Is ‘electrosmog’ harming our health? - Health - Cancer. Opower, Facebook, NRDC Team Up on Energy Efficiency App. Just last week, we lamented that Energy Awareness month (that’s going on now, by the way) didn’t do much at all to increase awareness. The critique didn’t offer links to more information, because sending people to clunky government websites is confusing, not enlightening. However, there are companies out there that are looking to empower people with accurate information, and Greentech Media covers them regularly. Besides, no one really wants to dig into their home energy use (and if they do, they’ve likely already had an audit) -- often, there’s just not enough time in the day between checking Facebook and playing Angry Birds.
Now, energy efficiency is meeting the masses where they already are. Facebook is teaming up with Opower and the Natural Resources Defense Council to develop a social media app that will allow participating consumers to benchmark their energy use against similar homes, compare usage with friends, enter energy-savings competitions and share efficiency tips. Opportunities Exist to Sell In-home Energy Management Solutions, Says Research Firm.
There's a multi-year opportunity to install utility-independent energy monitoring and management systems like this eMonitor from Powerhouse Dynamics. In a recent report, research firm Parks Associates’ forecasts that for the next several years, more independent/non-utility residential energy management networks (IREMs) will exist than utility-based home area networks (HANs). The report, Home Area Networks: Analysis and Forecasts, predicts that by 2015, there will be 10 million independent residential energy management services versus 6 million put in place by utilities implementing smart grid programs. Parks will be covering its report in more detail, as well as discussing consumer attitudes, at its Smart Energy Summit, January 24 to 26 in Austin, Texas.
“There is a window of opportunity for those who want to precede the home area networks installed by the utilities,” says Bill Ablondi, director of home systems research at Parks Associates. Opportunity for the Big Guns, Too Related posts: Powerhouse Dynamics: Energy Management by the Circuit. "Our goal is that no one comes to look at our dashboard," said Martin Flusberg, CEO of Powerhouse Dynamics said of his company's product. Bold words indeed for a company entering the highly trafficked space of home energy management. Forget about sleek consoles for the kitchen counter or smart plugs; Powerhouse Dynamics' eMonitor is tracking energy at the circuit level.
"That's our secret sauce," Flusberg said. Sure, there's a web dashboard and in-the-works iPhone and iPad apps, but Powerhouse Dynamics is looking to truly automate how you manage the biggest energy hogs in your home and then let you walk away. The approach makes a lot of sense; the biggest energy users on a residential level are HVAC systems, pool pumps, refrigerators, laundry, dishwashers and other large appliances. "You have a dashboard in your car and then you go into your home and you have nothing," Flusberg said.
The Newton, Mass. If you don't have solar, but you're thinking about it, there's an "Is Solar For You? " Powerhouse Dynamics :: News. Energy Conservation: Electricity savings tips for apartments. v1.2, Dec. 12, 2007, (v1.0 was Jan. 1, 2003) by Robert Levitt This page is important for all tenants, whether you pay your hydro electricity bill directly, or it is included in the rent, you still pay for electricity price increases. Under the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act, all tenants will eventually be forced to pay hydro electricity costs separately from their rents, (plus an extra fee to cover the cost of the special "smart meter"). That means the 75% to 85% of tenants who presently have power costs included in their rents including those who have electric heating, will have it separated by government mandate. It is widely predicted that this move to force "smart meters" on all tenants will lead to large increases in the cost of living.
Turn off lights when not in use. Use "task lighting" rather than lighting the whole room unnecessarily for close work. Energy Conservation Tips. We people waste a lot of energy in our daily usage either by not turning the lights off when not in use or by utilizing old, inefficient appliances that could use a DIY makeover, or not switching off the vehicle when the traffic light is long. Energy needs to be conserved not only to cut costs but also to preserve the resources for longer use. Resources should be used economically to conserve them for future use since they are limited and will expire one day. Below there is a list which could be helpful to you in saving energy in our daily usage. Just go through them and know how you can save energy by adopting these methods. Ways To Save Energy Ways to Save Energy at Home: Turn off air conditioning systems in unoccupied rooms and try to keep the room cool by keeping the curtains. Ways to save Energy while Driving.
