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March 8, 2010

Solar Powered Energy And Saving On Electricity Bills

Filed under: General — Tags: advice, all, articles, energy, etc, family, General, hobbies, home, home improvement, internet — Chris Channing @ 12:17 pm

Solar powered energy is hailed as the answer to the energy crisis. It is not always affordable, or space efficient, but it is the cleanest of all energy sources. It is also very consistent when placed in key locations, which makes it easy for the average family to rely on in any season, each year round.

The amount of money you pay for each solar powered panel will vary based on the wattage rating it can provide. A higher wattage rating means more power output, which of course is more useful to you as a home owner. Even with a high wattage rating, you will likely need several panels to power your home indefinitely. A panel that produces 100 watts per second might cost $850 and up, and you’ll likely need several of them.

The government is helping to make the world a better place by offering tax credits and grants to those who implement solar panels in their home. This varies based on your country and state, but in many places you can have as much as a fourth of the cost reimbursed by the government.

Even when you start counting the drawbacks of going for solar powered energy, you will see that most of the thoughts you have about solar energy is not true. For instance, solar panels still work, at a lesser rate, during the night and morning hours due to light from stars and even other forms of light. During the Winter months, the efficiency is also about the same, as sun light is still hitting the panels.

The thing to look at is your return on investment. If you can make a profit by not paying so much in electricity costs each month, then you made a good decision! The problem is that a group of panels can easily run $4,000 or more for frugal projects. It often takes several years at the very least to pay off this amount. As such, solar energy should be viewed as a long term solution, and not something that is a quick pay off.

As a final note on cost, you shouldn’t have to shell out big dollars for installation. The average handy man can do it with just an hour of spare time and ready equipment. If you aren’t able to get on the roof and implement them yourself, you can have a neighbor or neighborhood handy man do it for you. Requesting help from a company might be much more expensive.

Final Thoughts

Saving money on bills each month is always nice. Instead of shelling out hundreds in electricity and heating, having solar panels take care most of the bill is a burden lifted of your shoulders. Start consulting prices as soon as possible to see how plausible it would be to get your own panels.

Learn more on green building and Asheville.

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January 27, 2010

Flush Mount Ceiling Fans – A Great Option For Low Ceilings

Filed under: General — Tags: design, energy, finance, General, heating and air conditioning, home, home improvement, interior design, shopping — Erika Sundelin @ 8:00 pm

A ceiling fan is a great option to keep the air circulating in a room. Perhaps you have seen ceiling fans in your friend’s homes with their vaulted ceilings and wondered, if you could add a fan to your home with flat eight-foot ceilings. The answer is yes, if you use flush mount ceiling fans.

Traditionally, a ceiling fan was supported by a down rod. The rod was a piece of conduit that allowed the fan to be mounted several inches below the ceiling. It attached the motor to the ceiling and served as an electrical conduit for the wires that supplied the fan with power.

Older readers may remember department stores having ceiling fans with extremely long down rods. These fans would often be place over eight feet form the ceiling in order to circulate the air at the levels where customers shopped. Instead of using a down rod, a flush mount ceiling fan has the motor in a housing which is mounted directly to the ceiling.

Ceiling fans can cut both heating and cooling bills.

In the summer, with the fan set to push the air down, the breeze can allow you to set the thermostat higher and save on your cooling bill.

During the winter, the fan should be reversed and left at a low speed. Heat that collects near the ceiling will be circulated throughout the room and those hot pockets of air you feel when moving from a seated to standing position are eliminated.

During the fall or spring, you may be able to turn off all other heating or cooling, open the windows and enjoy the breeze of the fan.

While very low ceilings may not allow you to install a light onto your fan, eight foot or taller ceilings will allow you to do so. You can choose for many kits available. Newer fans have remote controls that help to avoid the traditional pull chains of ceiling fans and light kits. An electrician can also install wall switches that will control both the fan and the lights.

Mounting any ceiling fan requires a special electrical box be installed that will support the weight, vibration and rotation of the fan. Do not install a ceiling fan on the existing electrical box. This could allow the fan to fall and cause injury to you or a loved one.

If your ceiling fan vibrates excessively, see the owner’s manual for instructions on balancing the blades.

Choose a flush mount ceiling fan for comfort and energy efficiency.

Learn more about Flush Mount Ceiling Fans and how to select among the best Low Profile Ceiling Fans at our site, dedicated to bring you the best information about ceiling fans.

