove all winter and only have to refuel and empty the ashbin. However, this is not the only advantage to a pellet stove.

Saving Money with Pellets

Last winter, many homeowners were outraged by the cost of their heating bill. As the price of fuel has steadily risen, many have turned to localized heat sources in order to avoid paying to heat their entire house. The addition of a stove is perfect for this application because unlike other systems, the heat can be localized to one area. Selectively heating an area of the house saves money for obvious reasons. The benefit of a stove is that it can heat a small area more quickly and for less money than a traditional system.

Many people use heating oil in their furnace in order to heat their home during the winter. There are many other options, such as electric systems and natural gas, but heating fuel is one of the most popular choices in areas with severe winters. Heating fuel is in high demand during the winter months and its price during that time reflects this. However, in the past the cost of heating fuel was proportional to other options. Other price changes are due to fluctuations in the price of crude oil from which it is derived. Recently, crude oil speculation and increased demand has sent heating fuel prices climbing to record highs.

Wood pellets, in the other hand, are made from renewable scrap material. Though they may sometimes be hard to find, a 40-pound bag of pellets can be purchased for around six dollars. How long a bag like this will last is dependent on the stove and how often it is used. Due to the rising popularity of pellet stoves, pellet supplies maybe difficult to find during the winter. Thankfully, distribution is expected to meet demand in the coming years.

A pellet stove can make an attractive and practical addition to any home. Homeowners who are concerned about heating their home this winter should definitely look into installing one of these stoves.

Stephanie Larkin
http://www.articlesbase.com/tools-and-equipment-articles/how-a-pellet-stove-can-save-you-money-476223.html

Hi

Has anyone setup a Solar Panel to generate electricity in India (particularly chennai). I am trying to see alternate energy sources to offset the Power cuts in Chennai, India. Please provide me with pointers.

Thanks

get the solar cells
check power and ground
When you look at the solar cell, make sure you check voltage between the positive side (the back side which is usually grey) and the negative side (which is the black side, with all the lines on it) of each cell. You can simply use a multimeter by placing its leads on the cell itself. This step is crucial, otherwise you’ll connect bad cells in the middle of your link, causing the whole panel not to work.
use conductive pen if needed
You need to make sure that all the tiny little lines in the negative side of the cells are interconnected (a way to gather all the electrons from the surface). This step is not necessary for all cells, only for the ones like in this picture, which don’t have any connection between the lines on the surface. you can use the conductive pen to draw a thin line which connects all of them. Once you do that, you will immediately see the voltage rising for that specific cell.
cell with conductive pen line
here’s an example of a cell with the conductive pen line on it, linking between the tiny conductive leads on the negative side of the solar cell.
linking the cells
This can get a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, can be done fast enough. First, some technical notes: In order to get higher voltage, you need to connect two cells in series. This means that the negative part of the first connects to the positive part of the second. As you continue to add more cells in series, you will get a higher voltage from side to side on your solar strip. This is all good, but if your cells are small-ish, they won’t generate much amperage. So even if you have a high voltage, you probably won’t be able to give it any load (probably will hardly light an LED). In order to get higher amperage through the circuit, you need to connect cells in parallel (positive side to positive side, negative side to negative side). When you do this, make sure the positive and negative leads (copper mesh in this case) don’t short themselves out.
I found that the best way to connect between two cells was to use hot glue and some conductive mesh. The mesh is good since it allows light to come through it, and we all love glue guns. So all you need to do is glue the mesh onto the solar cell surface. Its always better to have a longer strip of mesh on the surface, with a big enough shared surface space between the two. Always check with a multimeter that there is connectivity, and that there is voltage coming through. Its a bummer later to try and figure out where the problem is.
silicon coating
I highly recommend applying a silicon coating to your solar array. The cells are so fragile, and the links can easily detach or move out of place. A thin coat of silicon keeps it all in place… and also gives it a very cool effect!

Environmentally friendly residential real estate has been around for a long time, but it was confined to a niche market of custom and small niche builders. With the success of former Vice President Al Gore’s movie “Inconvenient Truth”, the public eye is again turning to the environment. That includes homebuyers of residential real estate.

With this increase of “green” public interest, many giants within the home construction industry are now building environmentally friendly homes, but they have encountered a paradox — homebuyers want green residential real estate, but they do not wish to pay the upfront cost of having it. With the serious slowdown in new home sales, residential real estate builders are caught in the middle of the issue. It is easier for them to persuade a potential buyer to upgrade to granite countertops than to pay the upfront costs for solar panels or an energy-efficient furnace. Thus, the residential real estate builders are trying to balance between what they see as their “social obligation” to the environment and the obligation they owe their shareholders.

Jeffrey Mezger, CEO of KB Home (one of the nation’s largest homebuilders), underscores this sentiment. He points out that homebuilders cannot give away their profits. They would not be in business for long, if they did.

Some environmentally friendly features being built into some residential real estate are:

• Wood that is harvested in an environmentally friendly manner, using the Forest Stewardship Council guidelines. This can add $3,500 in cost to a $700,000 home, according to a BusinessWeek article in its February 12, 2007, issue.

