article on Squidoo about saveing power.

Reducing home energy needs

“Many folks are taking green energy technologies more seriously. Simple plans are available on how to convert to DIY wind or solar power for as little as $200. The first question most often asked when starting a DIY conversion project is will one large solar panel or one wind turbine be enough?”

Reducing home energy needs

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Your DIY Solar Power Solution – The Components

One question many people have before beginning a green solar energy DIY home project is: What will I need to complete the conversion?

Before you start, you should get a good DIY solar guide will walk you step by step through the process of setting up your solar energy solution. Also, let’s cover the basics of what you will need to go solar!

When setting up a green solar energy solution, there are 7 main components you will need. If you are only creating a portable solar energy solution you will only need 4 components.

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You will need these components before you install your green energy solution. These will be wired into your solar energy system in the order they are listed.

1. Solar Panels – These will be built by you in most DIY applications. You order discount photovoltaic cells, and assemble those into 50W, 75W, or 100W Panels.

2. Array DC Disconnect – This simple device is a switch that allows you to cut the DC power from your solar panels should the system require maintenance. Shop around and you will likely pay less than $25 for this.

3. Charge Controller – Most home systems should be built with a battery backup. The charge controller ensures that a consistent amount of power is sent to the batteries, and keeps the batteries from discharging at night. Again, Shop around for this component, it should not be a large expense.

4. Deep Cycle Batteries – You will need deep cycle batteries to store the power from your solar panels. If you find them, reconditioned batteries can be obtained for fairly cheap. You can also get old batteries for free and recondition them yourself.

5. System Meter – You should have a clear way to see how much power is being fed into your system from the solar panels. This component is actually optional but highly suggested.

6. Converter – The converter changes the the solar panel produced DC power into AC power used by your home. A 1500W converter likely won’t cost you more than $50.

7. Backup Power – Most systems will also include some sort of backup power. In an off grid situation this would usually be a generator. In an urban area, the power grid itself provides the backup.

The system then gets wired into your home breaker box. You might consider getting a qualified electrician to install the system, unless you are qualified. Now you have an idea of what will be needed to get your home running on green, renewable, solar energy.

If you haven’t done so yet, you should also consider downloading a copy of one of the top guides to teach solar panel DIY. Doing so will ensure you have all of the information you need to get the conversion finished right – the first time!

Green Power Easy

 

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green renewable energy: solar power

Solar power may be for you. Installing a homemade solar power system will not only let you make free energy to power your home, you will also be drastically reducing your carbon footprint by using one of the cleanest and renewable sources of energy available today.

Solar energy comes from the sun. It is an abundant clean, green source of energy that can reduce the stress of high energy bills. Because of its renewable nature, no pollution is created by using to this traditional green energy source. With the use of solar energy, your electrical utility bills will be reduced and you are protected from power outages from most natural disasters.

Solar power is one of the most reliable of the green energy technologies that you can use to make free alternative energy. The main problem that most people have found in the past is the high cost of installation. This is still the case if you go with a professionally installed system. Professional systems could take up to ten years or more to see a return on your investment from the savings. With the homemade solar power instruction guides and kits now available you can install similar systems yourself for a fraction of the cost.

Will it be too hard or complicated for you to build your own solar panels? No. Following the proper instructions using step by step guides anyone can easily put together their own homemade solar power system. Most of the parts that you will need can be obtained from your local DIY store or hardware store. Your home built solar power system can be designed to suit your particular needs, and you don’t need to be a mechanical guru to put it all together.

The advantage of a homemade solar power system is that you can start off small. It is possible to build several small solar panels with just enough electric generation to power small electrical appliances around the home. For instance you could build just enough power to provide for a workshop shop. You could also build your own solar panels just to provide all your lighting or your hot water.

Once you have your solar panels up and running you can continue to add to it and build more solar panels to provide a much larger electrical load. That is free, green energy to power most of,if not all of your home. In this way you will not only be able to make free green energy, but you can also do it when and as you can afford it and custom it to your own needs. Why not find out for yourself about green energy technology and how easy it is to build your own solar panels?

