The Irony of Rural Living and Cutting Edge Alternative Energy Sources

Living 60 miles away from a major city can mean no cable but Green Alternative Energy Sources power all the businesses and homes.

Cable is not available but your power grid is charged by wind turbines and solar energy and you can be as close as 60 miles from a large city. Once population density decreases significantly it is very difficult to find power infrastructure robust enough, but affordable enough to energize your community.

Typically a problem to be solved on islands or developing nations where companies have difficulty affordably supplying electrical power. But it occasionally happens on the mainland of every continent too. You dont have enough size or money to justify the expenditure of “connecting” into the local utility company.

Research finds more and more remote communities that are relying on alternative energy sources to produce their complete electrical need. This can be done with combinations of technologies but the most significant of those is solar and wind power. Community politicians and developers are discovering methods to make solar and wind farms their primary electrical sources.

The location is the key to determining what alternative energy sources can be established to power your electrical grid. Haiti has been a work in progress with several wind turbines established and a new decentralized approach to energy assets. The 2010 earth quake in Haiti wiped out most of the electrical power for the country, even though only about 20% of the country was in the earth quake zone.

In rural areas or developing areas it is mandatory to have proper planning in regard to your power needs. Its the only way to ensure that your electricity demand will be met now and into the future and at the least cost possible. Frequently renewable energy could be a solution, so be sure to call on your professionals regarding the availability of alternative energy sources for your specific location.

So being in an out of the way area could mean you are provided electricity through renewable alternative energy sources and cutting edge technologies, while your cities are still on the old grid.

Energy Incentives for Individuals in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

With 2010 almost over, the IRS reminds taxpayers to take advantage of the numerous tax breaks made available earlier this year in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The recovery law provides tax incentives for first-time home buyers, people purchasing new cars, those interested in making their home more energy efficient and parents and students paying for college. But all of these incentives have expiration dates so taxpayers should take advantage of them while they can.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides tax incentives for individuals to invest in energy-efficient products.

Treatment of Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit as a Personal Credit Allowed Against AMT: Starting in 2009, the new law allows the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit, including the tax credit for purchasing hybrid vehicles, to be applied against the Alternative Minimum Tax. Prior to the new law, the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit could not be used to offset the AMT. This means the credit could not be taken if a taxpayer owed AMT or was reduced for some taxpayers who did not owe AMT.

Conversion Kits: The new law also provided a tax credit for plug-in electric drive conversion kits. The credit is equal to 10 percent of the cost of converting a vehicle to a qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle and placed in service after February 17, 2009. The maximum amount of the credit is $4,000. The credit does not apply to conversions made after December 31, 2011. A taxpayer may claim this credit even if the taxpayer claimed a hybrid vehicle credit for the same vehicle in an earlier year.

Plug-In Electric Vehicle Credit: The new law also creates a special tax credit for two types of plug-in vehicles certain low-speed electric vehicles and two-or three wheeled vehicles. The amount of credit is 10% of the cost of the vehicle, up to a maximum credit of $2,500 for purchases made after February 17, 2009, and before January 1, 2012. To qualify, a vehicle must be either a low speed vehicle propelled by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery with a capacity of 4 kilowatt hours or more or be a two-or three-wheeled vehicle propelled by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery with the capacity of 2.5 kilowatt hours. A taxpayer may not claim this credit if the plug-in electric drive vehicle credit allowable.

Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicle Credit: The new law modifies the credit for qualified plug-electric drive vehicles purchased after December 31, 2009. To qualify, vehicles must be newly purchased after December 31, 2009. To qualify, vehicles must be newly purchased, have four or more wheels, have a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 14,000 pounds, and draw propulsion using a battery with at least four kilowatt hours that can be recharged from an external source of electricity. The minimum amount of credit for kilowatt hours that can be recharged from an external source of electricity. The minimum amount of the credit for qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles is $2,500 and the credit tops out at $7,500, depending on the battery capacity. The full amount of the credit will be reduced with respect to a manufacturer’s vehicles after the manufacturer has sold at least 200,000 vehicles.

Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit: This nonrefundable energy tax credit will help individual taxpayers pay for qualified residential alternative energy equipment, such as solar hot water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and wind turbines. The new law removes some of the previously imposed maximum amount and allows for a credit equal to 30% of the cost of qualified property.

Residential Energy Property Credit: The new law increases the energy tax credit for homeowners who make energy efficient improvements to their existing homes. The new law increases the credit rate to 30% of the cost of all qualifying improvements and raises the maximum credit limit to $1,500 for improvements placed in service in 2009 and 2010.

The credit applies to improvements such as adding insulation, energy efficient exterior windows and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems.

A similar credit was available for 2007, but was not available in 2008. Homeowners should be aware that the standards in the new law are higher than the standards for the credit that was available in 2007 for products that qualify as “energy efficient” for purposes of this tax credit.

For property purchased before June 1, 2009, homeowners generally can rely on the manufacturers’ certifications and Energy Star labels that were available at the time for those products. Manufacturers have been advised that they should not continue to provide certifications for property that fails to meet the new standards. The IRS has issued a notice that will allow manufacturers to certify that their products meet the new standards. Please note, not all ENERGY STAR qualified products qualify for a tax credit. For detailed information about qualifying improvements, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star Web site.

Put Your Water Heating Bill On An Energy Diet

Heating water for domestic purposes – showers, laundry, dishes, and the rest – accounts for 12% to 26% of a home’s energy use. That’s between $240 and $520 for an average US household. But you can put your hot water system on an energy diet without sacrificing comfort. The 6 strategies below range widely in cost and complexity but all will reduce your energy bills and your carbon footprint.

#1 – Insulate Your Water Tank

If your water storage tank was made before 2004 there is a very strong possibility you are throwing money down the drain in standby heat losses.

Insulating an older water tank can reduce standby heat loss by up to 45 percent!

#2 – Insulate Your Homes Hot Water Pipes

It is a fact that every inch of bare hot water pipe running through your home is costing you money. As hot water is transported through through bare pipes there is significant heat loss which translates into wasted energy and dollars.

#3 – Find and Repair Leaks and Drips

Leaky faucets can be a pain and in a lot of cases just ignored. However, if your leaky faucet happens to be on the hot water side you could be throwing dollars down the drain every day.

Good news is most leaks are easily handled by homeowners and translate into immediate savings.

#4 – Add a Thermal Expansion Tank

When the water inside your water tank is heated it actually expands. When there is no expansion tank the water can leak out of the tanks pressure valve or cause a leak in your piping or worse case actually ruin the tank.

The easy solution is to install a Thermal Expansion Tank.They are fairly easy to install and will literally protect your entire hot water system.

#5 – Add a Gravity-Fed Recirculation System

A typical household can waste up to 11,000 gallons of water each and every year waiting for hot water to make the trip from the water tank to the shower or sink.

Recirculation systems use a pump and are capable of deliver instant hot water to everyone, eliminating the wait.

#6 – Throw Your Old Tank Away and Try Newer Technology

Install a newer more efficient tank. Current models are a lot safer and come with better insulation which makes them cheaper to run.

Try a Tankless System – on demand water systems eliminate the need for a storage tank and deliver heated water as it is needed throughout the house.

Plug into the sun. Of course there is an upfront charge but from that point forward your heated water is basically free. Solar water heating systems routinely deliver savings from 70 to 80 percent.

Save Money and Conserve Energy at the Same Time

Energy conservation is of great interest at the moment. It is pretty obvious that energy and water conservation are an issue that affects everyone of us. Also, it is a salient point that energy conservation is perfectly possible practice in your own home.

