RSSSmart Strips Save Something
February 5, 2010
Well the “something” is energy and therefore money but neither began with an ’s’. Energy Circle recently took a look at comparing Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 energy use, with some surprising results, and broader context on immediate and long term cost.
They look at using smart strips which are power strips with a “control” device, i.e. when that turns on or off, the other devices on the power strip turn on/off as well. Useful if you keep your DVD player or console plugged in all the time.
Energy Saving Trust: Householders Unaware Of Financial Support
January 18, 2010
Alasdair from online eco-friendly shop Big Green Smile writes:
“The Energy Saving Trust has found that the majority of householders would like to make their homes more efficient but are being put off by the perceived costs.
“According to a survey carried out in Scotland, 74 per cent are in favour of installing energy saving measures such as solar panels on their homes but fear it would be too expensive to do so, the BBC reported.
“However, the group pointed out that grants are available to meet these costs and that substantial amounts of money could be saved in the future through cheaper fuel bills.
“Some 70 per cent of residents were not aware that initiatives to help fund household energy saving existed.
“Director of Energy Saving Trust Scotland Mike Thornton said: “People like the idea of generating their own energy, and if they only knew they could get help to meet the costs, they might be more likely to install the technology.”
“This news comes after the Conservative Party revealed plans to provide financial support to help more than three million properties become more efficient.”
Can Domestic Wind Turbines Be Attractive?
January 15, 2010
Although councils are becoming more receptive to people putting up domestic wind turbines, they are still quite unattractive and that’s where RidgeBlade comes in.
RidgeBlade is a wind-power system that can be fitted to buildings, including houses, with a minimum visual impact. The system works with the slope of the roof channelling the wind into the ‘micro-generation system’ which is amde up of cylindrical turbines positioned horizontally along the apex of a sloping roof.
Designed by a former Rolls Royce turbine engineer under the wing of UK-based The Power Collective, RidgeBlade works in even low wind conditions it won the EUR 500,000 Green Challenge Prize Picnic ‘09 in Amsterdam.
Spotted via: Springwise.
Turning Trash Into Gas
December 21, 2009
Or “Turning Rubbish Into Petrol” for those in the UK. Recently, Coskata Inc., a leading developer of alternative bio-fuels, announced the successful start-up of its semi-commercial flex-ethanol facility.
Unlike other technologies and facilities that often rely on one primary source of feedstock, the company’s flex ethanol facility will be producing ethanol from numerous sources, including wood biomass, agricultural waste, construction waste and even household garbage. In addition, their patented microorganisms and bioreactor designs will produce ethanol for the same as, and in some cases less than, the cost of producing a gallon of gasoline. This new technology also reduces CO2 emissions up to 96 percent compared to gasoline.
Flex Fuel vehicles that can run on gas, E85 or a combination of both, are already available from Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge and GMC. GM has built 5 million of these vehicles to date, watch the video below to learn more.
See How Much Energy Your Neigbours Use
October 20, 2009
I spotted this on Springwise a while ago but thought it was quite interesting and I’d share.
A company called Positive Energy in America works with local utility companies to let people know not only their energy use but also their neighbours. It adds a social side to energy use and I’d suggest they hope a bit of competitiveness – trying to use less than a similar house.
It’s a nice idea to try and change people’s behaviour, whether it works or not remains to be seen.
6 Sources Of Limitless Energy
October 9, 2009
These might actually work! The Business Insider’s Green Sheet goes through six sources of permanent alternative energy at various stages of development. There is no guarantee they will work, of course, but researchers are spending billions of dollars into trying to find alternative energy technologies that provide power as consistently fossil fuels.
Wind, algae, waves and more are used, so take a look.
Cut Your Energy Bills
October 2, 2009
Consumer Reports magazine outlines a few ways you can save $1,500 per year on your energy bills.
If you go the cut your energy bills link and navigate the subsections that are linked to in the left hand column of the overview article.
The story delves into the myriad ways that most homes waste energy, emphasizing the financial cost of energy inefficiency and breaking down the different ways every home can become more energy efficient. Consumer Reports conducted a nationally representative survey of 2,014 Americans for the report and found some intriguing data on how people are and aren’t saving energy.
For example Shades of Green tells us 83% always run a full load in the dishwasher, 40% buy green cleaning products, 16% recycled a CFL, and only 3% use an alternative energy source, such as solar, wind, or geothermal.
It also talks about tax credits, energy audits and is really worth taking a look at.
