Energy Conscious Consultant

Keep Your Cool and Keep Your Money

Are your electric bills high enough?  With the summer heat season, our air conditioning units are running at the max.  We have all heard to turn up our thermostat whenever we leave home.  But I don’t think you should.

Coal Ash Trash

Coal is the most commonly used form of producing electricity in the United States. In fact, almost half of all electricity produced in this country is from coal.  When coal is used to produce electricity, it also produces a by-product or waste product called coal ash.  This coal ash is like dust.  It flies into the air and becomes harmful to our atmosphere.  I heard that they actually have 130 million tons to dispose of.  According to the EPA, this coal ash contains (among other chemicals) mercury, lead, and arsenic.  These ingredients are harmful to any human being in any form. Yet, the coal companies are trying to recycle this harmful trash.  You can find them in roads you drive on and in carpets that you put in your home for your family to walk on.  How will these chemicals affect you and your family in the future? 

Undertaking Photovoltaic May Be Over Your Head

Photovoltaic is another source of alternative energy.  The technology is constantly improving.  But before your run to install your solar powered system, there are a few things you need to know. You must be certified within your state to install any solar powered system.  You can install your own system but do you know enough to do that?

Licensed Electrician Required For Solar Installation

A licensed electrician should be installing your solar powered system.  Solar code is covered in the National Electric Code (NEC).  It covers all aspects of the installation:  voltage drop, heat wiring, grounding and everything of the solar modules that is a installed on the roof. When an electrician puts his license on the line for a disconnect that follows the inverter, he is putting his license on the line for the whole installation.  That means the wiring from the solar modules to the combiner.  This includes installation from the roof flashing to the grounding on each module to the grounding to the wiring and includes tying the high temperature wire up to the railing.  This is all under the electrical contractor’s license whether he knows it or not.

Home Waterproofing

Most people think houses are weatherproof and they are not. Here are the top 3 reasons that I have found for houses to leak.

Solar Water Pumps

Purchasing a solar powered system for your home is the first step toward independence. But once you purchased that unit, you must be aware of its capabilities and limitations.  Just because you own a solar powered system, doesn’t mean you can use it carelessly.

Portable Generators: What You Need To Know

Whether you have a portable or a whole house generator, it all comes down to fuel.  Am I going to have to buy fuel every time a hurricane comes around? Will fuel be available? If there is no electricity, how can the gas stations pump up fuel for you?

Oil Spill News Of BP

Oil spill news of the BP oil rig explosion has captured the headlines and will continue until this mess is cleaned up. It has affected all of us. We have used more than our share of oil. It's time to move on to other alternative resources. Don't you agree? You need to see this!

Fossil Fuel Dependency Must Stop

The oil leak from BP in the Gulf of Mexico has pointed a finger that the amount of fossil fuel we use. We use it to run our vehicles and we use it to produce electricity at our local power plants.  An alternative to those uses is to produce our own electricity and to power our own vehicles. By producing your own electricity, you decrease the dependency upon oil and improve our environment.

Buying On Internet vs. Local Contractors

Is buying on the internet the future?  Who do you call when you have a problem with your air conditioner, generator, or any other equipment?  Do you call a serviceman?  Do you let him change the parts or do you do the work yourself?  More and more in this country there has become an epidemic of the internet buying spree.

A lot of companies who have become middle man to the factory buy huge quantities and sell at low prices to beat out individual dealers and suppliers in your local area.  Many are going out of business because of internet purchasing.  More people are buying from the internet because of costs.  That means that local brick and mortar businesses are making less profit.