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October 15, 2009

Using The Sun’s Energy In A Stirling New Way

Filed under: General — Tags: alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, environmental, General, government, green, green energy, home, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power, technology — Michael Edwards @ 7:18 pm

In the process of doing research for an article I did on solar green products, I came across the Stirling air engine. The engine was once called a hot air engine because it requires no internal diesel or fuel to run. Let’s take a deeper look at this unique engine that requires no fuel and has recently been adapted for use on solar collector dishes.

This system is not new; it was originally conceived in 1816 as an industrial rival to the steam engine. It has been largely underutilized for the past century. With the need for renewable energy sources caused by the overuse of the fossil fuels interest has resurged in solar designs, and it is now being designed into many new solar collector systems.

Sense its incarnation there have been many variations of the Stirling engine and many patents. The engine’s simple design demands tinkering – everyone wants to add or change something to make it better. The engine has very few moving parts, requires only a single external heat source, is very efficient, and is quiet. With the new space age materials available, the problem of piston overheating is no longer a problem like it once was.

To operate the Stirling engine only an external heat source is required, which could be anything from solar heat to the heat produced by decaying plants. In one model, the heat from a human hand powers a small version of the Stirling engine!

Operation is simple: the gases are heated by an external source, causing the hot gas to move toward a cold chamber, in the process, a piston is driven and a flywheel rotated. To put it simply, movement is achieved from heat expansion. A few knock-offs of the Stirling engines are small enough to fit in your hand. Others system are designed to drive electrical generators. They are a about the size of a fifty-gallon drum.

The reason the Stirling engine works so well for a solar application is that heat from the sun can easily be concentrated to heat the hot chamber. A parabolic mirror much like that seen with the roof mounted satellite dishes is used to gather and focus the sunlight. With the sunlight focused onto the hot chamber of the engine, the temperature raises and the engine starts running. Connect the output shaft to a generator, and electricity is the product.

With better-designed engines and new types of material, a movable (tracking) parabolic mirror, and a single Stirling engine you can produce 25 kilowatts of electricity.

I will compare the different solar technologies in a later article. For now, I need to lay a foundational understanding of each of the green products used to produce power so a comparison can be made.

Michael

See more of Michael’s concern for your carbon footprints at Green Products

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October 7, 2009

The Efficiency And Elegance That Is Ceiling Fans.

Filed under: General — Tags: design, energy, finance, General, heating and air conditioning, home, home improvement, interior design, shopping — Erika Sundelin @ 2:21 pm

by Erika Sundelin

Most people look at ceiling fans and think that there is not much to them. I would have to disagree. I have installed fans in every room in my house. I found that the fans bring a type of elegance to each room. They also are great energy savers. Now, any situation that can bring beauty to my home and save me money at the same time is a plus in my book.

Ceiling fans are just electric motors with blades hooked to them. The blades are angled and able to run both forward and backward. If you run forward you push air if you run backward you pull air. This allows the air in your room to mix creating and even climate. Doing this will take the strain off of your heating and cooling unit and save you money on your energy bill.

In the winter time your fan will pull air to the ceiling and push it down your walls. This in turn will push the cold air on the floor upward. As the air mixes it will bring balance to the room temperature. You heater will not have to work so hard to keep your room nice and cozy warm and that will show a significant savings in your power bill. That there is enough to give you a warm feeling

When the hot season rolls around you will find you ceiling fan still saving you that money. By taking the hot air from the ceiling and pushing to the floor will let the air mix together. This will create a cool even temperature. Your cooling unit will not have to work hard to keep the room cool which will use less energy. The more you can keep your rooms at one certain temperature the less energy your cooling unit will have to use. By taking this extra stress off your unit can also prolong the life of your ceiling fan. I know I hate having to go out and by air conditioners in the middle of the summer.

Ceiling fans are also great for bringing a beauty and elegance to your rooms. You can find ceiling fans in all different style, colors, designs, and sizes. With all the different style it is not hard at all to find one that can bring style to every room in your house. You can find them with pull strings on the fan, you can get controls that mount on the wall, you can even find them with remote controls. Ceiling fan also come with light fixtures that can help light up that room that never seems to have light.

