| Reducing your Electric Bill with Renewable Energy | | | | coolers) are a cost effective and energy efficient |
| Using renewable energy to produce electricity and | | | | alternative to traditional air conditioners. Evaporative |
| reduce your electric bill can be a sound long-term | | | | coolers use about 25% the energy an air conditioner |
| investment. Depending on the type of technology, you | | | | would need. Unfortunately, most people live in climates |
| can expect a full return on your investment within 3 to | | | | that when it's hot it is also relatively humid. In these |
| 18 years. With financial or tax rebates from your utility | | | | conditions evaporative coolers won't work effectively. |
| company or state and national government, the | | | | Another simple and green method for reducing your |
| payback period on your investment can be cut in half. | | | | home's air conditioning costs is to plant deciduous trees |
| However, the very first step to considering any | | | | whose leaves will shade your home in the summer |
| renewable energy system must be how to make your | | | | time and shed its leaves for more sunlight in the winter |
| home or business more energy efficient. Generally, the | | | | time. By shading your home it heats up less, and |
| basic rule is that for every $1 you spend on making | | | | therefore requires less cooling by an air conditioner. |
| your location more energy efficient, you save $3 to $5 | | | | Planting a tree in this scenario has double the |
| on the cost of the renewable energy system. Let's go | | | | environmental impact, you're reducing greenhouse |
| over some basic ways you can make your home | | | | gases by both using less electricity and because the |
| more energy efficient. | | | | tree itself absorbs carbon dioxide. |
| Making Your Home Energy Efficient | | | | Energy Efficiency and Household Appliances |
| One of the easiest things that you can do to reduce | | | | Many other appliances throughout your household will |
| your electrical consumption is change out your regular | | | | have a newer and significantly more energy efficient |
| incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps | | | | version available. Here is a short list of other appliances |
| (CFLs). CFLs use 65 to 75% less energy than a | | | | you should consider replacing with higher efficiency |
| normal light bulb that produces the same amount of | | | | versions: water heating tanks, air conditioners, |
| light. By replacing a normal 100 watt incandescent light | | | | dehumidifiers, dishwashers, telephones, VCRs and |
| bulb with a 32 watt CFL, you will save $60 to $80 in | | | | DVDs, ceiling fans, fax machines, computers and |
| electricity costs over the lifetime of that bulb (10,000 | | | | copiers. To see which brands and models have |
| hours). Now imagine how much you would save if you | | | | Energy Star certification and to figure which ones of |
| changed out all of your light bulbs to CFLs! | | | | those are the most efficient, visit Energy Star's |
| The technology for these bulbs has quickly evolved | | | | website: To find out how much power your appliances |
| and improved in the last few years, while the cost has | | | | are really consuming, invest in an inexpensive power |
| come down dramatically. You'll find that there are | | | | meter like the Kill-A-Watt meter. |
| CFLs that will now fit most light fixtures and lighting | | | | For many households the biggest bill is the heating bill. |
| needs-there are even dimmable CFLs!. Head out to | | | | Probably the quickest, least expensive and easiest |
| your local department or hardware store and buy | | | | way to reduce your heating bill is to buy a |
| CFLs for as many of your light fixtures as possible. | | | | programmable thermostat. You can set these |
| The investment is well worth it. | | | | thermostats to turn off the heat automatically when |
| Another alternative to traditional lights are tubular | | | | you're not home and turn it on just before you arrive. |
| skylights . Tubular skylights look a little like shiny stove | | | | You will easily recoup your small investment in the new |
| pipes that start with a transparent dome on top of the | | | | thermostat within one winter by running your heating |
| roof and come down into some room for day lighting. | | | | system less. See your local hardware store or HVAC |
| We frequently see customers using tubular skylights to | | | | company for pricing and availability of different models. |
| bring daylight into hallways and closets. The light is, of | | | | Another basic step to reducing your home heating bill is |
| course, entirely natural and in some installations can | | | | sealing air leaks and adding insulation. According to |
| provide as much illumination as a 100-Watt | | | | Energy Star sealing air leaks and adding insulation can |
| incandescent light bulb. | | | | reduce your heating bill by as much as 10%. For |
| Energy Star and EnergyGuide | | | | homes with attics, one of the easiest and most |
| One of the biggest consumers of electricity in most | | | | effective places to put down insulation is in the attic. |
| households is the refrigerator. In most households, | | | | Visit your local home improvement store to find out |
| refrigeration is the number one electricity consumer | | | | how much insulation in different areas of the home is |
| after any electricity-based heating or cooling systems. | | | | recommended for your region. |
| If your refrigerator is over 10 years old, chances are it's | | | | In the last few years, the use of solar air heating |
