Solar And Wind 4 Me

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!!

Well placed landscape lights are an attractive addition to any home. With a wide variety of light styles to choose from, it is possible to find a set perfect for your home. In fact, there are so many types and styles of outdoor lights to choose from you may feel bewildered when you actually go to buy lights for your home. Here are some tips to help you choose the set best for you.

First, before you go to the store, you need to decide if you want to purchase solar lights or electric ones. Solar lights are great if the area in which you wish to place your lights gets lots of direct sunlight each day. These lights have solar panels which collect the sun’s energy during the day. At night, this stored power lights the bulbs and provides a soft light that will outline your walkways, flower beds, or whatever other lawn fixture you wish to light up.
Electric lights, on the other hand, are great for places in you yard that don’t get much direct sunlight. Electric lights will also provide brighter light than solar lights. Electric lights also don’t require much power, so they won’t run you electric bill up.

Next you’ll need to decide which features of your house or yard you want to illuminate with landscape lights. If you want to spotlight your house, or a particular feature on your house, you’ll want to purchase spotlights.

Position the lights after dark so that they will illuminate exactly what you want them to. If you want to light up the end of your driveway so people will know exactly where you live, you might think about carriage style lights. These lights are generally like a front porch light on a pole which you can place where ever you’d like.

If you want to light up a walkway, making it easier for guests to find their way after dark, choose lights specific for this purpose. These lights will generally have shields that send the light downward onto the path instead of upwards into the eyes of the people trying to enter your home. Pathway lights can be operated by use of a sensor that will cause them to turn on at dark and off at daybreak.

If you’d rather, you can also have your lights turned on and off by a timer. If you use a timer, you will know your lights will turn on and off at the same times everyday. Using a timer or sensor can also help save electricity.

Landscape lights are a great way to add more light to the outside of your house. These lights can help signal where your drive is, make it easier to find your walkway, or just spotlight the front of your house after dark. Beware; however, there are a variety of landscape lights, so when you go to buy your set it helps to have some idea what you want so you don’t get overwhelmed by the variety.

Riley Hendersen
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/tips-to-brighten-your-home-with-landscape-lights-137563.html

http://www.solarhome.org/solarpanelbrand_bpsolarpanels.html

I’m Sure I’d Need More Than One, So Should I Go For The Higher Watt Models Or Does It Really Matter.

try a company like travis perkins they deal with this sort off thing

A typical solar system will reduce the need for conventional water heating by about two-thirds. Often the plumbing from a solar heater connects to a houses existing water heater, which stays inactive as long as the water coming in is hot or hotter than the temperature setting on the indoor water heater. When it falls below this temperature, the homes water heater can kick in to make up the difference. Incorporating passive solar designs can reduce heating bills by as much as 50 percent. High-temperature solar water heaters can provide energy-efficient hot water and hot water heat for large commercial and industrial facilities.

Many large commercial buildings can use solar collectors to provide more than just hot water. Solar process heating systems can be used to heat these buildings. A solar ventilation system can be used in cold climates to preheat air as it enters a building. And the heat from a solar collector can even be used to provide energy for cooling a building. The Co-operative Insurance Building in Manchester has the largest commercial solar system in the UK. I think it looks very futuristic and cool!

You can generate electricity for a single building like the co-op but there is the potential in the future to generate enough power for a power plant. The author of a recent Christian Aid report, John McGhie, said that for $50bn (£26bn) the whole of sub-Saharan Africa could be turned into a solar-generated economy. And $50bn is exactly the same amount as the continent would have to pay on extra fuel bills from oil,” he said.

Electrical retailer Currys is about to add a new item to its usual array of washing machines and other white goods - solar panels. Currys is taking a risk as the solar panels will cost far more than anything else the store sells. They say it will cost the average three bedroom household about £9,000 to buy and install solar panels - compared to £16,000 in specialist stores. There are also grants available through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme.

What other solar gadgets can you buy?

Well, Sharp, the world’s number one solar cell producer, has just turned its hand to glass studded with LED lights and cells. Instead of generating enough electricity to run a home, it creates a psychedelic light show at night, powered entirely by the day’s sun.

You can also buy solar chargers for iPods and phones. Other recent outlandish additions include a solar-powered tent, scooter and LED house numbers, while mundane ones like bike lights, torches and radios have been around for years.

People can also use captured passive solar heat to cook food. A basic cooker consists of an insulated box with a glass top. Heat from concentrated sunlight gets trapped in the box and can be used to heat food enclosed in the box. These have not been very popular to date.

Davinos Greeno
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/solar-power-saves-on-electricity-bills-84454.html

I was trying to look online for solar panels for my home to take some of the strain off of using oil and electricity but I find it very hard to understand exactly how they are used.
Like one that I looked up is 100 watts…..is that like a light bulb watt? How many things can that power?
Is it really cheaper in the long run because the panels are very expensive?
If anyone has web sites that can explain this to me I would appreciate a link, or anyone to answer part of my question.

There are two types of devices that collect energy from the sun:

Solar photovoltaic modules use solar cells to convert light from the sun into electricity.

Solar thermal collectors use the sun’s energy to heat water or another fluid such as oil or antifreeze

There is only a one time cost to installing solar panels.
The way to get the most for your money is, really to have them installed at the time of the home being built.
You have to figure, over-time, how long it will take regarding the cost of the solar panels vs the cost of your energy now.