Before we list some tips to help with your energy conservation, lets list a selection of the inspirational ways that energy conservation has been defined:

* Energy conservation is protecting the earth.
* Energy conservation is our duty to our children.
* Energy Conservation is usually the quickest and most economical method of reducing your energy costs.
* Energy conservation is doing anything you are able to that results in the use of less energy.
* Energy conservation is mostly about modifying habits and understanding.
* Energy conservation is the practice of optimising the way you use energy in order to achieve increased energy output for just the same energy consumption.
* Energy Conservation is important for lots of reasons; economic, social and environmental.
* Energy conservation is an important area where people of almost any age can have an immediate, helpful impact on the earth.
* Energy conservation isnt something that need only be practiced in the workplace.
* Energy conservation is perhaps the most practical way of both decreasing the problem of greenhouse emissions and cutting costs to the consumer.
* Energy conservation is advantageous to the national economy.

If energy conservation is so wonderful, why aren’t we doing more of it?.
Governments really want to improve our record on energy conservation, and a good method they may use to obtain sizable energy conservation improvements is to increase the cost of energy sources. Currently, energy conservation is fairly cost efficient with a fairly quick payback time and reasonable investment. As heads of state increase fuel prices, the fairly quick payback time gets even shorter and the cost advantages even greater.

Consumer awareness today concerning energy conservation is massively greater than it was twenty years ago, but it still isn’t enough. Indeed, improving awareness of energy problems is becoming signficantly more urgent because our gas and electric consumption is developing much quicker than our capacity to generate energy.

What should we do?
It is clear that there are a good few people worried about the cost of staying warm this winter.
Remember that heating and pumping water can sometimes be a big portion of your power bill. The price of gas still increasing and heating oil is not reducing in price either.

So, what steps can you take to help save some of your hard earned cash and help the environment?

The most important tip is to switch things off when you aren’t using them. Television, music center, room lights etc. Don’t even leave things on ‘standby’, it still uses power without cause.

Most power is used by heating, so changing the temperatures on your thermostat is the biggest energy conservation measure you should take.
It is also worth checking the air filters on your heating and cooling system every month.
Facny a cup of coffee? Use microwave ovens instead of hotplates or kettles for heating water.

Changing your heating system? Select energy-efficient equipment when you buy new heating and cooling equipment.

If you are considering buying a gas fire, opt for an efficient flueless design. With the most recent hi-tech designs, absolutely no energy is wasted and lost up the chimney as it is with a normal flued gas fire. Because of this all the heat generated heats your house. This means reduced fuel costs and much improved energy efficiency. They are also far better for the environment, as the most modern gas technology means the fire actually cleans the air it uses.

In conclusion, energy conservation is the sum total of a lot of small things that produce a significant impact.

If you make enough of those small changes, energy efficiency and energy conservation are a win-win combination.

Gas and Electricity Suppliers Predict Energy Price Rises

RWE npower, one of the main gas and electricity suppliers in the UK, recently predicted a rise in energy bills of up to 20 percent by the year 2020. This is concerning most energy suppliers, as consumers tend to think that the majority of profits from their energy bills are going into the company’s pockets. In fact, companies typically control about 16 percent of your energy bill, so they don’t have a lot of say in how high your bills rise.

The main reason RWE claims energy bills will be increasing to an average of 1,487 per year by 2020 is because of government subsidies and taxes that promote clean energy and renewable power. Obviously, RWE has a stake in the matter, but even when gas is phased out as an energy source, our current electricity suppliers will likely own the main power stations that produce whatever types of renewable energy power the grid at that time. Any company in this position would want to look to the future, and it’s smart that you take the same steps as a consumer.

“Why” Is Not The Most Important Question

Gas companies, politicians, government agencies, and environmental groups almost universally agree that the price of a power bill is going to be increasing over the next five to ten years. Clearly, that is not the issue at stake for each of these groups and their own interest in the price rises they’re interested in promoting the solutions they feel best to our energy dilemma. Yet for the consumer, the ultimate goal is likely the lowest possible power bill, so for you, the reasons for the increase are much less important than ways to counter it and bring down your bill.

Can Prices Decrease In The Long Term?

The goal of many clean energy initiatives is to help prices decrease, or at least remain stable, over the long term relative to the price of gas. Since worldwide gas prices are rising, a fact that nobody can dispute and the government attributes the forecasted price rises to, power bills would be very expensive if we continued to rely on the current power mix. As such, it’s almost inevitable that price rises in the short term would be necessary to pay for the switch to clean energy, but hopefully, they will decrease again in the long run as energy costs less to generate and can be found for free through solar and wind power, for instance.

