Watts Versus Lumens

With the advent of higher efficiency compact fluorescent and LED lighting the Federal Trade Commission is now requiring manufacturers of bulbs to list the amount of lumens a light emits on all new packaging. It is important to understand that watts relate to the amount of electricity used by the bulb and lumens measures the amount of brightness of the light emitted by the bulb. These are obviously two very different comparisons. The purpose of the newer bulbs is to produce the same amount of lumens, or brightness, using lower wattage. This is where the energy savings comes in.
If you are like me though you still think in terms of wattage. The 100 watt bulb was a lot brighter than the 40 watt bulb. To give you some guidelines you can convert the old incandescent wattage to the newer measure of lumens as follows:
40 watt incandescent = 450 lumens
60 watt incandescent = 800 lumens
100 watt incandescent = 1600 lumens
The good news about the new technologies is that you get more light for less wattage. The compact fluorescent bulbs use about 23 watts and the LED bulbs use about 16 watts of electricity for a comparable 100 watt incandescent bulb. So whether it is watts versus lumens you are getting much more efficiency with the fluorescent or LED bulbs.
The next question typically is, is the investment in more expensive LED and Compact Florescent (CFL) lighting worth it? When comparing LED or CFL lighting to incandescent lighting there is no question that you will more than recoup the cost over a rather short period of time. By saving between 75% and 85% on the cost of lighting the extra cost typically pays itself back within a matter of a couple of years. The next question is, is the higher cost of LED lighting versus CFL lighting worth the investment? The answer to this question is more murky given the high cost of LED lighting, and the lower longevity of the CFL bulbs. In general an LED light is supposed to last for at least 5 years or 50,000 continuous hours of light. Some estimates have LED lights lasting much longer. Over this same period of time you would have to use three CFL bulbs and receive about 10% to 15% less efficiency in terms of electricity usage. When compared over longer periods of time the LED lights still tend to warrant the larger investment. As the cost of LED lights decline as production increases and the fact that LED lights contain no harmful mercury as do CFL lights, it is likely that LED lights will soon become the standard for bulb replacement.

Five Little Things You Can Do to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

I am a homeowner and I have been going through the process of making my home as energy efficient as possible. I am not going to discuss appliance removal and replacement to energy star. I want to start with the least expensive methods that can make a real difference in your energy usage. These five little things are not only effective for homeowners but can be useful for renters as well. By taking these steps you will be making less of an impact on our environment and you will lower your monthly utility bills. The really good news is that very little to no money will need to be spent. Who can argue with that?
1. We will start with checking for those little power vampires. Take a walk around your home and you will be surprised how many small appliances or electronics are on sucking a little power 24 hours a day. Is the coffee maker or microwave plugged in all the time? If it is not in use it does not need to be plugged in. These items draw power all day and it can add up.
2. I call this the walk and caulk. Inspect your home and look for all those little holes that heated or cooled air are escaping and close them up with caulk. Put some new weather-stripping around windows and doors. Money is trickling away.
3. Replace burned out light bulbs with the new energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. They last longer and use less electricity. I did not throw away any working light bulbs but I did replace them with the CFL bulbs when they did.
4. A programmable thermostat is another real easy step in saving some green. You could be heating or cooling your home for eight or ten hours a day when there is no one there. Set the thermostat to change the temperature in your home to 50 degrees a half hour after you leave every morning and then to start warming or cooling your home a half hour before you arrive home to a comfortable temperature. You will never even notice the change as far as comfort but you will notice when that next utility bill hits the mailbox.
5. The water heater is a major contributor in eating up energy. A couple things can be done here so I wrapped them all up into one step in an effort in being concise. First, lower the water temperature a few degrees. Next, you will want to add insulation to the outgoing pipes so the water loses less heat as it moves along the pipes. A water heater wrap adds insulation so it doesn't have to work as hard to keep the temperature consistent.
Most people I know are not in a position to replace old appliances and haul them away but anyone can take these inexpensive steps. Even if you are not concerned with the environment everyone is concerned with having lower utility bills.

New Water Conservation Product "Water Rounds" - Saving Water, Plant Growth, and Your Pocketbook?