Green homes are the trend these days. In a world where people are fast using up the earth’s natural resources and irreversibly so, green buildings have gained importance in the real estate industry. Green building techniques include the use of building materials that are renewable and locally available. Green homes protect the environment, control energy costs and may serve as affordable housing. Today more and more builders are focusing on building green homes as these structures are proving to be profitable investments.

Many people believe that building green homes is a social and environmental responsibility and should be promoted by not just governmental authorities, but also by builders, developers and real estate professionals. Green homes save money and maintenance and are healthier to live in.

Building a green home is not complicated as one would think. The National Association of Home Builders has listed guidelines for building green homes that are very useful for home builders. The guidelines include an easy-to-use checklist that builders can follow during the construction process. With local home building associations creating regionally appropriate green building programs, the concept of ‘green homes’ is taking off among home builders.

Some people believe that building green homes involves a lot of money, at least more than conventional homes do. On the contrary, experienced green home builders say that building a green home is not as expensive as it is hyped to be. Custom builders can build green properties at the same costs it takes to build conventional homes because green building materials are now readily available and cost efficient. Green products such as user-friendly insulation, chemically neutral paints and flooring, natural landscaping products, compact fluorescent bulbs, solar roof panels, etc. are all readily available. Because most green products are energy efficient, installing them helps the home owner save a lot of money that otherwise would go toward footing a home’s utility bills.

Environmental consultant David Johnson in his book “Building Green in a Black and White World” provides extensive survey information on home buyers’ preference of green homes. One national survey puts the percentage of the market that is open to and interested in green buildings at a whopping 50%. This is proof enough for the growing popularity and demand for green homes. Builders can join their local green building programs to take advantage of this growing market segment. Home buyers can opt for green homes, which are energy efficient, environmentally friendly, durable and cost efficient.

Rakesh Lall
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/why-buy-a-green-home-or-condo-85120.html

I have been studying the possibility of using solar electricity for home use. I have no idea of how it works, thanks.
If i have to go into solar business what do i need to do in order to convince the prospective buyers. There is so much lack of awareness.

Don’t go into a business you know NOTHING about!
Solar power is DC so most home apliances won’t work. The panels are used to charge a battery bank and the batteries provide the power. it can be done but effectively you would need to rewire your house to work like a camper van or a yacht! Contact me directly if you are
a. serious
b. knowledgable

Over recent years, many scientists have been designing new and expensive technologies with the aim to save the earth, or reduce the effects from global warming. One of these ideas lies in a concept of giant solar shades.

Much like ordinary sunglasses you place over your eyes in bright sunshine, the solar shades in question block out some of the suns harmful rays, only with one major difference. These shades will rest a million miles above our heads.

The logic behind this invention is to provide the global population with one giant sunshade consisting of 16 trillion outer space solar shades. These solar shades are super thin and lightweight glass discs which act like a lens on your average sunglasses to divert the suns rays.

Dr. Roger Angel (the brains behind the glass optics) is one of the worlds most renowned experts in the field of glass optics. He is responsible for designing the mirrors on telescopes, and believes glass could the answer to solving global warming.

It is predicted that only 2% of the suns rays need to be diverted in order to save the planet from increased global warming. The solar shades will have to cover a distance of 100,000km in width. The proposed area for the solar shades to orbit at is known as the “L1 point”. This is the point of zero gravity between the sun and the earth.

The solar optics will have tiny solar panels attached which can act as rudders to provide a gliding ability for the optics to change direction if needed.

A huge problem associated with this invention will be the process of transporting these solar optics into space. Dr. Angel has calculated the total weight of the tiny sunshades to be around 20 million tonnes. Presuming if this method is chosen to save the world, and the space shuttle is still the best space exploration vehicle, it will take 870,000 trips into space to deliver the entire solar shade as the space shuttles cargo weight can be only 23 tonnes a go.

There are currently four other extraordinary ideas in play, competing against this one to be the saviour of our home on earth, it will be interesting to see whether any of these will ever make it to the production stage.

We need to look after our environment, and the use of natural energy (such as solar electricity) should be our first focus, along with any reduction of our fossil fuel intake and carbon emissions.

http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com

James Bratley
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/outer-space-sunglasses-save-the-earth-through-a-solar-lens-120794.html

Is it really possible for me living in Denver to build and install and setup my own solar panel to help make electricity for my home?

It’s possible, but not as easy or cost-effective as the sites selling information suggest.

You can build your own solar panels from individual cells or broken cells. Possibly you would end up with a panel that costs less than a commercial one, but it would not have the UL safety certification, and thus would not legally be allowed to be connected to the grid in any place that I know. So you would have to go with charging a battery, and that alone doubles the cost of the system. It could be a fun and educational thing to do, but would not be a money saver.

You could also build a solar water heater - plans and videos abound on the web. However, Denver gets hard freezes in winter, so you would need to drain your home built system during those months. There are solar water heaters designed to take sustained freezing temperatures, but unless you’re an engineer, that type would be really hard to make.

The site http://www.nlcpr.com/Deceptions6.php has something to say about various scams, including solar.