Keeping Your Power Bills Down Will Help

To help pay for your power bill in the short term, keeping your consumption of power down is a good strategy. There are lots of energy-saving strategies you can use to decrease your reliance upon the energy grid, including everything from switching lightbulbs to repainting your roof. You can take advantage of Green Deal assessments that provide customised suggestions based on your household. Some programmes exist to help you pay for an energy-efficient boiler, give you discounts on your heating bills if you are at risk of fuel poverty, and so on.

Individual Sustainable Energy Might Be The Way Of The Future

Energy Saving Tips You Need to Know

There are a lot of things you can do to save energy every day. Whether you’re looking to conserve energy at home, to help lower your heating bills, or interested in making a big environmental impact, there is a plethora of information available online to get you started.

After reviewing many of the resources available, it’s clear that you can easily get caught up in so much information. To help you sort it out and get you on the fast track to energy savings, we’ve created a list five tips to jump your conservation efforts.

Energy Saving Tip 1

Make sure you turn off all lights and appliances when they aren’t in use. ALWAYS. This is one of the main causes of energy waste and skyrocketing energy bills. Turning off lights and electronic devices both in your home and elsewhere will always help to improve energy conservation.

Energy Saving Tip 2

Turning down the temperature of your home by just one degree can drastically decrease your energy consumption while also helping to lower your home heating bill. You can also consider improving some of your home and window insulation to help you keep the warm air inside during winter and the cool air inside during summer.

Energy Saving Tip 3

If you have the option for choosing lightweight packaging when purchasing products, remember that the less packaging involved typically means there was less energy used to produce it. Making smart decisions is one of the best ways you can help improve energy conservation on a global scale.

Energy Saving Tip 4

Rethinking your travel schedule is another great way to save. Everyone has last minute (and late night) trips to the store, for example, but if you’re able to run 4 errands in one trip instead of spreading them out over multiple trips, you’ll use a lot less gas while saving money.

These energy saving tips are just the tip of the iceberg, but accomplishing even just a few will get you started saving in no time. What do you think are the most important ways to get started saving energy? Leave your ideas in the comments below!

Candle Low Energy Bulbs – A Frugal Solution to Elegant Home Lighting

Nothing really expresses elegance and class in a home quite like chandeliers, candelabras and window lights. However, a lot of people consider these types of lighting fixtures energy inefficient and costly. That’s no longer the case. The new candle low-energy bulbs available on the market today make using elegant lighting fixtures throughout your home affordable ways to save home energy.

The candle bulb is not really a new idea. However, until a few years ago, the typical, decorative candle light bulb was incandescent and used too much electricity. Poor lighting quality was also an issue with the older bulbs. But things have changed.

Today, these decorative saving energy lights are not only pleasing to the eye, but using them can substantially lower your average home energy costs. To accommodate a variety of home lighting fixtures, candle energy-saving bulbs are available as halogen-tungsten, LED and fluorescent compact bulbs.

Here are 10 Benefits of Candle Low-Energy Bulbs:
Remarkably, the new energy-saving candle lights use 80 percent less electricity, and yet these saving energy bulbs produce a brighter light than the old incandescent candle lightbulbs. This benefit alone makes these saving energy bulbs an appealing light bulb solution worth considering.

The typical candle energy-saving bulb is more durable and lasts ten to twelve times longer than its older counterpart. This results in major energy light savings in terms of money and time when it comes to replacing bulbs.

Another great feature of the modern candle low-energy bulbs is that they do not produce a lot of heat. This makes them cool to the touch and ideal for use with lighting fixtures that use lampshades and other decorative, yet flammable coverings.

An incandescent candle light bulb emits a yellow light similar to the light emitted by a real candle. Yellow light can cause eye strain. The new fluorescent candle energy-saving bulb produces a bright, white light minimizing unnecessary stress to the eye. These saving energy light bulbs not only help you save home energy, they also help save your sight.

