Humans require energy to engage in normal activities in their daily lives. This includes traveling that is required to get to work or school, cooking food, construction of buildings, and the manufacturing of all the mundane products in use each day. Energy is needed to power the daily lives of the individuals who live throughout the world. The consumption of energy is growing every day and this means sustainable sources of energy are needed. Sustainable sources of energy are those that are renewable.
1. Water The use of water for power has existed long before the invention of electricity. Water has been used for powering mills and other machinery located next to a river. Stream is a byproduct of water that is being used to generate electricity and has been used to power locomotives. The construction of dams in many countries around the world proves that water can be harnessed as a sustainable source of energy. A dam to hold back a river creates a reservoir. The water in the reservoir is sent through large pipes into a turbine to generate electricity that is stored in a battery or sent to the power grid.... read more
A home energy audit can be used to identify any potential weaknesses with your homes energy efficiency. You can pinpoint the most wasteful parts of your home and set your energy saving priorities and with the right upgrades you could save somewhere in the region of 5% - 30% each year on your energy bill.
Air Leaks
You can begin by checking for gaps between the baseboard or edge of the flooring and at junctures of the walls and ceiling, pipes and wires, electrical outlets, door and window frames and any external areas where two different building materials meet.
Although this manual method of searching for drafts is effective, the best means of detecting air leaks is to use a blower door test which assesses how air tight a home is. The blower door test uses a powerful fan to depressurise the home by removing the air from inside and lowering the internal air pressure. Any unsealed cracks are then exposed as the higher external air pressure filters back into the home.... read more
If you haven’t already heard, energy prices are set to soar this winter and carry on rising in 2013. Due to this, everyone is being advised to shop around, pick your supplier carefully and if not suffer the price increase on your January electricity bill.
Considering it is December and the coldest time of the year, it is inevitable that you want to turn up your heating in a bid to stay warm this winter. However, have you actually thought how much this is going to cost you? You can switch your energy supplier to make it as cheap as possible, but the moral of the story is that your heating bills are going to increase whether you like it or not.
In light of this, I wanted to write this post to give advice and support to all of those out there struggling with money worries this Christmas season; after all, energy bill hikes affect all of us!... read more
Thinking about the wider environment – it’s something that all businesses should be doing more often. Whether it’s by trying to cut back on the amount of energy they use or by exploring alternative means of generating energy that reduces reliance on the national grid, it pays to be green in more ways than one. As well as showing customers that your company cares, you’re also in line to make savings, but how can lowering your company’s carbon footprint increase profitability?
There are a variety of things you can do to lower your carbon footprint which will result in your company’s image and bank balance looking much more palatable, one of them being buying products from green companies. Recycled paper, green energy, sustainable water and wood are all pretty cheap to buy, plus they work well and are in plentiful supply.... read more
The holidays are over, the days are cold and short, your old drafty house isn’t keeping you warm anymore, and your heating/electric bills are up. So, what are your choices? Replacing windows is costly. Or maybe you rent and you can’t make any big changes.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to help keep your home warmer during the winter months without price-prohibitive renovations. I had the opportunity to speak with Brian Besold, co-founder of San Francisco Bay Area home performance firm Kevel, who offered several helpful tips.
A common recommendation is using 3M plastic on your windows. It does make a difference but only for a few months because the adhesive wears off after a while. Plus, it looks terrible and makes window inoperable so you can’t open it. If there's an unseasonably warm day and you want to let in some fresh air, you simply can't if you have the plastic on your windows.
Instead, Besold recommends Indow Windows. (pictured left) Indow Windows produces a plexiglass panel that can be tailored to fit your window. All you have to do is pop it into your current window frame and viola! It serves the same purpose as a double pane window, but at a fraction of the cost. ... read more
Keeping your air conditioner in good working order can be the difference between a productive and happy home or office (and who wants grumpy people in an office?) and one where people are about to throttle one another – sometimes literally and sometimes figuratively. What if something goes wrong with your air conditioner and you need to get it fixed as soon as possible? Getting someone called out for what turns out to be a minor problem is not only embarrassing, but also costly so it should be avoided at all costs.