Energy Efficiency Reference/Residential/How to Reduce Energy Usage. Energy conservation is the practice of reducing the use of energy. Individual consumers can do numerous things to conserve energy and reduce home energy costs. Adopting just a few of these strategies can make a measurable difference in your overall energy usage, and the energy demands of the planet. Home energy usage[edit] General tips[edit] Choose energy-efficient home appliances, which have been designed with energy conservation in mind. Reduce heating costs[edit] Operate your furnace efficiently: Install a programmable thermostat and set it so your home will not be heated as much when you are away or asleep.Check your furnace's air filter monthly - replace/clean as required. Reduce cooling costs[edit] Many of the steps you can take to reduce heating costs, such as insulating and sealing your home, will also reduce air conditioning costs.Install (easy for DIY folks) solar shades on the outside or exterior of all east, south and west facing windows.
Reduce lighting costs[edit] Save electricity. Consumers charged at the Lifeline Tariff and who purchase up to 400 kWh per month on average will continue to receive the free basic supply of 50 kWh. NOTE: The 400 kWh was determined from the average monthly consumption over any consecutive 12 month period. Before considering ways and means of reducing your electricity account one should first consider the cost of operating the various types of domestic appliances. The following table details the average cost of electricity consumed by various classes of electrical appliances and other consuming devices in the home.
(Kindly note that all tariffs and costs indicated in this document are inclusive of VAT) Domestic High (91.17c/kWh) a service charge of R7,50 per day applies whether electricity is consumed or not. Domestic Low (106.37c/kWh) would ideally be used if your consumption is between 400 and 1500 kWh/month. The service charge is not applicable to this tariff. Note 1: Cost of hot water How to reduce your electricity account Stove At work. Does it use more electricity to turn a TV off and on during the day rather than leaving it on throughout. Electricity usage is given in watt-hours, the power used in watts times the amount of time it was used. 1 Wh = 3600 Joules, the SI unit of energy. If a device has a specific wattage, then on average it's going to pull that much power from the wall.
If you also know how often that device is on, you can calculate the percentage of your monthly electricity bill that is due to that device. For example, a 60W light bulb left on 6 hours a day would contribute 60*6*30/1000 = 10.8 kWh to your monthly bill. The type of television determines how it uses electricity, which depends mostly on the main method of illumination. Additionally, almost all modern televisions are "vampires", in that they're pulling electricity from the wall even when they appear to be off. Unfortunately, a number of devices depend on this "vampire power" in order to keep time, or power on quickly when needed. So, the short of it: turn things off as often as possible, and you'll save money and the environment!
Standby power. In the past, standby power was largely a non-issue for users, electricity providers, manufacturers, and government regulators. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, awareness of the issue grew and it became an important consideration for all parties. Up to the middle of the decade, standby power was often several watts or even tens of watts per appliance. By 2010, regulations were in place in most developed countries restricting standby power of devices sold to one watt (and half that from 2013). Definition[edit] Standby power is electrical power used by appliances and equipment while switched off or not performing their primary function, often waiting to be activated by a remote controller.
While this definition is inadequate for technical purposes, there is as yet no formal definition; an international standards committee is developing a definition and test procedure.[1] Advantages and disadvantages[edit] Advantages[edit] Disadvantages[edit] Magnitude[edit] Fire risks[edit] 90by2030. I can’t count the number of times I have had questions about the advantage of manually controlling a hot water geyser, in other words, to turn the geyser power off during the day and turn it on again in the evening. So I decided to properly investigate this issue, and hopefully shed some light for those of you who have also wondered about this. A brief explanation of how your geyser works is necessary here for the “not-so-technical”. Your geyser is basically a big kettle – a container with an electric element inside. A geyser also has a thermostat, which is a device which continuously tries to keep the water inside at a specific temperature – a temperature which can be manually set.
So if your thermostat is set to 60 degrees, and the water drops below this temperature, the element will be activated until the water temperature returns to 60 degrees. When you turn on the hot water tap, hot water leaves the geyser and is replaced with cold water. . © Gary Fahy, Project 90 by 2030, May 2010. Answerit - Does switching off your geyser for a few hours a day cause damage? It will use more electricity 71 mths ago Depends on the geysers. The cheaper and older geysers' elements can break due to thermal shock this is the changes in temperature due the cooling and heating of the element. For newer geysers or geysers that is very well insulated this should not be a problem. Source: The basics of Thermodynamics No it does not damage your geyser but it does save electricity. It will not cause damage. This question has already been asked - check the archives.
Nope, I wouldn't do it though. You definately save energy. No. I don't know what HVR is smoking, or which university classes he slept through, but he is wrong. Nope i dont think so, but it does use more electricity to heat up again Yes! Only if you forget to switch it on again. I doubt whether it will cause damage but it will certainly shorten the life of the element because of the constant switching on and off No, not as far as I know. Source: Silmann13 Yes but only if you push the button to hard. 70 mths ago.