Energy savings and generating electricity from renewable energy helps reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, translating to reductions in greenhouse gas and mercury emissions from coal burning power plants.
Thanks to high oil and natural gas prices and the availability of government grants and tax incentives, many people are converting to renewable energy sources such as solar systems.
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are energy-efficient, long lasting substitutes for incandescent lamps. Although initially more expensive, these lights pay for themselves quickly since they use only about 1/4 the energy of traditional light bulbs.
Ninety-five percent of the energy used in a incandescent light bulb is radiated as heat from the filament. Only five percent of the energy used by a standard incandescent light bulb produces light. (The easy bake ovens use a single 100 Watt light bulb to cook food.)
CFL’s utilize much less electricity while providing the same level of light. In the past complaints existed about the quality of light provided by CFL’s. Modern CFL’s have improved drastically and are available in a wide variety of color rendition levels (seen in Table 1 next page). Compact fluorescent lights give off similar light to incandescent bulbs which is cleaner, and more aesthetically pleasing. Compact fluorescent lights are especially good for indirect lighting; bouncing light off of a wall or ceiling.
CFL’s last 5 times longer than incandescent bulbs. The cost of replacement bulbs and extra electricity makes incandescent bulbs much more expensive than CFL’s.
Solar Power: While initial expenses are high, most homeowners who use solar power say that the up-front cost is well worth the energy savings, the independence from relying solely on “the grid,” and the knowledge that they’re doing something good for the environment. As the technolgy spreads, is produced in higher volume and new technologies arise, the cost for solar power equipment is continuing to fall and is closing the gap to the cost for electricity based on nuclear, coal or natural gas.
There are many advantages to a photovoltaic (PV) system: its operation is non-polluting, can be used almost anywhere and it operates silently and requires little maintenance. Photovoltaic power systems also have very long lifespan and can be stored in deep-cycle batteries for evening or back-up use.
Solar Water Heating: According to PowerhouseTV.com, replacing an electric water heater with a solar model can cut down yearly water heating costs by 50% to 80%. Also, over the 20-year lifespan of the equipment, more than 50 tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be displaced.
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs by  |
Energy Monitor by TED  |
Programmable Thermostats by   |
Solar Hot Water by |
Photovoltaic (Solar energy) systems provided by  |