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Living off the grid using green energy technology

The shortage of power, the rapid consumption of non-renewable energy, the ever-increasing demand for power supply, the daily warnings about our environment are enough signs to tell us that it’s time we do something. So, what can we do? For starters, how about living off the grid? If I have startled you with that proposition, let me tell you that living off the grid not only helps the environment and helps save power; it also cuts down our electricity bill substantially. Now, that’s a tangible benefit apart from all the good you will do to the world. Trust me, you will feel good doing this.

Let us first study the advantages of living off the grid.
• Reduced dependability on exhausting resources: Who wants to depend on public utilities all the time? Living off the grid helps you rely only on your resources and not the ones supplied by governments or corporations. How often have you cursed when faced with a power outage in the midst of some important work or a party? Wouldn’t you like to take charge of such factors affecting you life? With alternate power solutions, you can.
• Freedom of usage of naturally available resources: How would you feel when you don’t have to pay for the power you use? Wouldn’t it be delightful to use as much power as you want without worrying about the electricity meter? You can make use of the abundant power available in the nature to light up your home and make your food. The solar power solutions and the wind power solutions are the answers to your power quest (well, literally!).
• Reduced power costs, helping save your money: How would you feel if the electricity bills stop coming in your letter box? The alternate power solutions give you a return on investment very soon, thus making the power supply to your home eventually free!
• Making way for a healthier environment: Don’t you bless the people who planted trees years ago not expecting them to miraculously grow? They planted those trees for the future generations. Make the future of your future generations secure by giving them a greener, healthier world. Cut down on the usage of non-renewable sources of energy. Try to use water minimally. There is not much drinking water left for the next generations.

If you are thinking it is not very feasible to live off the grid, look for alternate power solutions and you will be surprised to learn that they are not only cost-effective but also extremely feasible.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete green energy technology guide at earth4energy

 

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Why install solar power?

With a severe energy crisis facing the world, it is prudent to invest in an alternate power solution at home. It is not only  in a better way to help the government fight the energy crisis, but also helps save power for the rest of the world. Installing a green energy solution at home is no less than a great humanitarian effort.

Among the green energy technologies, solar and wind power systems are the most popular. Although wind power is a wonderful idea, some of us can not implement it in our homes because of its requirements. A wind power system requires a large area with an average wind speed of 11 miles per hour. In contrast, a solar power system is easier to setup. All that is needed is an area with abundant sun light.

A complete solar power system has a variety of components. Most people implement only a few of these components as per their needs. Let’s look at the various solar power components.

Solar cookers: A solar cooker is the most popular solar energy system implemented in homes. Let’s look at its advantages:

• Healthy cooking – The food cooked using a solar cooker is considered very healthy. You can cook for a family of five in a small cooking box.

• No emissions – The solar cooker neither emits any gases nor does it leave any waste residue. It makes for the most environment friendly cooking system.

• Various cooking methods – You can boil, roast, fry, and bake using the same system!

• No fuel – A solar cooker does not use any other fuel other than the sun’s light, thus helping you save power.

Solar generators: A solar generator is a device that powers all your electrical appliances using solar energy. Photovoltaic cells convert solar energy into electrical energy. The solar generator stores electrical energy in battery cells for later use. Installing a solar generator at home is a great power-saving and cost-saving idea. Imagine running the electrical appliances without worrying about paying any bills!

Sun light can also be reflected using a series of conduits and mirrors to provide high quality lighting in many room of a house. This not only lights up a room with cheerful sunlight, but reduces costs by allowing lights to be off during the day.

Solar thermal systems: Implementing a solar thermal system or solar heating system at home takes care of your home’s temperature needs. You can maintain a steady temperature at your house without worrying about bills. Thanks to its popularity, the heating systems will not only suit your budget but also please your eyes. These systems are no longer an eye sore. Solar water heaters are also a great way to reduce costs, save energy, and reduce harmful emissions.

