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Dear our beloved crying planet…
Dear our beloved crying planet… I read an article last week in “The Gazette”, a local English paper here in Montreal Canada. It was titled “Time is running out” and was written by Peter G. Brown. He is a professor in the school of the Environment...
Drive slower, save the planet!
Site: Hoot
Article
Release details: Immediate
Date: 23 September 2005
Drive slower, save the planet!
The environment is a hot issue that we just can't afford to ignore any longer. To some, being environmentally aware is a way of life, a...
Insights into China and India's Water and Renewable Energy Market
Insights into China and India's Water and Renewable Energy Market
Depletion of Natural Resources and Energy Demands Show
Increasing Need for Renewables and Water Filtration
By Fei Wang www.China-AsiaStocks.com...
Saving Money by Saving Electicity
Are you aware of how much electricity you consume every day?
With the rising price of fuel, energy costs are on the rise. And
yet, electricity is still one of the most wasted forms of energy
on the planet. There are many ways to save...
Tips on being energy efficient
If you realize the monthly bills that you are paying for energy mainly are tremendously high, then you probably are seriously thinking about identifying the most efficient ways that might eventually lead to reducing your costs.
It is generally...
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Saving Money by Saving Electicity
Are you aware of how much electricity you consume every day?
With the rising price of fuel, energy costs are on the rise. And
yet, electricity is still one of the most wasted forms of energy
on the planet. There are many ways to save electricity, and with
it, money. There are simple things you can do, ones that require
a little more effort, and then there are choices you can make
while shopping that can reduce your kilowatt-hours. By following
just a few of these steps, you can take control of your energy
use and see a real difference in your electric bill.
Level One - Simple and Easy
The items in Level One are simple, straightforward, and take
less than five minutes to do.
Learn to turn off the lights when you leave a room. It doesn't
seem like a big deal, but your average light bulb is one of your
biggest power-wasters. You can see a significant difference in
your bill by making sure that unnecessary lights are off. You
might even consider looking at the light-bulb shopping points in
Level Three.
Another great way to save on power with lights is by using
sunlight as much as you can. Opening your curtains or blinds and
turning the electric lamps off will not only save electricity,
but give better light in most cases.
If you have an electric air conditioner or heater, shut it off
or turn it down when you leave. Why waste energy and money
heating or cooling an empty home? You can also turn these down
when you go to sleep. Thermostats with built-in timers help
here, but you can do this just as easily with a manual one.
Also, always turn off fans - ceiling or otherwise - when you
leave the room. They don't actually reduce the temperature in
the room; the moving air only feels cooler against your skin. So
if you're not there to enjoy the breeze, turn it off.
Level Two - More Power to You
Level Two consists of actions that may take an extra few
minutes or half hour to do, but can save quite a bit more.
Find all the electronics in your house that have a big
transformer, or "wall-wart." Almost all of these devices have
what's called a phantom load; they use up to 80% of normal power
even when turned off. TVs and stereos in particular are big
drains. Be particularly wary of devices who have remotes, or
whose manual refers to being off as "stand-by" or "sleep mode."
If you don't want to unplug these devices every time you finish
using them, a power strip or light-switch-controlled outlet can
be an easier option. Flip a switch and save money.
The biggest power-waster in your home is likely an iron or hair
drier. Converting electricity to heat is among the most
inefficient processes
in everyday use. The solution is simple -
reduce your use. Ironing all your clothes at once keeps you from
heating up the iron several times. Towel-dry your hair as much
as possible; the power drain of a hair drier is enormous. Space
heaters are also electricity-wasters, so keeping their use down
will also help.
Level Three - Shop Smart
Level Three consists of things to consider when buying
electrical appliances in order to save money long-term.
Almost any electrical appliance will fall into the wall-wart
category described above. Most of them have labels on the box
with how much power they consume. If this rating isn't given in
watts, arithmetic can help: Power (watts) = current (amps) x
voltage (volts). So if your appliance's wall-wart says "Output:
12V, 1.5A", then it will require 12 x 1.5 = 18 watts. The lower
the wattage, the lower your bill will be.