Ceiling fans require a very small amount of maintenance. What you will need to do is get you a feather duster and take about five minutes a week to know the dust of the blades and motor. If dust builds on the blades it will lower the amount of air that the fan puts off. If to much dust get in the motor it will cause the motor to have to work harder and could cause damage. So just five minutes a week will add prolong the life of your fan.

Alright, next up, how do we install our ceiling fan?. This is not hard at all. Some ceilings fans come with plugs that you can run down you will, others can be put in place of your light fixtures and there are some that you will have to run wire for. I would suggest that if your situation requires you to deal with electricity that you get someone who knows. I have installed them before but I also have an electrician for a brother. If you grab the wrong wire of cross your wires it can be bad. So even if you have to pay someone make the investment. The money that you save with ceiling fans will pay you back month after month.

So that, my friends, is the world of ceiling fans. Let recap I am going to get me some ceiling fans. I am going to bring beauty and elegance to my rooms. I am going to save money on my energy. I am going to stay cozy warm in the winter and cooling in the summer. Sounds like a winning situation all the way around. So get out there have some fun designing your rooms and by all means be safe when you install your brand new ceiling fan.

About the Author:

Learn more about Flush Mount Ceiling Fans and the great quality and style of Craftmade Ceiling Fans at our site, flushmountceilingfans.net

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August 28, 2009

Flush Mount Ceiling Fans – A Great Option For Low Ceilings

Filed under: General — Tags: design, energy, finance, General, heating and air conditioning, home, home improvement, interior design, shopping — Erika Sundelin @ 8:15 am

by Erika Sundelin

If you want to save money on your heating or cooling bill, add flush mount ceiling fans to your home. Ceiling fans are not just for vaulted ceilings, but add comfort to almost any home.

Traditional ceiling fans hung on a down rod. This down rod is hollow and lowers the fan eight or more inches below the ceiling. The down rod holds the fan motor in place and serves as a conduit for the electrical wires. In addition to providing power for the fan these wires may also provide power for the attached lights.

Perhaps you have been inside older stores and have seen ceiling fans with down rods that lower the fan a full story inside the building. Flush mount ceiling fans attach directly to the ceiling. The motor is attached to the ceiling without the use of a down rod. Some ceiling fans give the installer the option of either a flush mount or a down rod mount. You should be aware that these dual mount fans will hang lower than a simple flush mount fan.

Ceiling fans can help you to use less power year round.

During the summer, use the fan to push the air down. The air circulation aids in evaporation of your perspiration and keeps you feeling cool. This will allow you to set your thermostat at a higher temperature and still be comfortable.

During the fall or spring, you may be able to turn off all other heating or cooling, open the windows and enjoy the breeze of the fan.

With very low ceilings, a light kit may not be an option. If you have the room, light kits can easily be added to the fan. Kits are available in many styles and can be found to match both your new fan and room decor.

Most do-it-yourselfers with any electrical experience will be able to install a ceiling fan. Just remember that you should not use an electrical junction box that is only designed for a regular light. You will need a box the attaches to both of the rafters to support the extra weight of the ceiling fan to prevent possible injury from a falling fan.

If your ceiling fan vibrates excessively, see the owner’s manual for instructions on balancing the blades.

A flush mount ceiling fan can make your home more comfortable and energy efficient.

About the Author:

What else do you need to know before purchasing a Flush Mount Ceiling Fan? With the variety of manufacturers and styles, before choosing amongst the many Flush Mount Ceiling Fans be sure to visit our website for more information.

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July 24, 2009

A Little Short on Cash?

Filed under: General — Tags: alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, environmental, General, government, green planet, home, international, renewable energy, solar energy, Solar Panels, solar power, technologies — Michael Edwards @ 11:37 pm

by Michael Edwards

Try a few of these energy saving tips using new green products to put cash back in your pocket unless of course you are trying to do your part to keep your electric company’s revenues up.

Throw out all the incandescent bulbs

The abbreviation for Compact Fluorescent Lamp is CFL, sometimes known as a circular fluorescent bulb.

CFLs produce light on a different principle than incandescent bulbs. When an incandescent bulb is turned on, current is sent through a wire filament. The filament heats up until it starts to glow, and the glow produces light. A CFL is a sealed tube of glass filled with argon gas. Mixed with the argon is some mercury vapor. When an electrical current is applied, an invisible ultraviolet light is generated. When the ultraviolet light hits the fluorescent coating (called phosphor) on the inside of the tube, visible light is emitted.

