Did you know the average household could cut a third - or even half
- of its current energy bill by switching to energy-efficient
appliances, equipment and lighting, which use less energy than standard
products? Below are ideas on how you can save money and energy.
Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and save 75% of lighting costs.
Unplug
electronics, battery chargers and other equipment when not in use.
Taken together, these small items can use as much power as your
refrigerator.
Take steps to cut water use such as installing faucet aerators, low-flow showerheads, and low-flush toilets.
A 5° higher setting on your air conditioning thermostat will save about 10% on cooling costs.
Always buy ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and equipment - they're up to 40% more efficient.
Turn
your water heater down to 120° or the "Normal" setting when home, and
to the lowest setting when away. Water heating accounts for about 13%
of home energy costs.
Reduce air conditioning costs by using fans, keeping windows and doors shut and closing shades during the day.
Turn off unnecessary lighting and use task or desktop lamps with CFLs instead of overhead lights.
Enable
"power management" on all computers and make sure to turn them off at
night. A laptop computer uses up to 90% less energy than bigger desktop
models.
When possible, wash clothes in cold water. About 90% of the energy use in a clothes washer goes to water heating.
Run your dishwasher and clothes washer only when fully loaded. Fewer loads reduce energy and water use.
Make
sure your dryer's outside vent is clear and clean the lint filter after
every load. When shopping for a new dryer look for one with a moisture
sensor that automatically shuts off when clothes are dry.
Test
for air leaks by holding a lit incense stick next to windows, doors,
electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, ceiling
fixtures, attic hatches and other locations where there is a possible
air path to the outside. If the smoke stream travels horizontally, you
have located an air leak that may need caulking, sealing or weather
stripping.
Content from: Flex Your Power
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy effectively uses natural resources such as sunlight,
wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished.
Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power,
hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation.
Wind Power
This months feature renewable energy technology is wind power.
Wind
energy has been harnessed for thousands of years to perform useful work
for humans. We have used wind power for transportation, water pumping,
and grinding since the time of the ancient Egyptians. In the late 19th
century, the Danes began harnessing wind to generate electricity using
wind turbines.
People often use the terms windmill and wind
turbine interchangeably. However, windmills harness the wind for
mechanical power to grind wheat or pump water, while wind turbines use
the wind to generate electricity.
Today, modern wind turbines
efficiently convert the force of moving air into electricity using
modern design principles and high-tech materials. Wind turbines come in
many different sizes from small-scale home systems of 5 kilowatts to 15
kilowatts, to utility scale systems ranging in size from 300 kilowatts
to 1,000 kilowatts. To take advantage of higher wind speeds and to
allow the blades to rotate without interference, wind turbines are
mounted on the top of a tower typically 160 feet high. Although there
has been some experimentation with vertical-axis wind turbines, most
wind turbines have airfoil-type blades that rotate around a
horizontal-axis. The blades are designed like the wing of an airplane
creating lift when exposed to the force of the wind, which propels the
blades around in a circular motion. The wind turbine rotor typically
consists of two or three blades attached to a hub. A rotating shaft
from the rotor feeds into a gearbox assembly and then into the
generator, which converts the mechanical motion of the shaft into
electricity. As the wind changes direction, the yaw system allows the
wind turbine to pivot so that the rotor spins in a plane perpendicular
to the wind.
Understanding the Wind Resource
Ultimately, wind is a form of solar energy. The sun's rays heat the
Earth's surface creating temperature differences between the land,
water, and air, given their different propensities to absorb heat. This
phenomena, in conjunction with the temperature differences that exist
between the equator and the EarthÕs poles, creates wind as hot air
rises, expands, becomes less dense, and is then replaced by denser,
cooler air. In sum, wind can be thought of as the circulatory system of
the planet, distributing energy from warmer areas to cooler areas.
The
economic viability of wind-generated electricity in a particular
location is tied to the amount of wind available throughout the
yearÑthe wind resource. A standardized system has been established for
classifying the wind resource based on wind power density, a measure in
watts per square meter of how much energy is available at the
particular site for conversion by a wind turbine. Seven different wind
classes have been established, with higher classes corresponding to
higher wind power densities. In general, wind classes 3 and above (wind
speeds of 11 miles per hour or more) are necessary for producing
electricity from wind. For large, utility-scale applications, wind
classes 4 and above are preferred.
Economics and Future Prospects of Wind Power
Of all the renewable energy technologies, wind power is currently the
most cost competitive when compared to traditional, fossil-fuel-based
energy production technologies. In fact, wind power is the fastest
growing energy source around the world. The United States now has a
total of 2,600 megawatts of installed wind capacity. This is equivalent
to about three or four large coal-fired power plants.
Utility-scale
wind farms produce electricity at about 4.5 ¢/kWh which makes wind
power competitive with fossil-fuel-generated electricity. It should be
noted that these economics are made possible by a federal production
tax credit of 1 ¢/kWh. Even though wind is an intermittent resource,
meaning wind speeds vary from day to day and month to month, wind power
can be easily integrated into the existing supply mix, making a
significant contribution to our nationÕs energy supply. Most analysts
agree that technological improvements and economies of scale in wind
turbine production will contribute to even further cost reductions in
the price of wind-generated electricity.
Environmental Issues Regarding Wind Power
Wind-generated electricity provides a pollution-free source of
electricity. None of the harmful emissions associated with fossil fuels
occur when the wind is utilized to produce electricity.
The
main concern regarding wind energy development in many area revolves
around siting. In the past, some people raised serious concerns about
the swishing noise made by wind turbines and their impacts on migratory
bird species. These concerns have largely been dealt with through
technological improvements and proper siting.
There will always
be, and should always be, places where wind development will not make
sense for aesthetic reasons, but environmentally-minded citizens should
seek to identify as many suitable wind sites as possible.
Content from: The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