• Environmentally friendly bamboo can be used for flooring.

• Front loading washers use 60 percent less water and electricity than top loading washers, though most homebuyers of residential real estate purchase such appliances themselves.

• Solar panels pay for themselves within a matter of years, but homebuilders are finding them a hard sell. The upfront costs are about $25,000 on average.

• Satellite-controlled sprinkler systems for the lawn conserves a lot more water than conventional systems.

• Decks can be made of recycled materials.

Though such features add to the upfront price of residential real estate, which most current buyers are not willing to pay, the installation of solar-electric panels by homeowners is on the rise. According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, use of solar panels increased last year by 75 percent. This 8,512 increase, however, represents only a fraction of the one million new homes sold across the nation in 2006.

Help for environmentally friendly residential real estate may be coming shortly from three separate sources — federal, state and local governments. It is expected that the federal and state governments will soon make subsidies available to homeowners who install solar panels. The subsidies could cut the upfront costs by half. Additionally, the building codes of many local governments are much more environmentally friendly than in the past, forcing homebuilders to include green features in their new residential real estate.

Another plus for green residential real estate are the firms that supply the construction industry. Many now offer environmentally friendly products to the homebuilding industry in volume prices, making the use of green products more cost competitive. These efforts on the part of suppliers has decreased energy consumption in new residential real estate by 30 percent per square foot since 1970.

With all of these sources encouraging environmentally friendly residential real estate, green features may soon be standard in all new homes at a fraction of current costs.

John Harris
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/environmentally-friendly-real-estate-may-be-a-buyers-dream-but-the-price-is-still-too-high-for-many-131028.html

Like the kind u put on your roof looking for a good balance between cost and power produced while still making it worth the time and effort were defiantly getting some but wanted to know the best preferably by experiance of the answerer. Thanks in advance

Experience of an answerer is not likely to tell you the "best" solar panels. All they will be able to do is give you their overall satisfaction with there system. Their satisfaction will depend on a lot of things, like the opinion of their contractor, the inverter equipment, the location with respect to angle from the sun and presence of shading influences, and their original expectations.

Probably competitively priced panels are very similar in quality. One measure that may be of value would be the watts per sq ft of panel area.

Do a lot of studying, including searching for solar panels in the upper right corner of this page.

If the entrance door to your home is fitted with glass panels, or there is a glass panel right next to the door, you have yourself a home security risk.

Doors with glass panes allow light into what otherwise would be dark hallways, but from a security point of view they are a poor design.

It does not take much for a burglar to break that glass, reach in and open the latch, or turn the knob on the single cylinder deadbolt. Single cylinder deadbolt locks are the kind that are operated by a key from the outside but don’t need a key to open from the inside.

The simple solution would be to fit a double cylinder deadbolt. These require the key to be used on both sides and would indeed prevent the burglar from opening your door.

The snag is that in the case of emergency, especially a fire, you or your family may be hampered from making an exit if the key is not immediately at hand. It is for this reason that some local building codes and regulations do not allow the use of double cylinder deadbolt locks. If your local regulations permit their use, make sure that the key is always kept near the door, but out of any possible reach of the burglar. Make sure also that all members of your family know where the key is kept and can reach it.

So what’s the alternative? Window security film is a clear, flexible and impact resistant polyester sheet that is affixed to the inside of the glass. The burglar would have a very tough time breaking through that.

It takes a good deal of force to shatter glass protected by security film and even then the shattered glass is still held in place by the film. With many weighty hammer blows a burglar could make enough of a hole to reach through the glass, but that would take him a lot of time, make a heck of a lot of noise and likely attract unwanted attention.

Window security film is available in several widths and thickness and is generally sold by the foot. Some types of security film impede solar heat as well as give protection against intruders.

If you consider yourself to be a competent do-it-yourself enthusiast you may want to take on the job of installing the window security film. You will need to be precise with measurements, use the correct adhesive and have the right tools to hand. Having professional installers fit the film will naturally bump up the cost, but may get you a guarantee.

If light into a hallway is not an issue, then another alternative is to replace the glass panel door with an external quality door with no glass panels. Solid core external doors are not cheap but this would be preferable to having a door with a security issue.

Whichever method you choose to overcome the problem you have to take action. Doors with glass panels make it too easy for the burglar. Don’t just ignore the problem, fix it.

Martin Underwood
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-security-articles/doors-with-glass-panels-an-easy-way-in-for-the-burglar-125020.html

I wouold "Google" that one. There are many companies that install the panels.

People who have become increasingly fed up with the rise in electricity prices in recent times have already switched their supplier to a cheaper alternative but there’s even more good news with some suppliers now prepared to pay for any surplus energy that a household generates itself which can then be sold back to a supplier.

DIY electricity generation is on the increase and there is estimated to be somewhere in the region of 80,000 households who are generating all or some of their own electricity supply in the UK by using rooftop wind turbines and smaller solar powered units. This figure is set to grow now that B&Q have also started selling these kinds of power generators.