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Homemade windmill

What could we be doing When everyone is looking for ways to contend with the severe energy crisis? We should begin by conserving the power we have and generating more power using green energy technology like solar and wind power systems.

The deployment of a windmill is not surmised to be very cheap. It can become a great money saver in the long term when the cost of producing power becomes zero. It has been noted lately that people are employing wind power solutions even in areas with an average wind speed is less than 11 miles per hour. Ideally, the average speed of wind at the site you propose to set up the windmill at should be 11 miles per hour. However, a slightly lower average is also giving good results for people.

One thing that prevent people from setting up a windmill is the initial cost. However, one can set up a home made windmill at a much lower price then commercially produced models. It is important to consider certain things while setting up a windmill on your own.

• Get a good plan to make a windmill at home. Keep in mind the output you want the windmill to generate.

• Look for sturdy components. Your homemade windmill should not get damaged by heavy winds.

• Compare the prices of the equipment in the market and go for the components that suit your budget and your site.

When looking for a windmill plan, look for the following features:

• Easy language: If your windmill-making guide uses a lot of jargon and technical information, it is better to look for a different one. Look for one that is easy-to-understand making your task easy.

• Illustrations: Visual descriptions work better than text only ones. If your windmill guide has illustrative descriptions for making a windmill, it makes your task easier.

• Component descriptions: Your homemade windmill guide should be able to provide you with detailed visual and textual descriptions of all the parts and components you need to use. It is also important that the guide tells you which type of component works best for a site like yours.

• Local information: If your guide gives you information about the best available equipment in Asia or Europe while you are reading it from a rural area in western USA, your guide is as good as useless. Look for a guide that provides equipment information of places around you.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at earth4energy

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Bio fuels

Bio-fuels are fuels that are formed when biological matter decomposes. The bio-fuels are usually derived from plants. Bio-fuels exist in all the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.

Bio-fuels and fossil fuels differences
Bio-fuels and fossil fuels are different in the following ways:
• Fossil fuels take a million years to build whereas bio-fuels can be made extremely fast, in a matter of days.
• Bio-fuels are renewable sources of energy unlike fossil fuels.
• Fossil fuels generate huge amounts of pollution. Bio-fuels are comparatively safer.

Different types of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels have been categorized into four types: first generation, second generation, third generation, and fourth generation.

The first generation bio-fuels are derived from vegetable fats, starch, and sugar, which are in turn derived from food-crops. The first generation fuels are also derived from animal fats. Biogas, bio-diesel, and vegetable oil are some examples of this type of bio-fuels.

The second generation of bio-fuels is mainly derived from waste biomass, thus making it a more balanced option compared to the first-generation bio-fuels. Different kinds of alcohols and diesel generated from wood fall into the category of second generation bio-fuels.

The third generation comprises of bio-fuels derived from algae. Algae are farmed on large scales for creating these bio-fuels. The algae fuels are extremely environment-friendly as they can easily decompose into the soil without harming it.

The bio-fuels in the fourth generation are derived by a method in which micro-organisms are raised to work with carbon dioxide to generate fuel.

Advantages of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels prove advantageous in the following ways:
• Bio-fuels lessen the burden on gradually-vanishing fossil fuels.
• Bio-fuels are environment-friendly. They help reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
• Bio-fuels, especially, bio-diesel prove to be very cost-effective for consumers.

Disadvantages of bio-fuels
Bio-fuels are not with out criticism. Bio-fuels have received criticism for many reasons, a couple of which are stated below:
• Economists have long debated on the usefulness of first generation bio-fuels when compared to the lack of food they cause. Generating fuel from food crops makes food crops unworthy of human consumption. It also may increase the cost of the food crops. Many people believe that being a higher priority than fuel, food should not be farmed for making fuels but for human consumption.
• Making bio-fuels can require acres of farming land, thus encroaching upon the natural habitat of plants and animals.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at earth4energy

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Homemade solar panels?