While walking through my local Home Depot a few weeks ago, I discovered a new gardening product that made me smile. It was called "Palm Rounds," and when I looked into it, I learned it is made by a larger company called "Water Rounds" which produces the same basic invention for tomato plants, small trees, and all sorts of different sized shrubs. What struck me so much about this product was how simple it was. I felt like an idiot for not inventing it myself! All it really seems to be is the top of a pot that has been removed from the bottom half - in essence, a water retaining ring with teeth on it to dig into the soil below. I can see this turning into a popular new home for all sorts of plants just about anywhere.
Since I was not planning on purchasing any of these "Palm Rounds," but instead buy some new flowers for my slowly expanding garden, I decided to only get one and test it out. I promptly took it home and looked for a place to use it since I don't exactly have any palm trees (or any other tropical plants) growing in my back yard for that matter. I ended up using it on some tomato plants instead which seemed to be in need of a little help. I decided to try it out and see if the retaining ring would in fact help them grow better. One of the problems I've been having with my tomatoes is that the soil where they were planted is slightly elevated from the rest of the garden. The dirt is very hard packed throughout. Every time I water these suckers, it seems to disperse everywhere, and I guess I've just been too disenchanted to do anything about it.
After installing the water round I decided it would be best to water all my plants as usual and see if there was in fact any difference. At first, I thought I may have drowned my tomatoes because of how soaked they were compared with how they had looked before. Then I discovered it. No, it was just because I drenched them with the hose and had the retaining ring way too high above the ground. I had basically created a miniature swimming pool for them by keeping my standard watering habits! I lowered the ring a bit deeper into the soil (which had now softened up a bit), and there it was. A Palm Round tomato plant! A seemingly ridiculous combination that would turn into a great success! About a week and a half later, and after reducing the amount of water I gave those specific tomatoes, they really started to come alive! It was amazing how that ring cut did exactly what it said (minus the instructions on how far above the soil it should be placed). My tomatoes are juicier than they have ever been, and the plant doesn't look like it's about to die. The best part about it is that I can still neglect it, and it can hold its own!
Even though I have experimented with many different watering systems and drip lines, I find this product to be especially interesting. It can be incorporated into anything I may have installed in the past and basically works as a catalyst to further their individual causes. I am definitely looking forward to purchasing more of these for the rest of my garden and the trees out in my front yard. I have always been a man looking for new ways to improve the planet around me, and keep money in my pocket.

Reduce Energy Bill With Solar Panels

If you are looking to reduce your energy bills you may have considered using solar panels. While it can be somewhat expensive up front if you have someone do the work for you, putting one together yourself can really save some money. Either way it will save you money in the long term.
Part of the solar power system consists of your bank of batteries for storing energy form the sun. These deep cycle batteries can be the most expensive component of your system. It is important to have them so you have stored electricity to use when it's cloudy and at night.
For your battery bank you must use the same kind of batteries used in golf carts, wheel chairs, fork lifts or any kind of rechargeable equipment. Using automotive batteries will not work because they are not rechargeable like the others.
Unfortunately new deep cycle batteries are not cheap and can be the most expensive item you purchase for your use. An alternative is to find used batteries. Your local golf course, boat marina or warehouses may be a source of batteries for you. They almost always have old batteries sitting around and may be happy to give them away or sell them for cheap.
After you have collected your used batteries you will test them to find the ones that can be reconditioned for your use. All you have to do is hook them up to a battery charger and charge them up. When charged you measure the voltage which should be around 12 volts. If the voltage is much less than this put that battery aside to test further because it may have a bad cell.
Rechargeable batteries can suffer from what is called sulfation. This is a buildup of lead sulfate crystals on the lead plates in the battery. This buildup reduces the batteries ability to take and hold a charge.
These lead sulfate crystals can be removed by using a special charger. This charger emits a high current pulse that breaks up the crystals and cleaning the lead plates. If you have this charger you could potentially save yourself money on the cost of new batteries and it will pay for itself many times over.
Another step you can take is to renew the electrolyte in the battery. If the fluid level is low you can top it off with deionized water so it covers the plates. An electrolyte conditioner is available at many auto parts stores that you can add to your batteries.
After reconditioning the battery you can recharge it and test the voltage. You now have a battery that you can use for your solar power system that is almost free. Once you have enough batteries for your bank why not get some more as standby extras.

Active and Passive Techniques for Utilizing Solar Power

The recent evolutions in solar technologies have made it possible for everyone to utilize solar power. As a result, several people have already started using various kinds of solar systems. These can be used in various ways depending upon the kind of solar techniques they are using. Solar techniques can be classified into categories including the active solar and passive solar techniques.
This classification of these is made on the basis of how they harness, convert, and supply the solar power. They both differ in terms of their usages and applications as well. Let us have a look at the different aspects of the active and passive solar techniques.
Active Solar Energy
Active solar techniques mainly involve the direct absorption of solar energy to generate some usable form of energy, such as electricity. One of the major ways to use active energy is to use solar panels. These solar panels are constructed with semiconductors (e. g. crystalline silicon), which generate electrical energy. these panels are exposed to direct sunlight. Upon absorption of sunlight they convert it into electricity, which is either used directly to power your appliances or is stored by solar inverters.
In addition, solar motors, few kinds of hot water systems, solar collectors, solar trackers, etc are few other kinds of system that utilize active techniques.
Passive Solar Energy
Passive solar techniques do not involve direct absorption of sunlight to convert it into some useful form of energy. They do not use active mechanical systems for absorbing this radiations. Instead, they mainly rely on the design and construction aspects of the systems that are meant to use the energy passively. For instance, a building can be constructed such that it uses this energy to facilitate its heating or cooling. Also, it can be designed to allow effective ventilation inside the building. While designing such buildings, parameters like thermal mass, orientation, shape, density of walls, and arrangement of shadow are considered.
In addition to the buildings that use passive techniques, there are many other usages of passive energy. This energy can be passively used in solar cookers, water heaters, chimneys, and earth sheltering. These all are designed such that this energy is directed to heat air, which is preserved by the appropriate thermal mass. This stored energy is used for various purposes such as heating, cooling, ventilating etc. In addition, solar furnaces and solar forges are widely used in industrial applications as w