| electrically very inefficient. Consider replacing your | | | | systems has become more popular. Mounted on an |
| current refrigerator with one that has a high Energy | | | | exterior, southern-facing wall or on the roof, solar air |
| Star rating. Remember that just because a refrigerator | | | | heating collectors can reduce a home's or business' |
| may have earned the Energy Star label doesn't mean | | | | annual heating costs by as much as 30%. Costing far |
| it's the most efficient model available-it only means that | | | | less than a new conventional heating system, solar air |
| its efficiency exceeds the federally mandated | | | | heating systems usually pay for themselves in 3-6 |
| efficiency standard by at least 15%. You can even do | | | | years. They'll typically last for 18 to 35 years and |
| much of your investigation online at the Energy Star | | | | require minimal maintenance. Working in conjunction |
| website. There you can search for the brand, type | | | | with your existing heating system, the solar air heating |
| and size of refrigerator you want and sort by energy | | | | system simply reduces your heating demand |
| efficiency. When you shop in stores, consult the yellow | | | | whenever you have even partial sunlight. |
| EnergyGuide tags that are attached to all new | | | | There are two basic flavors of solar air heating |
| refrigerators (and many other appliances). | | | | systems. There are ones that heat up fresh outdoor |
| EnergyGuide is a different government program from | | | | air and blow it into your home or business. The there |
| Energy Star that offers information about annual | | | | are ones that take the air from inside your building |
| energy consumption and shows you where each | | | | boosts up the temperature by another 50 to 90 |
| model lands in a comparison with similar models. For | | | | degrees fahrenheit and blows it back in (known as |
| maximum energy savings, select the model that's a | | | | recirculating air solar heating systems). Newer homes |
| leader in efficiency in its class. | | | | and buildings which tend to be tightly sealed and have |
| Ghost Loads | | | | stale winter air will benefit doubly from the fresh air |
| Also known as "phantom loads", ghost loads are the | | | | solar heaters. Older homes tend to be inherently |
| sneaky devices that constantly consume small | | | | draftier and experience full air exchanges with the |
| amounts of electricity 24 hours a day-even when | | | | outdoors a few times a day. These homes will benefit |
| they're not actually doing anything useful. While each | | | | more from the solar air heating systems that |
| device by itself may not consume much electricity, the | | | | recirculate the indoor air and boost it up in temperature. |
| combination of all of them within your household may | | | | Typically, one 4x8 foot solar air collector is |
| easily consume the equivalent of two or three | | | | recommended per 750 to 1000 square feet of home |
| 60-Watt incandescent light bulbs left on all day and all | | | | space. |
| night. Over the course of a single year this adds up to | | | | Water Heating Efficiency |
| over 1 Megawatt-hour-in other words, enough | | | | More efficient models of domestic hot water heaters |
| electricity to power an entire energy-efficient house | | | | have also become available in the last several years. If |
| for 2 to 3 months! | | | | you have an old hot water heater, chances are that it |
| What are these mysterious ghost loads? The most | | | | was not designed with efficiency in mind. Again, check |
| common examples are the "power brick" adapters, or | | | | out Energy Star's website to find out which boilers are |
| power supplies, that charge or operate cell phones, | | | | the most efficient. |
| laptop computers, cordless drills, answering machines, | | | | Another good alternative to the traditional hot water |
| radios, inkjet printers, and many other household | | | | heating tanks are instantaneous hot water heaters. |
| devices. They're actually small transformers, turning | | | | These systems heat the water only when its being |
| AC electricity from the wall outlet into DC electricity for | | | | used. Normal water heating systems used in much of |
| use by the device. While any one of these devices | | | | North America maintain a large tank of hot water to |
| may only consume a small amount of power (e.g., 3-20 | | | | be used only a few times a day. To keep the water |
| watts), a dozen or so of them, running simultaneously | | | | hot and ready at a moment's notice these traditional |
| and continuously, consume a significant amount of | | | | hot water heating tanks consume energy throughout |
| electricity. What's worse is that even when you're not | | | | the entire day, whether you need it or not. |
| charging your cell phone or the battery for your | | | | Instantaneous water heaters only consume energy the |
| cordless drill, that AC adapter may continue to | | | | moment you need the hot water, saving the typical |
| consume power just because it's plugged into the wall. | | | | household 30 to 50% of the cost of hot water heating. |
| Other well-disguised ghost loads are those devices | | | | You can find instantaneous water heaters that use |
| which have the "instant on" feature, such as most | | | | natural gas, propane and electricity from a variety of |
| modern television sets, VCRs, DVD players, many | | | | manufacturers. |
| radios and even many computers. While all of these | | | | Solar Water Heating Provides You the Best Return on |
| devices are supposedly turned off, they are actually | | | | Your Investment |
