Hi Guys,

I hope that you have had a good day.

If you are like me you probably would like to reduce the size of your energy bills. After all the less energy we consume the less we pay.

However there is also another reason I would like to reduce my energy consumption and that is to reduce my energy storage requirements when I finally go off the grid.

And so today I would like to discuss ways to reduce our energy consumption.

The world is faced with an energy crisis now and none of us remain unaffected anymore. I personally think that this crisis is artificial in order to force up the prices of energy and to exert control over us.

I don’t think that we can expect anything from governments expect lip service. Government is more often than not part of the problem; for instance to tax component for a litre of diesel in the UK is 65%. The higher the price per litre of fuel the more money enters government coffers.

Ultimately it is up to us to do something to reduce our energy needs and to generate our own energy to power our homes.

It costs me on average £45.00 to fill up my car on a weekly basis. This means that my weekly contribution to government coffers is £29.25, which comes to £351.00. With three cars at home, as a family we contribute around £1053.00 to government coffers to get to work.

Once electric cars have become efficient and are able to travel longer distances than they can at present without the need for constant charging and no longer cost the earth, I will definitely get one. Who knows we may even have cars that recharge themselves with solar cells incorporated in the body of the car.

But what happens to our energy tax contribution to government coffers if this were the case. It probably explains their plan to try to charge us for every mile we drive instead of charging us road tax.

So what can we do, if anything, to reduce our current level of energy requirements?

There are some relatively easy steps can be taken to reduce our energy needs. However, we do need to consider the benefit of carrying out such energy saving measures. After all what good are they to you if you land up paying more than what you are already paying.

One must balance the cost to benefit requirements for each element of our energy reduction programme.

Quite a few cost saving measures mentioned below are associated to standby power. Standby power is also known as vampire power, vampire draw, phantom load, or leaking electricity, and refers to electric power consumed by electronic appliances while they are switched off or in a standby mode.

So let us look at how you can save power at home.

Computers:

At the vary least you should set the power settings on your computer to automatically go into Sleep or Standby mode after 15 minutes or so of inactivity.

Turn your computer and its monitor off when you’re done for the day.

If you use a desktop, use an LCD monitor. They use lots less energy than CRT’s.

You could always use a power strip so you can easily turn off all your computer accessories at once.

I personally turn off my laptop along with all accessories off at the wall switch when I’m done for the day. As everything is connected together through a power strip I know that everything is switched off at the same time.

Air Conditioner:

Set the temperature at the maximum or minimum you are comfortable with, depending on the season. The operative word here is comfortable.

Try not to set it at too high or too low temperatures. In our house I’ve got to keep checking the thermostat as our teenager keep changing the temperature settings.

Setting the air conditioner at reasonable temperatures helps save a lot of energy.

Unfortunately for me, I’ve got to keep checking our thermostat as our teenagers keep changing the temperature levels to what they feel is right for them.

Washing Machines:

Minimize the number of washes by washing full load of clothes every time. Also, if washing machine packs up you could buy a new machine with a better energy rating than your old one had.

You could also try to wash your clothing at a lower temperature setting or on a reduced wash cycle.

Television:

Switch off your television at the wall plug when not in use. Take off the power plug of your television set when not using it. This may not sound a big deal but this tiny step will help save power.

Power adapters:

Power adapters are very common “electricity vampires” as they have no power-off switches. These include mobile telephone chargers, electric toothbrush chargers and the like. I am quite sure that you may have touched one of these adapters when not in use and discovered that it was warm to the touch. Switch them off at the wall plug. Better yet, keep them unplugged until you need them.

Geysers:

Keep the geyser thermostat at the minimum heat. You do not need to heat the water at a very high temperature or for too long.

Refrigerators and freezers:

Bring hot food to room temperatures before putting it into the refrigerator. You can also save power by taking cold or frozen food out of the refrigerator much before the mealtime, thereby saving power in heating it.

Car:

For an air-conditioner equipped car, pull up the windows of your car before switching on the air-conditioner.

Save on your energy bills by generating your own power at home with solar and wind energy to reduce or eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at DIY Power System

As always, I wish you everything I wish myself.

Until the next time.

Alain

Check out my review of the top 3 products for renewable home enegy solution
Check out my review of the Home Made Power Plant product
Check out my review of DIY Power System product

Hi Guys,

I hope that you have had a good day.