The present economic conditions and the ever fluctuating price of oil is not good news for everyone. On the bright side it prompts us to search for alternative green energy technology sources. These may be the solution for reducing energy consumption and power bills. It has become more and more cost effective to build green homes that use solar energy systems. Building home made solar panels or wind mills that utilize deep cell storage batteries produce the electricity upon demand and reduce the the consumers dependence on the country’s energy grid.

Everyone wishes to have their energy bills get reduced. Using green alternative energy technology could reduce the power bill by as much as 80% or more. Its possible to even get off the grid! To take advantage of such a great deal, then I suggest the guide earth4energy that presents many fantastic home made solar solutions on their site. Many can be built easily, for less than $200.

The Features of the guide are -

• Completely detailed easily understood instructions which can be used by the unskilled or by a layman for building home made solar panels.

• Detailed video instructions

• Details on all the parts and components available at the hardware store for preparing a home made solar energy system.

• Tips on how to make the alternative energy generators that are not available anywhere else.

• One time investment with free life long updates to the manual and video series.

• Full cash back if you are not saving hundreds of dollars per month on your energy bill after using the system for eight months.

 

Imagine this! Here you are with a home made solar system, generating green power that will be stored in deep cell batteries for future consumption. All of this costs just pennies on the dollar! Plus the DIY instructional manual and videos are easy to understand so that even a beginner will be able to understand. At Earth4Energy, you can get the home made solar DIY kit and then begin the experience of producing your own clean, green, solar power from panels that you made.

 

They have a history of satisfied customers mentioning positive reviews about the money savings they are experiencing. Many who have built the solar panels can’t believe how easy it was. Additionally, these testimonials state that they have actually saved up to 100% of their electric bill and that they could now use the extra money for other things!

 

Make green power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at earth4energy

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Reduce power usage

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The most difficult time of each month is when it is time to pay the bills. Especially true for those enormous power bills. It’s time we take serious action to reduce these power bills. Not to worry. We will show some key pointers that can help you make and reach your goals.

Be sure to talk with family members and room mates about the importance of conserving electricity. You can give rewards if their practices lead to savings. Suggest tips like switching off the lights when they leave rooms for even a minute. Switch off all appliances when you leave the house even if you will be back in a few minutes.

Replace all the incandescent bulbs in the house with compact fluorescent light or better yet L.E.D.Bulbs. These bulbs consume less electricity as they consume less power. L.E.D.bulbs are safer as they don’t contain mercury.

Buy the energy saver gadgets and appliances that are now commonly available in the market. These items will reduce the intake of the entire power consumption in your house and helps  you make decision about electrical consumption.

Many of us assume that the rise in the electric bill is due to the huge number of electrical appliances now used in our homes. The electricity bill is not due to the number of gadgets, but by the way we use them. DC power chargers for cell phones and rechargeable batteries should be unplugged as they draw power even when nothing is charging. Computer and game consoles can be put on power stripes to turn them off easily when not in use.

Taking steps to avoid using those common appliances regularly that consume a lot of power -
• The washing machine should be used only when there is a tub full of clothes.
• The geyser should not be kept on for maximum amount of time.
• The air-conditioner and furnaces should be kept maintained and set no higher then 68F or 20C in the winter and no lower the 78F or 25C in the summer.
• Switch off or hibernate the computer when not in use. Especially the monitor, as it consumes a lot power and takes just a second to turn on and off.

Finally we should consider reducing the power bill by looking in to alternative sources such as solar power and wind power. Reading a guide such as earth4energy will show some of the best solutions to generating power at home. Even producing free electricity for some of your home appliances will save power and cash. Reducing the power draw from the electrical companies for home by using the renewable energy extracted from green, natural resources like wind, sun, tides at a lesser price yielding long term returns.

Make power at home with solar and wind energy to eliminate your power bill. Get our complete guide at earth4energy

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