| consuming anywhere from 3 to 20 watts | | | | The energy (natural gas, propane, electricity, etc) |
| continuously-just to stay ready for you to use them. | | | | needed for hot water heating can be reduced by 60 |
| How can you decrease the consumption of energy by | | | | to 90% by using a solar water heating system to |
| these parasitic loads? One of the simplest solutions is | | | | pre-heat water before it enters your existing traditional |
| to simply plug these devices into a power strip which | | | | water heater. Remarkably effective and efficient, even |
| has an off/on switch. When you are done using the | | | | in northern climates, solar water heating technologies |
| devices and shut them off normally, then just hit the | | | | have matured significantly in the past 30 years. |
| off switch on the power strip. Many people make it | | | | Designed to easily last 30 years or more with minimum |
| part of their nightly routine to shut off these power | | | | maintenance, typically solar water heating system will |
| strips just before they go to bed. For AC power | | | | pay for itself in its first 3-7 years of use. Solar water |
| adapters that you use at night, like for charging a cell | | | | heating systems heat your home's water with |
| phone, put those on a separate power strip that you | | | | collectors that are usually placed on the roof of the |
| turn off during the day when you take your phone with | | | | home. The hot water produced is stored in an |
| you. Simple solutions like these could reduce your | | | | insulated tank until your home is ready to use it. Your |
| ghost electric loads by as much as 80%. In real-dollars | | | | traditional hot water will only kick on to heat up the |
| terms, this means saving upwards of $120 per year in | | | | water when the water temperature is not quite high |
| electricity costs, depending on your local electric utility | | | | enough. Solar water heating systems can be installed |
| rates and how dedicated you are to reducing your | | | | by advanced do-it-yourselfers, but it is recommended |
| ghost loads. | | | | that a licensed plumber or installer review or do the |
| A Special Note for People Who are Planning to Live | | | | more complicated plumbing. |
| Off-grid | | | | Energy Efficiency - Your First Step Towards Clean |
| If you're planning to use an off-grid solar panel, wind | | | | Energy and Energy Independence |
| turbine or hydro electric system and plan to have a 12 | | | | The first step before purchasing a solar electric or |
| or 24 volt battery bank, you will often be able to find | | | | wind power system to meet your electricity needs is |
| devices and appliances that work directly with these | | | | to intelligently reduce those needs. Most homes can |
| DC voltages. The benefit to using the devices is that | | | | inexpensively reduce their electricity demands by 20 to |
| they will not need an AC power adapter which | | | | 30% without ever having to make any adjustments in |
| needlessly consumes electricity whether or not the | | | | the lifestyles of the occupants. We provided you with |
| device in use. After all, what an AC adapter plug does | | | | many energy saving tips in this article, such as: |
| is convert normal AC household electricity to DC type | | | | - Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact |
| of electricity to power the device, and it rarely does | | | | fluorescent ones. |
| that conversion efficiently. | | | | - Upgrading your older appliances with EnergyStar star |
| Energy Efficient Cooling | | | | ones that have a very low annual energy consumption |
| During the summer (and in warmer climates) air | | | | rating. |
| conditioning is frequently the largest consumer of | | | | - Minimize the many hidden phantom (ghost) loads in |
| electricity. An inexpensive way to reduce the demand | | | | your house. |
| on your air conditioner is to keep your attic cooler with | | | | - Insulate your home well for colder seasons. |
| a solar attic fan. Powered by a built-in solar panel, solar | | | | - Creatively use vegetation to keep your home cool in |
| attic fans turn on when your attic warms up during the | | | | the summer and maximize sunshine entering the house |
| day. By venting the hot air out of your attic all day long, | | | | in the winter. |
| the floors below stay cooler and as a result your air | | | | - Use solar heating technologies (not to be confused |
| conditioner runs significantly less. | | | | with solar electric technologies) to cost effectively |
| Solar attic fans can be installed by good | | | | reduce how much your traditional air or water heating |
| do-it-yourselfers or carpenters. They require no wiring. | | | | systems have to work. |
| A hole needs to be cut in the roof, the attic fan is | | | | There are literally hundreds of other little tricks and |
| slipped in and the edges are sealed up well with roof | | | | smart tweaks you can make to your home that will |
| caulking. The solar panel built into the fan unit is | | | | further reduce your electrical demands. Consider |
| designed to last at least 25 years. A solar attic fan is | | | | picking up a copy of the book '10-Minute |
| another wise investment that pays for itself very | | | | Energy-Saving Secrets - 250 Easy Ways to Save Big |
| quickly. | | | | Bucks Year Round' by Jerri Farris to learn of many of |
| For people who live in zones that are relatively dry but | | | | the other quick and easy ways to reduce your home's |
| hot, evaporative coolers (also known as swamp | | | | consumption of energy. |