Making the switch to candle low-energy bulbs is actually very easy because they fit in standard light sockets. This allows you to start saving home energy and money right away without having to change your existing light fixtures.

Real candles have always been considered an elegant lighting option for the home. Unfortunately, the ambient flicker of a real candle presents a very real fire hazard, particularly when used around children and pets. Once again, the low-energy candle bulb comes to the rescue as you can easily find ones that flicker.

Real candles not only pose a fire hazard, but they can also cost you more money over time than candle energy-saving light bulbs.

Typically, candle energy-saving bulbs cost more than incandescent candle bulbs. But don’t let this keep you from switching to saving energy bulbs because your energy light savings over time will offset the cost of purchasing the newer bulbs.

A big advantage of candle energy-saving bulbs is that they are available in a variety of colors, finishes and styles. This allows you greater creativity and flexibility in the design of the elegant saving energy house you’ve always wanted.

Low-energy dimmable candle bulbs, which are often used in chandeliers, wall sconces and candelabras, are also available in a variety of colors and styles including bulbs that imitate the flicker of real candles. Now that you know the many benefits of candle low-energy bulbs, you can introduce elegant lighting fixtures throughout your home that not only add class but help you save home energy and money.

Geothermal Energy as a Viable Green Energy Source in Near Future

In addition to solar energy and wind energy, geothermal energy is one of the most unexplored sources of Green Energy. However, with development in technology it would become possible in near future to benefit from this free source of energy.

Geothermal energy is the heat generated in the earths crust. This is a Green Energy source that is both sustainable and clean. The resources of this form of energy include ground hot water or hot rocks found at a depth below the Earths surface. The source of the energy originated in the red hot magma present several kilometers below the surface.

Tapping Geothermal Energy

Throughout the Earths surface, the shallow ground maintains an almost consistence temperature that ranges between 50F and 60F. Geothermal heat pumps are designed for tapping this source of Green Energy for both heating and cooling buildings. This system comprises of the following components:

Heat pump
Heat exchanger
Air delivery system

The heat exchanger comprises of a network of pipes that are buried below the shallow surface close to the building.

During the winters, the heat pump takes the heat away from the heat exchanges to pump it to the air delivery system. And, during the summer season, an opposite process takes place. The heat pump takes heat from the air delivery system and transfers it to the heat exchanger. In addition, this heat removed from the indoor can also be used for heating water.

Generating Electricity

Electricity can be generated from this Green Energy source by drilling wells into the underground hot water reservoirs. Some of the power plants utilize the steam emitted from the reservoirs for running turbines or generators. And, some plants make use of the hot water for boiling a fluid to vaporize it and to turn a turbine.

If hot water is available at the surface, the heat provided by it can be used directly. The range of direct applications of this Green Energy source include:

Heating water in fish farms
Heating buildings
Nourishing plants in greenhouses
Industrial procedures like pasteurizing milk
Drying crops

Use of Hot Rock Resources

Hot rocks are found at depths between 3 and 5 miles below the surface of earth. The good thing is that these hot rocks can be found almost everywhere on the planet. This resource can be tapped in an area by dropping water into one well, allowing it to circulate through the hot rocks and then pulling the hot water out from another well. Geothermal energy is currently not being used for any commercial purposes. In addition, the current technology doesn’t allow extracting heat from the hot molten magma which is a huge resource of sustainable Green Energy.

When should you switch energy providers to get the best energy prices

Of all household bills, taxes and other things we have to pay out, energy prices are the ones that seem to fluctuate the most, and yet always seem to be on the rise! With all of the major energy providers announcing price hikes in the last few months that could see some people paying as much as 80 extra a year, and only a single provider (EDF) freezing their prices until March, it might seem on paper that switching at all is complete waste of the time, but that isnt the case at all you just need to be smart about when and how you switch over! Here are some simple tips to help you decide when to switch over:

Pricing A huge number of different things can make energy prices go up, down, or stall. Consumer groups and government are usually pushing for cheaper energy prices especially for vulnerable customers, while things like wars, disputes and shortages can push the prices up. For the last few years energy prices have actually been reasonably stable, but prices have started to rise again now, which shows that you cant always predict when and how these changes are going to happen.

