Energy Conscious Consultant

Living Green In Your Home

Are you in the market for a new home?  Are you ready to remodel your existing home?  The Environmental Protection Agency site gives information to homeowners who strive toward a green building environment.  They list everything from basic information to frequently asked questions.  All of these ideas will add value to your home and reduce energy usage.  By reducing your energy usage, you are fighting climate change.  By reducing energy usage, you reduce the chemicals in the air which will help improve your health.

Home Solar Powered Systems At The Solar Decathlon

Solar powered homes are being built now in our generation.  There is a group who builds a house every year for energy efficiency and lets everyone walk through it and ask any questions they want to the builders.  The solar decathlon is held annually during October in Washington, D.C.   It brings together 20 colleges and universities from around the world  to design and build the most energy efficient house.  It is put on by the US Department of Energy. The house of one team produced a surplus of energy during 3 days of rain.  Who says you can’t produce solar power during cloudy days?

Energy Efficient Solar Power

It’s a great time to install a solar powered system on your home.  The costs of solar are low right now and because of the economy being low.  Now is a good time to take advantage of what’s available in the solar powered market.  The prices of solar are not going to stay the same.  Once the economy builds up, it becomes a matter of supply and demand.  If the demand is high, the costs go up.  If the demand is down, they don’t supply as much and they don’t produce as much.  That drives the cost down.  If a manufacturer is not selling, they drop their cost and become cheaper to sell their product.  That’s why when the economy is low and the demand is low, that’s the best time to purchase a solar system.  When the economy picks up and everybody starts buying again, the solar prices are going to go up with other prices.

Alternative Energy Resources: What's Keeping You From Going Solar?

Solar energy is energy harvested from the sun.  Solar powered panels can be directed at the sun and be placed on your roof or on a pole to receive optimal sun exposure.  It is free energy.  But some people have limitations.  Here are the three most common reasons people tell me.  

Batteries For Storage From Solar Power

Batteries can be used for back up power or starting power.  When converting to solar power, you have the option of including battery back up power.  The batteries used for back up in solar are different from other batteries.  These batteries are used for storage like at night when there is no sun for efficient energy.  Solar back up batteries will store this electrical energy.  The National Renewable Energy Lab recommends deep cycle gel batteries.  They are sealed with no spills or fumes. Their life expectancy is longer than the AGM constructed batteries.

Alternative Energy: Pickens' Plan

Do we have a plan for alternative energy in place?  Can we decrease our dependency on foreign oil?   How does that affect you?  The cost of a barrel of oil has been up and down over the past year.  When the cost of gasoline was over $4.00 a gallon, the news highlighted alternative plans to our overseas dependency. T. Boone Pickens was one of those people who came forward with a plan to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.  His plan involved setting up a wind farm in Texas generating enough electricity to power over 1000 homes.  Every one wanted to jump on his band wagon and would do anything not to pay over $4.00 a gallon.  But now that prices have dropped, why aren’t people open to any alternative ideas?

Independence Day: Energy Efficiency

Independence Day in the United States is to celebrate our freedom on July 4.  You can celebrate your freedom from your local electric company by going green and becoming energy efficient.

The economy may be down but spending wising may boost your bottom line toward becoming green.  In the long term, buying green will save you money. Remember going green is not the same as energy efficiency.  Going green is more environmental issues that may affect the health of you and your family.  Energy efficiency is reducing your dependency upon the local electric company and reducing your carbon footprint.  According to one of the Shelton Group studies, people buy energy efficient products to feel safe and gain control.

Electricity: How To Get Free Electricity

Electricity you use is produced by burning coal which releases carbon gasses into out atmosphere.  Your utility company purchases electricity and passes it on to you.  You pay a monthly bill to your local utility company to provide you with power to your home or business.  How can you get free of that monthly electric bill?  Is it possible to reduce it or eliminate it completely? Yes, it is.  If you are building, it is easy to start from scratch by implementing energy efficiency.  But if you has an existing home and would like to become energy efficient, it is a little more work involved.

Are You Environmentally Friendly?

As Earth Day approaches, it brings to mind our environment.  Environmental friendly refers to the good and services that we use.  When making a purchase, remember to consider the least impact or harm on the environment.  The EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, was designed to protect humans from chemicals   They have tried unsuccessfully to design a system that will tell the public exactly how much the goods you purchase will impact the environment and how “green” a product really is.

Photovoltaic: Updating Information For Your House

Solar power or photovoltaic increased 40% in one year according to the renewable energy data book renewable energy data book.  The United States leads the world in solar power incentives.  But we fall behind in development of new solar projects. Investment in solar technology companies has increased to over a billion dollars in 2007 and is continuing to increase every year.  As the flowers blooms in spring, you need to join in and invest in solar at your house.