You have heard this before, but unless you are only going to turn on that incandescent bulb a couple of times a year, you are wasting money (no matter how cheap the bulb is). Green products help you save money. One of the new Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) saves around 75% over an equivalent incandescent bulb. In one year, that could add up to a $30 savings – per bulb!

CFLs have been out several years now. Along with the bulb style, you can now choose the shade of white light you like. This can really enhance the mood of a room, home office or family room. The CFL colors vary from a warm yellow to daylight blue. If you prefer the look (color) of incandescent bulbs, choose a warm light.

When using the Daylight or bluish bulbs be aware that their light appears harsh to many. People with light sensitivity could be adversely affected. If you notice them squinting or avoiding areas where this light is used, then try using a warmer light.

You will find on most CFL packages a number like 2700K. The K stands for Kelvin or color temperature range the bulb will produce when lit. The lower the number, the warmer (or more yellow) the color. Most Soft White bulbs will produce color in the 3500K-4100K range. Bright white or Daylight bulbs will be found in the 5000K-6500K range. Higher numbers are very blue and harsh.

To replace a 40 watt incandescent bulb, use a 9-13 watt CFL bulb; for a 60 watt incandescent bulb use a 13-15 watt; for a 75 watt incandescent bulb use an 18-25 watt CFL; and for a 100 watt incandescent bulb, use a 23-30 watt CFL.

Don’t forget that even though a CFL is one of the new green products, it cannot be thrown in the regular trash. In fact some states have laws that forbid this. I am told that a CFL contains about five milligrams of mercury, and should not be put in landfills.

Many retailers in your area like ACE Hardware, Home Depot and Orchard have recycling programs that will accept your used CFL green products.

For decorative lights, consider choosing Energy Star qualified light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. The LED units are great green products and use up to 90% less energy than an equivalent incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light. I have been told that the power required to burn a single seven-watt incandescent bulb could power up to 140 LEDs! So wherever you used incandescent bulb in the past, replace them with a new CFL, and for outside lighting use the new LED decorative lights. This will save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.

One of the next green products will look at is small appliance power supplies.

Michael

About the Author:

Michael Edwards writes cool stuff. Get more of it at alternative energy and Green Funding

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July 11, 2009

Converting The Sun’s Heat Into Electricity

Filed under: General — Tags: alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, environmental, General, government, home, international, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power, technologies, technology — Michael Edwards @ 3:03 pm

by Michael Edwards

During the process of researching an article about green products on photovoltaic cell systems (solar panels), I came across another way to convert the sun’s light into electricity. So let’s take a look at another type of solar energy system.

The operation of the Stirling engine is not complex, it only requires an external heat source. Some heat sources have been fuel, while some solar designs use a Fernell lens, and the latest source is large parabolic mirrors.

The Stirling cycle is pretty simple. When a heat source is applied to the large end, it causes the air to expand which moves a piston. A flywheel is used to maintain movement between cycles and add a convenient place to tap the power from the engine. What is so amazing about this design is that the design is very scalable. Engines have been produced that are as small as your hand to a large as a car but the concepts remain the same.

The Stirling engine is ideal for use in a solar power generating system. With one of the hottest heat sources available (sunlight), the hot chamber will continue to operate without external fuels as long as there is daylight. This makes it ideal for use as a peaker type power plant when the demands for electricity are at there highest.

With better-designed engines and new types of material, a movable (tracking) parabolic mirror, and a single Stirling engine you can produce 25 kilowatts of electricity.

In another article on green products, I will be doing a comparison of the different types of solar energy producing products to see how they play out and if they are a viable alternative power source or just a bunch of fancy equipment.

Michael

About the Author:

Concerned about you environment like Michael is take a look at the other products available at Green Products Online

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July 6, 2009

Green Products Has Found a Low Cost Balloon Shaped Solar Design That Is Highly Efficient

Filed under: General — Tags: air pollution, alternative energy, energy, energy conservation, energy savings, environmental, General, global warming, green planet, renewable energy, solar energy, Solar Panels, solar power — Michael Edwards @ 7:44 am

by Michael Edwards

Can you imagine getting electrical power from balloons? This is what Cool Earth of Livermore, California, has designed the next generation of solar collectors to look like. The basic concept hasn’t changed; convert sunlight into electric power using solar cells; but the packaging has changed, and this is where the solar balloons are unique.