When buying light bulbs, consider switching to compact
fluorescent bulbs. These new bulbs will use less power and last
much longer, resulting in a double savings.
If you're buying a stereo, television or something else that
has a "memory," see if you can find one that will keep its
settings when unplugged, so you don't have to decide between
reprogramming every day or paying more for electricity.
When buying audio equipment, the current fad is to get the
loudest, most powerful stereo or set of speakers you can afford.
Yet in most cases, using this device at more than 1/3 of maximum
volume will result in the police knocking on your door. Also,
the bigger speakers use more electricity; the idea is to reduce
your wattage, not increase it. Buy a reasonable system and save
money both up front and on your power bill.
When buying a monitor for your computer or a television, know
that liquid crystal (LCD) screens use significantly less power
than the Cathode Ray Tube ones of old. Also, a smaller display
uses less power, so choose only as big as you need, and you'll
save a great deal.
The generation of electricity is a high-pollution industry.
Anything that saves electricity helps reduce that pollution
while saving you money. These ideas are just a few of the many
ways in which you can help the environment and your wallet.
About the author:
Juan Anselmo Borla is a freelance writer and poet. He lives at
Dancing Rabbit, a
sustainable ecovillage in northeast Missouri. There, he hopes to
make the world a better place by using his Chemical Engineering
degree to develop an alternative fuels program. His fiancee and
two cats hope he doesn't blow himself up in the process. He can
be reached at jaborla[at]gmail[dot]com
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| Department of Energy - Homepage |
| Governmental department whose mission is to advance energy technology and promote related innovation in the United States. |
| www.energy.gov |
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| Department of Energy - Page not found! |
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| www.energy.gov |
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| www.energyquest.ca.gov |
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| www.eia.doe.gov |
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| Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy ... |
| Section of the US Department of Energy (DOE) providing statistics, data, analysis on resources, supply, production, consumption for all energy sources. |
| www.eia.doe.gov |
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| Energy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Free encyclopedia article explaining the scientific notion of energy. Includes units of measure, energy transformation concepts, types of energy, ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Department of Energy - Homepage |
| U.S. Department of Energy Awards Contract for Management and Operation of Ames ... The Energy Star label is the government's seal of energy efficiency. ... |
| www.doe.gov |
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| Home : ENERGY STAR |
| US EPA Energy Star programs and products help save the environment and save consumers money by using less energy through advanced design or construction. |
| www.energystar.gov |
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| National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Home Page |
| Facility of the US Department of Energy (DOE) for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, development and deployment. |
| www.nrel.gov |
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| European Commission - Energy - Home page |
| Welcome to the European Commission's "Energy" website ... A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy ... |
| ec.europa.eu |
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| DTI - Energy - Introduction |
| The DTI’s Energy Group deals with energy-related matters, ... UK energy statistics are provided, including production, consumption and prices. ... |
| www.dti.gov.uk |
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| U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Home Page |
| US Department of Energy web site for information on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. |
| www.eere.energy.gov |
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| Energy for America's Future |
| Provides an overview of President Bush's energy policies. |
| www.whitehouse.gov |
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| International Energy Agency |
| Energy Security, Growth and Sustainability through Co-operation and Outreach. |
| www.iea.org |
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| energywatch: Home Page |
| Independent gas and electricity consumer watchdog, providing help to domestic, commercial or industrial energy (gas and electricity) consumers. |
| www.energywatch.org.uk |
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| EnergyAustralia - Home |
| Details of one of Australia's largest and oldest gas and electricity supply companies. Includes information on accounts, energy saving tips, appliance sales ... |
| www.energy.com.au |
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| U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources |
| Has jurisdiction over energy policy, regulation, and research. Also deals with energy and mineral conservation, ports used for energy transport, irrigation, ... |
| energy.senate.gov |
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| bloomberg energy prices |
| www.bloomberg.com/energy/ - Similar pages |
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| Energy Bulletin |
| A clearinghouse of information concerning the peak in global energy such as oil and gas. |
| www.energybulletin.net |
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