Home air conditioners are normally divided into two main types – window air conditioning units (those sometimes ghastly looking things which are mounted in the windows of many households during long, hot summers) and bigger, central air conditioning units (you will normally find these installed in the back garden or along the driveway). The main difference between the two types of air conditioning units is that the larger units are designed for whole home cooling while the window units are for specific areas.... read more
With some discipline and an $85 investment in energy-saving products, you can slash up to $500 off bills in the New Year. Even better, those savings will continue year after year, even if you don’t investment another dime. Projected savings are based upon the average home’s energy bill of $2200. If you live in a bigger than average house, your costs – and savings – will be greater.
Begin where you spend the most
Heating and cooling costs account for between 45 and 50 percent of your home’s energy use, so it’s a good place to begin saving money. Adding insulation to attic floors and exterior walls, of course, can dramatically reduce energy use. Before making that investment, however, look for places where insulation was forgotten altogether. Common locations include over garages with living space above, inside cantilevered floors, and in cavities around windows. Consult with a company that performs home energy audits to help you decide where you need insulation the most and the best kind to use. It will have instruments and equipment that can literally let you see and feel exactly where you’re losing energy. ... read more
Antique homes are a sight to behold. There's a distinct area of my town with a number of early 1920's style homes that still stand tall today. The wrap-around porches. Big, brawny interior. Solid oak flooring with that piercing creak as you walk. High ceilings. Shudders covering the windows. The list goes on.
But what most antique homes – and many modern homes – lack is a fundamentally sound, energy efficient setup. There's the thin window panes, or the less-than-desirable air circulation. As the home ages, there may be small, subtle cracks in the duct work, or gaps in the attic for air that interfere with temperature control throughout the home.
Remodeling your home to be as energy efficient as possible obviously aids the homeowner in a number of ways. But determining which areas of the home need the most patchwork, regardless of whether you're trying to update a historic home or modern one, is key. From adding more insulation to replacing windows on down to regularly changing out air filters around the house, here are ways to survey and tackle your home's energy efficiency the right way. ... read more
Especially with the bad economy we're facing, it is important to cut down on costs. One big bill for most families is the energy usage bill. Many families struggle to pay for electricity and costs related to keeping their homes warm. In this article you'll learn ways to cut down your energy usage expenses.
#1 Contact Power Company
Sometimes help comes in the most unexpected places. One way you can save on your energy usage expenses is to get an energy audit completed by your power company. You may be surprised at the suggestions they come up with that could save you money on your bill.... read more
Humans require energy to engage in normal activities in their daily lives. This includes traveling that is required to get to work or school, cooking food, construction of buildings, and the manufacturing of all the mundane products in use each day. Energy is needed to power the daily lives of the individuals who live throughout the world. The consumption of energy is growing every day and this means sustainable sources of energy are needed. Sustainable sources of energy are those that are renewable.
A home energy audit can be used to identify any potential weaknesses with your homes energy efficiency. You can pinpoint the most wasteful parts of your home and set your energy saving priorities and with the right upgrades you could save somewhere in the region of 5% - 30% each year on your energy bill.
If you haven’t already heard, energy prices are set to soar this winter and carry on rising in 2013. Due to this, everyone is being advised to shop around, pick your supplier carefully and if not suffer the price increase on your January electricity bill. 
Thinking about the wider environment – it’s something that all businesses should be doing more often. Whether it’s by trying to cut back on the amount of energy they use or by exploring alternative means of generating energy that reduces reliance on the national grid, it pays to be green in more ways than one. As well as showing customers that your company cares, you’re also in line to make savings, but how can lowering your company’s carbon footprint increase profitability?
The holidays are over, the days are cold and short, your old drafty house isn’t keeping you warm anymore, and your heating/electric bills are up. So, what are your choices? Replacing windows is costly. Or maybe you rent and you can’t make any big changes. 