What usually happens in the UK is that pretty much all of the big providers change their prices at the same time, and you should make sure all the big names have made their price announcements before you move over. If you move too quickly after only a single provider has made a decision, you could be left on a more expensive tariff and on a long contract that will make it impossible to switch again for at least a year without paying exit fees.

Watching & Comparing Knowing what the energy companies are doing and when and where they are going to announce good deals and special offers can make a huge difference to the price you can end up with. Keeping an eye on the market will give you a better idea of what companies are offering better deals. You could do this by monitoring six different electricity websites, but its far simpler to just watch a good comparison or consumer news website instead, which will provide you with news, prices and information of all big providers as they happen. You can subscribe to blogs, newsletters and RSS feeds from most comparison and consumer websites as well, which means you dont even have to spend time constantly visiting them to get the latest news.

Switching Once youve found a great provider and have waited for all the big names to announce where they stand, actually switching over to a different provider is very easy. The great thing about switching is that not only can you find an overall cheaper monthly deal, but you can also enjoy the benefits and offers that are nearly always only offered to new customers. Customers who switch their provider regularly can take advantage of these deals and one time offers which can see their electricity costs being reduced even further. The switching process is simple and painless, but it can take up to eight weeks, so always allow time to move over during which you might still be charged on the rates of your old provider.

Home Thermal Energy – 9 Steps To Detect And Fix Heat Loss Problems

Whether you live in a warm or cold climate, heating and cooling account for over half of the average home energy costs. Making sure your house is adequately weatherized and insulated is your first line of defense to stopping unnecessary home thermal energy loss. It will not only save you money, but reduce pollution and slow the depletion of irreplaceable natural resources.

Some obvious signs that home thermal energy is being wasted are: general draftiness; constant frost on your windows; snow melting off your roof more quickly than other nearby homes; and high heating bills. Some not so obvious signs of home heat energy loss are: inadequate wall insulation; warm air escaping around chimneys; and heat loss through glass.

Here are 9 ways to find and correct Home Thermal Energy loss:

1. Measure insulation between the joists in your attic to determine if it meets the recommended R-value standards. To figure out the total current R-value, multiply the number of inches of loose insulation by 3.7; for fiberglass insulation, multiply by 3.1 per inch. If total amounts are substandard, you need to add more insulation to meet the standard. The recommended R-value for attics in a cold climate is R38; for a moderate climate, R26.

2. Measure the temperature in different areas of a room. A room is poorly sealed if you can detect differences in temperature of one or two degrees. Saving thermal energy in this case is as easy as upgrading the weatherstripping around doors and windows.

3. Check for drafts around windows and doors. An easy way to do this is on a windy day, hold a tissue next to the gaps where your doors and windows open and close. If the tissue flutters, your weatherstripping is inadequate, and it should be replaced or upgraded. Another heat saving idea to minimize home thermal energy loss is to look for light showing from the outside around door and window jambs.

4. Conduct a home energy audit with the assistance of your local utility company. Most power companies will provide a home energy audit kit. Some may even conduct the audit for you for a fee or in some cases, free of charge.

5. Frost buildup on windows is clear evidence of poor weatherstripping and an inadequate storm window. To inexpensively stop home thermal energy loss in this case, just upgrade the weatherstripping and add a layer of plastic sheeting on the exterior or interior side of the window.

6. Condensation or frost between windows happens when moisture builds up in the space between the window and the storm window. To save thermal energy for this problem and keep the warm, moist air on the inside, update the interior weatherstripping. Also, you need to check that there’s an outlet for moisture in the storm window. If there isn’t, you can make one by drilling one or two small holes in the lower rail of the storm window.

7. Inspect insulation and weatherstripping. What you want to check for here are signs of deterioration like crumbling foam or rubber; hardening of materials like felt or foam rubber that should be flexible; and damaged metal stripping. Replacing these materials as needed goes a long way in saving your home thermal energy and keeping your average home utility costs down.