Today, 29th June 2009, I was browsing the Internet when I came across an article from the Guardian, a British newspaper. The article’s title was Energy bills ‘too low’ to combat climate change and its subtitle was Royal Society report says current government policy is not enough to pay for green technology. That said it all for me.

I refer to my previous articles from the 18th June 2009 – Renewable Home Energy Solutions – The Case Against Commercial Industrial Wind Power and 23rd June 2009 – Cost Implication of Going Green respectively, which explain the reason why energy prices are as high as they are in the United Kingdom. It all boils down to the captive consumer being forced to subsidize energy policies that don’t even work.

While I agree that more research is required to improve the efficacy of solar panels, energy storage and other renewable energy solutions I believe that the science should stand or fail without the general public being screwed over by the vested interest of the climate-industrial complex.

Let’s face it, such policies always hit the poorer segments of society.

Renewable home energy solutions are totally viable but government and the rest of the climate-industrial complex keep getting in the way.

Planning regulations in the United Kingdom has often stopped small turbines designed specifically for micro-generation from being mounted directly onto existing buildings and also denied planning permission to those who want solar panels on their houses.

It would appear that many of these policies are aimed at discouraging you the home owner from being self-sufficient in energy and the more we demonstrate that these practices are at odds with so-called government and EU policy the better. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to get rid of the politicians and petty bureaucratic jobsworths that get in our way to self-sufficiency in energy.

As always, I wish you everything I wish myself.

Until the next time.

Alain

Check out my review of the top 3 products for renewable home enegy solution
Check out my review of the Home Made Power Plant product
Check out my review of DIY Power System product

Hi Guys,

I hope that you’ve all had a really great day.

Are energy cost driving you crazy? You can bet your bottom dollar that it’s not going to get any better real soon.

Let’s face it the Power Companies are charging us way too much for power! And yes, we do need electricity but until now we had no other way of getting it.

Prices for energy have risen, year by year, at alarming rates and the basic reasons for doing so are not going to change in the foreseeable future.

By now, I’m sure that you must have considered generating your own electricity. I know that I did, every time that I receive an gas or electricity bill. It did not seen to matter what I did to try to keep our energy bills down, the bills kept on rising.

If you are thinking about purchasing a solar electricity system for your home or business then you are joining millions of other energy-conscious individuals around the world.

Solar electricity systems provide reliable, pollution free energy from a renewable resource better known as the sun. Solar electricity systems are becoming more affordable as advancements are made in photovoltaic designs and construction.

Adding to the affordability, many solar electricity systems are able to participate in net metering in several states. This means that if your solar electricity system generates more power than you are using, your meter runs backwards resulting in an even swap of power that you use at other times when you exceed the power supplied by your own solar electricity system.

As most home energy solutions operate within a just-in-time system framework. This means that the surplus energy produced by the system is not stored. It is either used as it is produced or, if you are participating in a net mettering system, pushed back into the grid. At night, your reduced electricity production forces you to draw electricity from the grid. This system certainly cuts your electricity bills and may even produce a small windfall if you use less electricity than you produce.

Before you invest in a solar electricity system for your home or business, it is advantageous to understand exactly what you are purchasing and how solar electricity is generated.

The building block of any solar electricity system is the photovoltaic cell. Photovoltaic cells are wired together to produce solar electricity modules. The electricity produced from the modules or panels is then passed through an inverter that changes the current from AC to DC, making it usable to power household appliances and the utility grid.

It is often to your advantage to incorporate batteries into a solar electricity system so that you are able to store excess electricity generated by your system. The stored electricity can then be used in times of low sun light and power outages.

It is important to realize that solar electricity systems work only when the sun’s UV light hits them. This is not a problem if you utilize battery backup systems or are connected to the grid.

Installing a commercial solar electricity system. However, with net metering and government funded rebates, many are able to pay off systems much more quickly.

The cost of installing some of the commercial solar electricity system to a home can come with an initially high investment cost and it can makes it very difficult to get a return on your investment. However, with net metering and government funded rebates, many are able to pay those systems off much more quickly.

You definitely don’t need to understand the physics of solar electricity systems to understand it’s appeal. A solar electricity system will never run out of fuel nor will it increase our dependency on foreign oil.

Stop thinking about a solar electricity system for your home or business and start investing in your freedom by starting your research of solar electricity systems today.

I wish you everything I wish myself.

Until the next time.

Alain

Check out my review of the top 3 products for renewable home enegy solution
Check out my review of the Home Made Power Plant product
Check out my review of DIY Power System product