The current installed solar plants use flat-panels. Each panel is heavy, large, easily damaged, and costly to repair. This means the cost to produce a watt of electricity is 5-7 times greater than using natural gas and is not a feasible alternative to fossil fuels. This is no longer true with the Cool Earth solar balloon system.

One side of the balloon is made from reflective silver Mylar plastic. The other half is transparent to allow in sunlight. The silver material is parabolic-shaped to concentrate the sunlight on to a single point to achieve maximum light concentration. This is why high performance solar cells are used.

The orb’s design will concentrate the sunlight 300 to 400 times better than traditional roof mounted solar panels. By design, this reduces the cost of each balloon and greatly increases electrical output per cubic inch of solar cell material. This means that the cost of the electricity produced will be on par with current natural gas power plants.

The orb has a simple circular metal frame that is used to hold the Mylar in the proper shape. An arm extends from the ring to the top center of the orb. This holds the solar cells that produce the electricity at the proper focal point. The shape of the balloon and consequently the focal point is altered by adjusting the internal air pressure.

Like all solar designs, the system will not be used as a base power plant because the energy collected during the day cannot be economically stored for nighttime operations. On the other hand, the system will be an ideal “peaker” power plant to be used during the hot summer months when energy demands are high.

Another of the aspects we find most interesting at Green Products is how the balloons are linked together with wire, wood and sheet metal. We are also impressed at the lack of limitations that are imposed when the systems are installed and how they eliminate the destructive heat that destroys most solar cells. Soon this system will be installed and go online. Check it out.

Michael

About the Author:

Michael Edwards has more than one interesting article- checkout his going green

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July 2, 2009

New Unique Solar Design Is Highly Efficient

by Michael Edwards

You would not believe what we at Green Products found (and no they are not UFOs). Can you imagine a field planted with silver balloons as far as the eye can see, or a hillside covered with silver balls? It’s not Christo’s latest pop-art install, but rather, a solar farm. This is what Cool Earth out of Livermore, California envisions in the very near future. The solar collection concept is not new, but the concentrator is different from anything seen before on any renewable energy product.

The cost to install and maintain the current flat-panel solar cell design is prohibiting its large scale adoption. The glass cover is easily damaged by windstorms, hailstorms or vandalism. When this happens, it leaves the solar array exposed to the elements where they can be damaged. The unique balloon design by Cool Earth eliminates many of these shortcomings.

Each balloon is eight feet in diameter and can withstand over 100 mile per hour winds. The balloons are linked together in series, with the initial installation able to produce 10 megawatts, enough to power 3,500 homes during the day.

One of the areas under consideration is the need to add more peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants. A peaker plant is operational only when demand for electricity is at the greatest, like during the hot summer months. This green product could be used to eliminate rolling brown outages that we have encountered in the past few years.

Michael

About the Author:

See more of Michael’s concern for your carbon footprints at Green Products

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June 25, 2009

Green Products Has Located an Incredible New Low-cost Solar Design

by Michael Edwards

At Green Products, we have come across a product from Cool Earth: Solar Balloons. Cool Earth was created with the mandate of producing electricity using solar power, specifically solar cells. Solar power is not a new concept, but how the sunlight is collected and concentrated is truly unique.

One of the areas of concern with the current flat-panel solar design is cost. Flat-panel designs require metal cases, rigid mounting hardware, heavy glass and large amounts of cell material. The cost per watt for solar panels is generally 5 to 7 times greater than conventional power plants. This is no longer true with the solar balloon system.

The system’s design is centered on the concept of an air-filled Mylar balloon like a children’s birthday balloon. One half of the balloon is a highly reflective mirror-like surface and the other half is transparent. The solar cell is located at the center of the clear side allowing sunlight to pass by, be collected and focused back onto the solar cell.

This unique design can concentrate the sunlight so well, it produces 300 to 400 times more power per square inch of solar cells than traditional flat-panel solar systems. By regulating the air pressure inside the balloon, they can focus the concentrated sunlight directly on the photocell. The air regulating system is designed to maintain the proper balloon size as the outside air temperature increases or decreases.

Some of the more interesting aspects of this solar power station are how simple the design is and how multiples are pulled together to produce a solar power plant. Check it out.

Michael

About the Author:

Michael Edwards writes cool stuff. Get more of it at alternative energy

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