To buy a typical wind turbine and have it installed costs around £3000. Larger systems which would enable you to generate enough electricity to sell some back to the supplier could run anywhere between £4000 to £18000 depending on the size. A cheap loan could lead you on the path to self-sufficiency when it comes to power generation and the Government are doing their bit also by offering grants and tax breaks for those who are keen to take up the cause.

Usually, a grant is only given providing that you have already ensured that your home is already as energy efficient as possible but if you qualify, the grant can cover up to 50% of the cost of installing solar panels and up to 30% for other equipment. If you don’t qualify, a cheap loan might be another alternative.

There is still a lot of debate over whether or not microgeneration of this kind will ultimately save you money in the long run. Set up costs aren’t cheap and it may be many years before you’re able to reap the savings benefits.

A meter is installed which works out how much energy you are using and how much is being sent back to the supplier so you can easily work out how much you can save on your energy bills. NPower and Powergen are currently the suppliers which pay you the most for any surplus energy you generate but other suppliers are also getting in on the act. And, even if you’re not generating enough power to have any surplus left over to sell back, you will still save on your energy bills. For example, a 1.4 kw wind turbine with an annual output of 2000 kwh could supply around 60% of the consumption of the average UK home which represents a saving of £200 a year.

Microgeneration isn’t a quick fix solution to the problems of rising electricity costs. However, for those who wish to take action in making the switch to a self-sufficient lifestyle and can afford to do so, the solutions are already out there and being taken up by those who view it as a long-term investment.

Nigel Cooper
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/can-microgeneration-save-money-on-your-home-utilities-126734.html

I will like to make a solar panel at home. I know that they are not that expensive today but I thought it would be fun.

do a search at www.makezine.com for a photovoltaic cell you can make at home. You won’t get much voltage or current out of it, though, and it involves heating a piece of metal very hot so it could be dangerous - so the process is best done by an adult or under careful adult supervision.

These home made cells are not very efficient, and have no practical use, but it could make for a fun science project.

Many people are trying to cut down the amount of energy they use in the home these days. High energy prices have eaten into household budgets, and many people also want to do their bit to help prevent Climate Change. Everyone seems to be getting in on the act, with politicians installing solar panels and wind turbines on their houses.

However, you don’t have to invest in such expensive and sophisticated technology to make big savings on energy in the home. In fact you can save a large amount of money with some simple measures that are free, or else cost very little to do, with a very high return on your initial outlay.

You can start reducing your home energy consumption and your bills today with 10 simple actions:

1. Swap the 5 to 10 light bulbs that you use most with low energy bulbs. Low energy bulbs now cost only about 50p each, and can save up to £10 a year in electricity bills. Over its lifetime, a low energy bulb will save you £50-100 in electricity costs. It’s one of the best investments you can make. Plus always turn out lights when you leave the room

2. Don’t leave appliances like televisions and computers on standby and remember not to leave appliances like mobile phones on charge unnecessarily. Things let on standby are still using electricity, and could be using 10-20% of your electricity per year.

3. Turning your thermostat down by 1ºC could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent (or an average of £30). N.B. the recommended temperature for a living room is 21°C. And make sure you have set your thermostat to only heat your house when necessary, during the day when you are there. If you current heating controls don’t allow you to program this, consider replacing them

4. Fit a hot water jacket to your hot water cylinder that’s at least 75mm (3″) thick, and you could save around £20 a year. And it should cost only around £10 to do.

5. Make sure you are not overheating your hot water. Your cylinder thermostat should be set no higher than 60ºC/140ºF

6. Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows, making sure that they do not cover your radiator.

7. A dripping hot water tap wastes energy, so make sure they’re fully turned off and any leaking taps are quickly repaired

8. Use thick rugs with underlay on wooden floors to improve their insulation

9. Wash your clothes at no more than 40 degrees. All modern detergents are designed to clean successfully at 40°C and there is no need for a pre-wash. Washing at 65°C requires twice as much energy

10. Only fill your kettle with as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you’re using an electric kettle)

You can also have other valuable energy saving home improvements done for free if you receive certain government benefits. These include loft and cavity wall insulation, and new central heating. Your energy supplier or one of the major national insulation companies should be able to tell you if you qualify for one of these.

So there you have it – you really can save a lot without having to invest a lot

Alex Perry
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/how-to-save-energy-in-your-home-on-a-shoestring-134493.html

A. The wind and sun are not constant, so there would be times when no electricity would be generated.
B. The wind and sun are constant, so there would be plenty of electricity for the home.
C. Wind and solar power are inefficient and too expensive to use and maintain.
D. Wind and solar power are efficient, but they are not able to produce enough electricity for a single home.

A is the best of your four, for your question, but since individual wind and solar power generate power to a battery, which is the direct source of power to your house, you can store up enough power to maintain your electrical usage, through the winter, power outages, and you can sell some access back to the Community Power Company.

If enough households demand an individual windmill and solar panel, the initial costs will come down to reasonable expense!!